Responses to Questions JBLM Mortar Survey Report 47QFAA20R0004 .rtf

JBLM RFP Vendor Questions & Answers

Page 1: Do the proposers need to be NAICS classified as 238140 masonry contractors? Is an NAICS classified masonry contractor required to be on the proposing team?

No. NAICS code 238140 is no longer applicable to this acquisition. The preponderance of work NAICS has ben changed to 541720 and all vendors submitting proposal on this RFP must be a small business under the NAICS.

B.2 Firm Fixed Price: Are reimbursable costs permitted? 52.216-22 (page 35) seems to imply that this is an IDIQ contract, but earlier sections indicate it’s an FFP contract. Please clarify.

Reimbursable costs are not allowed under this contract. The contract is a Firm Fixed Priced contract. All references to IDIQ has been removed from the RFP

C.6.2 Material Testing: Are there specific material tests required under this contract or is it up to the contractor to provide recommended tests? See below for additional more detailed questions regarding testing requirements:

C.6.2 – What strength test is desired? Compressive? Also, is there a need for compressive strength if end goal is to obtain an appropriate mortar mix for the historic structure(s)?

Yes strength testing is required because we don’t want to be making mortar harder than what is already there

C.6.2 – We are assuming that the color will be provided as a Munsell color. Is another color system required?

Munsell is adequate.

C.6.2 – What is the goal for the aggregate tests? Characterization of the aggregates can be completed by petrographic analysis or ASTM C1324 acid digestion and sieving. Is there a preference as to how the aggregate is analyzed?

No preference

C.6.3 – Does the statement in C6.3 regarding testing (“in accordance with laboratory requirements and specifications”) refer to the specification provided in Attachment D? Attachment D lists several different ASTM standard tests. Can we get clarification which ASTM in Attachment D is required for this RFP? Is the intent to include destructive testing such as ASTM C1197?

No. Survey results will be used in masonry conservation efforts which will comply with specifications of Attachment D.

C6.5 Sample Boards: C6.5 indicates “a mortar mix (recipe) for each building grouping….” Does this refer to the 5 historic District groups (G1 through G5), indicated in C6.1.1?

Yes. A board will represent the mortar for each district.

C6.6: Patching of sample locations with the newly developed mortar mix within the 100 day contract period may be very challenging given the time it takes to procure materials and mixes for any given sample location let alone up to 15 unique samples and formulas for repair mortars. Is it the intent that all repairs are completed within the first 70 calendar days of the project schedule?

Once the sample is taken the site should be immediately repaired with a Type-N mortar. Sample log should identify the location for future restoration.

C.11 Safety Plan: Does this have to be completed within the 100-day contract period? Will a sample be available to support rapid development of the safety plan?

Safety Plan is to ensure worker and occupant safety for sample removal. A template will not be provided.

C.12 Haz-Mat: My insurance won’t permit me to contract for Good Faith Hazardous Materials survey. I’m an architect, not a contractor. How do we handle this? Also, does this have to be completed within the 100-day schedule? If hazardous materials are discovered, do they have to be abated within the 100-day project schedule or is a schedule extension permitted?

No comment on vendor insurance. All mortars contain silica.

All contract requirements are to be completed 100 days after NTP.

Abatement is not required. Means and methods are not dictated by the Government.

All work to be completed within 100 days of NTP.

C12.3.3 Sustainable Procurement: Is a waiver possible for this requirement? This is a short duration project with a small budget and small businesses for whom this is a significant imposition in time and expense (expense that is not reimbursed until the end of the project, if at all). For example, do I have to buy a special ink cartridge for my printer, but one is not available for my Brother printer, so I have to get a new printer too?

All repair materials are reviewed for compliance with Sustainable Procurement.

Patching material is the only item covered under this section.

Vendor equipment and materials are not subject to this section.

C13.4.7.2 Security: Is security for contractor’s equipment and supplies as well as potential security of government property a reimbursable cost? a reimbursable expense?

This is a firm-fixed price procurement: Proposals must cover all vendor costs and expenses.

C.15 Training for C.15.1 AT Level 1 Training, C.15.4 iWatch Training, C.15.5.3 OPSEC Level 1 Training, C.15.5.4 OPSEC SOP/Plan, C.15.6 E-verify of contractors and subcontractors. Do these training requirements have to be completed within the 100-day project schedule and after the Notice of Award?

This a short term service contract. Vendor personnel shall be sponsored by DPW.

Security Training will not be required for this short time vendor personnel will be on the Installation.

C.15 Training: Are training and prep time considered reimbursable?

No. Reimbursable costs are not allowed under this contract. The contract is a Firm Fixed Priced contract.

F.1 Period of Performance: In addition to questions above regarding the 100-day project schedule, can you please clarify the sequence of Notice of Award and Notice to Proceed? Is there a time period between these two milestone dates and, if so, how long is that time period and is it included in the total 100-day project schedule?

Notice To Proceed (NTP) is issued once Contracting requirements are fulfilled by the designated low bidder.

G.3 Invoices: Payment not permitted until submission of final report is difficult for small businesses to handle because we don’t have enough cash flow to survive for more than 1-2 months, let alone the 3 to 4 months this clause requires. This is especially challenging with the reduced availability of projects due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Is there a possibility of intermediate requests for payment?

No

H.5 Security Background Investigation: This section requires a security background investigation. Does this have to be completed after Notice of Award or Notice to Proceed or within the 100-day project schedule? What is the time period that security background checks usually take for review and approval?

Security checks are provided immediately at the Visitors Center. Processing usually takes less than 15 minutes but varies due to volume of passes being processed.

H.8 Contractor Identification: Are Contractor badges provided upon successful completion of the security background investigation? If so, does the contractor identification have to be obtained within the 100-day project schedule?

Badges will not be issued for this contract. A passes will be issued for the on-site portion of the contract. All employees should have visible company identification on their person while working on the Installation.

I.1 FAR Clauses Incorporated by Reference: Please clarify which of the FAR clauses are incorporated in this RFP. Are they the ones indicated by the “X” next to their names? Are all other clauses to be disregarded?

Clauses marked “X” are applicable to this contract.

I.1 (e)(1) (bottom of page 29 of the PDF) seems to indicate that several FAR clauses not checked in Sections (a), (b), and (c) are required to be complied with by stating “Notwithstanding the requirements of the clauses in paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d) of this clause, the Contractor is not required to flow down any FAR clause, other than those in this paragraph (e)(1) in a subcontract for commercial items” (emphasis added). This statement implies that items enumerated following paragraph (e) (1) are required to flow down to the subcontractors. This seems to present a conflict in the contracting requirements. There also seems to be a similar conflict in (e)(1)(ii). Please clarify that what requirements of paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d) are required for the Contractor and the subcontractors.

No further clarification is provided.

M.1.1 Evaluation Factors & Submittal Requirements: Please clarify if the “Pre Mortar Survey Submittals” are required as a part of our proposal. While it is feasible to provide testing lab certifications and a sampling plan, it is unclear what is required for a mortar comparison board and why it is required for the selection of the contractor.

Submittals are required with proposals. Mortar board is not part of selection criteria.

Can you clarify that all joints to be tested are mortar and not another product or material such a sanded sealant, lead, etc. Is there any information available regarding the age of the materials to be sampled?

Brick mortar is the only materials to be samples and tested.

Attachment D: UFGS Spec Section 040300: Are all requirements of this section for the sampling and patching of the mortar tests? Or is this section only intended to guide repair work required by C.6.6?

Mortar mixes developed under this action will be used to repair masonry under the specifications in section D.

Is this project considered an essential services project? Are there any Covid-19 related restrictions or requirements regarding the execution of this project?

All Government contracts are essential.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) PE meets or exceeds COVID protection guidelines.

Do you require actual physical samples of the proposed repair mortars on the sample boards?

Yes

Are there specific insurance requirements for the proposing team? If so, can you please share them at this time?

There are no specific insurances required to perform the work.

Is any more information about the 15 proposed buildings available? Age? Photo? Plan drawing?

AT/OPSEC is standard for all government contractors. But may be removed from this requirement.

M.1.1 Evaluation Factors: Please clarify what is required for the proposal and the basis of revaluation.

Team qualifications & Individual Qualifications?

Yes Proposed schedule?

No

Fee/cost Proposal? If I understand correctly, this must be submitted on Attachment A. Is this correct?

Yes L.5 (a) Pricing Proposal: Attachment A – Per the top left corner of Attachment A, the contractor is required to complete blocks 12, 17, 23, 24, and 30. Please clarify what is required for Box 12 “Discount terms” and the “Contractor/Offeror,” “Code,” and Facility Code” required in Box 17a. Also, please clarify if the cost is required to be broken down by building or District or is the proposed cost one “lot” for all 15 buildings?

Attachment B – GSA Form 1449 is standard solicitation form that cannot be changed by GSA. Some section will not be applicable to this buy. If so simply stated “N/A”.

All offers should be submitted taking into consideration all applicable costs.

L.5 (b) Pricing Proposal: Attachment B – Please clarify what attachment B is. Per the documents received, Attachment B is the historic district maps, but L.5 (b) indicates that it is part of the pricing proposal.

Section L.5 (b) has been modified from Attachment B to Attachment A.

Attachment F (signed and notarized?)

This has been revised to Attachment Eand yes it has to be signed and notorized.

Proposed locations for sampling?

No

Material Testing Lab Certifications?

Yes Statement of Conflict of Interest?

Yes

Is there a point scoring system for different aspects of the proposal?

No. This will be awarded to the Lowest Price-Technically Acceptable proposal.

Is there a specific order in which you’d prefer to have the qualifications submitted?

No Is there a Labor Rate Schedule that we need to adhere to or utilize for the cost proposal?

This is a service contract. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA).

Are any of the following wage scales required to be adhered to or utilized:

Brooks Act (aka the Selection of Architects and Engineers Statute)?

Davis-Bacon Act (Prevailing Wage Rates)

C.6.4

Sample Removal done in accordance with Specification 3.1.2 *Sample sizes will be increased to 250g for petrographic examination

Aggregate Analysis per Specification 2.2.2.1.c – Is this required?

Purpose of survey is to determine commercial equivalent and additives required to match existing mortar appearance for repairs and repointing.

32. F.2 Sampling Duration (Laboratory) 70 days may not be sufficient to carry out the prescribed testing. Our team is concerned that the proposed schedule does not allow enough time for training and security clearances (as previously mentioned) but also to complete the process of sampling, testing, approvals, and repairing the sample locations. Key issues include (1) the testing labs are significantly backed up due to Covid-19 staff reductions, (2) duration of time to develop samples (sourcing materials, making mixes, creating actual samples and testing them (for compression strength and vapor permeability among other things)) prior to installing the repair mortar. See the question above regarding ASTM e96.

Not required Is there something in particular that is driving this schedule? Is there a related project (current or future)?

Masonry work on historical buildings is dependent on survey results.

Is this project part of a larger project or series of projects on base?

No

Can the contractor and subs drive themselves around the base to access each building?

Yes

Does the Contractor need to be escorted while on base?

Will there be any review of information or samples gathered while on base prior to leaving the base?

Not required

Section L.4 discusses what defines a “page” in the proposal, but there is not statement regarding the number of pages allowed. Is there a maximum page count for the proposal?

Do you anticipate that this work will take place during the quarantine? Do you plan to designate this as essential service work?

Work is essential and will begin on NPT. Yes it will probably happen during COVID 19 since it is essential that we get the correct mixes for upcoming projects. The determination of appropriate mix will allow or delay necessary building repairs.

The project is focused on testing of historic mortars. There is currently no testing certification for historic mortar analysis. The RFP requests laboratory. Can this be satisfied by the qualifications of the individuals doing the testing?

Yes.

We anticipate two site visits – one to review conditions and develop the sampling plan and the other to take samples. Is that what you intended?

I would count on 4 site visits: One to review site, one to take sample, one to show color matched samples and formulas and one to patch the sample holes with the (newly matched) matched historic mortar.

Regarding the number of samples, is the expectation to sample from each building? Some buildings may have more than one mortar campaign and we may need to address that in the sampling plan, correct?

You should be sampling the most historic section or mortar of the buildings, testing re-points is not necessary.

After sampling, do you want us to temporarily patch the sample locations and then replace it with the recommended mortar at the end of the project?

Sure, cultural resources will need to approve patch material prior to application. A permanent patch will be done using the newly matched mortar mix so the color and mix meets the needs of each building.

Is the analysis of the existing mortars to be done according to the methods specified in UFGS 04 03 00?

What method is to be used for the determination of strength for the existing mortars?

Not specified

Is any testing of the proposed replacement mortars required?

UFGS 04 03 00 indicates the following as the requirement for a mortar analyst: Laboratory mortar analysis equipment should be operated by and results analyzed by trained personnel experienced with analysis of historic masonry mortar. Is documentation of experience with analysis of historic masonry mortar sufficient for the laboratory certification?

Has the masonry been tested for hazardous materials?

No

How many samples per building are required?

Representative samples are to be taken. No specific number is required.

Will access to the sample removal site require a man-lift?

Is it acceptable to temporarily fill the void where the mortar sample was removed using a soft color-matched mortar until we perform the mortar analysis

Yes that is preferred. Replacement of initial patching mortar is not required.

It is virtually impossible to determine mortar strength from a small sample that is removed from a joint. Is it acceptable for us to use thin section petrography to determine the Portland cement content (if present) and therefore, approximate the strength? If not, if we can determine the compressive strength of the masonry, then we can design the mortar to be softer than it.

We see that there are a few huge buildings where we recommend taking more mortar samples than are called for in the specification. If we add the samples, our cost proposal will be more expensive and we will rank lower in the selection process. Perhaps a way to compare the submittals “apples to apples,” so to speak, would be to submit costs for 4 samples per building and then negotiate with you regarding recommended number of samples prior to signing a contract? How should we appropriately provide the recommended number of samples for the buildings included in this RFP?

This is a firm-fixed price contract that will be evaluated for the lowest cost or the technically acceptable offers.

Last, a follow up question on schedule (with more backup explanation that prior questions): We recommend an extension of the schedule to complete the laboratory portion of the testing. The RFP is requiring ASTM E96 testing to be completed to characterize the permeability of the mortar. This testing requires 30-60 days (just for the testing), and there is a substantial amount of work to be done prior to this testing. Please bear in mind that the items below do not include the entire scope of work, such as procuring the accepted mortar materials and performing the repairs at each sample location. For example a rough schedule would be:

Field Sampling – ~ 2 Weeks Transport Samples to Laboratory - ~1 week Petrographic Analysis – 3-4 Weeks Mortar mixture development 2-4 Weeks Mix Mortars for Laboratory Testing – 2-4 Days Curing 28 Days ASTM E96 Testing – 30-60 days Total: 102 to 169 calendar days

No changes to schedule

Also, can you confirm that the 100-day schedule in the RFP is in calendar days (7 days per week) or work days (5 days per week)?

Calendar days not work days are used for this action.

Does a previously issued security clearance by ZoneD HSPD12 for a GSA On-call IDIQ contract serve as acceptable security clearance requirements for the above referenced project, JBLM DPW Mortar Survey Report?

No JBLM performs its own security checks for access to the Installation.

Does the 100 day contract schedule commence AFTER security clearance has been issued by JBLM?

Installation access takes as little as 15 minutes but depends on the volume of requests being process at the Visitor Center.