STATEMENT OF WORK

CONSTRUCTION PACKAGE

FOR

REPLACE UNDERGROUND 15kV Cables-NLR 598-19-112

Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System

VISN 16, Group 598

North Little Rock, Arkansas

Prepared By

CAVHS Planning and Design Office

July 30, 2025

1. DESCRIPTION OF WORK

A. The contractor shall completely prepare the site for building operations, including demolition, removal of existing structures, furnish labor and materials, and to perform the work in accordance with this description of work.

B. All employees of general contractors and subcontractors shall comply with the VA security management program and obtain permission of the VA police, be identified by project, employer, and restricted from unauthorized access.

C. Drawings and contract documents may be obtained from the website where the solicitation is posted. Additional copies will be at Contractor's expense.

D. This project, located at the Eugene J. Towbin (EJT) Healthcare Center in North Little Rock, AR, addresses specific capacity deficiencies, aged/failing equipment, such as transformers replacement which are beyond their anticipated life expectancy, splices on medium-voltage cables, physical security considerations for electrical components, and the installation of sectionalizers to maintain and improve the functionality of the electrical infrastructure services at North Little Rock campus. The general goal of this project is to improve the electrical infrastructure to be more reliable and code compliant.

i. The electrical scope consists of the installation of four (4) new sectionalizer cabinets, in kind 13.8kV splice replacements on all cables within manholes, and the one-for-one replacement of existing utility grade transformers throughout the campus.

1. Four (4) sectional cabinets shall be provided at two (2) manhole locations.

Manholes 32-1/32-2 (adjacent to each other) and 34/34-2 (adjacent to each other) are designated to have these sectionalizers. Each sectionalizer will have 5-way connections with tie switch. One sectionalizer at each manhole for feeder loops 1 and 2. One sectionalizer at each manhole for feeder loops 3 and 4. Sectionalizer shall have bus tie configuration for alternating circuits.

2. Each of the splices in the manholes identified shall be replaced with new devices in kind with existing type as indicated in drawings for exact configurations present within manholes. All medium voltage cable splices shall be replaced in kind.

Grounding system at existing manholes shall be brought up to the current standards in the VA TIL.

3. New transformers shall be provided at each location (28 total, 1-1 replacement).

The PME monitoring shall be installed at each of the new transformers and connected to the existing PME system. The existing meters shall be turned over to the COR and shall be replaced with new metering devices. New grounding for all transformers shall be provided.

ii. The structural scope of work at manholes and transformers includes concrete crack and spall repairs, cleaning and coating of corroded hardware, and CMU manhole mortar joint repointing. Reinforced concrete slabs on grade shall be installed at the two sectionalizer locations. Deterioration of the manhole structures are generally minor in nature. There are instances of concrete cracking and spalling at opening perimeters, walls, exterior surfaces, and penetrations of a limited number of manholes. New equipment pads shall be constructed at transformers serving mission critical buildings including Transformers 18, 29, and 35. Existing manholes throughout the subject facility typically are constructed of reinforced concrete featuring concrete bottoms; however, some manhole are constructed of brick masonry with a cementitious parge coat, Concrete Masonry Units (CMU), and feature a gravel floor.

Most manhole access components exist and do not contain locking mechanisms.

Moisture intrusion is occurring at most manholes requiring dewatering for repairs.

Contractor shall install bollards at the new sectionalizer pad and new transformer locations. Bollards shall consist of concrete filled steel pipes cast in the ground.

iii. All work shall be phased and coordinated with the COR prior to work commencement.

Work hours for items that require power disconnection shall be conducted during the hours of 7AM on Saturdays to 7PM on Sundays. Other work is acceptable any other times such that the work does not impede normal business functionality as defined by the VA. Each transformer shall be replaced during a single outage such that normal functionality of the building can resume upon completion. Mission critical building (22, 69, 102) shall have temporary power provided by generators during outage times.

Existing standby generators are present at building 69 and 102, but not building 22.

Transformers shall be phased per loop disconnect. Each manhole splice repair shall be coordinated with the loop disconnect. Work shall be performed on only one loop at a time to minimize outages. The phasing intent is for multiple transformers or splices on the same loop to be replaced at the same time to minimize outages.

2. PROJECT AREA

A. All work shall be performed at the at the Eugene J Towbin, North Little Rock, AR. EJT is part of the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) and is located at 2200 Fort Roots Dr, North Little Rock, Arkansas.

3. CONSTRUCTION SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

A. Security Plan:

i. The security plan defines both physical and administrative security procedures that will remain effective for the entire duration of the project.

ii. The General Contractor is responsible for assuring that all sub-contractors working on the project and their employees also comply with these regulations.

B. Security Procedures:

i. General Contractor’s employees shall not enter the project site without appropriate contractor developed and contractor provided badge. Contractor provided badges shall include company name, project number, and project name. They may also be subject to inspection of their personal effects when entering or leaving the project site.

ii. Before starting work the General Contractor shall give one week’s notice to the Contracting Officer so that security escort arrangements can be provided for the employees if required. This notice is separate from any notices required for utility shutdown described later in this section.

iii. No photography of VA premises is allowed without written permission of the Contracting Officer.

iv. VA reserves the right to close or shut down the project site and order General Contractor’s employees off the premises in the event of a national emergency. The General Contractor may return to the site only with the written approval of the Contracting Officer.

4. PRIVACY AND INFORMATION SECURITY

A. Information Systems Officer, Information Protection:

i. The contractor will not have access to VA Desktop computers, nor will they have access to online resources belonging to the government while conducting services. If removal of equipment from the VA is required, any memory storage devices, such as hard drives, solid state drives and non-volatile memory units will remain in VA control and will not be removed from VA custody.

B. Privacy Officer:

i. The contractor will not have access to protected Patient Health Information (PHI) and nor will they have the capability of accessing patient information during the services provided to the VA and if removal of equipment from the VA is required, any memory storage devices, such as hard drives, solid state drives and non-volatile memory units will remain in VA control and will not be removed from VA custody. All research data available for Contractor analyses is de-identified.

C. Records Manager:

i. Citations to pertinent laws, codes, and regulations such as 44 U.S.C chapters 21, 29, 31 and 33; Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552); Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a);

36 CFR Part 1222 and Part 1228.

ii. Contractor shall treat all deliverables under the contract as the property of the U.S.

Government for which the Government Agency shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose of, or disclose such data contained therein as it determines to be in the public interest.

iii. Contractor shall not create or maintain any records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract using Government IT equipment and/or Government records.

iv. Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverable that contains information covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or that which is generally protected by the Freedom of Information Act.

v. Contractor shall not create or maintain any records containing any Government Agency records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract.

vi. The Government Agency owns the rights to all data/records produced as part of this contract.

vii. The Government Agency owns the rights to all electronic information (electronic data, electronic information systems, electronic databases, etc.) and all supporting documentation created as part of this contract. Contractor must deliver sufficient technical documentation with all data deliverables to permit the agency to use the data.

5. OPERATIONS AND STORAGE AREAS

A. The Contractor shall confine all operations (including storage of materials) on Government premises to areas authorized or approved by the Contracting Officer. Due to limited space on the Lot 10 at the west corner of the EJT Medical Center campus is available for contractor storage.

B. Workmen are subject to rules of Medical Center as applicable to their conduct.

C. Plan and execute the work with minimal impact to the normal functioning of Medical

Center as a whole, including patient care, operations of utility services, fire protection systems and any existing equipment, and with work being done by others.

i. Do not store materials and equipment in other than assigned areas.

ii. Schedule delivery of materials and equipment to immediate construction working areas within buildings in use by Department of Veterans Affairs in quantities sufficient for not more than two workdays. Provide unobstructed access to Medical Center areas required to remain in operation.

D. Phasing:

i. The Medical Center must maintain its operation 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Therefore, any interruption in service must be scheduled and coordinated with the COR to ensure that no lapses in operation occur. It is the CONTRACTOR'S responsibility to develop a work plan and schedule detailing, at a minimum, the procedures to be employed, the equipment and materials to be used, the interim life safety measure to be used during the work, and a schedule defining the duration of the work with milestone subtasks. The work to be outlined shall include, but not be limited to:

a. To ensure such executions, Contractor shall furnish the COR with a schedule of approximate dates on which the Contractor intends to accomplish work in each specific area of site, building or portion thereof.

6. AS-BUILT DRAWINGS

A. The contractor shall maintain one full size sets of as-built drawings which will be kept current during construction of the project, to include all contract changes, modifications and clarifications.

B. All variations shall be shown in the same general detail as used in the contract drawings.

To ensure compliance, as-built drawings shall be made available for the COR review, as often as requested.

C. Contractor shall deliver two (2) approved, completed sets of as-built drawings in the electronic version (scanned PDF and AutoCAD Record Drawings) to the COR within 15 calendar days after each completed phase and after the acceptance of the project by the

COR.

D. Paragraphs A, B, & C shall also apply to all shop drawings.

7. AVAILABILITY AND USE OF UTILITY SERVICES

A. The Government shall make all reasonably required utilities available to the Contractor from existing outlets and supplies, as specified in the contract. The Contractor shall carefully conserve any utilities furnished without charge.

B. The Contractor, at Contractor's expense and in a workmanlike manner, in compliance with code and as satisfactory to the Contracting Officer, shall install and maintain all necessary temporary connections and distribution lines. Before final acceptance of the work by the Government, the Contractor shall remove all the temporary connections, distribution lines, meters, and associated paraphernalia and repair restore the infrastructure as required.

8. UTILITY SHUTDOWNS

A. No utility service such as water, gas, steam, HVAC, sewers, electricity, or fire protection systems and communications systems may be interrupted without prior approval of the CAVHS Chief Engineer. If services must be interrupted to other services outside of the immediate work area of this scope, a minimum of 14 days written notice must be submitted for approval. This outage request must identify the affected buildings, areas, rooms, date, duration, outage description, and the procedure of the intended work.

9. TESTS

A. The contractor shall provide a written testing and commissioning plan complete with component level, equipment level, sub-system level and system level breakdowns to designer of records commissioning agent. The plan will provide a schedule and a written sequence of what will be tested, how and what the expected outcome will be. This document will be submitted for approval prior to commencing work. The contractor shall document the results of the approved plan and submit for approval with the as built documentation.

B. Pre-test mechanical and electrical equipment and systems and make corrections required for proper operation of such systems before requesting final tests. Final test will not be conducted unless pre-tested.

C. Conduct final tests required in various sections of specifications in presence of an authorized representative of the Contracting Officer. Contractor shall furnish all labor, materials, equipment, instruments, and forms, to conduct and record such tests.

D. All related components as defined above shall be functioning when any system component is tested. Tests shall be completed within a reasonably period of time during which operating and environmental conditions remain reasonably constant and are typical of the design conditions.

E. Individual test result of any component, where required, will only be accepted when submitted with the test results of related components and of the entire system.

10. INSTRUCTIONS

A. Contractor shall furnish Maintenance and Operating manuals (hard copies and electronic) and verbal instructions when required by the various sections of the specifications and as hereinafter specified.

B. Manuals: Maintenance and operating manuals and one compact disc (four hard copies and one electronic copy each) for each separate piece of equipment shall be delivered to the COR coincidental with the delivery of the equipment to the job site. Manuals shall be complete, detailed guides for the maintenance and operation of equipment. They shall include complete information necessary for starting, adjusting, maintaining in continuous operation for long periods of time and dismantling and reassembling of the complete units and sub assembly components. Manuals shall include an index covering all component parts clearly cross referenced to diagrams and illustrations. Illustrations shall include "exploded" views showing and identifying each separate item. Emphasis shall be placed on the use of special tools and instruments. The function of each piece of equipment, component, accessory and control shall be clearly and thoroughly explained. All necessary precautions for the operation of the equipment and the reason for each precaution shall be clearly set forth. Manuals must reference the exact model, style and size of the piece of equipment and system being furnished. Manuals referencing equipment similar to but of a different model, style, and size than that furnished will not be accepted.

C. Instructions: Contractor shall provide qualified, factory trained manufacturers' representatives to give detailed training to assigned Department of Veterans Affairs personnel in the operation and complete maintenance for each piece of equipment. All such training will be at the job site. These requirements are more specifically detailed in the various technical sections. Instructions for different items of equipment that are component parts of a complete system, shall be given in an integrated, progressive manner. All instructors for every piece of component equipment in a system shall be available until instructions for all items included in the system have been completed. This is to assure proper instruction in the operation of inter-related systems. All instruction periods shall be at such times as scheduled by the COR and shall be considered concluded only when the COR is satisfied in regard to complete and thorough coverage.

The contractor shall submit a course outline with associated material to the COR for review and approval prior to scheduling training to ensure the subject matter covers the expectations of the VA and the contractual requirements. The Department of Veterans Affairs reserves the right to request the removal of, and substitution for, any instructor who, in the opinion of the COR, does not demonstrate sufficient qualifications in accordance with requirements for instructors above.

11. PROJECT MEETINGS

A. Each week the contractor shall hold a progress meeting to review progress to date and to resolve all questions for the upcoming week. The progress meeting shall include at a minimum, the Project Manager and the Superintendent representing the Contractor, the COR and the CO representing the Government. Technical supervisor (foreman), sub-contractors, suppliers, etc. shall attend when requested by the Contracting Officer. The meeting shall be same day, time, and place each week.

B. Meeting Minutes - The contractor shall take minutes of all meetings held relative to this project. The format must be acceptable to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR). Minutes must include the meeting date and time; agenda; meeting location; list of participants with their affiliations, and email addresses; be fully descriptive of issues, problems and decisions made; and action items with names of responsible parties and deadlines. In addition, the minutes must include, as attachments, all exhibits and references distributed as handout materials, unless the materials are part of a formal submission. The contractor shall provide, via e-mail, complete copies of all minutes to all attendees within 72 hours of the meeting. All challenges to the minutes will be reflected in a revised version prepared by the contractor and CO along with the contractor and COR shall sign/initial the minutes. In the event of any disputes or challenges that can’t be resolved, the Contracting Officer shall make a final decision.

Copies of updated minutes shall be distributed to all attendees within 48 hours after the change notice.

12. HOLIDAYS: The following legal holidays are observed by this Government Agency to include any day declared by the federal government as holiday.

New Year's Day January 1st Martin Luther King's Birthday Third Monday in January Presidents Day Third Monday in February Memorial Day Last Monday in May Juneteenth June 19th Independence Day July 4th Labor Day First Monday in September Columbus Day Second Monday in October Veterans Day November 11th Thanksgiving Day 4th Thursday in November Christmas Day December 25th

13. FINAL CLEANUP

A. Final clean up and finishes. At the completion of the work, all fixtures, equipment, and materials shall be cleaned. The Contractor shall do a final cleaning to include disposal of debris resulting from construction as well as dispose of containers for the materials used during the performance of the work.

14. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

A. The Performance Period for this project is three hundred sixty five (365) calendar days after issuance of the Notice to Proceed.

15. WARRANTY

A. The contractor shall warrant its work against faulty workmanship for a period of not less than one year from the date of Government acceptance of the work provided under this contract. Under this warranty, the contractor shall be prepared to return to the work site within one working day after notification without charge to make any necessary repairs.