ADDENDA #1

BOARD MEMBERS

Samuel F. Hart, Sr.

Chairman

Frank Patterson

Vice-Chairman

Dr. Anissa Jones

Desmond D. Brown

Dwight Jones

Valerie Wynn

Bill Howell

Joey Leverette

Executive Director and President

790 Second Street

P.0.Box 108

Macon, GA 31202

(478) 464-5600 Fax: (478) 750-2007

MaconWater.org

ADDENDA #1

JANUARY 14, 2022

To: ALL POTENTIAL PROPOSERS

Re: POTENTIAL PROPOSER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE REQUEST

FOR PROPOSALS FOR AMR METER REPLACEMENT AND MIU

INSTALLATION SERVICES

Potential Proposer questions about the Request For Proposals, referenced above, are responded to in this document.

Proposers shall acknowledge receipt of, and compliance with, this addenda by signing below and returning it with a Proposal submission as Part K.

Sincerely, Barry Smallwood Barry Smallwood

Purchasing Specialist

We hereby acknowledge receipt of, and compliance with, this addenda in conjunction with the above Request for Proposal.

Signature Firm Name

Addenda #1

1. What is the project proposed start date?

Response: According to the RFP, Section B.17 Procurement Award Timeline, the

Anticipated Notice of Award Date is March 4, 2022.

2. What is the anticipated duration of the project?

Response: According to the RFP, Section C.1.6 Start of Work and Contract

Completion, the during will be twenty-four (24-months).

3. What licenses, and classifications are required?

Response: According to the RFP, Section D.7.2 Contractor License The Contractor and all designated subcontractors shall possess at all times a valid license(s)of the proper classification for the work to be performed by the Contractor and all designated subcontractors.

4. What meters and MIUs are being installed?

Response: Neptune T-10 meters and Neptune MIUs.

5. What meters and MIUs are being removed?

Response: A variety of meters are existing. MIUs are not being removed.

6. Will contractor be required to provide a call center?

a. What are the hours of coverage?

b. What languages are required?

Response: The Authority will provide all contact center services.

7. What is the address for the utility-provided warehouse and staging area?

Response: The address of the warehouse, maintenance department, and parking lot is 951 5th St., Macon, GA 31202.

8. Will the Utility assist in locating difficult to locate meters?

Response: Yes.

9. What percentage of services are Residential, Irrigation, Commercial, and Industrial?

Response: The majority of meters are residential and irrigation. All meters in this installation project are 5/8” to 1”.

10. Number or percentage of meters in the following locations?

a. Indoors

b. Curb and gutter

c. Front yards

d. Backyards

e. Behind locked gates

f. Alleyways

g. Driveways

h. Roadways

i. Rural Areas

j. Confined spaces: Please provide the location and quantities of the confined spaces

k. Hazardous areas, please describe the potentially hazardous conditions, quantities, and locations

Response: 100% of meters will be located in meter pits. The Authority will install any difficult to install or not able to be located meters.

11. Will any portion of the project require traffic control? Please describe potential traffic control conditions and permit requirements.

Response: The Authority will install any difficult to install or not able to be located meters.

12. How many services are in hardscapes (concrete, asphalt, etc.,)?

Response: The Authority will install any difficult to install or not able to be located meters.

13. What are the soil characteristics (clay, rocky, hard, sandy etc.,)?

Response: The Authority will install any difficult to install or not able to be located meters.

14. It is expected that a small amount of dirt/debris will be removed with typical meter replacement, is it anticipated that meter boxes will require substantially cleaning (dirt higher than bottom of register)? What percentage?

Response: It is unlikely that meter boxes will be filled where the register is unable to be read.

15. What is the typical depth (in inches) to the top of the meter register?

Response: The measurement from the bottom of the box to the top of the register is approximately 6”.

16. What type of shut off valve is used, angle-stops or curb-stops?

Response: The Authority uses curb-stops.

17. Are existing meters on setter, risers, or straight pipe?

Response: Most meters use straight pipes, and a few with risers.

18. Was there a system audit performed during the development of the RFP (meter type, meter size, meter manufacturer, quantity, box condition, lid condition, dirt/debris condition, etc.)?

a. What was the audit outline, and will the results be shared?

b. What entity performed the system audit?

Response: No, there was no system audit performed.

19. Lid Replacement:

a. List all sizes are lids that are currently used for small meters.

b. Are specific lid sizes known for each service location?

c. What is the material of the existing lids?

d. What is the material for the replacement lids?

e. What is the size of the pre-drilled hole?

Response: The Authority will provide all replacement lids per Section G.6.2.2

Work Type Criteria

20. Is it anticipated that meter pits will have to be removed and reset to access the meter connections?

Response: The Authority will install any difficult to install or not able to be located meters.

21. Is it anticipated that meter boxes will have to be replaced? If so:

a. What percentage?

b. What is the determining factor for a replacement?

c. Is the decision for replacement based on a pre-installation audit?

d. What sizes of meter boxes are in the system for small meters?

e. What is the quantity of each size?

f. What is the material of the existing meter boxes?

g. Are the meter boxes straight-sided or tapered?

Response: The Authority will install any difficult to install or not able to be located meters.

22. If a customer side water line breaks during installation due to deteriorating line or infrastructure (old, galvanized pipe), who is responsible for repairs?

Response: The Authority will install any difficult to install or not able to be located meters.

23. If a service side water line breaks during installation due to a deteriorating line or infrastructure, who is responsible for service line repairs?

Response: The Authority will install any difficult to install or not able to be located meters.

24. What will the process be if a service is too high, and the new endpoint radio will not fit under the lid?

Response: The Authority will install any difficult to install or not able to be located meters.

25. Provide percentages of piping materials are found on the service side, within the service system:

a. Copper: %

b. Galvanized: %

c. Poly: %

d. CTS: %

e. PVC: %

Response: These percentages are unknown. The installer will be responsible for assessing service line type.

26. Provide percentages of piping materials are found on the customer side, within the service system:

a. Copper: %

b. Galvanized: %

c. Poly: %

d. CTS: %

e. PVC: %

Response: These percentages are unknown. The installer will be responsible for assessing service line type.

27. Item J.1 states the Payment Item Schedule contains protected formulas. However, the payment schedules on pages 142 and 143 are part of the PDF and do not contain any formulas. Is there an Excel Payment Item Schedule that is to be used for the pricing submittal?

Response: Yes, the Authority Administrative Contact, Harold Blevins will provide the Excel document upon request by the Proposer.

28. Can the Authority provide pictures of meter pit environments, meters, lids, etc.?

Response: The Authority will provide copies of representative meter pit pictures during the preproposal conference.

29. To Clarify: Do you have to have been in business installing meters for 10 years or could you be in business for 10 years but only installing meters 3 to 4 years of those 10 years?

Response: Proposers must have been in business for 10 years. (Evidence of a going concern over at least a decade). Independent of time in business, proposers must provide documentation of completion of at least (5) meter AMR/AMI installations of similar size within the past 8 years.

30. Could you share the excel formatted documents required for submittal of the project?

Response: Yes, the Excel version of the Payment Item Schedule is available to any proposer upon request.

31. Was there a system audit performed during the development of the RFP (meter type, meter size, meter manufacturer, quantity, box condition, lid condition, dirt/debris condition, etc.)?

Response: There was no audit performed prior to RFP issuance. The Authority will provide specific existing meter information per address to the selected contractor.

32. What was the audit outline?

Response: There was no audit performed prior to RFP issuance. The Authority will provide specific existing meter information per address to the selected contractor.

33. Will the results be shared?

34. What entity performed the system audit?

35. Has EMA outsourced a third party to perform surveys or QA QC during the installation phase? If yes, who or what entity?

Response: The Authority will inspect work completed by the contractor.

36. DBE and WBE participation what is the overall objective is it 10% collectively or 20% total?

Response: The DBE/WBE good faith goal is 10% collectively.

37. Can the Authority offer assistance in locating the DBE certified list of contractors?

Response: More information is available at the Georgia Department of

Administrative Services website. https://doas.ga.gov/state-purchasing/supplier-services/minority-business-enterprise-certification or Macon-Bibb County Small

Business Affairs https://www.maconbibb.us/small-business-affairs/.

38. Is there a requirement for underground utilities licensing for the contractor in Georgia?

Verify license requirements.

Response: The Authority does not believe the contractor is required to have any form of State licensing, but a safety plan, appropriate insurance, and other requirements are listed in the RFP. It shall be incumbent upon the successful proposer to provide and pay for any and all licenses that may be required in conjunction with this contract.

39. When to you plan to start implementation? Are there any known supply chain issues that contractors will need to deal with?

Response: The start date is dependent on the length of contract negotiations, the schedule of system integrations, and the contractor’s testing schedule. The

Authority is already housing approximately 20% of the required stock for the project. The Authority plans to order supplies with enough lead time to prevent any installation down time.

40. H.1.2.3 Section 2: Installation Services, Question #7 asks to describe the AMR radio transmitter installation in Authority provided

a. What is the make and model number of the meter box lids?

b. Is the Authority providing external antennas to be installed through the lid?

Response: There are a variety of lids in the service area, and the Authority will provide replacement lids with holes drilled in them to make space for the antenna.

41. G.6.27 Public Inventory of Lead Service Lines

a. Can all service and customer lines be accessed within the meter box?

Response: Yes. Both service lines are accessible from the meter pits.

b. If the lines cannot be accessed within the meter box does the Authority anticipate the installation contractor to remove the meter box or dig outside of the box?

Response: No. If the lines cannot be accessed, or the meter cannot be replaced, the

Authority will perform the installation.

42. If boxes need to be pulled, a pricing line item should be added for pulling and replacing the box.

https://doas.ga.gov/state-purchasing/supplier-services/minority-business-enterprise-certification https://doas.ga.gov/state-purchasing/supplier-services/minority-business-enterprise-certification https://www.maconbibb.us/small-business-affairs/

Response: The contractor will not be pulling boxes.

43. What are the makes, models, and sizes of the boxes to be pulled?

Response: The contractor will not be pulling boxes.

44. What are the expectations for meter boxes in located hardscape?

Response: The contractor will not be pulling boxes.

45. G.4.2 Materials and Equipment Furnished by Authority. In this section items provided by the Authority are listed, which includes all inventory, warehousing, and administrative space for the installation contractor. Given this information, is the Materials &

Equipment Floater insurance still required? If so, please describe the material to be insured, as well as the total value of the material.

Response: Materials & Equipment Floater insurance will still be required because possession of the equipment will move to the contractor prior to installation.

46. To clarify from the pre bid conference, a Georgia Utility Contractor’s License is required to perform the work contained in the RFP.

Response: The Authority does not believe the contractor is required to have any form of State licensing, but a safety plan, appropriate insurance, and other requirements are listed in the RFP. It shall be incumbent upon the successful proposer to provide and pay for any and all licenses that may be required in conjunction with this contract.

47. Section G.2.2.3 Test phase B refers to detecting GPS coordinates using dual frequency

GPS equipment. What accuracy/precision is required for meter GPS capture?

Response: The expected precision is standard dual frequency GPS precision.

48. Section G.4.2 states that the authority will provide all materials required for installation.

Will this include gaskets and miscellaneous fittings?

Response: Section G.4.2 states that the authority will provide all materials required for installation.

49. Section G.5.2 states that the contractor should provide a Trimble Ranger handheld for

MIU programming. This device is typically required for “MXU” programming. Please clarify the meter type, model and MIU to be installed. Is there another handheld that would be acceptable for programming?

Response: Neptune indicates that endpoint programming is not required.

50. Will the authority be providing an AMR collector for drive by testing? Is the authority asking vendors to supply vehicle and labor time only for testing?

Response: G.4.2 (i) states the Authority will provide the AMR Mobile Data

Collector.

51. Is it the intent of the authority to only send mailers for pre-notification? Or will the selected contractor be expected to place pre-installation door hangers?

Response: The contractor’s responsibility relative to the public outreach program is described in G.9.1.2 Post Installation Notice.