pre-bid_meeting.pdf

SOLICITATION No. AG-9A40-S-13-0007

KITCHEN CREEK HELIBASE

PRE-BID MEETING NOTES

March 13, 2013

Contracting Officer, Patrick Gallegos announcements:

• Closing date for receipt of proposals has been extended to April 5, 2013. 1600 (hour) local time

• All information discussed today will be posted on the Federal Business Opportunities (fbo.gov) website as an amendment to the solicitation.

• This project is set-aside for Small Businesses only.

• Project time is 320 calendar days, which includes design work. Site work can begin after the Notice to Proceed is issued while awaiting design approval.

• Davis Bacon/prevailing wages apply to this contract. The wage rates have been posted with the solicitation.

• ATTENTION to Clause H5, pg. 22, Site Investigation and Conditions affecting the work, paragraph (a). Read.

• ATTENTION to clause I.3 Buy American Act. No exceptions.

• Bonding requirements are 20% Bid Bond and 100% Performance and Payment Bond.

• ATTENTION to clause 52.204-07 - Central Contractor Registration (Feb 12). If an offeror is not in the CCR data base by the time the award decision is made the firm will be disqualified as non-responsive.

• Clause I-10, Brand Name or Equal, pg. 32. There are several brand names included in the specifications and drawings, the intent is descriptive only and is to indicate the quality and characteristic of the product that will be satisfactory to the Government. If the brand names listed are from a foreign manufacturer, then the product must be changed out to a product manufactured in the USA.

• This is a firm fixed-price contract.

• Amendment 1 was published last Friday (3/8/2013).

• Clause L4 Instructions for the Preparations of Technical & business Proposals.

1 paper copy of the business/cost proposal which includes, signed offer (page 1 & 2 of the Solicitation - SF-1442, Schedule of Items and Section K of the solicitation package).

1 paper copy of the technical proposal

1 electronic copy on CD-ROM (Technical Proposal Only)

• Schedule of Items CHANGE – this will be shown in Amendment 2. It includes a “pen and ink” change to line item 33 21 13A “12 inch diameter drilling” will be changed to “14 inch diameter drilling”. Same quantity and method of measurement applies.

• On a firm-fixed price contract, work will be measured based upon the “Method of measurement” shown on the Schedule of Items. For example, if the Schedule of Items lists 50 bollards to be installed and the plans show 52 bollards to be installed then work will be paid for based upon whether that item within the Schedule of Items is listed as AQ (Actual Quantity) or DQ (Design Quantity). If it is listed as AQ, contractor is paid for what was actually installed on the project. If it is listed as DQ, contractor is paid for the quantity shown in the Schedule of Items. It is the Contractor’s responsibility to show an error in the DQ before the bidding deadline (solicitation closing date).

Questions and Answers:

1. Will SDG&E and AT&T be providing design details for their utilities? The Forest Service will post contact information for the AT&T representative and a brief summary of work. The work order for the SDG&E installation will be provided to the successful offeror. At this time the SDG&E fees are paid and there is no future fees expected from SDG&E, however if some unforeseen fees arise during project, the contractor is responsible for those fees. The information provided is for information only and shall not be considered binding on the Government.

2. What will be the water source for this project? The Forest Service Cameron Fire Station (located to the south from the project along Kitchen Creek Road) is a water source that has limited availability given that the vertical water well provides water to the fire station, a barracks and residences. If contractors choose to utilize this source they must install a backflow preventer on the standpipe and never impede emergency traffic of the fire crew or fire engine. Per solicitation specifications, water is available but not guaranteed at this site, so it would be prudent for contractors to plan on a backup water source for this project given the high demand on this small water system.

3. Which drawings are complete within the solicitation? The site plans are complete as far as showing where everything goes. The contractor is responsible for sizing some of the utilities (electrical, water, oil/water separator) as well as providing complete drawings for the buildings to be designed.

4. We think that since there are heaters required in the building that Title 24 may require those buildings to be insulated. Is this true? See SF-30 Amendment number 2 on insulation for garage and hangar.

5. Which buildings require heaters? Only the office building and the bathroom in the hangar.

6. If a product is shown in the Happy Camp drawings, can we assume that we should do the same for this design? No.

7. How was your excavation quantity estimated? The cut and fill were designed to be balanced on site. Excavation and placement materials are balanced to meet final grading shown on the grading plan.

8. Does it matter when the Buy American Act was enacted with materials proposed on this project? No. All construction material incorporated into the project will be manufactures in the USA.

9. What is the budget for this project? Between 5 and 10 Million dollars.

10. The Photo voltaic panel housing or sizing is not shown on the plans. How should this be estimated? Additive Item 4 Deleted in its entirety.

11. Can Happy Camp Helibase be visited? If you would like to do this, a site contact can be arranged. Note that the site is in Northern California on the Klamath National Forest. Contact information for visiting the site is:

Jim Gould at 530-493-1755 (office), 530-598-4132 (cell).

12. The Photo voltaic system. See No. 10 above.

13. How is the evaluation of the Technical Proposal weighed? It is weighed at 50% and the pricing will be weighed at 50%.

14. Will AutoCAD drawings be provided to bidders? To awarded contractor?

AutoCAD drawings of the site grading plan only will be posted as an amendment. Sheet drawings will be provided to the successful contractor for the project. AutoCAD version 2007 was used for this.

15. Are there any NEPA (archeology, gnat catcher or other sensitive species) constraints on this project? No. The NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act) process has been completed by the Forest Service and there are no known concerns on this project.

16. Does there need to be a dirt buffer around our excavation activities on site?

No, however the contractor is expected to work within the constraints of the Fire Plan in the contract such as possible reduced work or shortened days during high fire danger days. Also, whenever welding or other spark generating devices are used on site, a “Welding Permit” must be obtained from the local Fire Prevention Officer. All equipment must have approved Spark Arrestors.

17. Regarding the radio tower/communications work, what type of system will this equipment have to work alongside? ie., What does your existing system use to project signals? What equipment will it have to be compatible with? What fade ratio and gain will it need? Is there a radio survey that could be provided to help us with selecting the appropriate equipment to use? The Forest Service will need to respond to the question at a later date.

18. What is the generator size range or restrictions for this generator other than less than 208 volts and three phase power? This range is considered a low commercial grade. Are you certain you don’t want a larger voltage generator which would reduce the size of the conductors which have to be provided?

Would government consider a larger voltage? The back-up generator must only be sized to power “essential services” as defined in the statement of work.

19. Are there any constraints on the LPG tank sizing? Can the government ask for it to be sized for a certain kilowatt loading for the bidding so that all contractors will be bidding on same size and then for design it can be negotiated? The same question for the Photo voltaic system here. Can an assumption be provided on this by the government? The Photo voltaic system, see No. 10 above. The pad for the LPG tank is sized for a 500 gallon tank which is leased by the government from the LPG supplier. The LPG supplier will be responsible for delivering and setting the tank on the concrete pad.

20. What is the County road setback distance? See contract drawing Sheet C-2 (p.3).

21. How deep will the well be drilled? What about this pilot hole? The well is to be drilled as a pilot hole to the borehole sizing as stated on the Schedule of Items to a depth of 500 feet or until a design flow rate of 20 gpm is achieved, whichever occurs first. If neither condition occurs when State licensed well driller reaches 500 feet, then the work will need to be re-evaluated at that time.

22. Regarding Buy American Act, what if a product is assembled in another country, but made in the USA? See 8 above. If the box or shipping container or if the item is labeled “Made in the USA” then it’s acceptable.

23. I know of a steel building manufacturer where the steel is manufactured in a foreign country but drilled and shaped in Texas. Is this acceptable? No.

24. Do the interior finishes have to be the same as Happy Camp? No. Happy Camp is just a conceptual guidance. It should have a similar look and layout but does not have to be a modular building.

25. Are you sure you want cement siding on the hangar? That is going to be very expensive. This item is an additive item and will be evaluated accordingly

26. Can we place a water tower next to the well at Cameron fire station in order to pump the well water overnight into our own storage? Possibly, as long as the provision of the answers to number 2 above are met and note that it may be contractors risk in the event that well water at Cameron is shut down in the event that the well cannot keep up with project demand. The Contractor is encouraged to secure back-up water source for this project since this water supply is not guaranteed.

27. If there are project delays due to water shortages at Cameron or fire shut downs during high fire danger weather events, will I be entitled to additional contract time? No. The water at Cameron fire station is not guaranteed.

Project time was estimated with some fire shut down time estimated. If this becomes unusually excessive, additional time may be considered. If the Contracting Officer orders contractor to shut down operations due to a local wildland fire emergency, then contractor will be compensated for that shut down period.

28. Do we have to bid on Optional contract items? Yes.

29. Does the prime contractor have to be the building design-build contractor on this project? No, the prime contractor must be a Small Business and perform at least 20% of the work on the project per clause F. 2 PERFORMANCE OF WORK BY THE CONTRACTOR (FAR 52.236-01)(Apr 1984).

30. Can we perform drilling operations into the evening? No. The hours of operation are 8 – 4:30, Monday thru Friday. These hours may be extended to dusk on a case-by-case basis but no work should ever be performed past dusk for safety purposes. There may occasionally be an exception, such as during an extended yield and drawdown test, but for all other times the above rules will be enforced.

31. What is to be done with lead contaminated soil on the site? Since lead contaminants are relatively low and materials were balanced and remain on site and essentially encapsulated there should be no need to remove soils from the site. If soils are removed from the site, then soils should be characterized for hazardous materials for proper disposal.

32. Do drawings need to be stamped by a Professional Engineer? Yes, the building designs must have a wet stamp of a Professional Engineer or state licensed Architect in the State of California, per Statement of Work, Section 4.1.

33. Will the contractor need to provide office space for Forest Service personnel?

Yes, one work station with a desk and office chair shall be provided as long as the contractor mobilizes an office trailer.

34. Will a Forest Service Representative be on site every day? Yes – most days.