FASTC Cabling QA.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 16 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- AQ106924A3517
About this file
This is a Q&A document containing 20 questions and answers related to an underground cabling maintenance contract at the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC) in Blackstone, VA. The document clarifies requirements for emergency repairs, cable installation, and location services across FASTC's 21 buildings on a 1,350-acre campus.
Key details include: CAT6E is required for cable installations with runs under 200 feet; contractors must provide all heavy equipment; emergency repairs require 24/7 response while non-emergency work does not; pricing should be provided per man-hour for labor, equipment usage, and per data port installation; contractors are only responsible for marking FASTC's underground duct bank (not other utilities); zone boxes are not permitted; and media converters are only allowed when no other options exist. The bid is due February 20, 2025, with extension requests possible through Patrick Jones. All contractor personnel must be U.S. citizens or legal aliens with background checks, and the contract includes one base year with four option years.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| 19AQMM25Q0112.pdf | ||
| FASTC Cabling QA.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Pricing Template FASTC Cable Contract.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| SOLICITATION SOW FASTC Underground Cable.pdf |
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Text version
Sheet1
| FASTC Underground Cabling |
| Questions & Answers |
Questions Program Response Contracts Response
| 1.) Can you confirm all work shall be performed at various buildings of the facility below? Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC) 700 Kemper Ave Blackstone, VA 23824 | Yes, FASTC has 21 buildings on 1350 acre campus, all work will be done on the FASTC campus. The underground cable plant is a hub/spoke design. | N/A |
| 2.) Would pricing for the contractor provided items listed in the General cabling requirements be provided at the time of specific work release? | There are no prices in the SOW only requirements on specifications of the material, color, quality. The pricing template has no prices, that is for the offeree to bid their prices for the labor noted. EX: Emergency Repairs – how much does the offeree charge for labor/man hour, heavy equipment (digging)/hour. Non-Emergency Repairs(adding cabling to existing or new buildings, cleaning out manhole, marking underground cable pathways) labor cost/man hour, cost/data port installed? Annual cost for priority response -how much retainer is expected to ensure FASTC gets 24 hr. response service for emergencies. Direct Bury cost-how much/liner foot of that strand fiber cost (no labor just material). The Est Man Hrs is just FASTC’s estimate of services need each year. | N/A |
| 3.) If you are looking for pricing on those items now, can they be added to the pricing template and returned to us? | Pricing for items not listed on the pricing template. For non-emergency building cabling and data port – a SOW for each task item will be created, a walk though of the site and any questions about the work would be answered at that time. Once the site survey and questions answered, the offeree would submit a quote for the work to be completed, that would be the firm fixed price for the job. Since each job is unique it is impossible to price each piece of work. | N/A |
| 4.) For the marking of underground infrastructure, does the contractor need to mark all utilities within the designated areas, or is the requirement specifically for fiber optic and copper cabling pathways? | Only marking FASTC’s underground duct bank where the Fiber/copper is run. And only in the section where the area of the construction/digging is to be conducted. This is a preventative effort much like the utility company does before an entity digs. | N/A |
| 5.) n the provided pricing template, there is a reference to lifts and man hours under heavy equipment. Could you clarify if this is referring to a manlift or another type of equipment? Clarification on the definition of (Digging) Heavy Equipment under Emergency repairs. Definition of (lift) heavy Equipment under non-emergency repairs. Utility Locating : Would this be for only Communications or include other utilities ( Water, Power, etc.) | Most of our underground duct bank is 8-12 feet below surface, digging equipment to excavate and repair the damaged cable is necessary. Excavation may be necessary on one or both sides of damage depending on the most effective way to repair the cable. Lifts may be needed to run cabling within buildings with high ceilings, our tallest building would be 3 stories high and exterior data type jacks may be needed rarely and interior ceilings can be as high as 20-25 feet. | N/A |
| 6.) Is the bid due on 2/20/25 | N/A | Yes; however, if additional time is needed, please submit a request for an extension to Patrick Jones (jonespr@state.gov). |
| 7.) How many drops and distances of the workstations are we bringing operational? | Numbers vary depending on the need, between 1-20 to add to existing buildings. New buildings would be more. The Government does not expect a firm fixed price until the project SOW is reviewed by vendor and a quote is submitted, at that point firm fixed bid would be required. Distances between terminations should be less than 200 feet and CAT6E is the preferred cabling, unless otherwise specified. Fiber is used to connect buildings and that would be a factor for new buildings. The Government does not have any new buildings in the next 5 years. | N/A |
| 8.) Is the heavy equipment used in this effort supplied by the contractor, or is there equipment that is on-site? This includes the scissor lift and trenching equipment. | The vendor will have to provide all heavy equipment, the government does not have any heavy equipment. | N/A |
| 9.) Is overtime permitted since this is considered emergency repairs? | Emergency repairs require 24x7 work until interruption of data is resolved. Other non-emergency work such as installing data ports, marking pathway of the underground duct bank, cleaning out manholes does not require 24x7 or immediately response. The Government requires estimates on man and equipment per hour for emergency work, estimates for per data drop installed and wired from the wall port to the patch panel in network closet. All work will allow vendor to view, asses, and ask questions before submitting a quote for the task. This is to ensure the most accurate sizing and cost for the task. | N/A |
| 10.) Are there drawings showing where the water or electrical was pulled? The reason behind the question is that when trenching, we want to ensure that no utilities could be damaged. | Utility companies will mark their pathways. The Government has maps of the cable duct banks. | N/A |
| 11.) When the customer mentions CAT6E it could be meaning CAT6. Can they confirm whether the cable must be CAT6E, or can it be CAT6 or CAT6A? The price per foot is almost doubled depending on the customer's response. | CAT6E is required. | N/A |
| 12.) What equipment is in the CERs? Do they need additional UPS to ensure they are operational 100% of the time? | Routers, switches, and servers. The vendor shall only be responsible for cabling and termination from wall port to patch panel. The power is the responsibility of the Government | N/A |
| 13.) Is the contractor responsible for all the As-builts and labeling from the panel to the workstation, even if they were not the ones who originally installed it? The reason why this is a valid question is because the QA/testing portion of the installation will be changed depending on the customer's response. | The vendor will only be responsible for the work that they do, As-Builts will reflect the vendor’s work. If the vendor must replace or repair existing infrastructure, then that work will require As-builts, but only the work that the vendor did. | N/A |
| 15.) Will the customer consider zone boxes for this installation? That will dictate a lot of the price of the labor. If the customer goes with the zone box installation, the labor time will be drastically reduced, but the cost of materials will be much higher. This will help the customer. If there are additional drops they need to install in the future, installing the zone box will help reduce the installation time, | No zone boxes are not allowed. Cable runs will be from wall port to patch panel. Underground fiber may have splice boxes, but over all should run from DMARC to DMARC | N/A |
| 16.) Can media converters be used? The question is because you can drastically lengthen the cable run to the device without losing connectivity. | No, media converters are only used when there is no other options. Typical cable runs will not exceed the acceptable length for the cable. | N/A |
| 17.) For all 25 pair cable is being installed. Will the cable be installed on a patch panel or wall field? | 25 pair will be connected via wall fields and is typically rarely used. | N/A |
| 18.) Should the labor rate for the under emergency repairs section for "Heavy Equip (digging)/man hr" include only the labor for the operator? | No, it should include the hourly cost for man and machine. | N/A |
| 19.) Emergency repairs were estimated at 4 annually; of these 4 how many are anticipated to need heavy digging for duct bank repair/construction to restore service? I | In 5 years, we have only had one incident, that was a manhole that got covered up with about 4 feet of dirt during construction. Equipment for that task was a mini excavator. The Government can not assume all tasks will be that simple and if major excavation is needed a larger version may be needed. The Government does not expect 4 incidents per year but initially funded for worse case scenario. | N/A |
| 20.) Criteria 1-15 was updated and listed in the description on sam.gov as of February 20th. What are the proposal instructions to address all of the criteria? | Examples of previous work, list equipment, confirmation that vendor can meet each of the criteria. | This can be display in whatever format is reasonable. If it is easier to have a document that lists each criteria and whether or not it can be met that is fine. If it is unclear whether or not the criteria can be met, the CS or CO will reach out for clarifications. |
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