Bidders_Questions_7-19B-16.pdf

Bidders Questions & Answers

CA FLAP SR89(1), Truckee River Bridge

7/6/16

1. With the late start this season, and a building season that terminates in the Tahoe basin on 10/15/16, leaving approximately 60 calendar days, are you still asking for all the work be performed on your Phase 1 Traffic Control Sht W1, approximately $13,000,000?

a. No. Only grading operations are restricted between October 15 and May 1. See Section 108.01(e) for additional information.

2. What is your expectation of work completed by 10/15/16?

a. Per Section 108.01 all clearing and grubbing must be completed before October 7, 2016.

3. Are you are going to charge $1,200 per day liquidated damages from 10/15/16 until 5/1/17 during mandated environmental shut down?

a. No. Per section 108.04, failure to complete Schedule A and all awarded Options by October 6, 2017 will result in assessment of liquidated damages in the amount of $12,000 per day.

4. Are you still anticipating completion by October 15, 2017 with this late start?

a. The completion date for the base Schedule and all awarded Options is October 6, 2017.

5. Bid Schedule A, Item No. 20301-1900 Removal of Pipe Culvert. The Bid Schedule Pay

Unit is in “1960 EACH” We have independently scaled 1960 Lineal Feet. Is the intent to pay this item in LF or EA for culvert removed? If per EACH, how many culverts EACH would the new Quantity read on the bid schedule?

a. An amendment will be issued to revise the unit of payment to be LNFT.

6. How and to whom do we submit bidders inquiries for this project? What is the cutoff date for questions on this project?

a. See page A-iii of the solicitation.

7. We would like to request the electronic CAD files for this project in .dwg or .xml format for the contractors use in takeofffs?

a. These are not be available.

8. Page A-i of the Notice to Bidders states that the submitted bid package must include a Subcontracting Plan per Appendix H if submitting as a large business. On Page A-iv, the notice states that the apparent low bidder must submit its subcontracting plan within 7 days of bid opening. Please confirm that a Subcontracting Plan is not required to be submitted with the bid.

a. The Subcontracting Plan is required. Page A-iv will be amended to be consistent with the notice on A-i.

9. For the standalone item "Contractor Testing Using a Government-Furnished Field Laboratory" Please clarify how the Government-Furnished laboratory will be staffed and operated, and whether it will still be the Contractor's responsibility to sample material from the field and transport it to the lab.

a. See section 154.04A for the Government Furnished Field Laboratory specifications.

10. Section W-W on drawing RG2991-U appears to show an embedded angle with headed studs on the “Begin” edge of the approach slab, but the drawings do not contain callouts or details designating the material type and size. If embedded shapes are required for the Truckee River Bridge approach slabs, please provide material types and sizes for these pieces.

a. The embedded angle with headed studs is not required.

7/8/16

11. Per Section 108.01 – Commencement, Prosecution and Completion of Work Item (b) states “TRPA Construction Permit (final permit to be coordinated by Contractor)” What is the status of the final permit and how will this impact the start of construction?

a. The TRPA permit has been obtained by the Government, but the contractor will be required to coordinate a TRPA pre-grading inspection prior to starting any tree removal, construction, or grading. Please refer to the TRPA permit included in the appendices.

12. Can the Government provide estimated dates for Contract Award and Notice to Proceed?

a. The Government will award the contract by August 12, 2016. The notice to proceed requires items that are out of the control of the Government (bond submittals, insurance) and therefore no date can be given for the notice to proceed.

7/13/16

13. Sheets D21 and D21 each have a note which states "Relocate Existing Utility Pole" Please confirm that this work is to be done by others.

a. Yes, this work will be done by others.

14. Note #7 on Sheet T38 states that the pedestrian railing will paid under Item 61902-2250 Fence, Rail. We cannot find this bid item. Please clarify.

a. This will be revised to be paid for as 61901-0000 Fence and corrected in a forthcoming amendment.

7/15/16

15. Our product, Natina, is in the specs for “painting” a number of items on this project including: fences, guardrail, bridge rail and structure, and all reflective surfaces (guardrail, sign posts, traffic signal posts, light posts, utility boxes, exposed culverts, etc).

This is great but there is a problem we need to discuss and I am not sure how to submit this other than via this email. The specs have us under painting which is fine but a lot of the details in the specs are based on painting and do not pertain to us. Natina is not a paint at all (although sometimes people lump it in with paints). It has no color pigments and is not a coating like a paint is. It is also not applied like a paint.

I will want to bid this work since we are specified but a lot of the specs are simply wrong and I’d prefer to straighten this out before the bid rather than trying to argue my point after the bid. I am concerned that the RE might want me to follow the specs even though they mostly do not pertain to our product and this will cause us major problems. Who do I talk to about this? I’d like to straighten it out before the bid.

a. Natina is considered to be a stain for the project and does not need to follow the painting requirements.

Natina is the only stain product allowed on galvanized surfaces. It may also be applied to other materials included in manufacturer’s recommendations.

Items without a galvanized surface or having a surface not adequate to receive a Natina treatment will require a paint, not a stain, when called for in the plans and specs.

16. Sheet U4 specifies construction of the new Sanitary Sewer line through the Fanny Bridge, and does not indicate the requirement of any expansion joints in the pipe. Note 2 on sheet S11 (Abutment Details) states that utilities require expansion joints. Are expansion joints required for the new 6” DIP sanitary sewer force main at the Fanny Bridge? If so, please state the expansion joint requirements.

a. The new sanitary sewer line across Fanny Bridge requires the use of DIP proprietary restrained joints as called out in the profile on Sheet U4 and SCR Section 707.19(d)(3).

The intent of the note was for non-sewer utilities to have expansion couplers.

17. The TRPA permit included in the specifications for the Dollar Creek Share-Use Path expired February 27, 2016. What is the status of the revised permit and can it be provided?

a. We received the updated TRPA permit, dated 7/14/16, that expires on July 14, 2019.

18. It was stated at the prebid meeting that Central Federal Lands wanted to generate interest in the project to get the tax-payers the best deal. Per page A-ii of the Invitation to bid there is a 10% price evaluation factor to benefit HUBZone small business concerns. This could potentially result in a $2.5 million larger price for this project. Would consideration be given to deleting this price evaluation factor?

a. Per FAR Clause 19.1309, FAR clause 52.219-4, Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns, shall be included in solicitations conducted using full and open competition. Per FAR Clause 52.219- 4, the Government will apply a factor of 10% to an apparent low bid submitted by a large business when we also receive a bid from a certified HUBZone small business concern. The 10% factor is for evaluation purposes only.

19. Specification Section 108.04 of the Specifications includes an early completion incentive for B-Line of October 15, 2016. Also, per Specification Section 155.04 the Contractor is encouraged to promptly submit for approval the Truckee River Bridge girders as this would be critical to completion of B-Line. By inclusion of these items it is apparent that Central Federal Lands used a Notice to Proceed Date that was substantially earlier than the current schedule allows and that this was used to determine the contract completion date of October 6, 2017. Please provide this date and also the date used when actual construction would have commenced.

a. The NTP date is highly dependent on several factors which include bonds, insurance, and funds available at the time of award.

20. There are several bid items for Survey and Staking, but they do not appear to cover all the types of survey required on the project (e.g. sanitary sewer facilities, curb and gutter, signs, etc.) please clarify how this additional surveying is to be paid.

a. The survey for the sanitary sewer facilities are included in the LPSM items under the 612 item numbers. The curb and gutter are covered under the grade finishing stakes and the typical sections. Signs will be paid according to Section 633.10.

7/18/16

21. Reference is made to Section108.01 “Commencement, Prosecution, and Completion of Work of the Special Provisions. With the current bid date of July 26, 2016, it is not possible to obtain all of the permits by the Contractor and complete all clearing/grubbing by the required date of October 7, 2016.

a. Comment noted.

22. Additional reference is made to Section 155.03 “General” of the Special Provisions, as well as the “Early Completion Incentive” verbiage in Section 108.04. It is obvious that this contract has been advertised later than anticipated and the sequence/dates for work have not been revised. For example, 155.03e requires start construction on the East Roundabout after August 1, 2016. With a bid date of July 26, there is no feasible reason to have this statement. Again, with the current bid date, the sequence of the construction cannot be achieved nor completion of the entire project by the October 6, 2017 project completion date.

a. An amendment is forthcoming to delete the reference to the east roundabout construction start date of August 1, 2016.

23. The contractor has no control over third party permits required, and historically, the permits to be obtained by the contractor will take several weeks to obtain before any construction can start in 2016. By the time the permits are issued, the winter suspension of work will be in effect (October 15 to May 1). This will effectively prevent any grading/land disturbing activities from taking place in 2016. Thus this will force the project in its entirety to be completed within the allowable work period of May 1 to October 6, 2017. This is not feasible. Based on the dates and constraints stated above, please postpone the bid date at least one month, and revise the project schedule requirements to allow for at least 2 full seasons of construction. Thank you for your consideration on this matter.

a. The contractor is encouraged to seek grading exemptions from TRPA to continue grading work in excess of 3 CY per day between October 15 and May 1.

24. The Schedule A Option X and Option Y Surveying and Staking requirements (152.04.1 & 152.05) references ground topo verification surveys and reporting for all culverts, retaining walls and Dollar Creek project centerline prior to construction staking. Is this verification only to be performed when existing ground topography is not provided? The plan sets appear to have full topographic coverage along all alignments, proposed improvements, etc.

a. The data that is provided to the contractor is outlined in Subsection 105.04 of the FP-14 of the SCR’s. The first paragraph of Subsection 105.02(c) of the FP-14 indicates the following regarding original ground verification requirements:

“(c) Original ground topographic verification. Use an approved method to regenerate cross-section data in areas where theoretical and actual ground elevations do not meet a tolerance of plus or minus 0.5 feet (150 millimeters).

Retake cross-section to verify existing ground topography to mapping. Submit cross-section or 3D data in electronic and printed format for approval. Reduce cross-sections to horizontal and vertical distances from centerline.”

The Contractor must also verify the original ground according to 152.05(d)(2) during slope staking when the theoretical catch point does not meet the tolerance specified therein.

7/19/16

25. Within the specifications, there is no mention of an asphalt concrete mix design on type on the Dollar Creek Trail, other than the asphalt material binder called out on page 470 (Standard Specifications for Construction of Roads and Bridges on Federal Highway Projects, FP-14 US Customary Units). Do we assume Dollar Creek Trail will utilize the same Asphalt Concrete product as Schedule A and Option “X”, Truckee River Bridge?

a. The Asphalt Concrete for Dollar Creek is a 403 pay item. Therefore, it must conform to Section 403 of the FP-14. The acceptable mix design types are outlined in Subsection 403.02(a) and 403.02(b) (e.g., state or local mix and associated requirements).

26. We respectfully request your review of recent and current projects in the Tahoe basin, to determine the completion of this project by October 15, 2017 is not realistic. We request, at a minimum, an additional 235 Working Days (WD), due to the environmental restraints by all the agencies within the Tahoe basin.

a. CFLHD has reviewed your request and we are aware of the costs and construction schedules for previous projects in the Tahoe Basin. CFLHD has considered the feedback received from the construction industry regarding our proposed completion date and will be issuing an amendment that will revise the proposed completion date in the contract.

27. Reference is made to Bidders Questions & Answers for subject project issued as of

7/19/16. Specifically, the response to Question #26 states that “CFLHD has considered the feedback received from the construction industry regarding our proposed completion date and will be issuing an amendment that will revise the proposed completion date in the contract.”

Please confirm the date that this amendment will be issued and that the bid date will be postponed at least one month. This information is critical in determining if we will be able to prepare a proposal, as any changes will require adequate time to incorporate in our proposal.

a. The amendment will be issued on 7/19/16 and the bid opening will be rescheduled for 7/28/16 at 2 pm MST.