Bidders_Questions_7-22-16.pdf

Bidders Questions & Answers UPDATED 7/22/16

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.

7/22/16

28. It appears that some of the conduit runs (bold dotted lines) did not show up on the electrical plans. Sheets W14-W19. Please Clarify.

a. The “ITS” equipment line work is shown on Sheets W11-W13. The exception to this is the camera and MVDS at the WYE round-about, which is shown on W19. The other line work appears to be displaying correctly.

29. Schedule A –Lighting Summary (Sheet B13) Quantities do not match sheet W41 light pole quantities. Please Clarify.

a. The quantities will be updated, see Amendment A005. The quantities are sheet W41 are for information only, and don’t affect the overall quantity or bid item, as they roll into a lump sum bid item.

30. Item No. 61101-0000: What size is the existing water main that requires vertical/horizontal adjustment?

a. Water line and fire hydrant relocates are called out on the table below with sizes and material, if known.

Sheet Number

Water Main Relocation

Type

Station (Approximate)

Existing Water Main

Diameter

Existing Water Main

Material

C3 Vertical 117+50 12" Ductile Iron

C3 Vertical 121+34 12" Ductile Iron

C3 Horizontal Begin 122+00 and End 123+10 10" Ductile Iron

C3 Vertical 122+50 6" PVC

C3 Vertical 122+50 6" PVC

C5 Horizontal Begin 311+00 and End 314+10 10" Unknown

Material

C6 Vertical 317+75 10" Unknown Material

C6 Vertical 319+25 10" Unknown Material

C7 Vertical 329+25 12" Ductile Iron

31. Item No.61108-2000:Adjustment of fire hydrants cannon be done as described in contract documents. Adjustments can be made by either adding a fire hydrant extension, cutting in to the lateral and installing 45 degree elbows or installing a new hydrant with the required bury depth. Please clarify which method will be accepted.

a. The fire hydrants shown on sheets C2 (note 7), C5 (note 8), and C6 (note 6) are identified to be adjusted to grade by extending the hydrant with a fire hydrant extension as described in this comment. The fire hydrant shown on sheet C5 (note 7) is identified to be removed and relocated behind the curb along the existing fire hydrant lateral as shown. The invert elevation of this existing hydrant is unknown. Relocation note assumes hydrant can be reused and relocated to new location behind curb without riser adjustment.

32. Item No. 61109-4000: Where will this hydrant be relocated to? Will a hot tap installation be required in the new location? If so what size/type is the main?

a. Sheet C5 calls out the relocation to behind the back of curb. A hot tap installation is not required.

33. Can the 6” DIP pipe and fittings being used to temporarily relocate the sewer force main be reused to reroute the sewer force main under the new bridge?

a. The temporary bypass is required to be in-service during the construction of the new DIP crossing on the new fanny bridge to provide uninterrupted conveyance of sewage. Some of the temporary piping can be used at each tie in location where the permanent and temporary pipe alignments overlap. If this approach is taken the contractor will have to ensure constructability (i.e. bridge abutment penetrations) and use the pipe/joints specified for the permanent pipe installation.

34. Is corrugated HDPE with a smooth interior an acceptable alternate to RCP for drainage?

a. B16 Drainage summary sheet 2 of 2 note 7 Culvert shall be either RCP Class III or Type S PVC. SCR Section 602 states Culverts and drains will be concrete pipe or double walled smooth interior plastic pipe unless otherwise shown on the plans.

35. What thickness is required for the insulation on the ductile iron sewer force main?

a. Thickness of insulation shall be determined by the insulation manufacturer to meet the temperature rating and other specified requirements of the SCRs. See SCR Section 707.19 (l) Pipe and Fitting Insulation

36. There appears to be 9 drive pads, driveways #4,6-11, 23-25 that are concrete. There is also a driveway left of #23 that is not designated. The takeoff of these 9 driveways is close to 545 SY not the 300 SY per the bid sheet.

a. We confirmed the Plan quantity is correct.

Please clarify the following:

Which driveways are concrete?

a. Driveways #4, #6-11, #23-25 and are concrete. Driveways #5,12,and 15 are labeled as asphalt (or match adjacent pavement section). For the driveway left of #23 (the Visitor Center driveway), it is shown in the Wye roundabout sheets. We don’t specify that it needs to be concrete, and the note says the match the pavement section for C Line for driveways, but the line work does matches the other concrete driveways.

How is the conform area (behind back of walk) to be paid for or are those all asphalt?

a. They are all asphalt.

How are the detectable warning systems at each driveway paid for, are they considered accessibility ramps for this proposal?

b. The remark on Sheet B5 states that the Accessibility Ramp item includes the truncated domes, and sheet T28 states that the ramps will be paid for under 61505-1000.

How is the Type A1 curb adjacent to the driveways paid for?

a. The quantity is included in the B2-6 quantities.

37. We cannot locate a specification section that defines the programming requirements for the RTU systems. Is there one available?

a. Programing of the RTUs is limited to the frequency programing listed in the notes on drawing U23. Additional programing needed at remote receiving station will be conducted by the utility owner once the SCADA Equipment specified on the drawings is installed.

38. Please provide an I/O list for the RTU system.

a. An I/O list is not included in the bid set. I/O terminations for the two flow elements and associated transmitters are to be provided as shown on U23, please provide the termination for two analog flow meter signals at each RTU as shown on drawings U23 and per legend on drawing A4.

39. Is there a master SCADA system that requires modification? If so, is there a specification for the required modifications?

a. Improvements under this contract are limited to the work shown on the drawings for the telemetry pad relocation and demolition of the existing telemetry building. Communication programing at the remote receiving station will be conducted by others.

40. Section 612.02 defines the materials required for sanitary sewer systems and refers to Sections 706.10 and 725.19 for material requirements. Please note that 725.19 appears to be a typo and it should say 725.20. Neither Section 706.10 RCP or Section 725.20 Manholes or Contract Drawings U-16 through U-20 require any internal pipe or manhole coating/lining. Please confirm that lining is not required.

a. The materials specification reference should refer to section 725.20 for manholes instead of 725.19 see Amendment A005. Correct lining of manholes and RCP sanitary sewer is not required by the contract documents.

41. Drawing No. RG2990-B, note 8 indicates that item 55601-0500, Bridge Railing, Concrete includes “…structural steel in the bridge rail and sidewalk.” It also indicates that “Form liner and stain is incidental to rail cost.” The Fanny Bridge Railing Detail sheets do not show any structural steel, and provide no callouts for either formliner or stain. Please confirm that there is no structural steel, formliner or stain required for the Fanny Bridge Concrete Railing.

a. Per note (8) on sheet S2 and note (7) on sheet S102, the reinforcing steel (rebar in note) is included in the cost of the bridge railing. Through design progression, structural steel was removed and there is no longer any structural steel required on either the Truckee or Fanny Bridge railings. There is no aesthetic formliner, paint or stain required on the Fanny bridge railing. Formliner or formwork required to get the shape as shown in the Fanny plans is included in the cost of the railing. The paint limit on the exterior side of the Fanny Bridge as reference by Note 2 on sheet S3 is to end at the top of the concrete sidewalk surface, when extended to the edge of the deck. The Fanny Bridge railing requires a Class 2 – Rubbed Finish per Section 552 of the specifications.