RFIs 22 Jul 25.pdf

FA2823-25-Q-0039– Bldg 85 Conex Farm Fiber Installation Consolidated Requests for Information As of 22 July 2025

Question 1): Would you consider changing the NAICS code from 238210 to 237130 – Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction?

Response 1): Yes, have amended the solicitation to change NAICS to 237130 with a size standard of $45M.

Question 2): How long are the fiber runs between the Conexes?

Response 2):

-Conexes 18 and 19 cable length is about 200 feet per-Conex. (400 total) -Conexes 20 and 21 cable length is about 225 feet per Conex (450 total) -Conexes 22 and 23 cable length is about 275 feet per Conex (550 total) -Conexes 16 and 17 cable length is about 350 feet per Conex (700 total) -Conexes 14 and 15 cable length is about 325 feet per Conex (650 total) -Conexes 12 and 13 cable length is about 300 feet per Conex (600 total)

The fiber optic cabling will originate from the “Communication Node (CN) CONEX”. 96 CTG will install a new 4” conduit from the CN to the first pull box.

Question 3): Is there a site drawing showing cable pathways between the (12) Conexs? Used for cable lengths.

Response 3): See Overview Drawing Attachment #5 of the revised PWS dated 20 May 2025

Question 4): What are the dimensions of the Conexs? Used for cable lengths.

Response 4): Each Conex is the standard 8-foot by 20-foot configuration.

Question 5): The Performance Work Statement section 2.2 calls for Mini Com (Panduit) classic faceplates and TG-style jacks (Panduit). Section 2.3 riser CAT 6 does not mention a manufacturer. Plenum CAT 6 calls for GigaSPEED XL 2071E (CommScope). Is this a Panduit or CommScope cabling solution? An extended warranty cannot be offered when mixing these two manufacturers.

Response 5): Offeror to decide the manufacturer. Extended warranty is not a requirement, standard, commercial warranty is acceptable.

Question 6): Is the structured cabling contractor responsible for providing and installing any new floor and/or wall mount cabinets/racks?

Response 6): Wall-mounted cabinets are already in-place and do not require installation and no new floor.

Question 7): Do the fiber optic LC splicing cassette ports need to be a specific color?

Response 7): Cassette ports shall be GREEN.

Question 8): The Standards and Specifications section 2.2.9.3.1 call for CAT 6A for new installations. The PWS is calling for CAT 6. Please clarify.

Response 8): CAT-6 cabling is acceptable for this installation. The CAT-6A requirement was implemented in the 96 CS installation specs after this project was designed and CAT-6A is not applicable for this project.

Question 9): Please confirm that the structured cabling contractor does not need to remove any abandoned cables.

Response 9): No cabling shall be removed/abandoned.

Question 10): Are j-hooks to be used for horizontal cable pathways in the Conexs?

Response 10): J-hooks shall not be utilized. Surface-mount raceway shall be utilized.

- If during installation the surface raceway won’t secure to the walls within the conex, the Contractor may be asked to secure by drilling new penetrations/anchors. Requiring Activity shall make the determination if any new penetrations/anchors can be used to secure the raceway in addition to the sticky-back.

Question 11): Please clarify “Track Conduit”. Is this EMT conduit or Pan-Way LD surface mount raceway?

Response 11): Surface mount raceway shall be utilized.

Question 12): Is there Max Cell installed?

Response 12): Maxcell/Geotextile Sleeves will be required in the 4-inch duct between Conex farms. Approximately 100-foot distance. Update 17 July: Max Cell is not required.

Question 13): Since there is no armored cable, run in interduct?

Response 13): Duct work has already been installed between all required locations to include pull-string. Only missing requirement is previously mentioned Maxcell/Geotextile sleeve.

Question 14): Will the Awardee would be provided blueprints with dimensions after award?

Response 14): 96 CTG will assist with blueprints of the Conexes after award.

Question 15): The PWS Section 1.0 – “Requirement / Description of Services” does not mention furnish or install of cabinets or wall mount racks, but last paragraph in Section 1.1 states: “Contractor shall be required to Engineer, Furnish, Test and Install as necessary provide a complete system, from end to end.” No mention of cabs/racks in Section 1.2 “Specific Tasks” at all.

Please clarify if this additional equipment is GFM or EFTI by the contractor. If the contractor is responsible can you provide dimensions and pathway information?

Response 15): Wall-mount cabinets have already been provided and installed in each location.

Question 16): Assumption is that we are providing patch panels, FODPs, as well as all fiber, strain relief bars, CAT6 materials. Please confirm.

Response 16): All materials required for a cable plant installation are required, minus any cabinets/racks and ducting between Conexes.

Question 17): Assumption is that floor & wall mounted network enclosures are GFM and installed. Please confirm. (PWS indicates as such for wall mount cabinet only)

Response 17): Wall-mount cabinets have already been provided and installed in each location.

Question 18): What are the approximate distances between the communications hub and the conex box(es)?

Response 18): Conex Stack 1 (Conex’s 1 and 7) cable length is about 200 feet per-Conex. (400 total) -Conexes 18 and 19 cable length is about 200 feet per-Conex. (400 total) -Conexes 20 and 21 cable length is about 225 feet per Conex (450 total) -Conexes 22 and 23 cable length is about 275 feet per Conex (550 total) -Conexes 16 and 17 cable length is about 350 feet per Conex (700 total) -Conexes 14 and 15 cable length is about 325 feet per Conex (650 total) -Conexes 12 and 13 cable length is about 300 feet per Conex (600 total)

- Total estimated cable length required is 3,350 feet.

*Contractor will need to verify on site final distances.

Question 19): How are conex boxes accessed? (Documentation indicates they are stacked)

Response 19): Conex boxes are stacked on top of each other, with one entry door for each.

Question 20): Grounding & bonding: what is the distance & pathway from the telco room busbar location to the main building or servicing floor electrical panel? Is the EMT already in place?

Response 20): 96 CTG will be responsible for grounding all wall-mounted network cabinets. A busbar will be installed within each Conex and is approximately 5-8 feet from the wall-mounted cabinet. Each Conex has an electrical panel. No EMT is in place.

Question 21): In the scope of work, under 1.0 bullet point 2 states a total of 40 cat-6 cables. On page 3 of the PWS under Conex's 1-9 and Conex 12 states that these Conex's should have 6 cables but it only shows (3) locations leading us to believe that these would be dual outlets.

The same discrepancy was found for Conex 10 and 11 as well. If each of the outlets on the print are to get 2 cables each then the total count for cat-6 will be 80 and not 40. Can we confirm how many data cables will go to each location?

Response 21): Each work-area outlet shall be equipped with a minimum of two active data circuits. (Two cables per drop)

Question 22): Please confirm that the contractor is not required to provide any electrical outlets or dedicated circuits for this project.

Response 22): The Contractor will not be responsible for installing power outlets or dedicated circuits for this project.

Question 23): Is it a requirement for form SF-1449 to be submitted with the proposal?

Response 23): No, per the description information paragraph 9 “The offer is not required to be submitted on the SF1449 and can be submitted in the Offeror’s standard quotation format. If the offer is not submitted on the SF 1449, include a statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation.”

Question 24): Where does the offeror acknowledge the 60-calendar day price hold?

Response 24): We typically see them somewhere on an official quote like the cover letter or wherever the offer chooses to address the expiration date, cage code, POC information, payment terms, completion/delivery terms, etc.

Question 25): There may be a typo in the SOW where the actual count for copper runs is 80 vs. the 40 stated in the SOW. Please address.

Response 25): Amended PWS to install 80 LAN drops. Conex 12-14, 16 and 18-23=60 | Conex 15 & 17=20

Question 26): In the RFI document provided it states that Maxcell will be provided. I would like to know where the maxcell will be ran from and too. Will it need to be ran in all the conduits. If that’s the case, it will be more that 100 feet in length. Yesterday it was stated that they didn’t think we needed to do provide maxcell.

Response 26): Max Cell was originally required in the 4” conduit between the “Outdoor Pull Boxes” on attachment I. Max Cell is no longer required. RFI response #12 & #13 have been edited.

Question 27): Do you have lengths for the CAT6 cables?

Response 27): The CAT-6 cables will run from the patch panel (in the wall mounted cabinet) to a wall mounted jack. We will provide the station cables (from the wall mounted jack to the PCs and Phones).

All we expect are the outlets/jacks on the wall near the cabinet that houses the switch. The lengths of these will be minimal due to the proximity of their mounting point to the wall mounted cabinet.

Comm’s WAG on each drop will be between 15-20 ft.

Question 28): Will the cabinets have the PDU’s, rack UPS’s and horizontal cabling patch panels in them or does the contractor need to provide them?

Response 28): Contractor shall provide/install patch panels for horizontal premise wiring. Contractor will not be responsible for PDUs or Rack UPS.

Question 29): There is confusion about what, if any, grounding work needs to be done. The PWS calls for adding a ground conductor inside EMT conduit between the telecom bus connector (TBC) and the floor electrical panel. There was a question in the RFI on this and the answer is ambiguous:

“Question 20): Grounding & bonding: what is the distance & pathway from the telco room busbar location to the main building or servicing floor electrical panel? Is the EMT already in place?

Response 20): 96 CTG will be responsible for grounding all wall-mounted network cabinets. A busbar will be installed within each Conex and is approximately 5-8 feet from the wall-mounted cabinet. Each Conex has an electrical panel. No EMT is in place.”

Okay, so I assume that means we need to add the ground conductor in EMT between the buss bar they already installed and the station/earth ground (if one already exists) inside or near each electrical box. The way the answer reads, however, 96 CTG may be doing the grounding altogether. Since we didn’t walk it, going to have to read this literally and make the assumption that we need to install short runs of conductor and conduit in each CONEX.

Response 29): If the contractor chooses to install EMT conduit, it will need to be grounded to the existing grounding buss bar installed by 96 CTG. Each Conex has a grounding buss bar already installed and have grounded each network cabinet.

Question 30): In the PWS, the only specification for the fiber is “single mode with LC connectors”. Somebody posed the following question in the RFI:

“Question 7): Do the fiber optic LC splicing cassette ports need to be a specific color?

Response 7): Cassette ports shall be GREEN.”

The issue here is that fiber optics have industry standard color codes for jacketing, heads and ports so you don’t get confused as to which variety the fiber is. Single Mode fiber is either yellow or black jacketed. The connectors are either blue (for UPC or “Ultra Physical Contact”) or they are green (for APC or Angled Physical Contact). The two types do not interchange.

This is problematic because unlike copper connections, you can’t just choose the color you want. If I specify the green, it means the entire cable system need to be LC/APC, which is not common and typically used for very high bandwidth, specialized optical systems….not for use cases like what the 96th CTG is rolling out here. So the ports for the fiber will be blue. Would leaving green stickers on the panels and the splice cassettes satisfy this request?

Response 30): Recommended parts to utilize CCH-CS12-A9-P00RE (CCH Pigtailed Splice Cassette 12 F, LC UPC duplex, Single-mode (OS2), single-fiber (250 µm) & CCH-01U (Closet Connector Housing (CCH) One rack unit, holds two CCH connector panels). No stickers required.