RFIs for B926 Replace Security Forces Elevator - FINAL ANSWERS.docx

RFIs for B926 Replace Security Forces Elevator

1. Please clarify types of flooring to be used at required demo areas in front of doorways Contractor furnished and installed 6”x6” accent tile with epoxy grout. Color options to be submitted to government for government’s selection for the first floor. For second floor, remove existing carpet tile in work area, store safely and cut/reinstall to fit after elevator construction complete.

2. Do we follow the state or national code?

National Code.

3. The drawing package includes drawings from a renovation completed in 1987 and two pages of a floor plan from an additional renovation completed in 2023. Do you have access to the full drawing set from the original construction of the facility and from the most recent renovation? If so, can they be distributed to all bidders?

Available As-builts attached.

4. Since the subject facility is currently unsprinklered, can the Government confirm that fire suppression (sprinklers) and a corresponding electrical shunt-trip mechanism are not required for the elevator shaft (hoistway) and the mechanical room under this modernization scope?

Specifically, we request confirmation on the following code interpretations to finalize our design and pricing:

4.1 Fire Suppression Omission: In accordance with UFC 3-600-01 and NFPA 13 (Section 9.3.6), fire sprinklers will be omitted from the hydraulic elevator pit, hoistway, and mechanical room, as there is no existing facility fire suppression infrastructure to tie into.

Correct

4.2 Shunt-Trip Elimination: Because no sprinklers will be installed, a shunt-trip mechanism is not required on the new electrical disconnect in the mechanical room. The disconnect will be a standard, non-shunted unit.

Statement is consistent with the guidelines provided in UFC 3-600-01. The requirement for a shunt-trip mechanism on an electrical disconnect is directly linked to the presence of a sprinkler system that could discharge water on electrical equipment. Therefore, if no sprinklers are installed, a shunt-trip mechanism is not required, and a standard, non-shunted unit can be used.

4.3 Fire Alarm Scope: To comply with NFPA 72 and ASME A17.1 for an unsprinklered hoistway, smoke detectors will be omitted from inside the elevator shaft itself, but a dedicated smoke detector will be provided in the mechanical room (and elevator lobbies) to initiate Phase I Emergency Recall Operations.

UFC 3-600-01 modifies the base requirements of ASME A17.1 and NFPA 72. It directs the omission of smoke detectors from an unsprinklered hoistway while still requiring them in the elevator lobbies and machine room to trigger Phase I recall, which is consistent with your statement.

Please confirm if this baseline matches the Government’s project requirements, or identify if there are any whole-building facility retrofit mandates under UFC 3-600-01 that would alter this scope.

See above answers.

5. If the fire suppression system is not required on the build would a sump pump with an oil sensor be required for emergency firefighting operations or allowed to be excluded from the scope of work?

A sump pump with an oil sensor is not required by this document for general emergency firefighting water runoff in an unsprinklered building. Such a requirement is typically dictated by local environmental regulations or by the specific function of an area (e.g., a vehicle maintenance bay or a hazardous material storage room), not by the building’s fire suppression status. Therefore, for a standard building without specific hazards like large hydraulic systems or designated fuel/hazardous material storage, excluding a sump pump with an oil sensor from the scope of work would be compliant with UFC 3-600-01.