Questions and Answers.pdf

1. Could you please provide the pictures of each of the existing forty-two (42) Giant Voice poles?

o Pictures have been uploaded to this solicitation under file names “JB MDL

Poles”

2. Can you provide the dedicated radio frequency to be used for the new Giant Voice System radio communication?

o M141.525

3. Could you confirm which Giant Voice poles currently have fiber connectionns?

o None.

4. What is the electrical voltage and amperage provided at each of the pole locations? It appears they are 120v and 50amps or 100amps.

o Contractor will need to independently verify this information.

5. Please describe what functions the Blackberry Ad-Hoc integration must support. Is an API capability within the new Giant Voice software suitable?

o The blackberry Ad-Hoc integration must be able to trigger messaging/alerts at all of the towers. (i.e when a Ad-Hoc message is received, the towers should activate to play the message and/or corresponding prerecorded tone.)

6. Does a Nonmanufacturer Rule (FAR 52.219-33) waiver apply to this procurement under NAICS 334310 / PSC 5830, or must the awardee supply an end item manufactured by a small business?

o No class or individual Nonmanufacturer Rule (NMR) waiver applies to this procurement.

As indicated by the inclusion of RFO 52.219-33 (Class Deviation 2026- O0038) in the solicitation, the NMR is fully applicable

7. Please confirm the time zone governing all stated solicitation deadlines, including the site visit/EAL registration, question deadline, and quote submission deadline.

o The solicitation specifies EDT.

8. Will the Government provide the BlackBerry AtHoc IIM64 integration specifications and API documentation, or must the awardee obtain these independently from the AtHoc/BlackBerry program office referenced in the SOO?

o The government will make every attempt to provide this information if it has it available, if this documentation/information is not available, The contractor may have to obtain these independently.

9. Of the 42 existing Giant Voice poles, only 29 are identified for replacement under the SOO.

Please confirm the disposition of the remaining 13 poles/locations. Are they to remain in place, or are they to be decommissioned and/or removed?

o All equipment is to be stripped/removed from the poles and returned to 87CS at our warehouse (2320 Radin Rd.). The physical pole is to be abandoned in place and not removed from the ground.

10. How many contractor personnel are anticipated to require a Secret security clearance for work within the Command Post, and what clearance-processing timeline should offerors account for within the 180-day period of performance?

o A minimum of 2 would be reasonably expected. Offerors are responsible for providing personnel who already hold an active Secret security clearance prior to performance start. The Government will not initiate, process, conduct background checks for, or fund security clearances under this contract.

Because of the compressed 180-day Period of Performance (PoP), personnel must be fully cleared on Day 1 to prevent operational delays.

11. Can the Government confirm whether existing AC power service is currently active and sufficient at all 29 pole locations identified in SOO Table 1, or should offerors include allowances for power-service verification and/or upgrades?

o AC Power should be active at all 29 pole locations. However, proposals should include allowances for verification and/or upgrade if necessary based on proposed engineered solution.

12. Will the resulting firm-fixed-price purchase order permit progress payments or interim invoicing tied to project milestones such as design completion, equipment delivery, or installation completion, or will payment be made only following final system acceptance?

o No Progress Payments: Progress payments, interim invoicing, and milestone-based payments (including design completion, equipment delivery, or installation phases) are not permitted.

o Single Final Payment: One payment will be processed only upon 100% completion and final system acceptance by the government.

13. Are there any existing Buy American Act determinations or approved domestic-content equivalency findings applicable to the Giant Voice/mass-notification system components, or should offerors independently verify compliance for each proposed component?

o R-DFARS 252.225-7001, Buy American and Balance of Payments Program, applies to this solicitation. There are no pre-existing government determinations or approved domestic-content equivalency findings applicable to the Giant Voice/mass-notification system components for this requirement.

Offerors are independently responsible for verifying, certifying, and ensuring compliance for each proposed component in accordance with the terms of the solicitation.

14. Does the 10-page non-price volume limitation include supporting technical attachments such as equipment cut sheets, resumes, and past-performance project summaries, or may those items be submitted outside the 10-page limitation?

o No. Resumes, equipment cut sheets, and past-performance project summaries do not count toward the 10-page non-price volume limit. The RFP will be amended to explicitly list these items as excluded attachments

15. For the required public-release/redacted version of the quotation, can the Government clarify what specific information is expected to be redacted and whether a redaction guide or template is available?

o The Government does not have a formal template, but offerors must redact:

1. Company/subcontractor names and logos.

2. Project locations/addresses.

3. Specific proprietary product names (use generic terms like 'proprietary software' instead).

4. Names of personnel (use placeholders like 'Key Personnel 1').

5. Specific pricing figures

16. Does the project have prevailing wage requirements; such as Davis-Bacon, maintenance wages, or any other prevailing wage, either by Federal, State, or local jurisdiction? If they apply, please supply the appropriate wage tables or determination schedules.

o Yes, prevailing wage requirements apply to this procurement. Although manufactured supplies and materials represent the primary cost component under our Firm-Fixed-Price breakdown, the accompanying field services and technical labor are subject to prevailing wage regulations under the Davis- Bacon Act, the Service Contract Labor Standards, and State Prevailing Wage Law.

o Please find, attached to the solicitation, the applicable Wage Determination schedule(s) governing the relevant labor categories for the project location:

Service Contract Act WD #: 2015-4191 rev. 34 Burlington County, Service Contract Act WD #: 2015-4195 rev. 34 Ocean County, Davis-Bacon Act WD # NJ20260039 Ocean County, and Davis-Bacon Act WD #: NJ20260027 for Burlington County. All labor rates incorporated in our pricing comply fully with these published prevailing wage and fringe benefit standards.

17. Please confirm that all the existing poles for the (29) proposed sites will be reused?

o Barring a physical issue or safety concern for the pole. The intent is for all 29 currently in place poles to be reused.

18. Control point antennas and antenna feed lines to be reused?

o Affirmative.

19. Please confirm the page limitation of our RFP response.

o The non-price related volume price limitation on submissions for this requirement will be 10 pages, as stated in the solicitation. Your pricing volume and supporting data could be 100 pages long or 1 page long, that is fine.

However, the technical submission should be limited to a maximum of 10 (ten) pages.

20. Please explain the process for obtaining dig permits, or any other permits necessary to install new ground rods at associated Giant Voice locations.

o To install new ground rods at Giant Voice locations, the contractor must complete and submit the Excavation Permit Application Checklist (with the required Government POC signature) along with the Airfield Memo if working on the airfield. All completed documents must be emailed to the 87th CE

Workforce Management at 87CES.CEOER.workforce@us.af.mil, and the contractor must call NJ One-Call to mark out commercial utilities. Please note that McGuire and Lakehurst permits are processed by 87CES, while Fort Dix permits are handled by Pride. Each individual digging site requires its own separate permit (e.g., Pole 1 and Pole 2 cannot share a permit), and all approved permits are strictly valid for 30 days and must be renewed if work extends beyond that window.

21. Will the government provide photos of each Giant Voice location, including a photo of the siren head, antenna system, control cabinet, and battery cabinet, including exterior and interior photos, as well as one overall photo?

o At least 3 photos exist of all giant voice poles. These will be distributed/shared.

22. Can the government provide photos of the control point central control stations, antenna systems, and the current Giant Voice system equipment at the control points, including Primary CCS, Building 1758; Alternate CCS, Building 3390; and Teriary [sic] CCS, Building 687, the Fire Station #5 at Lakehurst?

o Photos cannot be taken of the control points or any equipment within restricted spaces, including but not limited to, 1758, 3390. Site surveys can be conducted with escorts.

23. It was discussed on the job walk, that one of the siren poles need to be straightened. Can you please confirm the location of said pole? As well as, confirm the pole will be straightened, prior to the project beginning and is not part of the scope of work?

o Pole 37 is leaning and will be corrected by 87CES. This pole will be replaced or repaired prior to the completion of all other remaining poles.

24. Do any of the (29) identified sites require FAA approved obstruction lights?

o No

25. Section 3.1.3 states that the contractor must remove unused, old, or uninstalled equipment from the GVS and transfer it to the 87 C/S. Please clarify whether this requires the complete extraction, disposal, and site remediation of all existing physical infrastructure— such as structural poles, concrete foundations, and mounting hardware—for legacy sites that are being decommissioned without a one-for-one replacement. If pole extraction is required, please specify who is responsible for environmental disposal and hole backfill/compaction.

o This is limited to all equipment attached to the pole. This does not include concrete in the ground or the physical pole itself. Any power lines on the pole should be pulled back to the nearest box/enclosure to avoid open or exposed wires that would pose a safety risk.

26. There is a direct contradiction between Section 3.1.10 (which requires re-using existing Motorola APX 4500 radios) and Section 3.3.59 (which states each GVT shall be equipped with new Motorola APX 4500 units). Please clarify the government's intent: Should offerors price 100% new units across the board, or should existing radios be salvaged and re-deployed with new units furnished only for new/expansion locations?

o The intent is for offerors to provide new APX 4500BN radios to all 29 poles.

27. Section 3.1.7 specifies 2-inch electrical PVC conduits for securing power cables and speaker wires. Will the government accept alternative industrial-grade raceways—specifically Intermediate Metal Conduit (IMC), Galvanized Rigid Conduit (GRC), and UV-resistant liquid-mailto:87CES.CEOER.workforce@us.af.mil tight flexible metallic conduit (LFMC)—in areas requiring physical impact protection or meeting specific exterior base standards?

o This would be acceptable assuming all protections that would have been provided by the proposed PVC would be met or exceeded with the suggested alternative.

28. Section 3.9 requires control stations to be furnished with a new PC running strictly Windows 11. Does this mandate Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise, or are alternative enterprise-hardened operating systems (such as Linux or macOS, if required by proprietary packages) acceptable for baseline compliance?

o The asset must run strictly windows. Mac or Linux would not be acceptable.

29. Structural Integrity, Pole Replacements, and Salvage Policy:

a) a. If an existing wood or steel giant voice pole is determined to be structurally unsound or inadequate in height during site execution, is the structural pole replacement officially the contractor's responsibility?

This would need to be addressed on an individual bases per pole between 87CS, 87CONS, and the contractor.

b) b. If pole replacement is contractor-managed, will JBMDL provide an engineering assessment or a pre-determined list of defective poles prior to proposal submission to ensure an equal pricing baseline?

See above answer

c) c. May utility poles recovered from decommissioned legacy GV sites outside the new system footprint be re-used to replace compromised poles at active operational sites?

The intent is to abandon poles in place and not remove them. If a pole needs to be replaced, it would have to be new and not a pre-existing/recovered pole.

30. According to the SOO, the system is required to operate on the existing VHF system. Are alternative communication methods (e.g., cellular, network, or fiber) acceptable?" Does the base want redundancy and for the system to operate on multiple communication methods?

o Yes, alternative comm methods are acceptable as back-up/redundancy.

31. According to the SOO, bleedover is to be kept to minimum. What is the threshold of allowable [acoustical sound] bleedover? Some areas have much more urbanization than others in terms of where coverage is sought for the project. At what point, is [acoustical sound] bleedover a problem?

o Bleed over should be minimum, testing will be conducted to determine if bleed over is acceptable at time of completion/installation. Notification emitting from the Giant Voice system should not bleed past the installation and disrupt the local community.

32. According to section 3.3.3 re-use of the existing steel and wood poles is priority. However, what is the procedure should the contractor deem a pole unfit to be re-used in its current capacity?

o This would be addressed on a case by case basis between the contractor, 87CS, and 87CONS. If a pole was deemed to be unfit and need a replacement, the replacement would have to be a new/un-used pole.

33. Section 3.3.5.5 states the GV System shall be stand-alone network/system and not connect to any base network. Will the base provide a specific internet connection for the siren system control points to be able to work with one another and allow for access to the software via a stable ethernet or VPN connection?

o There is currently no connection between control stations or between individual stations and the internet. If deemed necessary, internet connectivity could be provided to individual control stations independent of one another depending on location of device/in accordance with secure location regulations.

34. The listed critical locations state (4) new 12V batteries at each siren site. If the contractor deems two batteries to be sufficient to power the HPSA’s, would the base be opposed to altering the scope from (4) batteries per site down to (2) per site?

o The batteries are used as a backup and able to support 12+ hours of backup power. If this can be achieved with 2 instead of 4 batteries, then it would be acceptable.

35. Height from ground to top of pole?

o Varies per pole

36. Height from ground to top of siren? (Tallest is most important) o Varies per pole

37. Can the base confirm which units are Federal Signal, and which are SirCom?

o Yes, the base can confirm but shouldn’t be relevant or necessary for the purpose of this contract given intent is for full 29 pole system replacement/turn-key solution independent of FedSig or SiRCom equipment currently in place.

38. Will the awarded vendor be required to do anything with the non-listed 13 GVTs? If yes, please provide what is expected.

o The contractor would be expected to strip the pole of equipment, return said equipment to 87CS, and leave pole in place.

39. To confirm, new APX radios are required for each unit in the system. Correct?

o Affirmative

40. Can the base confirm, how many controller locations require the radios to be in a remote location?

o Please clarify. What is meant by “remote” (5 feet from control station, separate room from control station, separate building?)

41. Besides providing a system configured to integrate with the AtHoc IIM, will the awarded vendor be responsible for any changes or modifications to the current AtHoc system?

o Negative.

42. Can the existing AC disconnects at each pole be reused?

o Affirmative.

43. Can any other aspect of the system be reused such as antennas?

o Antennas and poles are the only aspects that can be reused, with the exception of cabling to/from antenna tower(s) at the control stations.

44. In the past the government has allowed us to bill net 30 for equipment following delivery sign off and then net 30 for labor following completion of the project and sign off. Do these terms apply to giant voice?

o No Progress Payments: Progress payments, interim invoicing, and milestone-based payments (including design completion, equipment delivery, or installation phases) are not permitted.

o Single Final Payment: One payment will be processed only upon 100% completion and final system acceptance by the government.

45. We see that Motorola radios were called out in the RFP. If we have a better design is it acceptable to omit the Motorola radios for an alternate solution as long as the functionality matches the need?

o No. To maintain fleet uniformity and baseline standardization across the enterprise, Motorola radios are a mandatory requirement. Alternate solutions for this specific component will not be accepted.

46. Does the project have prevailing wage requirements; such as Davis-Bacon, maintenance wages, or any other prevailing wage, either by Federal, State, or local jurisdiction? If they apply, please supply the appropriate wage tables or determination schedules.

o See answer to question 16

47. Please confirm that all the existing poles for the (29) proposed sites will be reused?

o Affirmative

48. Control point antennas and antenna feed lines to be reused?

o Affirmative

49. Please confirm the page limitation of our RFP response.

o See question 14

50. Please explain the process for obtaining dig permits, or any other permits necessary to install new ground rods at associated Giant Voice locations.

o See question 20

51. Would it be possible to extend the due date of this request?

o No. Due to strict fiscal year-end constraints and mandatory funding timelines, the government cannot accommodate any extensions to the submission deadline. All proposals must be submitted by the currently established due date and time to ensure timely evaluation and award.

52. Is the government accepting gray market and not federal sourced APX4500 radios. Or only brand new sourced thru the federal supply channel o No, the Government will not accept gray market or non-federally sourced APX4500 radios. Under federal acquisition regulations, any submission of gray market items is considered non-compliant and will be immediately eliminated from award consideration.

53. Can the government specify which poll numbers require a beacon on top?

o None. Based on current engineering data and airfield obstruction criteria, none of the proposed poles exceed the height thresholds or penetrate runway approach paths requiring FAA/military obstruction lighting.

While the government is currently verifying this baseline, contractors must assume a baseline of zero (0) beacons for bidding purposes.