MAF_Water_Wells_Response_to_Questions.docx

MAF Water Wells Response to Questions 7 March 2017

1. Can the crew work more than 10 hours a day at the sites where the well is located outside of the fence?

· A: No, per Specifications Section 01 00 00 Para 3.7.1. Unless otherwise approved through Contracting Officer.

2. For the Alpha site, can equipment be left in place overnight once work is in progress, or will the Contractor be required to move equipment at the end of each shift?

· A: Yes, per Specifications Section 01 00 00 Para 3.20.2 – 3.20.3.

3. The Contract drawings require the new wells to be installed between 12' and 18' of the existing fence. Can the equipment be left in place overnight or will the Contractor be required to move the equipment away from the fence a certain distance at the end of each shift?

· A: Yes, the contractor shall coordinate with the Contracting Officer to ensure the well will not be within 10’ of the perimeter fence, and no equipment will be left in place that would allow bypassing of the perimeter fence.

4. Can the existing water supply at each MAF site be used to provide water for the drilling efforts? If yes, can a hose be run from the drilling operation through the fence to the location of the existing water service?

· A: No, per Specifications Section 01 00 00 Para 3.10.1.

5. Pursuant to specification section 31 21 00 - 3.4B the contractor is required to collect and analyze water samples once the well is completed. Please provide the specifics on the testing criteria required.

· A: Per Specifications Section 33(31) 21 00 Para 3.4B – “…analysis shall be conducted equivalent to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Private Water Well Full Well Screen.”

6. What water production (GPM) is anticipated from each new well? Is there a minimum requirement?

· A: There is no minimum requirement, the well shall be completed per specifications and drawings.

7. Can you provide a copy of the original well logs of the existing wells?

· A: See provided PDF files containing these logs.

8. Can mud pits be used outside the fence?

· A: No mud pits on Air Force property, per Specifications Section 33(31) 21 00 Para 1.1A and Drawings Page C2.0 and C2.1. Property line provided with this document.

9. Can any fluids (purge water, etc) be left onsite to infiltrate if they don't have any impact on operations and doesn't drain to surface water? Is treatment/filtration required?

· A: Yes, refer to Specifications Section 33 21 00 Para 1.5A and 1.6A for discharge requirements.

10. How long can the existing water supply be shut off for when switching the system to the newly installed well?

· A: Per Specifications Section 01 00 00 Para 3.11.1, utility outages shall be coordinated with the Contracting Officer 10 days prior. The water storage capacity of the MAF (~7000 gal) determines the amount of time the supply can be shut off. Therefore the contractor shall limit the amount of time that the supply is shut off, and coordination with the Contracting Officer is paramount.

11. Does the secondary casing called out on Table 2 of specification section 31 21 00 have to remain a permanent fixture of the well or can it be used temporarily for installation and removed upon completion of the well?

· A: Per Specifications Section 33(31) 21 00 Para 2.2B, the secondary casing is a permanent fixture when installed to prevent intrusion from artesian aquafers and, as such, are grouted to seal the gap between the secondary and inner casing. Refer to Para 2.2B to see what sites the secondary casing is optional.

12. If mud rotary drilling is used for the M-01 well will the water sampling requirements pursuant to specification section 31 21 00 section 3.4A be omitted due to the nature of mud rotary drilling?

· A: No, refer to Specifications Section 31 21 00 Para 3.3B for guidelines on sampling when drilling mud is used.

13. Is the rotary drilling method at the discretion of the Contractor? Is dual rotary drill method acceptable? Is the air drill method acceptable?

· A: Per Specifications Section 33(31) 21 00 Para 3.1A the method of drilling “…shall be drilled by rotary method.” Whether or not the method is rotary or dual-rotary is up to the discretion of the contractor.

14. Does the Air Force have any preference on the drilling method for each well?

· A: Yes, per Specifications Section 33(31) 21 00 Para 3.1A the method of drilling “…shall be drilled by rotary method.”

15. Would the Air Force consider alternative drilling/completion methods if they were proven to provide equal or well better performance?

· A: No, as rotary drilling is the method specified in Specifications Section 33(31) 21 00 Para 3.1A. Rotary or dual-rotary shall be the only method allowed.

16. Are additional support vehicles/equipment, in addition to what is shown on the Contract drawings, allowed on site?

· A: All necessary vehicles as identified in Specifications Section 01 00 00 Para 3.2 are allowed on site per that Section.

17. Can the existing Kilo well be airlifted or blown out prior to abandonment in lieu of being drilled out?

· A: The contractor shall follow the methods provided in Specifications Section 33 29 00 Para 3.3A.3.

18. Butt welded steel drill casing is common industry standard. Can butt-welded casing be used instead of threaded casing?

· A: Per Drawings Pg. C3.1 Detail 4-3.1 and Specifications Section 33(31) 21 00 Para 3.9A the 8” A53 Casing is welded. Per Drawings Pg. C3.1 Detail 5-3.1 and Specifications Section 33(31) 21 00 Para 2.9A the well drop pipe stainless steel couplers are threaded.

19. Are there any specific forms or format for geophysical logs?

· A: Refer to Specifications Section 33(31) 21 00 for guidelines on Geophysical Logging.

20. Can site grade be adjusted to ensure that drill rig and support vehicles are level?

· A: Grading is not included in the scope. If grading is necessary the site shall be returned to original condition after work is completed.

21. If existing wells to be abandoned require drilling out, can a drill rig access the wellhead without moving existing pump house?

· A: Yes, it is accessed through the roof scuttle per Specifications Section 33 29 00 Para 3.1A.

22. Would it be acceptable to install pre-packed screens on all (4) MAF sites?

· A: Per Specifications Section 33(31) 21 00 Para 2.4G prepacked screens are allowed provided the contractor conforms to specifications.

23. Once the drilling operation commenced, would it be possible to continuously drill around the clock until completion?

· A: Yes it is possible, provided that the contractor follows the guidelines provided in Specifications Section 01 00 00 Para 3.6.1 – 3.6.3 and 3.7.1.

24. Please clarify the material the well houses are constructed out of (concrete, wood framing, steel framing). This will help us know how to seal penetrations.

· A: The pump houses are of steel stud construction.

25. Please clarify the conduits that are running across the roof hatch. Can a picture be provided?

· A: Picture provided with this document.

26. Please clarify if it would be acceptable to for the well electrical lines to be laid next to the well water line. This will help if the water line need to be repaired you would not have to remove electrical line to get to it.

· A: That is acceptable given the contractor complies with Specifications Section 01 00 00 Para 3.15 and 3.16.

27. Please clarify scope of drain line work on C-01. Are we to just repair damage section of pipe or extend to a particular location? What does the drain line support and where does it go to?

· A: This pipe leads to the pump house floor drain. If broken, repair it so it can continue to function.

28. Other than the slab in the facility, please clarify if any of the new lines being installed are expected to go under concrete or asphalt. The plans do not show the surface material, it appears to all be native soil.

· A: Reference the site aerials provided at site visit meeting.

29. Please confirm the tank (TK108A) shown on K-01 is not part of the project scope.

· A: Yes, The TK108A is not included in the scope of this project.

30. Please confirm orange fence will be allowed to protect construction area where required. We want to make sure it will not interfere with Air Force operations.

· A: Yes, this will not interfere.

31. Please clarify if restrooms will be available. If not, can porta-johns be placed in and outside the controlled areas?

· A: No, the MAF restrooms are not available. Per Specifications Section 01 00 00 Para 3.10.2 the contractor is responsible for portable latrines. The latrines will be allowed on site but it is up to the contractor to coordinate the provider’s access to the site.

32. Please specify what portions will need to hydrostatic tested. (pump house/pit-less adapter)

· A: The entire system shall be tested.

33. Please provide estimated water table depth for site A-01.

· A: Per the provided A-01 Well Logs the static water level is at 275’ – 280’.

34. Please clarify if flush water will be allowed to be drained on site. (in or outside secure compound)

· A: [Answered Above – Question #9]

35. Please clarify if the government will allow us to use water at the site for our construction operations.

· A: [Answered Above – Question #4]

36. Please clarify if we will be able to work at more than one site at a time. Only well drilling at one site at a time.

· A: Yes it is possible, provided that the contractor follows the guidelines provided in Specifications Section 01 00 00 Para 3.6.1 – 3.6.3 and 3.7.1. Furthermore the limitations of inspectors prevents the contractor from performing inspectable work at multiple sites at the same time.

37. Please clarify type A/B fill, can this be native.

· A: Type A/B backfill is specified per Specifications Section 31 23 33 Para C.1.C, C.2.B, and C.2.C. There is no determination on whether or not the borrow material is native, as long as in complies with Specifications Section 31 00 00 Para 2.1 and Section 31 23 33 Para C.1.C.

38. Please clarify if the electrical cables shown in the pictures provided for C-01 are the same that are shown on the drawings.

· A: No, but C-01 Refueling Pad AS BUILTS are provided with this document. They show the location of the conduits seen in the picture.

39. Please clarify if a State Of Montana Plumbing Permit required. Will the contractor’s licenses plumber and the Air Force inspector be sufficient? 3.5.1

· A: Yes.

40. Please clarify if there is asbestos in the concrete where we are called to drill. Has the government conducted any tests? Will the government require the contractor to test? 1.6.1.2

· A: The Air Force has not done tests and since the area affected is less than 10.0 ft2 the Air Force is not responsible for testing. The Air Force requires the contractor to comply with Specification Section 01 00 00 Para 1.6 and Section 01 36 00 Para 1.6.1.

41. Does the new well need to be up and running before the old well is disconnected? How long can the water be shut down for?

· A: Yes. [Second Part Answered Above – Question #10]

42. What are we hydrostatic testing to; HDPE pipe at the pitless adapter? Foot valve at the pump?

· A: [Answered Above – Question #32]

43. Also the spec reads that QC will perform 2hrs a day of QC and separate part time supervision, is there any way that it can read 2 hrs. QC and that QC can perform supervision – once again big cost savings

· No, per Specifications Section 01 00 00 Para 3.14.1.

44. Is there a reason that TD&H can’t perform the Geophysical logs and the video inspection of the wells?

· A: Since they were the A&E firm who desgined the project, they cannot be hired as a subcontractor because it is an organizational conflict of interest according to their contract with the USAF.

45. Also can the bid date be changed to 3-14-17 as Mondays do not work out so well with biding.

· A: No