Questions_Answers for Arch Monitor.pdf

Questions Received for Archeological Monitor (Tinian)

1) Is the proposal for one year, and then you duplicate it for the 2 option periods?

a. Yes, the proposal covers a one-year base period and should be replicated for each of the two option periods.

2) Do you want a bid per monitor? The PWS says more than one monitor may be needed, it is necessary to know if that will be at an additional expense to the agency, or to the CRM contractor.

a. In the event that multiple monitors are required due to mission demands, it is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure the necessary provisions are made, including retaining, providing, or sourcing a qualified Arch Monitor as needed.

3) Is this a contract based on actual time in the field? If so, will the contract allow for billing during times that the archaeological monitor is not monitoring in the field due to no ground disturbing activities (on-call time). With no schedule to know how many days the CRM company will have to pay for a monitor to be on the island without any compensation from the agency and contract, it is impossible to bid appropriately.

a. Yes, the contract is structured around actual time worked in the field.

Residency & Work Schedule Per PWS Section 1.0 (p. 3), contractors are required to reside on Tinian for the full contract term (3 years base), and Section 2.3.2 (p. 8) states that monitors must be available for 10-hour days, 6 days per week (60 hours/week). This conflicts with standard archaeological practice, labor laws (e.g., overtime), and OSHA guidelines. However, the AMDP (Appendix A: Site Safety and Health Plan) indicates an 8-hour workday, 5 days per week schedule, which aligns more closely with standard archaeological and OSHA practices. o

4) Can you confirm whether this schedule is fixed, and if rotational staffing or scheduled breaks are permitted?

a. The initial schedule will be agreed upon after award by CO/COR. Requested adjustments by contractor must be approved by CO/COR. Due to the flexibility of work requirements, alterations may be needed by request of the COR. Breaks are permitted, rotational staffing may be needed to meet mission demands, and schedule will flex to mission needs.

5) Can you confirm whether the contract includes provisions for overtime pay and federally recognized holidays?

a. Overtime and federal holiday pay would be submitted as part of the proposal.

Yes, you are responsible for compensating personnel in accordance with applicable laws, Wage Determinations, and any applicable clauses included in the contract.

6) Does the Tinian residency requirement apply continuously for the full 3-year duration, or can housing be scheduled in alignment with active phases of ground disturbance, as is standard in the industry?

a. Yes. This is a requirement.

Submittal Format PWS Section 2.2.1.2 (p. 6) states that the draft AMDP shall be submitted via FTP (e.g., DoD SAFE), but Table 4: Deliverables and Due Dates in the AMDP (Appendix, p. 34) references submission via PDF on DVD/CD.

7) Can you confirm the required format and delivery method for submittals?

a. Contractor shall receive new AMDP from the RPT-M. Contractor shall follow

AMDP. Digital format is acceptable. Contractor must be able to DoD Safe files if exceeds email limit.

PWS Section 2.6.1 (p. 12) requires submission of three (3) color hard copies and three (3) black-and-white hard copies of the final report.

8) Given that digital-only submission is the industry standard, are these physical paper copies truly required? If so, do the specified deadlines account for shipping and delivery time?

a. Digital format is acceptable. Contractor must be able to DoD Safe files if exceeds email limit.

Osteological Services PWS Section 2.2.1 (p. 6) and Section 2.4 (Work Element 4, p. 11) mention osteological services as optional tasks.

9) Should these services be included in the base proposal or priced as a separate option?

a. Services should be included in the base proposal. May be more of a reach back capability (video conference call) to confirm findings.

CNMI HPO Responsibility The PWS does not clearly state whether the contractor is responsible for consultation, coordination, and submittal review with the CNMI Historic Preservation Office (HPO).

10) Can you clarify whether this will be managed by the contractor or by the 356 ECEG (or another federal entity)?

a. It is on the Secretary of the Interior (SOI) qualified archaeologist to manage the HPO communication. This would be on the contractor, but RPT-M would be CC’d for awareness.

AMDP Revisions & Authorship PWS Section 2.2.1 (p. 6) requires the contractor to review and, if needed, update the existing

AMDP.

11) Will the contractor be responsible for revising the current AMDP authored by Anthony L. Arcane, and if so, will the original author be retained?

a. RPT-M will be writing the new AMDP. The contractor will receive a copy and be required to follow.

PWS Section 2.2.1 (p. 6) states that the AMDP must include a Burial Treatment Plan (BTP);

however, no BTP is currently included in the provided AMDP.

12) Should the contractor develop a BTP as part of the updated AMDP?

a. The contractor shall develop a Burial Treatment Plan based off new AMDP. BTP must be approved/concurred by CNMI HPO.

Programmatic Agreement The AMDP references consultation requirements under 36 CFR 800 and indicates that the project is subject to a Programmatic Agreement (PA), but the PA is not included with the materials provided (ref. AMDP p. 1 and p. 29).

13) Will a copy of the PA be provided to the contractor?

a. Yes. Contractor will be provided with the PA.

Pre-Priced Options PWS Section 2.4 (p. 11) includes Option 1 and Option 2 for one (1) additional year each, with 3,120 hours of fieldwork to conduct archaeological monitoring.

14) Do these options include only field monitoring time, or should they also account for associated hours required for reporting, coordination, and administrative support?

a. Options should also account for associated hours required for reporting, coordination, and administrative support.

Monitoring Report Frequency The AMDP (p. 31) states that a daily monitoring log must be maintained, while PWS Section

2.3.6 (p. 9) requires submission of weekly monitoring summaries including GIS data.

15) Can you clarify whether daily monitoring reports must be submitted, or if only weekly summaries are required for official submittal?

a. Archaeologists should submit a weekly summary report with GIS data.

Archaeologists must submit all required reports and documents outlined in the Phase III AMDP. Most importantly the archaeologist is responsible for a HAER/HALS like document.

GIS Standards Clarification PWS Section 2.3.2.1 (p. 8) and Section 2.3.6 (p. 9) require the use of sub-meter accurate GPS and submission of GIS shapefiles in compliance with the latest JRM geospatial data standards.

16) Will a current copy of the standard (within the most recent ICMP) or templates (gdb and metadata) be provided to the contractor?

a. Yes, templates will be provided by RPT-M.