Hesco Barriers Q and A 22 September 2026.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

1ERS Mission Support Flight (USAFE)

22 September 2026

Questions and Answers (Q&A) Gap Fence Solution

Q1. Please confirm whether the contractor’s scope is limited to the delivery of the Hesco barriers to RAF Akrotiri, or whether the contractor is also required to perform the following activities on site:

• Unloading the barriers; Unloading to the address will need to be included.

• Placement/positioning of the barriers at the designated locations; and Placement of HESCOs will be handled by the Government

• Filling the barriers with sand/gravel, including the provision of the required fill material. Filling will be handled by the Government

Q2. Could you please confirm the total quantity of Hesco Barriers required under this solicitation? There is no total quantity established. The requirement is; the distances must be filled with HESCOs. Vendors are free to fill the measurements with their own solutions/quantities.

Q3. Unit size. The drawing in the Statement of Objectives calls out a section footprint of 3.6 ft by 3.6 ft at 9 ft height, and the text stresses that the minimum measurements allow no error. Most fielded 9 ft barrier units are manufactured at a nominal 3 ft 6 in footprint. Would a unit at 3 ft 6 in be acceptable, or is 43.2 in the firm floor for both width and depth? Our pricing depends materially on this answer. – The references to 3.6ft refer to 3ft 6in. The Mil 19 Specification is our target model.

Q4. Line item and quantity. We were unable to locate a priced schedule or a stated quantity in the posted package. Should we quote a per-unit price plus a total for the full layout as we compute it, and if a fixed quantity has been established, could it be released so that all quotes are compared on the same basis? - There is no total quantity established. The requirement is the distances must be filled with HESCOs. Vendors are free to fill the measurements with their own solutions/quantities.

Q5. Length option. The SOO permits longer sections provided the user can shorten them.

Are multi-cell units of roughly 10 ft length acceptable on that basis, and is any specific cell length preferred for the 8 ft gap at the front of the pad? – 10ft “chunks” of Hesco is acceptable. We just need the option to be able to shorten some of those “chunks” so that we can fill the gaps that are less than 10 feet

Q6. End state at delivery. Our understanding is that the award covers supply and delivery of empty barrier units to Building 1051B, with filling and placement performed by base personnel. Please confirm, as the SOO references labour and equipment. – Placement and filling will be handled by the Government.

Q7. Finish. Beyond weather and UV resistance, does the base require a particular colour, mesh coating standard or geotextile specification? We can offer alternatives and would prefer to quote against your preference rather than assume. – No specification for different finishes. Needs to be able to withstand high heat, rain, and high wind customary to Cyprus.

Q8. Schedule. Is a required delivery date or a maximum number of days after award applicable, and are staged deliveries acceptable? This drives whether we plan road or air movement into Cyprus. – Staged deliveries are acceptable

Q9. Entry into the Sovereign Base Area. Should we import on our own account and truck to the base, would the 9 OG LGS/CONS office issue the duty relief and entry paperwork for the consignment, and are there fixed delivery windows for access to the site? – Vendors should seek a local transport company to retrieve from port/airport. The Government will coordinate access to SBA, RAF Akrotiri for delivery. Customs fees will also need to be included.

Q10. Scope of work. Please confirm the requirement is delivery only - i.e. no offloading, positioning, filling or installation of the barriers - notwithstanding the SOO wording "all labor, equipment, and materials to deliver". – Offloading to customer only. All other tasks will be performed by the Government.

Q11. Layout details. Is the separate 12 ft x 3.6 ft section shown above the concrete pad included in this requirement? Please also confirm the 8 ft front opening is to remain free of barriers. – Yes the 12 ft is included. The 8 ft gap on the concrete is to be free for entrance to the pad. The 12 ft section above is to provide some protection for that entryway.

Q12. Colour and liner. Is a specific colour required (beige or green), and is any specific liner material, UV rating or colour required beyond the SOO's general weather / high-UV requirement? - Negative

Q13. Document reference. Attachment 02 is headed "DOCUMENT NUMBER FA557026Q0022" while the solicitation number is FA557026QBA04. Please confirm the correct reference. – The correct reference is FA557026QBA04, the attachment has been updated on SAM.Gov

Q14. Product Service Code. The solicitation states PSC 3496, while the SAM.gov notice indicates 9540. Please confirm which applies. – The correct PSC is 9540, there was a lapse in systems matching available PSC codes. The solicitation has been updated to match.

Q15. Delivery schedule. Is there a required delivery date or period of performance following award, and will the Government accept partial deliveries? – ASAP and yes partial deliveries will be accepted.

Q16. Import and access. For offerors electing to ship into Cyprus by their own means and transport the supplies to RAF Akrotiri, will the Government provide Toll of Entry / duty-free importation sponsorship documentation for the Sovereign Base Area, and can you confirm the consignee details and site access hours at BLDG 1051B? – There is no current Status of Forces agreement providing any VAT or customs relief for imports. Please include these costs in your pricing. Site access can be coordinated after award- but generally deliveries can be accepted at any time, preferably within the hours of 0800 and 1700 local time.

Question 17 — Dimensional notation of the 3.6 ft cross-section

The "Barrier Section Measurements" sketch on page 1 of Attachment 01 dimensions the barrier footprint as 3.6 ft × 3.6 ft. Please confirm the intended notation:

a. 3 ft 6 in (3'6" = 1067 mm), which corresponds to the standard 42 in base width of the HESCO MIL1, MIL12 and MIL19 units; or – MIL 19

b. 3.6 decimal feet (43.2 in = 1097 mm).

This clarification is material. The SOO states there is no room for error on the minimum measurements. Under interpretation (b), the standard 42 in commercial product would fall 30 mm below the stated minimum and would be non-compliant, and to the best of our knowledge no commercially available unit is manufactured to a 43.2 in base width. This would appear inconsistent with the "Hesco, or equal" commercial-item basis of the acquisition. Please confirm which value governs. – Should be in line with the MIL 19 spec for HESCOs

Question 18 — Basis of the 9 ft dimension and permissible configuration

The same sketch dimensions the barrier at 9 ft (2743 mm) on the vertical edge, while the illustrative photograph on page 2 appears to depict a wall constructed of two stacked tiers rather than single full-height units. Please confirm:

a. that the 9 ft dimension is the finished installed height of the completed wall, and not the length of an individual barrier section; and – 9ft height, shouldn’t need to be stacked. In line with the MIL 19 spec

b. whether the 9 ft height may be achieved by stacking two nominal 4.5 ft (54 in / 1372 mm) tiers, consistent with the configuration shown in the page 2 photograph, or whether single-piece 9 ft units are required. – Either solution is acceptable. If vendor can provide a solution that is better than MIL 19, then this would be an acceptable solution.

Question 19 — Base width to height ratio

The manufacturer's published guidance states that the height of a wall built from MIL units must not exceed twice the width of its base. A 9 ft (2743 mm) wall constructed on a 3 ft 6 in (1067 mm) base yields a ratio of approximately 2.6:1, which exceeds that limit.

Please confirm which of the following the Government considers technically acceptable:

a. a pyramid stack, in which the base course is wider than the upper course, with a corresponding increase in the base footprint; - Not acceptable

b. a wider base unit (for example a nominal 48 in / 1219 mm base) in the lower course, with the 3 ft 6 in dimension applying to the upper course only; or

c. a vertical flat-face stack on a 3 ft 6 in base for the full 9 ft height, notwithstanding the manufacturer's guidance. – This one is acceptable

If (a) or (b) is acceptable, please confirm that the resulting increase in base width is permitted within the enclosure dimensions shown in the layout figure, and identify which face of the wall the additional width may encroach upon.

Question 20 — Controlling status of the drawing dimensions

The "Minimum Specifications" bullets in paragraph 1 state no numerical values; all dimensions appear solely as callouts on the two figures on page 1. Please confirm that the dimensions shown in those figures are the controlling minimum requirements for the purposes of technical acceptability and evaluation. If any dimension shown is illustrative rather than mandatory, please identify which. – 3 ft 6in is the baseline, that is mandatory, all other is illustrative.

Question 21 — Measurement condition for compliance

Please confirm the condition under which dimensional compliance will be assessed: as-manufactured (empty, unfilled frame) or as-installed (filled with sand/gravel). Gabion-type units of this class deflect and bulge under fill, and the two conditions yield materially different measured values against a requirement stated to have no room for error. – How much is the bulge?

Question 22 — Permissible wall run length

The SOO permits sections to be longer provided they can be shortened by the user while retaining full functionality. The layout figure shows discrete wall runs of 12 ft, 13.75 ft and

35.5 ft (3658 mm, 4191 mm, 10820 mm) within an overall footprint of 37.7 ft × 42.7 ft (11491 × 13015 mm). Standard commercial units are supplied in continuous runs of nominal 10 m (32 ft 9 in), subdivided into cells.

Please confirm whether:

a. the individual wall runs may exceed the dimensions shown, provided the excess can be shortened by the user on site; or

b. the wall runs and overall enclosure footprint are fixed maximum dimensions, and the "may be longer" allowance applies solely to the as-delivered length of units prior to installation, with the contractor or user required to reduce them to the dimensions shown.

– This one

If (a), please confirm the maximum permissible overrun on each run, and whether the 8 ft (2438 mm) entry gap must be preserved exactly as shown.

Question 23 — Uniformity of unit size

Please confirm whether all barrier units delivered must be of identical size, or whether the contractor may supply a mix of unit lengths — all meeting the confirmed minimum height and cross-section — in order to achieve the wall runs shown with fewer field modifications.

If mixed lengths are acceptable, please confirm that all units must remain mutually linkable in accordance with the "sections can link together" requirement, and whether units of differing base width would be acceptable where used in a stacked configuration per Question 3. – mix is acceptable, as long as dimensions are able to be met

Question 24 — Quantity and pricing schedule

Section B of the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation refers to a "Supplies or Services and Prices/Cost" section as the basis for the Total Evaluated Price, but no quantity schedule or line-item listing is included in the solicitation or its attachments. Please confirm whether the Government will issue a quantity schedule, or whether offerors are to derive and propose the required quantity from the layout figure in Attachment 01 and price accordingly. – Derive the quantity.

Question 25 — Document number discrepancy

Attachment 02, Clauses and Provisions, is headed "DOCUMENT NUMBER FA557026Q0022," which does not correspond to solicitation number FA557026QBA04.

Please confirm that Attachment 02 is the correct set of clauses and provisions applicable to this solicitation. – Document number FA557026QBA04 is correct.