Contractor_QA_FA8201-15-B-0002_w_answers.doc

Contractor Q&A FA8201-15-B-0002 Perimeter Fencing Removal/Replacement August 13, 2015

1. Will it be required to remove the trees and shrubs down to the root system? If this is required, it may cause unnecessary erosion problems and increase costs accordingly.

No. Cut trees and shrubs down to even with ground level. See paragraph 5, page 3 of SOW.

2. Please clarify and provide acceptable sterilization products to be used.

Contractor shall provide broadcast a good seed mix that has grasses and forbs (i.e. clover, etc.) in it within a minimum of 9 FT inside and minimum of 3 FT outside fence line after all the disturbance has taken place, preferably with short growth above ground and strong root system below ground. See paragraph 5-6, page 3 and paragraph 1, page 4 of SOW.

4.15.8 Restoration of Native Ground Cover: All native ground cover that is disturbed by construction and not scheduled for landscaping shall be re-seeded with drought resistant grasses and legumes. Mixtures of dry land alfalfa, fairway crested wheat grass and Indian rice grass will be used in good sandy, loam soils. Use sand drop seed with fairway crested wheat grass in gravely soil. Machine drilling on generally level to mildly sloping ground is preferable. Hydro seeding should only be used on 3 to 1 slopes. This native ground cover seeding should take place in April, May, September and the first half of October only. For MAMS airfield areas the following seed mixture and application rates shall be used to prevent BASH conditions. For soil preparation an application procedures see 75 CEG/CEIE memorandum dated 25 February 2014.

Sand Drop Seed

0.12

Bluebunch Wheatgrass

2.5

Sheep Fescue

2.0

Total

15.12

3. Please clarify the definition and specification to which the temporary fence shall be constructed.

Temporary fence used shall meet or exceed the security requirements. Temporary fence shall be 7 FT tall with 3-strand barbed wire on top and clamped to each panel. See paragraph 3, page 3 of SOW.

4. Please clarify the specification to which the temporary gates shall be constructed.

Temporary gates used shall meet or exceed the security requirements. Temporary gates shall be 7 FT tall with 3-strand barbed wire on top and clamped to each panel. Temporary gates shall have tamper proof seals attached to the fence panels. See paragraph 3, page 3 of SOW.

5. When trees are removed, will the contractor be required to replace them with like type and caliper size, or is it acceptable to mulch the trees/shrubs in place?

Contractor is not required to replace trees. Contractor may not mulch trees/shrubs in place. All trees shall be hauled off base and discarded. See paragraph 5, page 3 of SOW.

6. Will the Government be providing a better detailed drawing for the project to include contour lines and exact footage for the project?

Yes. See attached showing contours and utilities. See #8 on page 2 of the Contractor Q&A FA8201-15-B-0002 document for footages.

7. Will there be a secure staging yard provided for material being used for this project for the contractor's use?

No. Secure staging yard will not be provided by the government. An area may be provided at contractor’s own expense for materials to secure the area. See paragraph 2, page 1 of SOW.

8. Could you give the exact Linear Feet (LF) of the perimeter fence line that we will be paid for the scope of work and not approximate LF of the perimeter fence line?

Contractor shall replace 38,900 LF of perimeter fence from golf course northward to 5600 South at Roy Gate and from south side of Delaware (bldg. 1238) northward. The contractor shall hand dig within 3 feet of either side of utilities marked on the ground and within 15 feet of either side of high pressure gas lines. A Questar representative is required to be on site during all digging within 15 feet of either side of high pressure gas lines. See paragraph 9, page 2, paragraph 1, page 3, and paragraph 6, page 1 of SOW.

9. The specs for the line posts, need clarification. 2" is actually 1 7/8" post, all other spec that have been used in the security fence projects on base have been 2 3/8" line post. Do we continue to use the base specs that have been used (2 3/8" line post) in the past or the specs from the solicitation?

The contractor shall install 2 3/8” outer diameter line posts, 2 7/8” outer diameter personnel gate and end/pull/corner posts, and 6 5/8” outer diameter double leaf swing gate posts. See paragraph 4, page 4 of SOW.

10. The concrete spec of waiting 7 days for post concrete to cure before installing fabric applies to flat work and not post hole concrete. Can we use standard specs for post hole concrete fencing, allowing the concrete to cure 24 hours before installing fencing fabric?

Yes. A minimum of 24 hours (1 day) cure time is acceptable. See paragraph 1, page 5 of SOW.

11. On the East side of perimeter fence, where the perimeter has the drop off sections, could we cut posts to ground level rather than removing post and concrete to help with ground sterilization and erosion?

No. All existing posts and concrete within project limits shall be removed completely. Contractor shall take all necessary measures to prevent erosion during construction at the contractor’s own expense. See paragraph 2, page 4 of SOW.

12. Are Top and Bottom Rail required on fence line instead of tension wire?

Contractor shall install Top Rail and Bottom tension wire. See paragraph 3, page 4 of SOW.

13. If as requested in SOW, to have separate bids for top and bottom rail or tension wire. There is only one place for total bid price, how do you want us to submit the two bid prices?

See #12 on page 3 of the Contractor Q&A FA8201-15-B-0002 document.

14. Will the Government provide complete Utility marking for this project?

No. The Government (Red Stakes), American Water, City Light and Power, will mark utilities inside the base boundary. The contractor shall call Blue Stakes to mark all utilities outside the base boundary and all High Pressure gas lines inside and outside base boundary. See paragraph 5, page 1 of SOW.

15. Can the Government quantify the scope of the hand digging that will be required for areas around existing utilities?

Contractor shall hand dig within 3 LF of most utilities, within 15 LF of all High Pressure gas lines. Contractor shall call Blue Stakes and Questar to have representative present while digging near High Pressure gas lines. See paragraph 6, page 1 of SOW.

16. Will there be any type of material testing requirements for this project?

No. If contractor encounters discoloration of soils or odors, stop working and contact the Environmental Office phone number listed in the SOW, the contracting officer, and the project manager. Any changes to the SOW would be addressed at that time. See paragraph 5, page 2 of SOW.

17. Will any/all signs for the newly installed fence be provided as GFP on this contract?

No. Signs will not be Government Furnished Property and shall be purchased by the contractor at the contractor’s own expense. See paragraph 2, page 5 of SOW.

18. Are all materials used in this project required to be manufactured in the U.S.? There are certain fencing components that are not feasible to procure from the U.S.

Yes, all materials must be manufactured in the U.S. or matching our standards. There is a letter showing some countries that meet the requirements of U.S. materials. See paragraph 3, page 4 of SOW.

19. Is the contractor required to obtain a storm water pollution permit?

Yes. The contractor shall obtain a SWPPP at the contractor’s own expense. The project will disturb about 10 Acres of land area, which requires a SWPPP. See paragraph 6, page 6 of SOW.

20. Is the HMA UFGS applicable for this project?

Yes, only if the contractor damages any existing asphalt. See paragraph 3, page 1 and paragraph 1, page 2 of SOW.

21. Will the Government allow any variation on fence placement, say +/- 6”?

Yes, the Government will allow a maximum of 6” variation in placement of fence if used in place of temporary fence. See paragraph 3, page 3 of SOW.

22. Should we provide a unit price for contaminated materials?

No. If contractor encounters discoloration of soils or odors, stop working and contact the Environmental Office phone number listed in the SOW, the contracting officer, and the project manager. Any changes to the SOW would be addressed at that time. See paragraph 5, page 2 of SOW.

23. In several areas where this replacement fence is going, the slopes are fairly steep. Would it be more desirable to reseed with native grasses to control soil erosion, rather than using a sterilization chemical?

See #2 on page 1 of the Contractor Q&A FA8201-15-B-0002 document.

24. Over time, there is a good chance that the sterilization chemical will wash down the hill and affect areas other than the 12’ of clear that we are trying to obtain. Does the government take responsibility for any additional soil sterilization or other unforeseen side effects that may result from the use of sterilization chemicals on steep slopes?

See #2 on page 1 of the Contractor Q&A FA8201-15-B-0002 document.

25. What is the access to the steep area from the off base side?

Access to steep areas is from the government side only. Fence is located on the property line and will require access on to private property to remove trees and clear and grub outside the fence line to remove old fence. See paragraph 8, page 2 of SOW.

26. What is the set back of the temp fence from the new fence?

Temporary fence shall be set back maximum of 20 feet from the existing fence on the Hill Air Force Base side. See paragraph 3, page 3 of SOW.

27. Do we need to survey the existing alignments?

No. New fence and gates shall be located within 6” on the Hill Air Force Base side of the same location as the existing fence line. See paragraph 3, page 3 of SOW.

28. Does the contractor need to install any cable on the fence? What about areas with existing cable? If so, please quantify the amount of cable fencing.

No. There is no need to install any cable on the fence. Contractor is to remove existing cable and deadmen. See paragraph 5, page 3 of SOW.

29. Are there any special inspections required?

See #16 on page 3 of the Contractor Q&A FA8201-15-B-0002 document.

30. The SOW Overview says the project “must be worked in phases”. Are these currently defined?

No. Phases are not defined. Contractor is highly encouraged to work in phases due to overall size of the project. See paragraph 1, page 3 of SOW.

31. Who is responsible to reinstall vindicator? Is this required on temp fence?

CE electric shop will temporarily remove existing vindicator and reattach after construction. Vindicator is not required on temporary fence. Chain and padlock is sufficient. See paragraph 3, page 3 and paragraph 3, page 4 of SOW.

32. Does the fence run through any restricted areas that will require special time lines or consideration for the construction of the new fence?

The fence does not run through any restricted area that requires special time lines or consideration for the construction of the new fence. However, the fence does border private property that may require special consideration for the construction of the new fence. See paragraph 8, page 2 of SOW.

33. What are the specifics surrounding the excavation permit?

Civil Engineering Excavation Permits take 21 days to approve and last 30 days before expiring. See paragraph 5, page 1 of SOW.

34. You have provided us with two sets of specs: one for high security chain link and the other for chain link. Which specs are relevant to the fence we will be building for you?

The base perimeter fence is considered a high security chain link fence. See paragraph 9, page 2 of SOW.

35. Does the concrete associated with the existing fence need to be removed?

Yes. All existing posts and concrete within project limits shall be removed completely. Contractor shall take all necessary measures to prevent erosion during construction at the contractor’s own expense. See paragraph 2, page 4 of SOW.

36. We absolutely do not believe we should be responsible for any unforeseen contaminated soil issues, therefor can we exclude this from our bid?

Yes. If contractor encounters discoloration of soils or odors, stop working and contact the Environmental Office phone number listed in the SOW, the contracting officer, and the project manager. Any changes to the SOW would be addressed at that time. See paragraph 5, page 2 of SOW.

37. If contaminated soil conditions are found, will we get extended time for our contract period?

See #36 on page 6 of the Contractor Q&A FA8201-15-B-0002 document.

38. Can we trim the brush more than the stated 3’ and 9’? For instance, if we have a 6’ deck mower could we used that on the outside?

The contractor shall remove all existing trees, clear and grub area, and reseed a minimum of 3 feet wide along the outside of the fence and a minimum of 9 feet wide along the inside of the fence. See paragraph 5, page 3 of SOW.

39. Since there is a concrete mix design, can we batch mix on-site or will we be required to use a concrete company with concrete trucks?

Contractor just needs to show proof of it meeting ASTM C94/C94M. See paragraph 7, page 5 of SOW.

40. Do we have the option to move around the project and work in different location freely, with Base Security notification of course?

Provide proposed schedule of alternate work location, so Civil Engineer Project Manager can request approval with Base Security to work in another area of the project site. See paragraph 8, page 1 and paragraph 2, page 3 of SOW.