Questions Answers 7.9.12.pdf

(1) Is an overhead crane available at the site for the contractor to use during installation?

RESPONSE: The gallery building is not equipped with an overhead crane. There is room for a mobile crane to enter the building.

(2) What types of lifting and moving equipment is available at the site for the contractor to use during installation?

RESPONSE: None, contractors are not permitted to use government equipment.

(3) Will the Shuttle Payload Bay and the STEM Learning Node be awarded to the same firm?

RESPONSE: Yes, the Shuttle Payload Bay and the STEM Learning Node will be awarded to same firm.

(4) What happens if all bids are over the budget? Will part of the project be completed?

RESPONSE: Parts of the project will not be awarded separately.

(5) What are the materials and finishes used in the existing nose section?

RESPONSE: The CCT’s outer shell is a combination of wood and sheet metal. NMUSAF and NASA do not have detailed information on finishes including paints and coatings, or their precise colors or manufacturers. Once the CCT arrives at NMUSAF in late August, its surface will be available for close inspection.

(6) How is the nose section finished?

RESPONSE: Please see (5) above. The nose section is a simple scheme of white, gray, and black resembling an actual space shuttle’s paint scheme.

(7) What level of detail is used on the nose section?

RESPONSE: Surface detail is smooth. The CCT’s shape and color resemble a real shuttle, but the surface is not intended to replicate a shuttle’s actual surface.

(8) For the Space Shuttle Exhibit project, please confirm access to the Cold War Gallery will be through aircraft hangar doors. And if so, that all display aircraft and crowd control railings to be relocated to allow for reasonable access of cranes, flatbed trucks and commercial service vehicles to the designated exhibit space.

RESPONSE: Hangar doors will be able to give access. As for cranes and flatbed trucks’ ability to get on the exact spots where things need to go, we are not yet able to say for sure. We anticipate much will have to be unloaded outside the door and brought to the site. We will not be able to arrange large areas within the gallery without removing aircraft from the gallery, and that cannot happen with the

CCT sitting in the doorway. We will have stanchions and tape to keep the public from the area during any equipment use that may pose a safety concern.

(9) Was the Crew Compartment Trainer (CCT) tested for lead-paint? Is so, will the trainer undergo lead-paint abatement by the owner? If not, will the CCT be tested for lead-paint?

RESPONSE: The crew compartment trainer was not tested for lead-based paint. It is not in our possession and thus cannot be tested until it arrives in August. NMUSAF recommends that the painting of the CCT nose, if needed to match the contractor’s sections, be carried out by NMUSAF Restoration Division staff, who are well-versed in the requirements to perform that task legally at a much lower cost.

(10) Will the majority of the Cold War Gallery be closed to the public during the period of exhibit installation?

RESPONSE: This is as yet unknown, though NMUSAF’s goal is to keep as much of the gallery open as possible. Given that the CCT is to be modular and easily re-locatable, there should be minimum impact on Museum operations. The fabricator’s work in the museum should consist mostly of assembly, with perhaps painting touch-up. There will be some installation work involved to provide power at the desired location for the exhibit. Pending more knowledge about what is to be expected, NMUSAF will formulate a plan to both allow the necessary work and keep as much of the gallery open as possible.

(11)Is the owner responsible for assembly, modification and/or system setup of the CCT (i.e., existing internal-illuminating cockpit controls, existing overhead lighting, etc.)? Further, we believe the exhibit fabricator only mates the forward payload bay to the CCT with a proper access system (ramps, platforms, stairs or vertical lifts). Please confirm

RESPONSE: NMUSAF’s Restoration Division and NASA will assemble the CCT, including interior lighting. As to the mating query, confirmed.

(12) Please address the required finish detail of the payload bays and aft section. Will the paint work match the “historically aged” CCT (nicks, bumps and scuffs) or are the new sections to be simply painted a single color with appropriate NASA markings?

RESPONSE: At this time we don’t yet have the CCT on hand to yield accurate color matches, but it is a simple three-color scheme of white, black and grey. The new sections should match if possible. If necessary, NMUSAF may repaint the CCT to match provided sections, but preserving the artifact’s original surface is preferable. There don’t appear to be many nicks, bumps or scuffs on the CCT. The white, grey, and black have all faded over the years, but it is not a highly detailed exterior—it is simply suggestive of an actual orbiter.

(13) As part of STEM Learning Node, will the exhibit fabricator be required to develop the media for a presentation? If so, please provide a brief outline of need.

RESPONSE: The fabricator will not be required to develop presentation media.

(14)As part of the STEM Learning Node, are you hinting at a need for two (2) touch screen kiosk type interactive? Is developing this interactive part of this scope?

RESPONSE: No, the fabricator will not be required to develop those interactive.

(15) In the event that media (kiosks, presentation screens, etc.) and/or graphic panels are designed into the final exhibit plan, can we assume the USAF photo archives are available (right’s fee free) to complete the project?

RESPONSE: NMUSAF will provide the interpretive and educational content in the kiosks, panels, etc., to be placed within and around the CCT and its associated structures. The fabricator is not required to do this.

(16) To comply with the request for providing two (2) 1/72 scale models, do the models include the STEM Learning Node or limited to just the Shuttle? Additionally, can you express in words the level of detail anticipated from the models? Should the models be comprehensive in detail (all hatch openings, handles, bolt heads, etc.), detailed in acrylic paint and produced of cast-urethane?

RESPONSE: Yes, please include the Learning Node. The requirement is to match the current level of detail in our planning models, which are used for spatial planning. The most important aspect is accurate scale. Our planning models are 1/72 scale commercial kits that are painted one or two solid colors, often grey or white, and exterior details are limited to the level of the model kit itself. The models do not require fine detail such as working hatch openings, handles, bolt heads, etc. They must be finished in a high quality commercial paint and can be produced of cast-urethane or other suitable material.

(17) Who is the governing authority with respect to fire suppression? The City of Dayton? The USAF?

Should the Fire Marshall deem the enclosed areas of the CCT and/or the ramps and platforms “a combustible concealed space” is there an existing fire suppression system & fire alarm system to tap into? Is this part of the contractor’s scope of work?

RESPONSE: The Wright-Patterson AFB Fire Department will be the governing authority. Base Civil Engineering will review the drawings and specifications for compliance with applicable Construction and Life Safety Codes. Civil Engineering does not believe this will be a problem, as the exhibit is open and does not create a separate "room" in the gallery. There is a sprinkler and fire alarm system, but Civil Engineering does not see a reason that the exhibit’s elements would have to connect to those.

Civil Engineering has, if needed, a detailed list of applicable code references.

(18) We have some specific questions about the scope of work as it relates to section 3.3.1:

a) Section 3.3.1 instructs us to provide (with our proposal) “35% design/engineering documentation”. Is there anything in particular you would like to see here?

RESPONSE: This requirement is designed to give NMUSAF an idea of the level of detail and planning the contractor is going through to design/engineer this exhibit. So, the expectation is well developed design/engineering documentation representing in its overall thoroughness and detail a little more than a third of the fully-realized complexity of a finished project.

b) What is distance from the bottom floor of the CCT to the floor in the gallery?

RESPONSE: We do not yet know the precise measurement, but have queried NASA.

c) What is the height of the CCT?

RESPONSE: The artifact itself, exclusive of supporting structures, is approximately 156 inches (13 feet or 4 meters) tall. Note that its length is 338 inches, and its width is 212 inches.

d) We’d like to place these design drawings in a ground plan of the Cold War Gallery. May we please have a copy of the architectural drawings for this gallery to support our drawings?

RESPONSE: NMUSAF can provide an AutoCAD drawing of the Cold War Gallery with the location of the CCT exhibit for reference.

e) Does this 35% design engineering drawings count against the page limit in our proposal?

RESPONSE: Drawings & Design are not included in the page limit.

(19) What is the large structure shown at the aft of the payload bay? Is this the exhibit contractor’s scope? How much does it weight?

RESPONSE: The object is the Teal Ruby satellite, an unlaunched spacecraft in the USAF collection.

Its weight is approximately 4,277 lbs (1,940 kg according to NASA). NMUSAF will try to confirm this figure; it may be lighter due to removed equipment. NMUSAF plans to install this artifact in the payload bay.

(20) Can we assume the platforms need to be supportive of 125 pounds per square foot?

RESPONSE: Yes, this appears to be a standard figure.

(21) Page 35 of the solicitation states "Invoices shall be submitted (Selection determined by the contracting officer by placing an X in the appropriate block): a. (X) After Delivery of Supplies or Services

b. (..) Monthly (after performance) c. (..) Quarterly (after performance) d. (..) Semi-annually (after performance) e. (..) Yearly (after performance)"

We assume this to mean that we will be paid in three separate installments, when Line items 0001, 0002, and 0003 are completed. Is this correct? If not, please clarify.

RESPONSE: That is correct; you will be paid according to completion of CLIN item.

If this is a correct assumption, will you be willing to change the terms of this solicitation to allow for monthly progress billing? Given that this is a seven-figure project we would assume that progress billing will be acceptable on a project of this size. Please let us know if you are willing to change to terms of this solicitation to allow for monthly progress billing.

Response: We are unable to offer progress billings.