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RFI #1 - HQ0034-12-R-3087 02 August 2012
| Q# |
| Question |
| Answer |
| Reference |
| 001 |
| Has there been a beneficial use determination made by the state? |
| No. It has been determined that the ash produced is not “fly ash” but “paper sludge ash”. Recycling of the ash will no longer be a requirement of this effort. The ash will be disposed of in a landfill with all other waste that cannot be recycled. |
| 002 |
| Please confirm that batteries, lightbulbs/fluorescents, motor oil, and paint are all the items listed on the Recycle Report that will be excluded from this bid. |
| Yes these items will be excluded. No hazardous material will be handled under this contract. |
| 003 |
| During the tour, there was not a container designated for yard trimmings. How is this currently managed and the container size and shipment frequency? |
| The current Pentagon landscape contractor handles the yard trimmings. |
| 004 |
| Please define “Other Recyclables 1 & 2” and how they are currently managed. |
| Other recyclables 1 accounts for toner cartridges. Other recyclables 2 account for scrap metal (typically from building alteration projects). |
| Attachment |
#5
| 005 |
| While at the RDF dock, I did not see how the segregated recyclables were containerized for shipment. Once the bag is removed from the recycling bins located throughout the Pentagon, how are they currently stored/containerized for offsite shipment? |
| Bags of segregated (presorted) materials are collected in larger plastic bags and/or large gaylords awaiting shipment. There is no storage on the dock. |
| 006 |
| How are the recycling streams currently transported to the recycling facility? Are the volumes of the itemized recycled materials calculated from weight tickets for each item or is everything weighed together and a percentage applied to the total weight to calculate estimated individual weights for each item? |
| Presorted baged, palletized and baled recyclables are transported via truck to the recycling facility where they are weighed. Volumes of each presorted recyclable are reported monthly in pounds and tons. |
| 007 |
| Can the government provide the annual # of containers and # of pulls for the recycling items, similar to how the trash report is broken down? |
| The Government does not have the capability to disect this report any futher. |
| Attachment #5 |
| 008 |
| Do government employees have desk side recycling containers and centralized collection containers for recycling? How many containers are currently on site and how many would be needed? |
Yes the government employees do have desk side recycling containers and centralized collection containers but this contract does not cover the handling of those containers. The contractor is responsible for the recyclables once they reach the dock area.
| 009 |
| At the RDF dock, there were two roll-off bays designated for C&D waste. Are the volumes and shipment frequencies part or all of the pulls/tons listed on under #5 of the Waste Report for RDF 30-yd open-tops? If C&D waste comprises only part of the total, what material comprises the other part and what would be the number of pulls and tonnages for all materials listed under #5. |
| Yes, C&D pulls are part of the listed 30 Yd frequency pulls |
| Attachment #6 |
| 010 |
| What are the general dimensions of the pallets that are recycled? What percentage of the Wood Waste is composed of pallets? Do you know the actual pallet count for the pallets that are recycled annually? Other than pallets, what makes up the other wood waste? |
Standard size pallets weighing 40 pounds each.
Normally pallets make up 80 – 90%.
In 2011 over 5400 pallets (217,160 pounds) of pallets were recycled.
Construction & Renovation activities make up the other wood waste.
| 011 |
| At the Modular Office Complex, there were two recycle trailers. Are there any space or container type restrictions for containers placed at this location? How often are each of the trailers pulled? |
| There is “No” restriction on container size, as long as compound operations are “Not” impacted. The COR’s approval is required before staging containers. |
| C-6.0 of PWS |
| 012 |
| Please confirm if the current cardboard baler will be removed by the start of the next contract. If not, does the government intend on running a separate cardboard collection program that will compete for the cardboard brought to the RDF dock. |
The Bailer is not part of this PWS and will “Not” be used during the performance of the PWS. Yes, the Bailer will be in place at the start of the contract. “No” the government will not have a separate contract for cardboard.
Over 250 Tons of cardboard were recycled last year. The contractor will be responsible for recycling all cardboard delivered to the dock.
| 013 |
| Is the food waste from cafeterias, food courts and break areas included in the general trash that is currently compacted? If so, what percentage of the compacted trash would you estimate comes from the food areas? If not, how is it currently managed? Will food waste be part of the new contract? |
Yes. At this time there is no estimate on % of waste from cafeterias. Yes cafeteria waste is part of the PWS.
| 014 |
| For the trash generated in office areas (food areas excluded), and placed in the compactors, what would be the government’s description of the most common items found in this waste and the estimated percentage ranges associated with each waste type? |
Office trash is comprised of 75% paper products. 25% beverage containers, plastics, glass & tin cans.
| 015 |
| Are you currently recycling the fly ash? If so, where is it taken and for what is it used? |
| No. |
| 016 |
| Will the government provide analytical on the fly ash so it can be reviewed for acceptance at recycle/disposal outlets? |
| No, the Pentagon only has an annual analysis done. There is not an anylsis conducted every time a load is taken to the landfill. The proper disposal option is to send to |
landfill.
| 017 |
| Is the baler owned by the government or is it provided by the recycler that receives the cardboard? What is the manufacturer/model /size of this baler? How many bales are generated and how are they loaded and shipped? |
It is government owned.
EXCEL Model EX63 Currently it produces 2 – 3 bales of card board a day. The bales are loaded on pallets and trucked away each day.
Not a requirement of this PWS
| 018 |
| Can we e-mail our proposal? |
| No. |
| 019 |
| Does the pentagon expect to continue its cardboard baling operation? If so, will the baled cardboard be excluded from the materials that the contractor gets? |
| No. All cardboard will be handled by this contract. |
| Section C-2.0 under “Recyclable Materials” |
| 020 |
| Is the material currently being put in the compactors at the loading dock already sorted? If so, by whom? Or is it unsorted solid waste(trash)? |
| The compactor contents are unsorted solid waste. |
| C-1.3 of the PWS |
| 021 |
| Will a proposal be deemed non-responsive if a proposer has not identified a viable recycling market for the fly ash before the proposal submittal deadline? |
| All proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria found in Section M of the solicitation |
| 022 |
| The government currently pre-sorts recyclables at the Pentagon. Will the contractor take ownership of this material after it is delivered to the RDF? |
| 023 |
| Does the contractor have the discretion to handle the pre-sorted recyclables in a manner that the contractor deems to be most efficient? i.e. can pre-sorted cardboard be combined with the single stream waste at the loading dock? |
It is expected of the winning bidder to execute the PWS in the most efficient manner. The government’s expectation is to have the RDF trash Dock managed so as to prevent congestion and have “No” impact to building operations.
| 024 |
| If recyclables are sold at a negative value, will the negative value be assigned to the total value of recyclables for that period? For example, if mixed bottles and cans are sold at a COST of $1000 and cardboard is sold at a positive value of $2000, would the resulting total of recyclable sales be considered $1000? |
| Any "cost" to recycle the material should be included in the contractor's price. Thus, if, in a given reporting period, the contractor pays the recycling center to receive bottles and cans then that "cost" is part of the cost of doing business that should be in the contractor's price (much like the cost to pick up the materials, transport the materials etc). In that sense, paying to recycle the bottles and cans is a substitute for paying a landfill, both are part of the contractor's costs. |
| Section C-18.0 of the PWS |
| 025 |
| Will yard trimmings be the responsibility of the contractor? |
| No. |
| 026 |
| Will light bulbs be the responsibility of the contractor? |
| No. |
| 027 |
| Will toner cartridges be the responsibility of the contractor? If so, could you provide historical quantity and weights of toner cartridges generated at the Pentagon? |
Yes.
In 2011 a total of 16,200 toners (8.1 Tons) were collected.
Attachment #5
| 028 |
| In order to prepare for the various recycling responsibilities, additional time would be helpful to avail the contractors of all options available. Do you plan to extend the due date for proposal submission? |
The proposal due date will be extended by amendment 04 to 10 August 2012
| 029 |
| Is there a current analytical report or waste profile sheet for the fly ash – can data be provided? |
An analytical report from 2012 is hereby added under solicitation amendment #4.
| 030 |
| Can a copy of the sign-in sheet be published? |
No. Contact the Contract Specialist Earl Anderson for a copy of the sign in sheet.
| 031 |
| What is the tonnage for the fly ash per month? |
The average 2012 tonnage per month is 35.2 tons (1st six months of 2012)
| 032 |
| What current landfill is being used for the solid waste? |
Solid waste is delivered to Covanta incinerator of Alexandria, Virginia
| 033 |
| Can we obtain an analytical analysis report on the ash generated at the pentagon? |
See the answer to RFI# 29
| 034 |
| Is the Contractor responsible for providing the lines and the labor to line the five (5) open top 4-cubic yard containers at the Pentagon Incineration Plant? |
| No, government supplied. |
| 035 |
| Section C4.0 Quality Control states that the Contractor shall submit a Quality Control Plan to the COR for approval no later than 14 days after award while Section C15.4 states 10 days. Please clarify the requirement. |
The Contractor shall develop and maintain a quality program to ensure solid waste management is performed in accordance with commonly accepted commercial practices.
| 036 |
| Who owns the steel tracks the compactors at the RDF building sit on? |
The current contractor owns the compactors and the steel tracks at the RDF. The contractor will be responsible for maintaining the steel tracks. The container steel tracks are considered part of the container package.
| 037 |
| What facility is currently accepting the fly ash? |
Fly Ash is currently being disposed of at the landfill mentioned in the answer to RFI# 32
| 038 |
| How is the tonnage associated with the fly ash determined? |
Fly Ash is weighed at the time of pick up by the service truck
| 039 |
| How is the fly ash loaded onto the truck at the pentagon? |
| Front end loader |
| 040 |
| What type of truck is used to haul the fly ash? |
| Front end loader |
| 041 |
| How is the fly ash removed from the truck at the disposition site? |
| Dump truck method. |
| 042 |
| Is the fly ash commingled with trash? |
| No. |
| 043 |
| Is the fly ash incinerated at Covanta? |
| No it is dumped in the landfill but incenerated at the Pentagon. |
| 044 |
| Do the fly ash containers get transported with the fly ash and returned? |
| No. |
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DOD Washington Headquarters Service