Questions and Answers Attachment.pdf

Question 1: CLIN 0015 through CLIN 0024: these are all for UCMR4 testing. The UCMR4 program is closed. The UCMR6 program will begin sampling in 2028; however those analyses have not been finalized. You will not be required to proceed with any UCMR 4 during the contract period. Laboratories are no longer performing UCMR4 analyses and are no longer approved for UCMR4. Can these items be removed? Or how should we proceed with filling out the pricing table for these analyses?

Answer 1: These items can be removed.

Question 2: CLIN 0025 Non-routine Emergency/Short-notice Special Projects: is this item to just cover the cost of sample pick-up? Any analyses will be charged to a separate CLIN with analysis costs? Or will you requote lab staff to do sample collection on site?

Answer 2: Yes, this one is to cover the cost of sample pick-up.

Question 3: Document Requirements 1.2.4: For the monthly summary report by the 8th of the following month. What information is required in this summary? Also, for clarification;

analyses not completed by due date prior to the end of the month will follow in the next month, after completion; which may not be in the month following sampling. (Example:

Sample collected January 31st is not due to be completed until February 15th and therefore would be included in the March Summary). Will this meet the expectation? If analysis can be completed by the 8th of the following month, then it will be included in the summary.

Answer 3: For our monthly summary reports, they are due to the state on the 10th of each month. The information included in these reports include all of the bacteriological and arsenic sample analysis taken throughout the month along with analysis/trends completed by CE. The arsenic samples are taken at the same locations each week with the bacteriological samples on a weekly rotation. Bacteriological samples are also taken at AFRL. Even if a sample is taken on January 31st, we can contact the lab, and they can get us the results early enough to include in the monthly report. We always ensure that the analysis is completed 2-3 days before the report is due. I have included our reports for the month of August on this email.

Question 4: Document Requirements 1.2.4: Hardcopies of all reports due by the 15th of the following month. In order to save on costs and be more environmentally friendly, may I suggest having on-line access to all reports 24 hours a day via our secure on-line access

“Babcock Concierge” and then having access to printing copies of reports at any time the user needs. Would this be an acceptable substitution?

Answer 4: I believe this is an acceptable solution which will have easier access to the reports.

Question 5: 3.1 “The laboratory shall begin preparation and analysis of all samples as soon as the samples are received at the laboratory and shall not hold any samples for batch processing at the end of the day.” We will process any short holding time samples as soon as possible on the day of receipt, however; since the samples will be received in the late afternoon, some analyses with longer holding times may not be processed until the next morning. Will this be acceptable?

Answer 5: This is acceptable.