Questions and Answers for RFQ 36C25521Q0101.pdf

Questions and Answers for RFQ 36C25521Q0101 Cooling Tower Annual Preventive Maintenance

Kansas City VA Medical Center

1. Is there chemical water treatment to the cooling towers currently? Yes.

2. Will removing the tower fill annually and descaling be a requirement as the manufacturer does not recommend this as part of annual maintenance? We wanted to clarify before pricing. Yes, we want the tower media removed each year and cleaned with descale and put back in.

3. What is the access for staging fill media at the cooling towers? i.e. Stairs, freight elevator or will a crane/ forklift be needed. The towers sit on top of single-story building. There is some room around the building to stage the new media but not a lot. There is ladder up to the top on one side of the towers.

4. What is the height of the building if a freight elevator is not the access for materials? Around 30ft from the ground to the top of the cooling tower.

5. Does the 4-year annual preventive maintenance need to occur at a specific time of year? Would prefer it be late fall. No more than one tower down at one time.

6. Are the fill media the standard 10 mils or is it the upgraded optional 15 mils? 10 mils.

7. What is the previous contract award amount? Our towers never had a service contract on them.

8. Would a site visit yet this week be possible for this opportunity? I didn’t see one was offered.

Yes. Only one (1) site visit will be offered on Thursday, January 14, 2021, 13:00 PM CST.

Please notify contracting officer (Courtney.Chattman@va.gov) NLT Tuesday, January 12, 2021, if you plan to attend. A site visit is optional for this requirement.

9. Concerning drift eliminators; it is normal and [manufactures recommendation] to replace the drift eliminators when preforming this type service. Will [drift eliminators] be provided for one of the sub-CLINs? We think they are fine but will not know until the contractor removes them.

10. The requirement does not mention how to dispose of run-off [i.e. sludge, mud etc.] from the cooling tower sump. Will the government be providing a dedicated dumpster? Or Will the dumpster be provided for in one of the sub-CLIN? The contractor will need to provide something to dispose of this.

11. In the Base Year only, the contractor will supply new OEM fill media for each tower... In many cases there can be alternative media fills that meet the manufactures spec and provide additional cost saving. Given the RFQ's clause does not include a limited sole JA, a FAR brand name reference, and or a 52.211-6 brand name equal the intent is ambiguous. Please clarify the intent of "OEM"...as an amendment is strongly suggested because it impacts a contractor's ability to properly bid with a meeting of the mind. The term "OEM" without the proper FAR clauses and support means "Other Equipment Manufactures." “OEM” is defined in the SOW as “Original Equipment Manufacturer.” In addition, VAAR 852.212-72 GRAY MARKET AND COUNTERFEIT ITEMS is included in the solicitation. After discussions with Tower Tech representatives concerning the use of alternative fill medias, it has been determined that OEM fill medias would allow for the best performance and may reduce future maintenance cost of

Kansas City VAMC’s cooling towers. In result, a Justification for Single Source Awards IAW FAR 13.106-1 has been published.