| D. | Detailed Schedule and Narrative: The Offeror shall provide a detailed schedule and narrative, indicating specific dates for each step of the process: |
| 1. | Contract progress schedule: The progress schedule will be in a time scaled bar graph format. The horizontal axis will be scaled for time beginning with the Notice to Proceed and concluding with contract completion. The vertical axis will show the milestones and major portions of the contract work. All schedule items will show a start date and a completion date; |
| 2. | The Offeror shall describe in a written narrative its plans for phasing the work so that the Medical Center remains operational while utilities and access roadways are realigned. The narrative will also detail how the contractor intends to prepare the site, disassemble, relocate, reassemble, and reactivate utility services to the Medical Center within the specified time limits; |
| 3. | The Offeror shall clarify its intended uses of portions of the site for materials staging, temporary trailer offices, employee parking, and other activities; |
| 4. | The Offeror shall specify how much allowance has been made for bad weather in the schedule; |
| 5. | The Offeror shall specify the days of the week and the hours of construction operations during each phase of the work; and |
| 6. | The Offeror shall specify the percentage of contract completion that will be achieved at the completion of design and thereafter at each month of construction. |
| E. | CADD Drawings: The Offeror shall submit all drawings in both hard copy and electronic form in AutoCAD. |
| D. | PART IV - POST AWARD REQUIREMENTS |
| D1. | Construction Document Preparation: |
| A. | Design Review Submissions: |
| 1. | The Design-Build Team A/E (DB A/E) shall prepare and submit complete construction documents for review and approval by the VA in accordance with standard professional practice, the US Department of Veterans Affairs RFP (VA RFP), and prevailing codes. |
| 2. | The documents may be divided into multiple review submission packages. The VA will review as many as six (6) package submissions (examples: demolition, civil, architectural, structural, mechanical, Electrical, plumbing etc.) to facilitate the start of construction. |
| 3. | All submission packages will be reviewed at (95%) completion stages. The (95%) review submission packages will incorporate the final review comments. If any package is not complete for the required stage a post review may be required the cost of which will be borne by the DB Team. |
| 4. | Each review submission package shall include 3 hard copy sets and 1 set on CD-ROM. The package will include an index of drawings (by sheet number and tittle) and specifications (by section number and tittle) submitted. The packages will be distributed to the VA Project Manager, VA Resident Engineer and others as determined to be appropriate by the VA Project Manager. |
| B. | Design Review Meetings: |
| 1. | A review meeting to resolve design issues will be held for each design review package submitted. The meeting will include discussion of VA comments on functional relationships and technical peer review comments (by others). |
| 2. | Participants will include RFP A/E, VA Staff and DB team members as appropriate for the specific package to be reviewed and others. The DB team members will each allow for (1) full day for each discipline/package design review meeting. DB team management will be present at each review meeting. |
| 3. | The DB team shall allow a minimum of ten (5) working days for each review cycle. A cycle includes: |
| a. | The VA’s receipt of the design review submission package. |
| b. | The review meeting. |
| c. | DB teams receipt of comments from the VA, either electronically, by fax, or by hard copy delivery. |
| 4. | Coordination of the review meeting schedules will be the responsibility of the VA Project Manager (for the VA and RFP AE) and the DB Team Project Manager (for the DB Team). See section H. Quality Assurance/Quality Control. |
| C. | Electronic Media: |
| 1. | Design review submission drawings and final Construction Document submission drawings will be executed in electronic format the latest version of AutoCAD. |
| 2. | The drawings included in the VA RFP will be available to the DB team in electronic format for use in preparing the construction drawings. Since data stored on electronic media can deteriorate undetected or be modified without the RFP Architect/Engineer’s knowledge, the CADD drawing files are provided without warranty or obligation on the part of the RFP Architect/Engineer as to accuracy or information contained in the files. The user shall independently verify all information in the files. Any user shall agree to indemnify and hold the RFP Architect Engineer harmless from any and all claims, damages, losses, and expenses including, but not limited to, attorney’s fee arising out of the use of the CADD drawing files. |
| 3. | Design review submission specifications and other 8 1/2 by 11 formatted material and final Construction Document submission specifications and other 8 1/2 by 11 formatted material will be executed in electronic format Microsoft Word. |
| 4. | The specifications included in the VA RFP shall be available to the DB team in electronic format in Microsoft Word, for use in preparing the construction specifications. Since data stored on electronic media can deteriorate undetected or be modified without the RFP Architect/Engineer’s knowledge, the CADD drawing files are provided without warranty or obligation on the part of the RFP Architect/Engineer as to accuracy or information contained in the files. The design builder shall independently verify all information in the files and shall agree to indemnify and hold the RFP Architect Engineer harmless from any and all claims, damages, losses, and expenses including, but not limited to, attorney’s fee arising out of the use of the electronic files. |
| 5. | The construction record drawings shall be completed in AutoCAD. |
| 6. | Construction shop drawings are not required to be completed in AutoCAD. |
| D. | Professional Licensing: |
| 1. | The DB A/E who prepares the construction documents shall be a professional architect or engineer licensed in the state in which the design work is completed. |
| 2. | The professional seal indicating such license by the state shall appear on the final construction documents. The architect whose seal is shown will be known as the Architect of Record. The DB A/E shall certify compliance with the VA RFP and all applicable codes. |
| E. | Approved Construction Documents: |
| 1. | The final construction document submission package will be submitted by the DB team for approval by the VA after completion of the 95% review cycle for the final package to be submitted by the DB team. The VA will have 5 days to take approval action. |
| 2. | The final construction documents submission package will include a full set of construction documents including all disciplines/packages. |
| 3. | The final construction documents submission package will incorporate all VA supplied comments from the survey and 95% submission package reviews and will comply with the VA RFP. |
| 4. | If the final construction documents submission package is not complete a post submittal may be required the cost of which will be borne by the DB Team. |
| 5. | The approved final construction documents include such details that the project can be constructed and will be used for construction of the project. |
| 6. | See PART IV, D2 CONSTRUCTION PERIOD SUBMITTALS for Approved Construction Document distribution. |
| F. | Construction Drawing Preparation - Mandatory material and equipment schedules and details may be indicated either on the drawings or in the specifications, at the option of the DB team. The construction drawings shall include a coordinated set of the following: |
| 1. | Fire protection drawings including floor and roof plans, riser diagrams, equipment schedules, and details, including general notes calculations and all related calculations. |
| G. | Construction Specifications - Project specifications shall include specifications for all products, materials, equipment, methods, and systems shown on the construction drawings in accordance with standard professional practice and the VA RFP. The specification submitted for review shall include: |
| 1. | The name of the manufacturer, the product name, model number, or other identification as appropriate to clearly identify the product that will be used in the construction of the project; |
| 2. | Other data as appropriate to clearly identify the product that will be used in the construction of the project i.e. shop drawings, product data, and samples as required by the VA RFP documents; and |
| 3. | The required stamp of the licensed architect or engineer of record will be considered as certification of compliance with the RFP requirements. |
| H. | Design Requirements - Compliance with codes and standards. |
| 1. | Project design shall be in compliance with applicable standards and codes described in VA Program Guides and design materials included or referenced in the solicitation materials. |
| 2. | See Section E. Approved Construction documents, above, for required inclusion of design review comments. |
| 3. | In the design of new building and alteration work under this contract, the DB team shall consider all requirements. |
| 4. | The DB team shall consult with appropriate officials of the Federal, state, and political subdivision, and submit plans under the rules prescribed by those reviewing authorities. The A/E and VA shall give due consideration to the recommendations of the referenced building officials. VA will also permit inspection by the officials described above during the construction period in accordance with the customary schedule of inspections in the locality of the building construction. Such officials shall provide VA with a copy of the schedule before construction begins or give reasonable notice of their intention to inspect before conducting an inspection. |
| 5. | The DB team shall provide prompt, written notification to the Contracting Officer concerning conflicts with, or recommended deviations from codes, laws, regulations, standards, and opinions of review officials as described above. No work altering the scope of this contract shall be undertaken prior to receipt of written approval from the Contracting Officer. |
| 6. | No action may be brought against the DB Team or VA and no fine or penalty may be imposed for failure to carry out any of the previously described recommendations of Federal, state, or local officials. VA and its contractors, including RFP A/E, shall not be required to pay any amount for any action taken by a state or political division of a state in carrying out functions described in this article, including reviewing plans, carrying out on-site inspections, issuing permits, and making recommendations. |
| 7. | The DB team shall advise the Contracting Officer of any variances with the applicable US Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Standards, for occupancy requirements. |
| I. | Quality Assurance/Quality Control: |
| 1. | To reduce design errors and omissions, the DB team shall develop and execute a QA/QC plan that demonstrates the project plans and specifications have gone through a rigorous, thorough review and coordination effort. |
| D2. | Construction Period Submittals |
| A. | The DB contractor shall distribute a total of 5 sets of the approved construction documents prepared by the DB Team to the VA and RFP AE, as directed by the VA Project Manager. |
| B. | Other submittals - The DB team shall submit test results, certificates, manufacturer’s instructions, manufacturers field reports, etc. as required by the VA RFP specifications, to the VA R/E. |
| C. | Project record drawings - The DB team will maintain a set of construction documents (field as-built drawings) to record actual construction changes during the construction process as required by the RFP specifications. The project record drawings will be available for review by the VA Resident Engineer at all times. |
| D. | Shop drawings and submittals - The DB A/E shall check government furnished and/or the DB construction contractor's shop drawings, detail drawings, schedules, descriptive literature and samples, testing labor-laboratory reports, field test data and review the color, texture and suitability of materials for conformity with the RFP Documents and construction documents. The DB A/E shall recommend approval, disapproval, or other suitable disposition to the VA RE. The VA RE will have final approval authority. The DB AE shall evaluate the submittals with reference to any companion submittals that constitute a system. When necessary, the DB A/E will request the DB Construction Contractor to submit related components of a system before acting on a single component. Should this procedure be inappropriate, the DB A/E shall review all prior submittals for related components of the system before acting on a single component. The DB A/E may be required to hold joint reviews with the VA technical staff and /or the RFP AE on complicated system submittals. The DB A/E shall notify the VA Resident Engineer (RE) in writing of any and all deviations from the requirements of the construction documents that he has found in the submittals. |
| D3. | Project Close-Out |
| The DB team shall comply with the requirements in FAR 4.804 Closeout of Contract Files, for submission of final RFP as built drawings, manuals, and other documents as noted. Required as built drawings and specifications will be submitted in the same format required for the construction documents. |
| D4. | Site Visits and Inspections |
| During the construction period the DB A/E shall make weekly visits to the project site when requested by the Resident Engineer (RE). The Resident Engineer (RE) may also request visits for special purposes. Only registered architects and engineers thoroughly familiar with the project may make these site visits. The Resident Engineer (RE) has the prerogative to determine the professional discipline(s) required for any visit. The DB A/E shall observe the construction, advise the Resident Engineer of any deviations or deficiencies or solutions to issues discussed. A site inspection report which includes the purpose of the inspection, items reviewed, deficiencies observed, recommendations and additional actions required, shall be furnished to the Resident Engineer (RE) within three work days following the site visit date. |
