S05. Request For Information - Question and Answers.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

TO: Contracting Specialist, Stanley Burdine

RFI NO.: DATE: REFERENCE:

REPLY NEEDED BY:

INFORMATION NEEDED:

1. Page 9 of the solicitation references a Past Performance Questionnaire; however, there does not appear to be a specific form included in the documents provided. Could the Government please confirm whether any attachments are missing and, if so, provide the missing files? Or can the Government confirm we can use any form.

2. Understanding that each volume has a 30-page limit, can the Government please clarify if the offer letter, signatory page, table of contents, organizational chart, GANTT chart, and/or resumes count toward the page limits?

3. Can the Government please confirm if the client should send PPQs directly back to the offeror to be included in the proposals or should the PPQs be sent directly to the CO from the client?

4. Is it acceptable to submit previously completed PPQs from past projects, or do new PPQs need to be submitted?

5. Can CPARs be submitted in lieu of PPQs?

6. Do PPQs and CPARs count toward the page limit?

7. Could the Government please clarify whether past performance examples must be from the offeror acting as a Prime

Contractor, or if relevant subcontractor experience will also be considered?

8. Can the Government please clarify whether the projects submitted under the Experience section may be the same as those submitted under the Past Performance section? Or is the Government seeking distinct projects in each section to demonstrate a broader range of experience?

9. If projects need to be complete, would an active multi-year contract—such as a regional preventative maintenance and service contract or BPA with discrete, completed task orders—be considered compliant and relevant as a whole, provided it includes scopes of work that are directly applicable to the solicitation? Or would only the individual task orders be acceptable?

10. If ongoing contracts may be considered, are there specific parameters or documentation requirements (e.g., percent complete, interim evaluations, summary of completed work orders) that must be provided to demonstrate relevance and performance success?

11. Will the Government consider past performance examples from proposed subcontractors or team members, including those under an SBA-approved Mentor-Protégé Agreement, provided the projects meet the stated relevance criteria (e.g., scope, complexity, dollar value)?

12. If subcontractor or Mentor-Protégé past performance is permitted, is a Subcontractor Consent Form or Letter of Commitment required at the time of proposal submission? If so, is there a specific format or template the Government prefers?

PROJECT NUMBER: 757-23-101 Please ensure that before submitting questions or requests for clarification that you thoroughly read the solicitation, specifications, drawings and other pertinent documents.

When submitting questions on this project the Government requires contractors to specifically identify the specification and/or solicitation section(s) or drawing number(s) in reference to the question or request for clarification submitted. No question or request for clarification will be answered by the Government unless the above requirements are met. Failure to comply may prevent the Government from responding in a timely manner.

PROJECT TITLE: Air-Cooled Chillers PROJECT LOCATION: Department of Veterans Affairs

Chalmer Wylie Columbus VA Ambulatory Care Center

SUBMITTED BY: Dayla Salameh City/State: Columbus, OH

PHONE NO.: 614-205-8585

13. For projects performed by subcontractors or Mentor-Protégé entities, are there any specific labeling or formatting expectations (e.g., identification of prime vs. sub role, duration of involvement, or dollar share) the Government requires within the Experience or Past Performance sections?

14. Will the Government consider and evaluate experience and past performance examples that meet all the relevancy and recency requirements but fall short of the $3M threshold?

15. Can the Government please clarify whether any specific licensure or certifications are required for the prime contractor, key personnel, or subcontractors in order to be eligible or considered responsive under this solicitation?

Specifically:

Must the offeror or its team members hold construction or trade licenses in the state or jurisdiction where the work will be performed?

Are there any required professional licenses or registrations (e.g., GC license, electrician/mechanical trade license, PE registration) that must be included at the time of proposal submission?

16. What Company currently services the existing sprinkler system?

17. Can bidders submit CPARS in lieu of PPQs?

18. Should the NAICS code for this job be 238220 Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning because the majority and primary focus of the job (the replacement of chillers) is plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning work?

19. Can the Superintendent and the Quality Control Manager be dual roles?

20. Can the QC Manager, SSHO, and Superintendent be the same person?

21. Please confirm that and all Basis of Design items and materials that the VA has satisfied all Buy American Waivers, if applicable, and sole source requirements as needed. Please provide us any Buy American Act Waivers that would be provided under this contract. This is not currently in the plans, documents, or specifications.

22. Will the VA pay for the engineering and design submittals, as well as all applicable deposits required by various manufacturers to put equipment into design and/or production?

23. Tax Exemption: Is this project sales tax-exempt? If so, can the government provide a tax exemption certificate for materials purchased?

24. Notice to Proceed (NTP): How soon after a contract award is the NTP expected to be issued?

25. Submittal Platform: Will the VA accept the use of Procore software or equivalent as the primary submittal platform?

26. Payment for Stored Materials: Will payment applications for materials stored on-site or in a bonded warehouse be approved?

27. Bid Hold Period: Will the government consider reducing the bid hold period to 90 days due to current inflation risks?

28. Economic Price Adjustment Clause: Will the government include an Economic Price Adjustment Clause in the contract to address price fluctuations in materials?

29. Scheduling Consultant: Is an external scheduling consultant required, or can scheduling duties be handled in-house by a qualified team member?

30. Temporary Facilities: Are contractors required to provide a temporary site office or trailer, or will space be allocated within the existing facility?

31. There is a staging area shown on the plans, will there be designated parking for contractor personnel? If so, how many spaces will be provided?

32. Site Access and Badging: Will the government provide a detailed badging and access protocol for contractor personnel?

33. Fire Watch: If impairments to fire alarm systems exceed four hours, will the VA provide support for fire watch personnel, or is the contractor solely responsible?

34. Environmental Protection Plan: Are there specific templates or guidelines required for the Environmental Protection

Plan, or is a contractor-developed plan sufficient?

35. Infection Control: Please confirm modular walls (such as STARC) are allowed for ICRA.

36. As-Built Drawings: Are as-built drawings available for existing conditions, or will the contractor need to verify all dimensions on-site?

37. Is there a roofing company that currently holds the warranty on the roof where the new structural steel and piping is to go?

38. SOW states to “Replace the existing system ethylene glycol brine solution with propylene glycol.” Can we get a total system volume? If just for bidding purposes, we will need to know a volume in order to properly price this competitively.

39. Can the crane picks be performed during normal business hours Monday through Friday?

40. Will the existing pumps be able to provide enough cooling for the new chiller during the phasing out of the existing chillers.

41. Can welding and/or concrete coring inside the transfusion room be performed during normal business Monday through Friday?

42. Can small amounts of material, tools, and gang boxes be stored in the 3rd floor mechanical room?

43. The new chill water lines running across the roof for this project will intersect with existing chiller water lines for the chiller plant project. Have these existing chiller water lines been taken into account for the height of our new lines?

44. M600 and spec section 23 07 11. The section refers to drawings for the insulation schedule. HVAC Piping Insulation

Schedule on M600 lists Indoor Cold Water and Outdoor Cold Water. Is this the thickness we are to use for all Chilled Water and Glycol Chilled Water piping?

45. M000 and other areas of the documents note providing equipment for temporary conditioning. Can we get some clarification on these systems including the sizes of required temp equipment, the location where we can set the temp equipment along with electrical capacities/locations available to serve any temp equipment that may be required?

46. MD103A & M500. What size is the piping serving AHU-13 that is noted to replace per detail 1 on M500?

47. MH203A, Note 6. What size is the future stub-out noted?

48. M300. On this page some of the bold piping is tagged as (E) existing which appears to be new piping. The 6” GCWS and 6” GCWR stubbing out to the roof. Is this due to the phasing? Can you clarify that please?

49. Are we to provide a cap or a blind flange on the piping noted to be capped for future use and at the end of a header?

50. What DDC control system front ends are in this building?

51. What brand of DDC controls systems are allowed to be installed in this building?

52. Is there any advanced utility metering required for this project?

53. Will there need to be any structural steel work done underneath the roof to allow for the new steel and piping supports to be properly supported?

54. Is grooved piping and fittings allowed for the hydronic piping 2.5” and larger?

55. Is press pipe and fittings allowed for copper hydronic piping 2” and smaller?

56. The chillers have grooved connections on the hydronic piping, is this acceptable?

57. Who is the current chemical treatment vendor that has a contract to maintain the chemical treatment of the hydronic systems in this building?

58. Can the AISC requirement for the structural steel fabrication and erecting be removed?

59. Will the A/E or the VA provide special inspections for the structural steel on site?

60. Due to market volatility can the bid hold period be reduced to 30 days?

61. The Lab areas below where the roof deck is to be removed and new steel installed, will the VA co-ordinate the relocation of the people and equipment from this space?

62. Will the sign-in sheet from site visit be available in addendum?

63. Please clarify if a superintendent can be a dual hat to cover the requirements of SSHO?

64. If no to the question above, will the SSHO need to be full-time for this project?

65. Please clarify if a superintendent can be a dual hat to cover the requirements of QA/QC?

66. If no to the question above, will the QA/QC need to be full time for this project?

67. Can a superintendent be a triple hat to cover the requirements of SSHO and QA/QC?

68. Please confirm if tax should be included in our proposal?

69. Page 14 of 69 “Other important Information” Please describe how this should be submitted? Does this count towards a page count and which section should it be placed it? Page 16 of 69. VHA Directive 1192.01. Section C page 3, indicates that flu season is between Dec 1 through March 31, please validate that is not a mandatory requirement per page 14 of the solicitation titled Note.

70. Page 56 of 69 4.13 852.217-75 please identify which box should be checked off.

71. Page 66 of 69 4.24 VAAR Clause 852.243-70 #3 fill-in, is blank, please fill in.

72. Attachment 06-Equipment Spec Sheet: Will alternate equipment be acceptable? If not, can you provide the brand name sole source determination for this equipment and controls?

73. Please consider updating the wage determination to meet the current decision: General Decision Number:

OH20250078 07/18/2025

74. The RFI attachment was not included as part of the package.

75. Who is responsible for contracting the commissioning agent, if required?

76. Is the use of temporary plastic wall panels (such as STARC panels) acceptable to meet ICRA requirements?

77. Will shutdowns be required to be done during off hours or weekends?

78. If hydrostatic testing is required will the water necessary for hydrostatic testing of piping systems be provided by the facility?

79. Can discharge water from hydrostatic testing be allowed to go into sewer drains or will the contractor need to provide a frac tank?

80. Will boiler and chiller plant, mechanical rooms, etc. be cleared of all stored debris prior to the contractor entering those areas?

81. Will a full-time fire watch be required during activities such as cutting, brazing and welding? How long after such activities are completed?

82. SOW states “Replace existing system ethylene glycol brine solution with propylene glycol.” Please provide total system volume to be removed and disposed of by the contractor?

83. Please confirm the extent of any duct cleaning scope requirements.

84. Confirm if flushing and cleaning procedures are required for the entire piping system or just the newly installed piping?

REPLY:

1. CPARs can be submitted in lieu of PPQs

2. Everything is included in the 30-page limit.

3. CPARs can be submitted in lieu of PPQs. CPARS can be submitted with proposal as separate attachment. Not included in the 30-page limit

4. It is acceptable to submit CPARs from previous projects

5. CPARs can be submitted in lieu of PPQs

6. CPARs can be submitted in lieu of PPQs. CPARS can be submitted with proposal as separate attachment. Not included in the 30-page limit

7. past performance examples from the offeror acting as a Prime Contractor is preferable, but relevant subcontractor experience will also be considered just evaluated on lower scale

8. Yes, projects submitted under the Experience section may be the same as those submitted under the Past Performance section

9. active multi-year contract—such as a regional preventative maintenance and service contract or BPA with discrete, completed task orders—will be considered compliant and relevant as a whole, provided it includes scopes of work that are directly applicable to the solicitation

10. there is no specific parameters or documentation requirements, work performed must demonstrate relevance and performance success

11. past performance examples from the offeror acting as a Prime Contractor is preferable, but relevant subcontractor experience will also be considered just evaluated on lower scale

12. No subcontractor Consent Form or Letter of Commitment is required at the time of proposal submission

13. No subcontractor or Mentor-Protégé past performance is required

14. Government will consider and evaluate experience and past performance examples that meet the relevancy and recency requirements

15. Trade specific licenses are required. (electrician, mechanical, etc.) Proof of these licenses must be submitted. SSHO needs to hold professional safety certification with at least 3 years of dedicated construction safety related experience. The SSHO shall ensure that the requirements of the VA and of 29 CFR 1926.16 are met for the project. All qualified people performing electrical work under this contract shall be a licensed master electrician

16. SimplexGrinnell with Johnson Controls

17. CPARs can be submitted in lieu of PPQs

18. Yes, is it already under the NAICS code 238220

19. Roles of Superintendent and Quality Control Manager (QCM) may be performed by one individual provided they meet the contract specification requirements and are submitted for approval as such.

20. QCM, SSHO, and Superintendent must be separate people

21. The VA is required to comply with the Buy American Act and related laws. No waivers are intended to be provided by the

VA.

22. If the initial question pertains to resubmittals, usually the AE will address minor errors. Any issues that fall outside the scope will necessitate a change in order. The VA does not provide payment, either in advance or beyond the contract scope, for deposits that manufacturers need to begin the design or production stages.

23. Yes, this project will be tax exempt. The tax-exempt certificate will be issued to the apparent low bidder upon request.

24. Once Payment and Performance Bonds have been received a Kickoff meeting will be scheduled. The Notice to Proceed will be issued following the kickoff meeting.

25. The VA does accept the use of Procore software or equivalent platforms

26. Payments for materials that are either stored on-site or in a bonded warehouse will only receive approval from the Contracting Officer if the contract clearly permits it and all necessary documentation and title requirements are fulfilled. If the contract does not mention or authorize these payments, then approval will be denied.

27. No, the bid hold period is 120 calendar days

28. No, the Economic Price adjustment clause will not be added to the contract. This will be a Firm Fixed Price Contract

29. External scheduling consultants are not necessarily required as long as the scheduling duties are performed by a qualified and experienced team member within the contractor’s in-house team.

30. Contractors are required to provide their own temporary site offices if needed. Space will not be allocated within the existing facility.

31. VA does not delegate parking spots for contractors except for the engineering lot, which operates on a first-come, first-served basis

32. The COR of the project will assist with badging and access protocols for the contractor.

33. The contractor is solely responsible for providing fire watch personnel when alarms or fire systems are impaired beyond four hours. Contractor is solely responsible for during and after.

34. Contractor-developed plan is sufficient, but it must conform to VA guidelines and obtain approval before work begins.

35. STARC walls are allowed for ICRA

36. As-built drawings are available, it is standard and prudent that the contractor verifies all critical dimensions on site.

37. Currently no warranty is in place.

38. The system volume has been estimated to be approximately 1800 Gallons. The exact volume is not known.

39. Yes, all crane operations must be scheduled with the VA COR well in advance to avoid disruptions to hospital functions, ensure safety, and comply with VA-specific site requirements. All crane work shall comply with 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC and

EM 385-1-1.

40. Yes, these pumps are anticipated to be able to provide adequate flow during the phasing.

41. Intrusive or potentially disruptive activities are generally expected to be limited to off-hours or necessitate special permissions and precautions

42. Due to space constraints with VA materials and tools already in this space it is unlikely that additional space will be made available to the contractor. Contractors should plan on storing materials elsewhere.

43. Coordinate with location of existing pipes and adjust elevation as required. Provide additional information if this response is required.

44. Yes, this schedule applies to the indoor and outdoor chilled water and glycol chilled water piping.

45. Refer to sheet GC001 for phasing. The phasing plan is presented in a manner that would allow the new chillers to serve as the “temporary” equipment. This plan also requires the contractor to provide a detailed phasing plan to verify time of year, durations, etc. to facilitate this plan. If the contractor’s detailed phasing plan requires additional “temporary” equipment to provide adequate conditioning during construction, the contractor shall include this temporary equipment. If necessary, the contractor will need to propose said temporary equipment, sizing, etc.

46. The piping serving the coil bank is 4”. The split piping to each coil in the bank shall be 3”. Coil connection sizes are 2.5”.

47. Refer to Phase 1 sequence, note 4 on sheet M400. Pipe size is shown as 6”.

48. The 6” piping on the roof should not be tagged as (E). This is new piping as shown on the M200 series roof plans.

49. A blind flange would be acceptable.

50. It is vital that the new chillers are seamlessly integrated into the existing facility BMS, which is Metasys by Johnson Controls (proprietary).

51. It is vital that the new chillers are seamlessly integrated into the existing facility BMS, which is Metasys by Johnson Controls (proprietary).

52. No new permanent utility metering is required for this project. Refer to plans and specifications for sensors and metering requirements associated with the sequence of operations.

53. Yes, we have steel work underneath the roof per section 1/SF401.

54. No, grooved fittings are not specified.

55. No, press fittings are not specified.

56. Provide flanged connections to comply with Specification 23 21 13.

57. Nalco provides chemical treatment.

58. Mandatory for this project, structural steel scope in this project.

59. The Contractor shall arrange, and coordinate all required special inspections for structural steel by engaging a minimum of three (3) qualified and independent special inspection firms experienced in structural steel inspection, including fabrication, installation, and welding. The Contractor is responsible for submitting the credentials and qualifications of these three firms to the Owner for review and selection prior to commencement of any structural steel work requiring inspection. Please consider a separate line item in the proposal to cover all costs associated with these required special inspections, including the submission of multiple-qualified firms for Owner review and selection, as well as timely documentation and reporting.

60. No, the bid hold period is 120 calendar days

61. All work within the building envelope will occur above the ceiling and is scheduled to take place during off-hours as follows: Monday through Friday: 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM Saturday and Sunday: 5:30 PM to 7:00 AM.

Please note that any work requiring scheduling during these off-hours must be requested with at least 3 business days' notice to allow for proper coordination and approval.

62. Site visit sign sheet has been posted to sam.gov

63. No, Superintendent cannot cover the requirements of SSHO

64. SSHO must be on site throughout each shift.

65. The superintendent can be dual hatted to cover the QA/QC requirements

66. Yes, QA/QC needs to be full-time.

67. Superintendent cannot be triple hatted to cover the roles of Superintendent, Site Safety and Health Officer (SSHO), and Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC). VA contracts and specifications (e.g., sections 01 35 26 for Safety and 01 45 00 for Quality Control)

68. Proposal should include all costs

69. Please Complete EMR template attached. Submitted document separately. Document will not count towards 30-page limit. Flu is not a mandatory requirement

70. “X” should be placed by General Construction

71. 10 Calendar Days

72. DDC controls must be by Metasys to tie into existing system. The basis of design chiller is a Johnson/York to stay consistent with the existing unit manufacturer, but alternates may be approved provided they meet or exceed all required contract specifications.

73. wage determination for this project is Davis-Bacon Act WD #: OH20250078 Dated July 25, 2025.

74. Not clearly understanding the question.

75. Commissioning is provided by the A/E contract with a third-party commissioning agent.

76. STARC panels are acceptable

77. Shutdowns will need to be done during off hours or weekends with prior notice.

78. The contractor will be responsible for filling the system for testing, including the cost of filling the system, regardless of the water source.

79. Contractor shall provide a frac tank for hydrostatic testing discharge water.

80. Existing loose stored materials within boiler, chiller, and mechanical rooms will remain.

81. During cutting, brazing, and welding, a full-time fire watch must be maintained during the activities and for at least 30 minutes after they are completed unless otherwise authorized.

82. The system volume has been estimated to be approximately 1800 Gallons. The exact volume is not known.

83. Refer to Section 23 31 00, Paragraph 3.1.G. There is a new exhaust duct in the project scope that this paragraph would apply to.

84. Per Specification Section 232500-3.1.3, only new piping will require flushing and cleaning.

https://sam.gov/wage-determination/OH20250078/7

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