Final_Questions_ _Answers.pdf

Questions & Answers Question = Q Answer = A

1. Q: The onsite collection is identified as being performed at least once per week and is to be completed with a team of two. Is the typical service one 8-hour day per week or more than one day?

A: Chemical pickups are normally completed one day per week depending of total volume of waste requested for pickup. This can vary week to week. Typically, this can be completed in less than an 8-hour day per week. Due to the variability in quantity and type of waste from week to week, labor in task orders is not priced on a Firm Fixed Price basis, instead it is billed based on actual hours worked in accordance with the labor rates contained in the IDIQ schedule.

2. Q: If service is typically more than one day per week how many onsite collection days are typically required in a week?

A: Normally, there is only one onsite collection per week.

3. Q: If less than one 8 hour day per week how many hours are typical in a collection day?

A: Total onsite time can vary between 4 and 8 hours per week.

4. Q: Is there a standard work schedule in place and if so what is the current onsite collection practice? Is there any anticipated change to the current practice under the new contract and if so what changes are expected?

A: Currently, pickups are normally done on Wednesdays. There are no standard hours.

No changes are expected.

5. Q: Will a CDL licensed Chemist or Technician be required for the onsite collection, and transport to building 312?

A: No, a CDL is not required for weekly pick-ups on-site. Department of Transportation placarding does not apply within the boundaries/fence line of the NIST Gaithersburg facility.

6. Q: Will the contractor need to provide a DOT permitted vehicle for the onsite collection and if so what type of vehicle is required?

A: No.

7. Q: Is there an onsite storage area for the contractor to keep containers and other supplies used in the weekly collection? If yes what is the approximate square footage.

A: Yes. There is more than enough storage space to keep 25 55-gallon drums and space for most other supplies.

8. Q: Please identify the specific explosives you have shipped in the past two years under the line items 45.05 to 45.20. What is the process that generates these explosives?

A: NIST has encountered some small trace explosives (mainly raw materials) that require shipping under DOT Hazard Class Divisions 1.1-1.6. This is not a commonly used

CLIN.

9. Q: Please provide an approximate volume for the large and small medical waste boxes items 18.30 and 18.55.

A: Small is considered standard medical waste box used with the dimensions 18x18x25 inches. The large box CLIN has been deleted from the revised pricing spreadsheet.

10. Q: Does the contractor supply boxes or does the NIST supply boxes for the medical waste, and if the contractor I did not see a supply line for the boxes?

A: Yes the contractor supplies the boxes and bags, which should be included in the disposal price (box and bag).

11. Q: What is the process generating the medical waste? What does it consist of?

A: Medical waste is generated based on the specific needs of the type of research, labs or department (for example one (1) health clinic, one (1) fire department, etc.). The medical waste consist of only waste under Biosafety Level 1 and 2 (Biosaftey levels are publically searchable). Medical waste includes, but is not limited to, tissue samples, waste and personal protective equipment; and, all medical waste is within Biosafety level 1 and 2.

12. Q: How many emergency services have been provided under the current or most recent contract to NIST in the last two years? What were the emergency services for?

A: None.

13. Q: Is item 44.10 the bulk regulated waste in rolloffs a RCRA hazardous Waste? If yes, what EPA waste code(s) apply and what is the process generating?

A: RCRA hazardous waste applies and this would mainly be for lead debris, EPA Hazardous Waste code D008. The large fire laboratory routinely burns proprietary power cables that contain lead in small scales. In the event of a large scale burn, NIST would like to have this CLIN available for a roll-off for this debris.

14. Q: If item 44.10 is not a RCRA regulated waste, what is it regulated for/as? What is the material?

A: See # 13 Questions and Answers.

15. Q: Item 608 in the price schedule states “Expendables - see attached expendables price sheet”, I was only able to identify one Price Sheet on FedBizOps and did not see a list of Expendables to price. Is the contractor supposed to provide their commercial price list of these items or is there a separate price list for expendables?

A: This reference to an Expendables attachment has been deleted from the revised pricing spreadsheet.

16. Q: Page 8 of the Statement of Work under section 7 references used tires. I did not see a line item for tires in the price schedule, what line item would they be removed under, is it the roll-off of non-regulated waste?

A: Used tires are managed separately, not under this contract. This has been removed from the SOW.

17. Q: Are waste removals typically done with a straight truck or is the volume sufficient that a tractor trailer is required?

A: Waste removals are typically done with a dual tandem straight truck.

18. Q: What is a typical or average drum count per pickup for waste removals over the last year?

A: Approximately 50 drums, buckets, and pallets (hence pieces).

19. Q: Please provide copies of manifests from the 5 most recent waste removals.

A: NIST will not be providing this as part of the RFQ.

20. Q: Is the off spec oil removed with a vacuum truck stored in a tank or in drums? If in a tank what is the size of the tank? If in drums what is a typical number of drums pumped?

A: This CLIN is in place in the event that NIST has an off spec (contaminated, i.e. Fail flashpoint etc.) used oil Aboveground Storage Tank (500-gallon tank). Typically, this will not happen.

21. Q: Please provide profiles for the bulk acidic liquids items 10.0 and 11.0 in the price schedule.

A: See #22 Question and Answer.

22. Q: What type of acidic liquids is typically generated under items 10 and 11 in the price schedule?

A: CLIN 10.00 is for Dilute inorganic acids other than Hydrofluoric acid (HF). CLIN

11.00 is for more concentrated inorganic acids other than HF. NIST mostly uses CLIN 10.00.

23. Q: I am not familiar with the use of the specification (HOD>10ºC) in association with the bulk acid drums. What does this specification mean?

A: The specification has been deleted from the revised pricing spreadsheet.

24. Q: Please provide the 5 most recent invoices?

A: NIST considers invoices under the incumbent contract to be business proprietary and therefore will not release this information.

25. Q: Please clarify the unit of measure for item 33.55 PCB light ballasts, should this actually be KGs? The evaluated quantity appears to be based on a weight not a drum count.

A: Yes, one “unit” is one kg.

26. Q: Can invoicing for site labor include travel time to site, or is it limited to on-site time only?

A: The contractor may bill for On-site time only.

27. Q: A lift gate truck would appear to be needed for routine waste pick-ups, but there does not appear to be a CLIN to allow for invoicing of that truck. Is that a non-billable item?

A: Yes, the truck is a Non billable item.

28. Q: SOW: X. DELIVERABLE AND DELIVERABLE DUE DATES, paragraph (e.) e.

Invoices and Disposal Documentation: States that Certificates of Disposal/Destruction must be provided with invoices… or will not be paid. Payment terms must be consistent with service delivery. Production and return of certificates of destruction is a specific contract deliverable which is dependent upon administrative processes which can result in an inequitable delay of payment for services rendered and costs incurred. [Contractor Name Redacted] disposal sites routinely and legally store waste for several months after it is received. This allows our facilities consolidated / bulk loads which in turn saves our customers money. With the exception of PCB related items Certificates of Disposal/Destruction are not required by law. As is the case of contract deliverables (e.g. final reports, certs of destruction) can we recommend that Certificates of Disposal/Destruction not be tied to payment rather contract deliverables (e.g. final reports, certs of destruction) be provided or be made available via an online service once final disposal is completed?

A: NIST has revised the SOW to state: Written Acceptance of Waste by the Disposal Facility must be provided with invoices. Invoices for waste disposal that are submitted without appropriate Written Acceptance by the Disposal Facility will not be paid.

29. Q: SOW VI CONTRACT SPECIFIC TASKS & PRICING SPREADSHEET: Paragraph 12.

Waste Pickup Services talks about a Haz Waste Chemist and Haz Waste Technician collecting chemicals, etc. Can you confirm if these individuals can be billed for travel time, i.e. “portal-to-portal” or are hours only billable for onsite time?

A: Only on-site time can be billed.

30. Q: SOW IV CONTRACT AND PERSONNEL MINIMUM CRITERIA: Paragraph 2. Talks about a Project Manager. Also the pricing sheet has a line item for Project Manager. Can you explain in more detail the role of this position? Is this individual offsite? If so, how are hours accounted for?

A: How the project is staffed is the decision of the contractor. A chemist can also act as the project manager. The Project Manager will only be reimbursed for time spent on NIST Gaithersburg, MD Campus at the request of NIST, such as for required training, meetings requested by NIST, etc. All other project management activities are considered a cost of doing business and will not be directly reimbursed. Please note that the historical values for the Project Manager labor category on the pricing spreadsheet are artificially inflated due to significant performance issues occurring on one of the previous contracts, culminating in discontinuation of the contract in April 2015.

31. Q: SOW VI CONTRACT SPECIFIC TASKS & PRICING SPREADSHEET: Paragraph 6.

Disposal Options and Priorities states that (e) Burial in an EPA Part B permitted secure chemical landfill is lowest NIST priority. The following items are considered NonRCRA / NonHazardous wastes which could potentially be sent to a landfill at a lower rate vs an alternate treatment such as Waste-to-Energy incineration. Can you confirm that these waste streams must be sent for Waste-to-Energy unless no other viable option is available?

13.00 Non-RCRA Solid Materials

44.05 Non regulated waste / cubic yd/ton

A: Yes, for Non-RCRA/Non Hazardous wastes, Waste-to-Energy incineration shall be the first option.

32. Q: PRICING SPREADSHEET: Item 44.10: Regulated waste / cubic yd/ton – This is a very broad category. Please provide a more detailed description and, or waste profile for this type of waste.

A: See # 13 Question and Answer above.

33. Q: PRICING SPREADSHEET: Item 15.00 PCB Materials (>500ppm): This line item could potentially be sent to a secure hazardous waste landfill at a lower cost vs recycling or incineration. However IAW SOW, paragraph 6, recycling or incineration is a preferred method. Can you please confirm that unless no other treatment option exists that this material must be either recycled or incinerated, not landfilled.

A: Yes, that is correct.

34. Q: PRICING SPREADSHEET: Item 18.00 Medical Waste (per box)): Can this portion of the work be subcontracted to a different vendor? Who supplies the box / bag liners for the medical waste? Are these billable under a separate line item in the Materials Section 400? If so what line items. Please provide the Box dimensions for both small and Large:

A: The Contractor can subcontract this portion of the work, but should ensure the associated quotation submissions reflect performance of that function by a subcontractor (i.e., Corporate Experience). The Contractor is responsible for providing the box/bag liners. The quoted fixed unit price for Medical Waste should be fully burdened to include any material costs. The Large Box/Bag has been removed from the Pricing Spreadsheet. The remaining “small” box/bag dimensions are 18X18X25 inches.

35. Q: PRICING SPREADSHEET: Item 45 – 58 Compressed Gas Cylinders: Please define CatA – CatS for these are not standard in the industry.

A: See the attached industry standard category list: GAS LIST PER CATEGORY.

36. Q: PRICING SPREADSHEET: Please more clearly define the following types of equipment:

604.22 Skin tankers, per day

604.555 3-5K Holding trailers, per day A: The equipment has been deleted from the revised pricing spreadsheet. The contractor may propose additional CLINs beyond those required on the revised pricing spreadsheet should they identify additional equipment/materials that may be necessary in the case of an emergency.

37. Q: Are the contractors responsible for going lab to lab to gather the waste?

A: Yes

38. Q: Is it about 2 people once a week? How far in advance is the contractor notified of the need for regular pickups?

A: Typically, the weekly pickups involve an 8 hour day at most for 2 employees, however, this varies week to week depending on the volume and complexity of the waste produced that week.

These are scheduled on a weekly basis so there is no advance notice provided. Several times a year there are lab cleanups which require substantially greater than average levels of effort, however, NIST will provide at least a week of advance notice for those lab cleanups.

Regular pickups may involve a few or all buildings (about 7) which produce various waste streams which are reported weekly (by any of the approximately 1000 labs) to Office of Safety, Health, and Environment (OSHE). The Pick-up list will include all waste that needs to be transported for that week.

39. Q: Does NIST provide carts for the pickups?

A: Yes, there are carts and bins available in building 312 for the contractor to utilize.

40. Q: Can someone with non-commercial driver’s license perform the regularly scheduled weekly pickups?

A: Yes, a CDL is not required for weekly pick-ups on-site. Department of Transportation placarding does not apply within the boundaries/fence line of the NIST Gaithersburg facility.

41. Q: Is the contractor responsible for providing medical waste containers?

A: Yes, the contractor is responsible for supplying medical waste boxes and bags. Typically, the medical waste output is around 50 boxes a month, however, this number is subject to change due to recent programmatic changes. This cost of boxes and bags shall be included in the disposal price.

42. Q: Does the contractor supply a replacement medical box when we pick up the full ones?

A: Yes. The contractor shall provide a bulk supply of medical waste boxes/bags that NIST distributes to researchers for medical waste collection. The contractor shall provide a 1 to 1 ratio of boxes and bags per pickup (i.e., The contractor shall pickup 50 boxes and drop off 50 boxes and bags.)

43. Q: Is there controlled access at the nuclear reactor facility?

A: Yes, there is a required 8 hour training for anyone entering the reactor facility, which is valid for a period of two years. This training will be scheduled 3 to 4 months after contract award in coordination with the contractor to maximize attendance of anyone who could potentially be performing the weekly pickups. Until this training is completed, visits to the reactor facility will be escorted.

Successful completion of the training will allow the contractor unescorted access to the nuclear reactor facility. The COR may still escort the trained contractor for special circumstances regarding the nuclear reactor facility—to be communicated by the COR.

44. Q: Are there qualifications for the proposed Project Manager?

A: The proposed Project Manager shall demonstrate no less than 5 years of experience managing and overseeing performance involving accumulating, characterizing, labeling, packing, manifesting and disposing of hazardous waste similar to the hazardous waste types identified in Section III of this SOW. It is acceptable for the Chemist to serve as the Project Manager as long as the work is billed at the rates applicable for the labor category/functions performed.

The Chemist may work in a dual role and therefore serve as the Project Manager as long as: 1) the contractor qualifies for each Key Personnel Position, based on the Statement of Work; 2) working in a dual role does not negatively affect contract performance; and 3) the contractor invoices strictly in accordance with the applicable IDIQ labor categories and corresponding labor rates. Also, see #30 Question and Answer for the type of compensation allowed for the Project Manager.

45. Q: How frequently does the waste ship out from building 312?

A: Usually the waste ships out every 60-70 days, and is scheduled in advance.

46. Q: Is a tractor trailer necessary to ship out the waste from building 312?

A: A tractor trailer is not necessary, but a tandem axel is needed.

47. Q: Is NIST opposed to a tractor trailer being used for the building 312 shipments?

A: NIST is not opposed to a tractor trailer, but it might be a little tight navigating the campus and would take a skilled driver.

48. Q: If a tractor trailer is used for the building 312 shipments, is it required to be empty when it arrives to NIST?

A: It would be NIST’s preference not to mix NIST’s waste with other waste due to concerns of the compatibility of the wastes. However, if the trailer has enough room and the contractor has a plan in place to prevent mixing of incompatible wastes, NIST would not prohibit this.

49. Q: Is the Building 312 shipment usually greater than 15,000 pounds?

A: Usually – it depends on the materials being shipped. Some, such as batteries, are heavier and don’t take up as much space, while others, such as light bulbs, are light and take up a greater amount of space. The Contractor has access to building 312 on a weekly basis, so generally they have an accurate estimate of the overall size and weight of the shipment in advance.

50. Q: I see a forklift in Building 312. Is that on the list? Is a forklift training/certification required?

A: Operating GFE, such as the Forklift, does not require specialized operating instructions from NIST; BUT, the contractor must be fully trained in order to operate a forklift per OSHA requirements/standards:

Forklifts, also known as Powered Industrial Trucks (PIT):

“The employer shall ensure that each powered industrial truck operator is competent to operate a powered industrial truck safely, as demonstrated by successful completion of the training and evaluation specified in the OSHA standard.”

“Prior to permitting an employee to operate a powered industrial truck (except for training purposes), the employer shall ensure that each operator has successfully completed the required training (or previously received appropriate training).”

51. Q: Is it the contractor’s responsibility to dilute acids and bases?

A: Not routinely. Most acids and bases are either bulked into 55 gallon drums or lab packed.

Occasionally, some dilution could be required.

52. Q: There are various buckets/drums here – 5G, 55G, etc. Does NIST supply these?

A: The buckets contained in building 312 are available for contractor use. The contractor shall not bill for supplies provided by NIST, i.e. NIST provided receptacles. NIST’s supply of drums may also be used by the contractor, but they will need to be replaced. Therefore, contractors need to replace drums and DO NOT need to replace buckets.

53. Q: Does the contractor maintain the waste generation log?

A: Yes.

54. Q: Regarding a 30 yard dumpster located outside of Building 312 – Is that the only dumpster?

A: Yes. The dumpster is used for non-hazardous waste.

55. Q: Does the permit require an inventory for the non-hazardous roll-off?

A: NIST requires a weekly inventory of all wastes (hazardous and nonhazardous) that are stored in Building 312. The Contractor may use its own system for lab packs. An inventory of the roll off is not required.

56. Q: Can you elaborate on the composite sampling requirement?

A: Composite sampling of all solvent and oil drums is required before they ship out to make sure no PCBs are present, generally 2-3 weeks prior to shipment. Composite sampling occurs at NIST, not at the Contractor’s facility. PCB is the only required composite analysis.

57. Q: Have there been instances of PCBs present in the drums?

A: Approximately 2-3 instances in the past 10 years.

58. Q: Are there office facilities in Building 312 available for use?

A: There is an office, bathroom, and copy machine. The copy machine is available for copying of pick-up lists, waste manifests, waste generation logs, etc. The contractor will not be provided with NIST computer or IT network access, but can utilize their own laptop with an air-card at their discretion.

59. Q: How frequently does medical waste get removed from Building 312 (it is stored in separate cabinets within Building 312)?

A: When they fill up, generally every 2 months.

60. Q: You have emergency services listed. How often is this required?

A: Rarely, if ever. However, NIST requires a contractor to be capable of responding quickly in the event of an emergency to mitigate risk to NIST staff and facilities, should an emergency happen.

61. Q: Can a contractor use its own labeling and numbering systems?

A: The contractor can use labeling and numbering systems of its choosing. NIST does not restrict the contractor’s use of its company or any labeling and numbering systems. The contractor shall use labeling and numbering systems that are adequate to record and track all waste transport and disposal activities.

62. Q: Pricing Spreadsheet.

The following line item #33.55 shows 1254 each of 55-gallon drums of PCB Light Ballasts.

Can you verify if this is accurate? This is a very large quantity of PCB Light Ballasts. It appears from the quantity that the unit of measure should be pounds not 55-gallon drum.

33.00 PCB Light Ballasts (UW)

33.55 55-gallon drum Evaluated Quantities = 1254; Historical Quantities = 1254 A. Yes this is accurate. The container ‘size’ is 55-gallon drum for storing PCB Light Ballasts but the ‘actual weight’ of PCB Light Ballasts is measured per Kilogram (KG).