SOW.pdf

National Park Service Christiansted National Historic Site

2100 Church Street Christiansted, VI 00820-4611

STATEMENT OF WORK

Fabricate and Install - Buck Island Reef NM Underwater Trail Interpretive Waysides

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

SOUTHEAST REGION

SOUTH MAJOR ACQUISITION BUYING OFFICE

CHRI 219013 Fabricate & Install – Buck Island Reef UWT Waysides

Fabricate and Install Buck Island Reef Underwater Trail Interpretive Waysides

SCOPE OF WORK

1. BACKGROUND

Presidential Proclamation established Buck Island Reef National Monument in 1961. In 2001, the park was expanded adding over 18,000 acres of submerged lands creating the first fully protected marine area in the National Park System. At the eastern most end of Buck Island sits the famous “underwater trail” a snorkel trail through 100,000-year-old coral formations. Beginning in the early 1960s visitors have visited this area to snorkel through the shallow coral grottos to view and experience corals, reef fishes, and a multitude of marine life. To guide snorkelers are the underwater interpretive waysides or “signs” that annually led over 50,000 snorkel visitors safely through the underwater trail coral grottos.

2. PURPOSE:

The purpose of this contract is to provide commercial dive services to remove existing unusable underwater wayside signs and fabricate new concrete bases and install new plate glass information signs provided by NPS into the bases, and install completed interpretive wayside at designated locations at the Buck Island Reef NM underwater trail area.

3. SCOPE OF WORK:

The contractor shall provide the National Park Service (NPS), with all labor, materials, equipment, facilities, and transportation needs necessary to remove up to 30 existing waysides (concrete base with embedded plate glass sign), fabricate and install 20 new concrete bases with new informational signs at Buck Island Reef NM Underwater Trail.

Further, this will require the contractor to complete the following tasks:

Conduct a site visit to underwater trail with NPS POC and provide NPS with dive plan to remove up to 30 existing wayside bases from the underwater trail area (map and wayside information provided in Appendix; NPS to flag all waysides for removal from Buck Island Reef NM Underwater Trail and dispose of old waysides.

Fabricate 20 new concrete underwater trail sign bases and install new glass plate informational signs into new bases. Each sign base shall have a hot dipped galvanized eye-bolt cast into the concrete for use in lifting the sign and base from boat and during underwater lift to position at underwater trail mooring area and/or throughout the coral grottos at NPS designated locations.

Install glass plate material in the sign base. Ensure glass plate has fully cured prior to install.

Place the sign bases in the specific NPS designated sign locations and complete the final inspection and project close-out.

Other Work Requirements:

Attendance at a NPS kickoff site visit to provide onsite orientation to contractor to ensure full and complete understanding of the project, work conditions and constraints of working in the underwater trail coral reef area, underwater trail moorings and other NPS concession and private boat operations that occur during daylight hours at the Underwater Trail.

Contractor shall submit to the NPS for approval a proposed boat to be used for the work, a SCUBA dive safety plan, and a schedule for removal of up to 30 existing wayside bases, and fabrication and installation of 20 new complete underwater trail waysides (concrete base, eye-bolt and with embedded glass plate informational sign, NPS provided).

Contractor shall provide the concrete mix design for the cast concrete bases.

Concrete bases shall be cast off site, transported to Underwater Trail by boat and installed with SCUBA divers at designated locations at underwater trail. No underwater concrete casting shall be allowed. Concrete mix design shall be designed for underwater placement and life cycle minimum of 15 years submerged in sea water. Provide materials specification for concrete base mix design for best result for underwater installation for NPS review and approval.

Concrete base mix design shall be approved prior to casting any sign bases.

After approval of the concrete base mix, contractor shall cast one (1) sign base and provide the base for inspection and approval prior to making balance of bases (19) nineteen to complete order. Approval shall be required before starting the remaining bases.

Contractor shall provide a material specification for the hot dipped galvanized eye-bolt. Eye-bolt shall have a minimum inside diameter of the eye of ½-inch and shall be cast in place into the sign’s concrete base during the casting process. The casting process shall incorporate a series of washers of sufficient size, or other bolts in order to reduce the likelihood of slippage and “pull-out” from the cast base. See drawing provided for suggested position of eye-bolt in the base. Design of the eye-bolt placement in the concrete cast base shall be submitted and approved prior to casting. Eye-bolt and anti-pullout design and placement shall be rated to lift a minimum of 1000 lbs. Eye-bolt and eye-bolt placement design shall be approved prior to purchasing.

Contractor shall submit to the NPS the proposed method and materials to be used to embedded and secure informational glass plate into concrete base for good adhesion in underwater conditions The proposed method and materials shall be based on NPS provided specifications of glass plate materials for implementation of the install method. Install method shall be approved prior to installation of any sign plates.

Contractor shall submit to the NPS one (1) complete underwater trail wayside sign plate and base assembly for NPS inspection and approval prior to completing the remaining balance of bases and signs (19) nineteen in total.

Contractor must provide open ocean seaworthy boat less than 42 ft max size allowable inside Buck Island Reef NM lagoon and at underwater trail area moorings that is capable of operating in and around Buck Island Reef lagoon and mooring area. Contractor must provide or be a USGC licensed Captain for boat operations. Captain must have proven local area knowledge to operate in and around Buck Island Reef NM protected area with a minimum of 10 years successful operations.

Contractor must provide commercial diver crew to include two (2) in-water and one safety diver at surface at minimum; all divers must be OSHA commercial diving contractor certified and trained. Contractor must provide Dive Safety Plan and Emergency Equipment required for safe SCUBA operations as specified in this Scope of Work and Specifications. Boat, Captain, Dive Team Certifications and documentation of experience conducting this type of underwater commercial dive operations in sensitive marine environment is required.

Dive operations will be conducted at the Buck Island Reef NM Underwater Trail area and within underwater trail shallow coral grottos. NPS mooring will be used for contractor boat tie up during sign removal and installation operations.

Underwater trail is a in no anchoring area; boat operations are not allowing within the coral grottos. All sign removal and install work shall be conducted by SCUBA dive operations. Commercial SCUBA divers will be diving in coral reef hard bottom and complex coral formations, depth ranging from less than 2 feet within the coral grottos to 25 ft in outer grotto. Diving will be done in shallow complex coral reef formations requiring SCUBA divers skilled in buoyancy control for themselves and use of lift bags to lift and maneuver sign base through coral grottos to boat for removal. Work will include securing underwater wayside signs base for removal by lift bag assembly, lift and removal of old wayside bases by boat, and install of new sign bases.

Contractor must provide General Liability Insurance coverage with National Park Service listed as an additionally insured with respect to work performed by the insured. Contractor must be able to transport underwater trail sign bases from underwater trail out of the park and bring in the new underwater trail sign bases for installation.

Contractor must provide location to fabricate concrete sign bases and install new glass informational plate allowing time for curing of both concrete and glass plate according to manufacturer’s materials specifications prior to install. All contractor operations must meet required NEPA environmental compliance conditions to work within park boundaries and in and around protected coral reef formations including operating clean boat, no discharges allowed within park waters, have emergency plan in event boat malfunctions during operations.

4. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

The period of performance for this Scope of Work will consist of the following:

Approximately 120-days from receipt of NPS provided glass informational wayside plates.

6. SUBMITTAL LIST

Boat and SCUBA dive operations plan for removal of up to 30 bases and their disposal; Provide waste disposal plan for wayside bases to NPS for review and approval

Schedule for removal of up to 30 sign bases and install of 20 new complete underwater trail waysides (new bases with eye-bolt and informational sign)

Boat and SCUBA dive operations plan for installation of the 20 sign bases

Concrete mix design for underwater use for bases

Shop drawings for the fabrication of concrete bases and eye-bolt placement

Material specifications of the hot dipped galvanized eye-bolt

Materials specifications for adhering glass plate to the concrete base

Video and digital still high-resolution photo documentation of completed underwater informational waysides in DVD Microsoft PC compatible format

7. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY, MATERIAL, EQUIPMENT, OR

INFORMATION (GFP, GFM, GFE, OR GFI):

NPS will provide the following to the contractor:

A. NPS will flag all existing underwater waysides bases (up to 30 each) to be removed.

Existing sign bases are approximately 50-100 pounds underwater weight. Map of underwater trail area (Buck Island Reef, Underwater trail moorings, coral grottos, and signs) will be provided in Appendix.

B. NPS will remove any live coral attached to the existing underwater trail wayside bases prior to contractor work to remove the existing bases and dispose; NPS will re-attached live corals to suitable natural coral reef hardbottom substrate per NPS coral restoration procedure within the Underwater Trail area.

C. NPS will furnish the 20 new underwater informational sign glass plates to contractor for installation into the concrete bases. Glass plates are tempered low iron with ceramic printed design on the #2 surface. All sides of the glass plate will be polished.

D. NPS will provide product information on the informational glass plates, finished size 12 in x 20 in, to contractor to be considered in the casting of the new concrete bases and glass plate installation. However, the contractor should measure final space needed for the new information glass plate prior to finalizing the concrete base casting specifications.

E. NPS will flag all locations for placement of the 20 new wayside bases at the Underwater Trail and be on site on snorkel or SCUBA to assist with final sign base positioning within underwater trail lagoon and coral grottos.

8. PROJECT LOCATION and NPS POINT OF CONTACT FOR PROJECT

COORDINATION AND UNDERWATER TRAIL WAYSIDE SIGN DELIVERY

Project Location: National Park Unit Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands (USVI) which is an offshore undeveloped island surrounded by marine protected area which is no take and anchoring only by permit in designated area at West Beach.

Administered/Managed by: National Park Service, Christiansted National Historic Site, Christiansted, U. S. Virgin Islands

Address: NPS Christiansted NHS, 2100 Church Street, #100, Christiansted USVI 00820

9. REVIEW AND APPROVAL

NPS shall review and approve all submittals prior to purchasing any materials or completing any of the project work. NPS will be on site during removal of existing signs for any guidance and inspections, as needed. Will be on snorkel or topside on separate NPS boat. The COR will notify the contractor, in writing, of approval or rejection of the work within 7-10 days. Any additions or corrections shall be completed within 21 calendar days. In the event of the government delays comments beyond the period specified, the contractor shall be entitled to a day-to-day extension in the period of performance duration (120-days).

10. PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Upon completion and acceptance of all work, the contractor shall be paid a firm-fixed price in accordance with the following schedule:

A. Removal of Existing signs (Up to 30 each) 20% of total cost B. Fabrication of 20 new signs bases w/info plate 40% of total cost C. Installation and Video of 20 new installed sign bases 40% of total cost

12. PROJECT INFORMATION APPENDIX

Buck Island Reef NM park map Buck Island Reef NM Underwater Trail mooring area Buck Island Reef NM underwater trail mooring and wayside map Buck Island Reef NM underwater trail wayside map, snorkeler passages Map of known underwater trail waysides bases Description of known existing underwater trail wayside bases Proposed locations for 20 new waysides within existing underwater trail area