RFI Fox River Dams 24jun09 .pdf

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (QA) FOR REQUEST FOR QUOTE

W911XK-09-B-0007 Fox River Dams

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!! NOTICE !!

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) and page(s) or drawing number(s) in reference to the question or request for clarification submitted.

Index:

Section 1 – Questions that have been answered – arranged by date answered

Section 2 –Questions asked awaiting answers - arranged by date asked

Section 1: Questions that have been answered

Answered June 9, 2009

1- 52.211-10 Commencement, Prosecution and Completion of Work (Page 37 of 65)

a. Please clarify if the options listed under this item will include time extensions beyond the 365 day base contract schedule.

b. If additional time is granted for multiple sites will the completions times for those sites run concurrently?

i. 365 + 180 = 545 days to complete work at DePere?

ii. 365 + 160 = 525 days to complete work at Kaukauna and little Kaukauna?

iii. Or is it 365 + 180 + 160 + 160 = 865 days to complete all work at all six sites?

Question Answered by Amendment 0001

2- Section 01 35 13.10 - 1.5.3 Inoperable Gate Restrictions

a. Please reconsider the number of gates allowed out of service for each site.

b. The one gate allowed at Rapid Croche and Little Kaukauna would not allow for any of the center piers to be removed. A minimum of 2 gates must be inoperable to facilitate this work.

c. The number of gates restricted greatly increased the time (and cost) required to complete this work.

Question Answered by Amendment 0001

4. Can you also review the bid form and clarify what items should be included under bid items 0001,0002,0003,0004,0005,0006, and 0007. I’m not sure what work is included under these items. Maybe they should be subtotals or no dollar value is required

Question Answered by Amendment 0003 (Amendment 0002 not used)

Answered June 9, 2009

5. Can you please provide me with the insurance requirements for this project?

Answer: To be answered via Amendment 0005.

6. Thank you for the reply, however, we can open the drawings using MaxView but there is no option to print them. Are we allowed to print from MaxView, if so how, if not, how do we obtain plans?

Answer: Contact Max View software support to get the most recent version of the software, I understand that they were having some problems with the same issue as recently as last week.

7. I want to confirm that for the submitted bid, all you need is the signed "Solicitation, Offer and Award", section 00010 pages 6 to 15 (Amendment 3) and the bond.

Answer: Sign the SF1442 and acknowledge all the amendments and fill-in the bid schedule. Section 00600 certifications are also required unless the information is completed in ORCA. A bid bond is required.

8. Can we email this bid on June 30th by 2:00 pm and then overnight you the originals, or do you have to have the signed, "hard" copy by the specified time?

Being able to email it to you would allow us to receive subcontractors numbers on June 30th otherwise we would have to overnight it to you on the 29th.

Answer: Email bids not acceptable. See FAR Clause 52.214-5 Submission of Bids.

9. For the bid form (Solicitation Contract Form) the USACOE has supplied a description under "1.1.1 Lump Sum Items". What is the description for Item No's 0002, 0003, 0004, 0005 and 0006? Are these lines to remain blank or are they the total for each dam and option or other?

Answer: See conformed copy through Amendment 0005.

Will we be required to give any consideration to the contractor currently working on the Fox River Dams Gate Automation Project? It is my understanding that the Little Chute and Cedars sites will be in the testing phase for that project during the same time when we will be wanting to remove the gate hoist house and gates. I can only assume that this will create problems. Can you explore this and give some direction on how we are to proceed with our work and protect that gate automation equipment that is not mentioned anywhere in our bid specifications.

Answer: Specifications, Section 01 35 13.10 “SPECIAL PROJECT PROCEDURES”, paragraph 1.4.10 Coordination with Others .

On previous gate repair projects on the Fox River the COE has included a winter shutdown period were contract time was stopped because it was not feisable to continue work during the months of December, January, February, and March.

Can you please clarify if contract time includes these winter months or if a winter shutdown period will be granted.

Answer: Specifications, Section 01 35 13.10 “SPECIAL PROJECT PROCEDURES”, paragraph 1.5.1 Exclusion of Period in Computing Completion Schedules.

Can you please clarify the material specifications for the Trunnion Pins and Adjusting Screws. No material is specified for the adjusting pins and several suppliers have noted difficulty finding the correct forging for the trunnion pins.

They have concerns that the material specification for that item may be out dated and not available.

A. Trunnion Pin material is to be as specified in spec section 05 50 13. Adjusting screw is material is to be equivalent to A449 material.

Do you know the weight of the Tainter Gate(s)? They appear to all be the same design.

A. 19.1 kips.

There is no wood spec except for what is mentioned on Sheet 15 of 18 for the "wood seal". Is there any grade of wood you are interested in, or just oak? Are the bolts to be galvanized, stainless or other?

A. Wood should be white oak, common, untreated and undressed. Existing bolts are to be reused.

Pier 16 at the Depere Dam was repaired (last year?), but none of the spalled concrete was at the nose. Is the spalled concrete on the pier at Gate 10 to be repaired only (half the pier) or the entire pier? If the entire pier, then Gate 11 would need to be dewatered/removed and this is not in the "Limits of Req'd Work".

A. No work is required upstream of the stoplogs.

It was brought to our attention that the Real Estate plans nay not be accurate. Does the State of Wisconsin own all the lock property? Does the contractor have to get approval from the state to be on the property, or has the USACOE worked this out already. If not, who is the contact for the state?

A. The Government will obtain all real estate needs for work and storage areas shown on plans.

To replace/repair the end piers, I will assume at this point the water going over the spillway next to that pier will have to be stopped to get the entire pier in the "dry".

Can this be done along with dewatering two gates, or does the spillway count as a "gate"?

A. It can be done along with dewatering two gates.

Will the gate automation work be taking place on any of the other dams where we may have to compete for work space and lay down areas with that contractor? Our work will interfere with their ability to complete their work since gates and railings will not be in place in our work areas.

Answer: Answer: Specifications, Section 01 35 13.10 “SPECIAL PROJECT PROCEDURES”, paragraph 1.4.10 Coordination with Others .

Can we moore the barge up to the area we are working at and leave it there overnight (for the duration) or does it need to be "motored" back to shore at the end of each day?

Answer: The contractor is allowed to leave barge on site at his own risk.

There is no mention of replacing the rubber seals on the gates while they are removed. Is this something that needs to be done?

Answer: Rubber seals will not be replaced on the gates under this contract.

Note 1 on Plan Sheets 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 along with Section 02 13 90/3.3 (page3) of the specs call for cofferdams "as necessary". Naturally the stoplogs will go in and a small cofferdam will be needed on the tail water side to get the piers in the "dry".

Are you looking at the cofferdams at the pier noses as a "fail safe" for the stoplogs?

Are you leaving this option, the "as necessary", up to the contractor?

Answer: The contractor is required in his work plan submittal to ensure that piers and dams that he is performing work will remain in the dry. This may require cofferdams, it is the contractors call and will be reviewed by the COR.

I'm assuming that if there is spalled concrete on the pier noses ( not all I saw had it, but some did), that this also needs to be repaired? This may be my answer the above question. If the pier nose needs to be repaired, then a cofferdam at the nose will be needed.

Answer: No work will be performed upstream of the stoplogs.

Section 2 – Questions asked awaiting answers - arranged by date asked