BIG_SANDY_Question_and_Answers.docx

Question and Answers:

1. Section 00800 of the specifications references drawings for the location of the dredged material disposal site. Can you please provide the drawings with details of the disposal location and its current bathymetry?

A. YES, HISTORICAL DRAWINGS ARE BEING PROVIDED AS A PDF FILE. CURRENT BATHYMETRY IS NOT AVAILABLE, BUT AN OLDER SURVEY CAN BE PROVIDED IN GOOGLE EARTH FORMAT.

1. Please verify that disposal of the dredged material shall be in the waters of the Ohio River.

A. PLEASE REFERENCE SECTION 00800 – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS, PARAGRAPH 2.

1. Are there any placement methods or restrictions that the contractor must follow? Can disposal be by bottom dumping from a split-hull dump scow?

A. YES, PLEASE REFERENCE SECTION 00800, SCONTRACT REQUIREMENTS, PARAGRAPH 21 ANSWER) AND PARAGRAPH 22.5(2)

1. With regard to Clearing/Snagging, what sort of debris and/or wrecks can the contractor expect to encounter?

A. PLEASE REFERENCE SECTION 01 00 00, TYPICAL WORK REQUIREMENTS (2).

1. There is no bid item for the Clearing/Snagging work. How will it be measured and paid?

A. BY THE HOUR AT THE EFFECTIVE RATE.

1. Section 01 00 00 states, “Required work may not be restricted to floating plant situations, and may require land based equipment operations independent of, or in conjunction with the same.” Please clarify what type and quantity of land-based work is envisioned being done and what equipment may be required to perform the work.

A. NO LAND BASED WORK IS ANTICIPATED FOR THIS CONTRACT. HOWEVER, THE WORK INCLUDES THE CLEANING OF THE VIRGINIA POINT BOAT RAMP. WE DID NOT WANT TO RESTRICT A CONTRACTOR FROM USING A LAND BASED PIECE OF EQUIPMENT FOR THIS WORK, AND COST THEREFORE WOULD NEED TO BE ROLLED INTO THE HOURLY RATE IN SOME FORM.

1. Should land-based equipment become necessary, there are no bid items for:

6. Lump Sum Pricing for the mobilization and demobilization of the equipment

6. Unit Pricing for the operations of the land-based equipment A. THIS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE OVERALL COST OF MOBILIZATION/DEMOBILIZATION AND EFFECTIVE RATE.

1. For the Bid Schedule, is the contractor to enter hours based on the removal of 235,000 CY?

A. YES.

1. To facilitate calculating how long a contractor should expect dredging to take, please provide plan sheets for the area(s) to be dredged which include the current bottom conditions (soundings). It is needed to figure out cut thicknesses, haul distances, etc.

A. PLEASE SEE QUESTION 1.

1. Under Item 11 of the original Solicitation, it states: The Contractor shall begin performance within 10 calendar days and complete it within 60 calendar days after receiving notice to proceed. Under Requirement 1- Type of Contract in Section 00800 of the Special Contract Requirements, it states: Work shall begin no later than 10 calendar days following the issuance of the Notice to Proceed, and shall be completed no later than 60 working days thereafter. Under Specification No. 2 - Time or Performance in Section 010000 of the Technical Contract Specifications, it states: Normally, all work will be performed on the basis of one (1) 8-hour shift per day, five (5) days a week. Based on the comments in the Special Contract Requirements and Technical Contract Specification, is the contractor to assume the work is to be completed in 60 work days and not 60 calendar days?

A. 1-EIGHT HOUR SHIFT PER DAY IS NOT REALISTIC. CONTRACTOR WILL HAVE 60 CALENDAR DAYS TO COMPLETE THE WORK. EIGHT HOURS PER DAY IS STATED IN THE CONTRACT AS A BASIS FOR LABOR CALCULATIONS. OVERTIME HOURS MAY BE ADDED AS REQUIRED.

PLEASE SEE AMENDMENT 0002, 60 CALENDAR DAYS.

1. Under Subsection 3.5 in Section 00800 of the Special Contract Requirements, it states: The required hourly rate of dredging production shall be 360 Tons of material dredged per hour. Under Special Contract Requirement 4, it states: Estimated volume of dredged material is variable, estimated at approximately 235,000 cubic yards. If all work performed is to be performed on the basis of one (1) 8-hour shift per day, how is the Contractor to complete the work in 60 work days?

A. SEE ANSWER #10.

1. Upon the Government’s acceptance of a Contractor’s offer, how many days will the Contractor have for making preparations to mobilize to the project site prior to the Notice to Proceed?

A. SEE FAR CLAUSE 52.211-10.

1. Since Amendment No. 1 removed the quantity of Non-Effective Hours on the Bid Schedule, how is the Contractor to estimate the quantity of Non-effective Hours (which are not under the Contractor’s control) for inclusion in Total Bid Amount? How is the Contractor to come with the total quantity and what Unit is to be used?

A. THE CONTRACTOR IS TO CALCULATE BOTH THE NUMBER OF EFFECTIVE HOURS AND NON EFFECTIVE HOURS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT BASED ON THE PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES OF THE PROPOSED EQUIPMENT. THIS MAY BE CALCULATED BY EFFECTIVE PERCENTAGE OR OTHER MEANS. THE GOVERNMENT CANNOT ANTICIPATE THE EFFICIENCY OF PROPOSED EQUIPMENT (WHICH MAY VARY FROM BIDDER TO BIDDER) AND PRESCRIBE THE EXACT NUMBER OF HOURS REQUIRED.

1. Under Item 10 of original Solicitation it references: Mechanical Dredging for the Big Sandy River. Under Requirement 1- Type of Contract in Section 00800 of the Special Contract Requirements, it states: This work shall be completed via mechanical (clamshell bucket). Will the Government accept a bid from Contractors utilizing a hydraulic (clamshell bucket) or hydraulic excavator in lieu of the mechanical equipment?

A. CLAMSHELL BUCKET IS ONLY ONE EXAMPLE OF A MECHANICAL DREDGE THAT WILL ACCEPTED. A HYDRAULIC CLAMSHELL AND HYDRAULIC EXCAVATORS ARE ALSO CONSIDERED MECHANICAL DREDGES, AND THEREFORE CAN BE ACCEPTABLE IF THE EQUIPMENT CAN MEET THE MINIMUM CONTRACT PRODUCTION RATES. (SEE REVISED 00800 – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS PARAGRAPH 1

1. Under Specification No. 10 – Permits in Section 010000 of the Technical Contract Specifications, it states: The Contractor shall obtain (unless otherwise directed) and comply with all required permits, licenses, etc., including right-of-entry, and maintain these documents at the project site, readily available for inspection. No work will start until the Contractor obtains all required permits (Federal, State, and Local. What Federal, State and Local permits will the Contractor be required to obtain for performance of work referenced in this project?

A. SEE SECTION 00800, SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS, PARAGRAPH 2. SEE SECTION 00800 SCR, PARAGRAPH 7, SECTION 7.1.

1. The Solicitation, Offer, and Award, box 11, FAR clause 52.211-10, and Section 00800 Special Contract Requirements, 1. Type of Contract, indicate starting work within 10 calendar days of Notice to Proceed and be complete within 60 calendar days. Section 00800 Special Contract Requirements, paragraph 4. indicates 235,000 cy of material to dredge and in paragraph 3.5, a minimum production rate of 360 tons/hour effective time. Working 7 days a week for 50 days at the minimum production would result in almost 16 hours per day and that does not include any down time for passing traffic, weather or maintenance issues. Amendment no. 0001, Section 01 00 00, paragraph 2. Time or Performance, indicates normal work to be one 8-hour shift, 5 days per week. Based upon the quantities and time frame this is not possible without numerous dredging plants working simultaneously. Please confirm that multiple shifts and a 6 or 7-day week are allowable including holidays.

A. CONFIRMED THAT ONE 8-HOUR SHIFT IS NOT FEASIBLE. 8 HOUR SHIFT WAS INCLUDED AS A BASIS FOR LABOR CALCULATIONS. SEE QUESTION 10 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1. FAR clause 52.222-6 Construction Wage Requirements, and Section 00800 Special Contract Requirements, paragraph 23. Wage Rates—Please provide wage rate classifications for boat pilots and deckhands. We do not see where on the wage decision provided that they would fit.

A. THERE IS NO RATE FOR BOAT PILOTS AND/OR DECKHANDS IN WV THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR. THE CONTRACTOR IS RESPONSIBLE FOR RESEARCHING AND DETERMINING A RATE FOR THOSE SPECIFIC CLASSIFICATIONS. IF A CONTRACTOR WANTS TO GET THESE CLASSIFICATIONS ON THE WAGE REQUIREMENTS, THEY MUST WAIT UNTIL THE CONTRACT IS AWARDED. ONCE THE CONTRACT IS AWARDED, THE CONTRACTOR CAN INITIATE A CONFORMANCE PROCESS AND SUBMIT A STANDARD FORM 1444 TO THE CONTRACTING OFFICER WHO WILL THEN SUBMIT IT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.

1. FAR clause 52.236-16 Quantity Surveys indicates that “Quantity surveys will be conducted, and the data from these surveys shall be used in computing the quantities of work performed and the actual construction completed and in place…” and goes on to say in paragraph c) that the contractor is to perform their own surveys which are to be used for amount of progress payments. How will these surveys be used when the bid items are in hours and minutes?

A. OBTAINING BARGE DRAFTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE FILLING OF EACH MATERIAL BARGE IS CONSIDERED THE QUANTITY SURVEY USED UNDER THIS CONTRACT TO RECORD THE PROGRESS MADE, AND PAYMENT WILL BE ESTIMATED BASED ON THE HOURS, NOT THE QUANTITY OF DREDGED MATERIAL. HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYS WILL NOT BE USED TO ESTIMATE QUANTITIES DREDGED, NOR USED TO DETERMINE PAYMENT.

1. Section 00800 Special Contract Requirements, paragraph 8. Accident Prevention, the last sentence of the 2nd paragraph appears to end mid-sentence. Please comment/provide missing words.

A. PLEASE SEE AMENDMENT 0002, REVISED SECTION 00800, ACCIDENT PREVENTION, PARAGRAPH 8, SECTION 2, LAST SENTENCE.

“…SAFETY TOE SHOES AND HARD HATS AS PER EM-385-1-1 (REVISED NOVEMBER 2014”.

1. Section 00800 Special Contract Requirements, paragraph 10. Supervision, indicates that there is to be at least 3 people in supervisory roles including a Contractor Representative, a SSHO, and a Quality Control Inspector, and that a Quality Control Inspector is normally appointed for each work crew. Is it expected that these are 3 different individuals on each dredge rig and each disposal rig in these supervisory positions? If not, what is expected from the Corps that will be acceptable?

A. PLEASE SEE SECTION 00800 SCR, PARAGRAPH 10. SUPERVISION. THE CONTRACTOR MAY APPOINT QCI.

1. Section 00800 Special Contract Requirements, paragraph 12. Quality Control, indicates a Quality Control Program is to be submitted to assure the requirements of the contract are provided. Due to the type of dredging, and the Positioning System that is required that shows where each bucket has dredged, and the operator confirming depth, what else would be required in this plan. The paragraph also states that a Quality Control Report (QCR) to be provided for each crew and each shift, so are we correct in assuming that we would have at least 4 QCR’s to complete each day if we have 1 crew digging, 1 crew unloading and for 2 shifts?

A. CREW IS CONSIDERED TO INCLUDE DIGGING AND UNLOADING WORKERS. ONLY ONE QCR PER SHIFT IS REQUIRED.

1. Section 00800 Special Contract Requirements, paragraph 22. Payment, indicates that pay time will be measured to the nearest minute. Who will be responsible for determining the time? Will there be a full-time Corps inspector on each dredge rig or rigs if more than one rig dredging? Will there be allowances for dredge operator lunch breaks or bathroom breaks or will that be at a reduced rate?

A. CORPS INSPECTORS WILL KEEP TIME. IF THE DREDGING STOPS, THE CONTRACTOR WILL BE ON ZERO TIME. RELIEF OPERATORS MAY BE CONSIDERED FOR MAINTAINING EFFICIENCY.

1. Under the same section referenced above, paragraph 22.4 Suspended Operations at 33.3%. Will this amount be added to the total contract value or will the Effective and/or Non Effective hours be reduced so that the Total Contract Value is not exceeded?

A. THE EFFECTIVE AND NON-EFFECTIVE HOURS WILL BE REDUCED SO THE VALUE IS NOT EXCEEDED.

1. Under the same section referenced above, paragraph 22.9, in the middle of the paragraph there is a sentence that reads “For increased work or requirements that call for additional equipment, the Contractor will not be able to re-evaluate the unit prices in the bid schedule”—what does that mean? There is a “Changes” clause in the FAR clauses included that would allow changes in price.

A. THIS LANGUAGE DICTATES A FIRM-FIXED PRICE FOR THE WORK BEING PERFORMED. SHOULD THE CONTRACTOR NEED TO ADD OR SUBTRACT EQUIPMENT AND/OR PERSONNEL TO MEET THE REQUIRED PRODUCTION RATE, THE COST PER EFFECTIVE HOUR SHALL NOT CHANGE. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CONTRACTOR TO MAINTAIN THE REQUIRED RATE, REGARDLESS OF THE EQUIPMENT OR MANPOWER REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE IT.

1. Amendment no. 0001, Section 01 00 00, paragraph titled Typical Work Requirements: (1) indicates that work will not be restricted to floating plant situations—what percentage of the work might be considered land-based and is the disposal still in the Ohio River? Paragraph (2) under this same section indicates that it is to include removal of trees, snags, debris, wrecks, etc.—we assume that the effective hourly rate will still occur while addressing these types of materials even though the 360 tons per hour may not be met during these types of removals, and that the disposal is in the same location.

A. ANY WORK THAT IS CONSIDERED A SPECIAL OR UNIQUE SITUATION (REMOVAL OF SNAGS OR SAWYERS, OBSTRUCTIONS) WILL NOT BE GOVERNED BY THE HOURLY PRODUCTION RATE. THERE IS NO POSSIBLE QUANTIFICATION FOR VOLUME MEASUREMENT FOR THESE UNIQUE AND LIMITED TASKS. THE REQUIRED PRODUCTION RATE IS TO BE MET, UNLESS THERE IS A LEGITIMATE REASON FOR THE SHORTFALL (EXAMPLE: ROCKS MIXED WITH MATERIAL THAT MAY CAUSE MATERIAL LOSS FROM THE BUCKET DUE TO NON-CLOSURE). SUCH INSTANCE IS ULTIMATELY NOT THE FAULT OF THE CONTRACTOR, AND WOULD NOT RESULT IN NEGATIVE REPERCUSSIONS.

1. Amendment no. 0001, Section 01 00 00, paragraph 1. Miscellaneous Equipment, Materials and Fees, appears to imply that there is a bid item for some type of miscellaneous materials, etc. where a “plug” price would be included. The bid schedule has no such line item. Please explain the intent of this paragraph.

A. THIS PARAGRAPH IS TO COVER ANY INSTANCE THAT WOULD REQUIRE THE CONTRACTOR TO PURCHASE OR PROVIDE ANY MATERIALS FOR THE WORK. AS NOT TO LIMIT ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF PERFORMING THE WORK (THAT THE GOVERNMENT MAY NOT HAVE CONSIDERED), THIS SECTION IS INCLUDED, BUT NOT ANTICIPATED TO BE APPLICABLE.

1. Amendment no. 0001, Section 01 00 00, paragraph 15. Submittal Register, indicates that a submittal register is to be prepared and submitted in accordance with contract requirements. It is unclear where those requirements are identified in this solicitation. Please advise.

A. SEE SECTION 01 00 00, Paragraph 15, SUBMITTAL REGISTER AND SECTION 00800.

1. Amendment no. 0001, Section 01 00 00, paragraph 18. Work to be Performed, b. Contractors Representative, indicates that all work is to be executed under the direction of a Project Manager. Is this person above and beyond the Contractor’s Representative and Quality Control Inspector mentioned above in Section 00800 Special Contract Requirements, paragraph 10. Supervision and does this person also have to be onsite for all shifts? Please explain.

A. THE PROJECT MANAGER IS THE POC AT THE CONTRACTORS HOME OFFICE. PLEASE SEE QUESTION #20.

1. Amendment no. 0001, includes a new Bid Schedule where the hours have been removed from the Quantity column for the Effective Time and the Non Effective Hours. Are we to fill in those hours as well as the unit cost? If so, will the extended amount be the limits of the Contract Value even if the 235,000 cy have not been completely dredged? In other words if we would base our hours on a rate that exceeded the minimum production of 360 tons/effective hour, but then was not able to achieve our estimated rate, but were still at the 360 tons/effective hour would hours be later added to the contract at the same unit price (equal to an increase in the total cost) to complete the total volume of work?

A. 360 TONS PER EFFECTIVE HOUR IS THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT. THERE IS NO MAXIMUM. THEREFORE, THE CONTRACTOR IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERMINING THE NUMBER OF HOURS AND THE UNIT PRICING FOR COMPLETING APPROXIMATELY 235,000 CUBIC YARDS PER CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS. PLEASE REFERENCE SECTION 00800 – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS, PARAGRAPH 3, SECTION 3.5 AND PARAGRAPH 4.

1. If we are to estimate Non Effective Hours, will the Corps place any restrictions on Navigation so that we would not have to go to the Non Effective rate for each passing vessel/tow?

A. THE CORPS DOES NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO RESTRICT NAVIGATION ON THE BIG SANDY. HOWEVER, WE DO COORDINATE WITH THE TOWING INDUSTRY, AND CAN ACCOMPLISH MOST OF THE DREDGING WITHOUT STOPPING DREDGING OPERATIONS TO PASS TRAFFIC.

1. Section 00-800-1 - Is a contractor permitted to utilize a hydraulic backhoe with either a smooth mouth bucket or a bucket with teeth to perform the excavation and disposal phases of the project?

A. SEE SECTION 00800 PARAGRAPH 3

1. Assuming a 10 hr. work day, a production of 3,600 tons is required (00800-3.5).

Based on the assumed total of 235,000 cubic yards of production (00800-4) a contractor would require the following work days:

± Conversion Factor

2.0 tons/cy = 235,000 cy ...;- 1,800 cy/day = 130 working days

1.9 tons/cy = 235,000 cy ...;- 1,894 cy/day = 124 working days

1.8 tons/cy = 235,000 cy ...;- 2,000 cy/day = 117 working days

1.7 tons/cy = 235,000 cy ...;- 2, 117 cy/day = 111 working days

1.6 tons/cy = 235,000 cy ...;- 2,250 cy/day = 104 working days

1.5 tons/cy = 235,000 cy ...;- 2,400 cy/day = 98 working days

00800 -1 States 60 working days completion. Please explain and clarify. Section 01 00 00- 2 states a normal work day is 8 hour shift per day, five (5) days a week.

A. PLEASE SEE QUESTION 10. CONTRACTORS SHOULD EXPECT ABOUT 1.2 TONS PER CY OF SANDY MATERIAL CONTAINING COAL.

1. Section 00800-1 - 3rd sentence Please provide construction drawings, which includes cross-sections and disposal area locations in order for contractors to provide a proposed work schedule with bids.

A. PLEASE SEE QUESTION 1 AND 2.