Industry Questions and Responses Through 01 Apr 24.pdf

Industry Inquiries and Government Responses.

Government answers are listed in bold, italicized font. Red is updates from previous ques on release.

1. Please confirm if a bid bond is required for quote submission. Currently, as shown in 13b of the SF1442, a bid guarantee is required.

a. A bid bond is not required for quote submission; the requirement will be removed in an upcoming amendment.

Note: The contractor will provide one of either an Irrevocable Le er of Credit (ILC) or a Payment bond, in accordance with FAR 28.102-1(b) before a No ce to Proceed will be released. Updated: FAR Clauses 52.228-13 Alterna ve Payment Protec ons and 52.228-14 Irrevocable Le er of Credit is added to Amendment 0001.

2. Regarding the new flooring to be installed, the SOW states, “Flooring to be upgraded to a commercial-grade, low-maintenance, and ergonomic surface.” Can a basis of design be established for the new floor? Would commercial grade LVP be acceptable?

a. The government will consider luxury vinyl plank flooring, but the flooring must be a commercial-grade, water-resistant (at a minimum), low-maintenance, and ergonomic surface.

Updated: The PWS is amended to add “water-resistant” to Sec on 1.c. Install New Flooring.

Note: Visitor traffic with wet shoes, spills, and water intrusions are always a poten al in a commercial se ng. This loca on has had success with interlocking rubber le and rolled rubber le elsewhere on Project, and that type of product is men oned in the PWS. However, a rubber floor system is not required, and we are open to quotes with other op ons if bidders think they have a superior solu on. Preference will be given to companies that provide sustainable product op ons and/or products made of recycled materials, which can be referenced in the evalua on factors included on the solicita on. Addi onally, the PWS also states: “Flooring will be natural tones that complement the themes of the exhibit area.”

3. There currently isn’t a requirement for cove base to be installed. Is new cove base required for this project? If so is 4” or 6” rubber cove base required?

a. A 4” Cove base, or baseboards will be priced in Op on CLIN 0002.

Updated: Op on CLIN 0002 for a Cove Base or Baseboards is included in Amendment 0001.

4. Is a full- me superintendent or USACE cer fied quality control manager required for this project?

a. Yes. The government will require that a superintendent from the company is present onsite. A separate QCM is not required; the superintendent can fulfill this role.

Updated: Amendment 0001 adds FAR 52.236-6 Superintendence by the Contractor.

5. Will there be an area to place a rolloff dumpster?

a. Space for disposal bin will be provided, with location subject to COR coordination and approval. The location of the disposal bin is dependent on other Project activities that may be occurring during the Period of Performance, which are unknown at this time. This can be referenced in section 3.0 of the Performance Work Statement.

6. Could confirm if the current carpet you have is glued down to the concrete or if it is installed with tack strips and stretched into place? Are they carpet les?

a. Carpet is glued to the floor.

7. Is the carpet glued to the walls or stretched?

a. Carpet is glued to the wall, about 4” high, covering approximately 200 sq .

8. Were you wan ng any form of baseboards, or did you have another plan for that exposed concrete wall?

a. Offerors will price Baseboards (or Cove Base) in Op on CLIN 0002.

Updated: An Op on CLIN for a Cove Base or Baseboards is included in Amendment 0001.

9. Is that le you men oned, ceramic/porcelain le, or is it VCT composite (plas c) les?

a. The exis ng le to be removed is Vinyl Composi on Tile (VCT). There is approximately

260 sq of this material.

10. Since the carpet is glued down, would you want all adhesive to be removed down to the bare concrete? A er the demo, depending on how the previous installer installed the floors, there may be adhesive residue or a lazy-S pa ern that we may need to scrape up. Rubber les would translate something underneath them, so the floor would ideally be very smooth. We'd also need to prime the concrete in most scenarios, so that glue being there or not would impact the bid.

a. The adhesive on the walls would need to be removed down to bare concrete. Under 1.0.b, PWS states: “Concrete surface on the wall where the carpet was will be free of adhesives, down to bare concrete.” The adhesive on the floor would only have to be removed to meet the new flooring specifica ons. We would not want anything transla ng to the new flooring. Under 1.0.b, PWS states: “Concrete surface will be prepared in a manner that conforms with the specifica ons of the new flooring to be installed.”

11. You also men oned an underlayment, but most of these rubber les will just be glued to the substrate there, so o en they don't need a dedicated underlayment. Did you have something par cular in mind?

a. In other flooring projects at this site, floa ng interlocking rubber les were u lized, and an underlayment was required per manufacturer specifica ons. If the contractor is quo ng a product where that is not required per the manufacturer’s specifica ons, then the contractor would follow the product specifica ons.

12. You men oned that "Accessibility will need to be maintained," just to confirm, did you mean general accessibility for wheelchair and assisted access, or did you mean that the business will be remaining open while the work is ongoing?

a. The area will be closed to the public during flooring work. The PWS states:

“Accessibility will have to be maintained for visitors who use wheelchairs and devices for walking assistance.”

13. Would we have to be moving any displays, furniture, fixtures or will all that be removed prior to our arrival?

a. No, all displays and furniture will be moved prior to commencement of flooring work.

14. We would like to know if this is a brand-new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services.

a. This is a brand-new contract, there is no incumbent contractor that has performed these services.

15. Addi onal government informa on. The PWS will be updated for the upcoming amendment to add an Opera ng Constraint: Budget. At this me, the government an cipates a max available budget of $50,000 for this effort.

16. What should we do with the alcove sea ng area?

a. The carpet in the alcove sea ng area has been removed by USACE. The plywood frame has been exposed. (Photos a ached) Flooring contractor will bring new flooring up to the plywood frame and USACE will determine an aesthe c covering for that sea ng space a er the flooring is installed.

17. A er all carpet is removed, if the floor is determined to require leveling, should we submit a “change order?”

a. The surface prep task includes leveling if the contractor picks a product that needs a perfectly level floor. When submi ng a quote, the Contractor also acknowledges that it has sa sfied itself as to the character, quality, and quan ty of surface and subsurface materials or obstacles to be encountered insofar as this informa on is reasonably ascertainable from an inspec on of the site.

18. Are the two sets of stairs to be included in the update?

a. Op on CLIN 0003, Update Stairs, has been added to Amendment 0001. See PWS for details. Offerors will submit pricing to update the stairs IAW the PWS.

19. We are not sure what needs to be done in the wood area. This was a lower-level viewing area that was raised for ADA. We need some guidance for what the vision for it would be. Do we leave as is or rebuild it so it’s more stable?

a. Stabiliza on of this area is not included in the scope of this project. New flooring is to be installed over the plywood. Flooring over the plywood area will be the same as, or cohesive with, the flooring material installed over the concrete. Note, the two areas are not likely to line up and will need an ADA accessible transi on between the two areas. The ADA wood flooring does flex and needs to be compensated for. See PWS for details and picture.

20. Is there asbestos under the le?

a. USACE has submi ed the material under the le for Asbestos Tes ng. Results will be posted on SAM.gov once received. If required, the PWS and Solicita on will be Amended.