Updated Questions and Answers 5.1.2026.pdf
PDF 133 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- W9128F26QA052
About this file
This is a Questions and Answers document for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) construction Request for Quote (RFQ) involving irrigation conduit repair work at a dam facility.
Quote submissions must be emailed to Karen.L.Caskey@usace.army.mil and Mika.N.Mahyenga@usace.army.mil, with questions due by 4 May 2026 at 2:00pm CST. The project is designated as a 100% Small Business Set Aside, and bid bonds are not required for this construction RFQ. Contract Line Item #3 involves repair of a 54-inch Reinforced Concrete Pipe (RCP) irrigation conduit where the leak source must be precisely identified and addressed. Contractors must use a sounder/locator method—such as Sonde Locating, which employs a beacon transmitter to trace buried non-metallic pipe joints—to correlate internal leaking joints with surface saturation. Any alternative methods must include technical justification demonstrating equivalent or superior accuracy. All contractor work plans must comply with the current approved Drilling and Invasive Program Plan (DIPP) and be reviewed by Dam Safety; any deviations from the DIPP require Dam Safety vetting. Changes to repair methods based on differing site conditions discovered during inspection will be handled under FAR clause 52.236-2. Instructions for submitting quotes are located in Section 00 21 00 of the solicitation.
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Questions & Answers
1. What are the details for the proposal submittal. Ie, email, sealed bid, address? It says to look at Line 8 on the solicitation is blank.
Answer: Please look in instructions under Section 00 21 00 under Submitting your Quote. Please email me your quote at Karen.L.Caskey@usace.army.mil as well as Mika.N.Mahyenga@usace.army.mil.
2. When are questions due?
Answer: Questions are due on 4 May 2026 at 2:00pm CST
3. Can you tell us what is the material the 54” Irrigation conduit?
Answer: The 54” Irrigation Pipe is an RCP (Reinforced Concrete Pipe).
4. Confirming the project is 100% Small Business Set Aside?
Answer: Yes
5. SF1442 has the Offer Guarantee is Required checked, but FAR 52.228-1 does not show an amount for the bond. Is there a bid bond required and if there is what is the amount?
Answer: Bid Bonds are not required for a construction RFQ. Amendment has been posted.
6. In Contract Line Item #3 the Repair this item will be very difficult to price out due to the unknown nature of the problem causing the leak. How Will changes to the proposed methods of the repair be handled if a change in assumed conditions is found in the inspections?
Answer: Please reference the FAR clause 52.236-2, Differing Site Conditions
7. Will Dam Safety want to review any of the Contractor’s work plans, etc.?
Answer:
a. Responded to the Contractor that yes, Dam Safety will be made aware of and will review the Contractor’s work plan to ensure it adheres to and there are no deviations from the current approved Drilling and Invasive Program Plan (DIPP). If the Contractor must deviate from the current approved DIPP, then that must be vetted by Dam Safety.
8. What is the sounder/locater method?
Answer:
a. We informed the contractor that the 'sounder/locator' method encompasses any technique utilizing a transmitter and receiver to ensure repairs are precisely targeted at the joint causing the leak. Because this is the original piping installed during dam construction, multiple joints may be sub-optimal; however, USACE intends to repair only those joints actively causing the current leak. The absence of as-built records for the pipe and its joints complicates this process. If the mailto:Karen.L.Caskey@usace.army.mil mailto:Mika.N.Mahyenga@usace.army.mil contractor proposes an alternative method to correlate the internal leaking joint with the surface saturation, please provide a technical justification explaining how it meets or exceeds the accuracy of the sounder/locator method.
b. NOTE: Research identifies 'Sonde Locating' as a viable sounder/locator method. This involves using a beacon (sonde) when a buried pipe is non-metallic and cannot carry an electromagnetic signal. The sonde radiates its own specific frequency, which is then traced by a surface receiver. Common applications include empty conduits, drains, and sewer lines. Sonde Locating works with RCP.
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .