Responses_to_Questions_from_Potential_Bidders_4-2-19_.pdf

PRESQUE ISLE BEACH NOURISHMENT PROJECT

ERIE, PA

SOLICITATION # W912P419B0013

April 2, 2019

Responses to questions from potential bidders:

1. Debris Removal; Remove any trees and debris within the excavation areas

(including proposed access points). Place removed tree and debris directly adjacent to the State Park roadways, for removal by Park personnel. Coordinate specific locations with State Park personnel. Please clarify the location for placement.

Response: Place debris adjacent to the park roadway at the access point for the beach area where work is being performed.

2. Is there any grading work prior to placing the sand?

Response: Any grading work on the beach/shoreline would be performed at the

Contractor's discretion to facilitate sand placement or tombolo excavation. Some clearing and or grading may be required to prepare the access points between the park roadway and beach for equipment/truck access.

3. There is a question about the prevailing wage for the drivers hauling the sand and stone. Do all drivers on the project fall under prevailing wage rates? Is there difference with broker trucks.

Response: Under the Davis Bacon Act, the drivers would be entitled to prevailing wage rates, unless they are brokered owner-operators of the vehicles. Brokered drivers may be entitled to prevailing wage rates if they are not the owners of the vehicles and have been hired to drive the vehicles. Brokered owner-operators are not required to be paid prevailing wages.

4. In the specifications there is a Canadian Source for an approved supplier, in the bid meeting is was stated that no wavier will be given to a NON U.S source is the correct and should we disregard this source as an option?

Response: The Canadian Source was used to supply sand in the past. This source may not be used unless an exception to the Buy American Act is requested and approved by the Contracting Officer. Note that the sand has been provided domestically for the past several years.

5. Are years Two through Five of the solicitation considered option years or not?

Response: This will be a Single Award Task Order Contract (SATOC) and there are no

“option years.” Rather, the contract will have a 5-year ordering period for task orders.

The Government is under no obligation to issue task orders during any year.

6. In Year One (1) of the project, are you able to say if the sand that will be placed on the beach is limited to a certain section of the beach or could the sand have to be placed in certain areas along the entire peninsula?

Response: Sand placement needs/locations are identified each year, prior to nourishment activities based on shoreline inspections. Sand placement (and tombolo excavation) may be required throughout the contract area. Historical quantity and placement locations are provided as attachments to the bid documents.

7. If there are changing conditions such as a dramatic increase in the cost of fuel for instance during years Two through Five is there any recourse for situations like that?

Response: The contractor assumes the risk of any increases in fuel costs and will be held to the bid prices. Depending on the circumstances, other changing conditions may be addressed through the Changes and Differing Site Conditions Clauses in the Contract.

8. Is prevailing wage required for truck drivers who haul sand from stock pile at North Pier to Beach Location?

Response: See response to question #3.

9. Is prevailing wage required for truck drivers who haul washed gravel from an off-site location to Beach 10?

Response: See response to question #3.

10. Please confirm all sand must be delivered via a vessel and not trucked in?

Response: See project specification 01 35 13, Para. 1.6.4 – “Do not deliver Beach Sand

Fill to the project by roadway. Make all sand deliveries by water, at the North Pier.

Rounded stone may be delivered by road”.

11. Are materials for this project (sand & stone) tax exempt?

Response: No.

12. On the bid schedule, Plover Monitoring is only listed in line item for Tombolo Excavation

& Fill. Should all the monies associated with Plover Monitoring be included only within the Tombolo Excavation & Fill line item?

Response: Specification section Price and Payment Procedures provides details as to what should be included in the various bid items. Costs for plover monitoring are included in “Tombolo Excavation and Fill”, “Type S Beach Sand Fill from Existing

Stockpile”, and “Type S Beach Sand Fill (Provide and Place)”.

13. Are the Plover Monitors exempt from needing to be paid prevailing wage?

Response: The answer depends on their primary job duties. The Davis Bacon Act applies to every person performing the duties of a laborer or mechanic in the construction, prosecution, completion or repair of a public work. The term “laborer or mechanic” includes at least those workers whose duties are manual or physical in nature

(including those workers who use tools or who are performing the work of a trade), as distinguished from mental or managerial. The term does not apply to workers whose duties are primarily administrative, executive, or clerical, rather than manual. Persons employed in a bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity as defined in part 541 of this title are not deemed to be laborers or mechanics. If Plover Monitors devote more than 20 percent of their time during a workweek to mechanic or laborer duties, and who do not meet the criteria of part 541, they are laborers and mechanics for the time so spent.

14. In reference to the “washed stone” it appears the ASHTO rating for #3 stone won’t be an issue, however, finding a #3 with “rounded edges” seems to be difficult. Can USACE provide any contact information for companies who are approved to provide this material in the region as they did for the approved sand suppliers?

Response: USACE did confirm the general availability of stone but there are no approved suppliers.

15. Will any other size of stone be acceptable to use if we can find #3 “rounded stone” in a different size?

Response: Different stone sizes are not being considered at this time.

16. Will the Buy American Waiver be accepted if provided with our proposal?

Response: Bidders may request an exception in accordance with Solicitation clause 52.225-11 and 52.225-12. Note that the sand has been provided domestically for the past several years.

17. Does the Buy American Waiver effect the acceptance of our proposal?

See response to question #16.