Oakland_Dredging_Project_Questions_and_Answers_10-28-14.pdf

OAKLAND INNER AND OUTER HARBOR CHANNEL MAINTENANCE

DREDGING PROJECT, ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

AS OF: 28 October 2014 Page 1 of 6

QUESTIONS & RESPONSES

SOLICITATION NUMBER W912P7-14-B-0006

The intent of this section is to provide questions & comments received from interested parties on the above solicitation, and our responses to those questions and comments. It is possible that the information below does not reflect 100% of the questions and responses. The questions and comments do not necessarily represent questions received from any particular contractor.

Questions and responses are provided for information only and are not made part of the solicitation. Only a formal amendment (SF30) to the solicitation changes the solicitation.

Changes to any previous responses in this document will be struck-through and new, updated responses will be provided as appropriate.

No. RFP Section Question Response

Will the USACE be posting the new .xyz files on the website?

See datasets for surveys below:

SF_21_OOH_R7-10_

20140813-18_BD_sor

SF_21_OIH_201407

24-0805_BD_sorted1

2 1. When will award of the options be made?

Before commencement of dredging per reach, based on predredge surveys or after completion and acceptance of a reach if material shoals prior to contract completion?

Section 01 57 20.00 10 Page 10 and 11

3.7.1 Fish The Government is required by the

California Department of Fish and Wildlife to have herring observers on-site in the area where dredging activities are being performed after 30 November 2014. In the event that herring spawning is observed within 500 meters of Oakland Inner & Outer Harbor O&M Dredging Project FY15 the dredging, the Government will direct the Contractor to immediately stop dredging and move dredging operations outside of the 500-meter zone and continue working.

Section 01 57 20.00 10 Page 12 3.11 Training of Contractor Personnel The Contractor is responsible for acquiring the services of California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW)- approved biologist(s) to observe and record data documenting herring spawning activities during all dredging operations after 30 November 2014.

The Government cannot modify a contract to increase the scope more than 25 percent over the total contract amount. The Options are intended to provide a means to increase the scope of the contract beyond the allowable 25 percent over the total contract amount without the need to re-solicit another contract. Option(s) will be awarded after the BD surveys are performed and only if the BD survey total quantity exceeds the estimated quantity in the Bid Schedule by more than 25 percent.

AS OF: 28 October 2014 Page 2 of 6

QUESTIONS & RESPONSES

SOLICITATION NUMBER W912P7-14-B-0006

3 Can the USACE San Francisco District provide guidance as to the duration and the required observation location of the required biologist?

Or, provide guidance to the means and methods of observation? Due to safety concerns and space limitations it would be extremely difficult to have a biological observer onboard a dredge, with a vantage point, when dredging operations are underway. Conversely, adding a dedicated vessel, with an operator and biological observer can significantly increase the costs for the project.

Section 01 57 20.00 Page 8 3.4.3.1 Testing The Contractor shall establish background noise level measurements to assess noise impacts from dredging operations. The background noise level measurements are intended to provide an indication of the existing quietest ambient conditions, prior to dredging, and should be representative of the project area in which to be dredged.

Measurements used to establish the background noise level should be measured from the project channel boundary and within the working hours in which dredging will take place. A minimum of two

(2) sets of three (3) measurements shall be taken during this time frame, at different times during the day to estimate noise exposure over a workday.

The total measurement period must be ten (10) minutes or longer. The Contractor shall note the environment in which the measurements were conducted in, a list of the acoustical instruments used, and the points at which the measurements were made. The description shall be efficiently detailed to permit the test to be repeated.

During dredging, the Contractor shall monitor the noise to ensure that the noise limit is not exceeded.

The Contracting Officer's Representative or Quality Assurance personnel will be notified immediately, should the monitoring suggest a potential to exceed ordinance noise level. If necessary, the Contractor shall implement engineering control for the dredging activities to meet the required noise level.

The required herring spawning observations shall begin on December 1, 2014 and will end when the contact dredging is completed, or on February 28, 2015, whichever occurs first. The observers are required to be on duty 24-hours per day. The observers do not need to be on board the dredge plant but should be located in a position where they can safely observe and accurately determine whether there is herring spawning activity that may be within the 200-meter boundary in the water where the dredging is occurring.

4 Is noise testing and monitoring required as specified?

No, the requirement for noise sampling and testing will be deleted.

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QUESTIONS & RESPONSES

SOLICITATION NUMBER W912P7-14-B-0006

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QUESTIONS & RESPONSES

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