H312--Fire System Inspection & Testing

RESPONSE:

Per NFPA 25 13.4.5.2.2.2 a full trip test of dry systems is required every three years, and an air leakage test of dry systems every three years per NFPA 13.4.5.2.9. for the following buildings. Years for testing shall be Base Year FY26, and Option Year 3 FY29.

Building 14

Building 22/69

Building 49

Building 60

Building 128

Building 129

Building 130

Building 131

(This is in SOW, written this way, for the full dry trip test).Â

(This is not in the SOW but NFPA 25 states)- 13.4.3.2.3- During the years when full flow testing in accordance with 13,4,4,2,2 is not required, the Preaction valve shall be trip tested with the control valve partially open.

As far as the quarterly, semi-annual, annual testing it would make no sense to do a quarterly test, then right after doing a semi-annual test, then right after doing an annual test performing the same test on the same visit. Â Unless mistaken, there are no tests that would be a quarterly test, and a semi-annual test, and/or an annual test.

REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION:

1. Inspection Frequency Overlap (Quarterly, Semi-Annual, Annual)

The CLIN structure appears to define inspection frequencies as separate and cumulative as follows:

Annual = 1 occurrence

Semi-Annual = 2 occurrences

Quarterly = 4 occurrences

However, per NFPA, these inspection intervals are not additive, but rather inclusive, where higher frequency inspections (quarterly) inherently satisfy the requirements of lower frequency intervals (semi-annual and annual).

Concern:

The current structure appears to require performance and pricing of:

4 quarterly inspections

PLUS 2 semi-annual inspections

PLUS 1 annual inspection

This results in 7 total inspection events annually, which exceeds NFPA requirements and standard industry practice.Â

Per NFPA guidelines exclusively the following is the standard:

Fire Alarm Systems: 2 Inspections per year

Annual

Semi-Annual

Fire Sprinkler Systems: 4 Inspections per year

Annual

Quarterly 1

Semi-Annual

Quarterly 2

Kitchen Hoods: 2 Inspections per yer

Annual

Semi-Annual

2. Dry Pipe Trip Testing (3-Year Frequency)

The CLIN structure includes dry pipe valve trip testing in:

Base Year

All Option Years

Per NFPA 25, dry pipe valve trip testing is required once every 3 years, not annually.

Concern:

Including this requirement in every contract year appears to conflict with NFPA 25 and may result in:

Unnecessary system disruption

Increased wear on equipment

Inflated pricing

Request for Clarification:

Should dry pipe trip testing be performed strictly on a 3-year cycle (e.g., Base Year and Option Year 3)?

Or is the Government requiring annual trip testing regardless of NFPA guidance?

Fire System Inspection and Testing