This Sources Sought Notice is for the Durham VAMC to determine sources for air monitoring for floor tile and master removal containing asbestos. This is a SOURCES SOUGHT announcement only. The purpose of this notice is to conduct market research and obtain information from qualified businesses. This is not a request for bids, quotes, or proposals. All responsible sources must submit a capability statement addressing its capabilities, capacity, and location which shall be considered by the agency. The responses to this announcement will assist in determining the socio-economic set aside if feasible. The Veteran s Administration is required by Public Law 109-461 to give priority to SDVOSB and VOSB concerns if there should be sufficient firms available to compete under a set aside. If insufficient veteran owned and small business response is received to establish the basis for setting this action aside for other than large business participation then the action will be advertised as full and open competition, in which case, all interested parties responding shall be eligible to bid.
This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary; the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government.
Interested parties submitting a response to this inquiry must include the following information: name and address of company; business size (large, small, VOSB, or SDVOSB); identify applicable socioeconomic categories and any pertinent information which demonstrates the firm s ability to meet the above requirement. All responses shall be submitted no later than April 09, 2025, at 10:00am EST. Responses shall be emailed to: cleveland.wynne@va.gov.
SCOPE OF WORK: AIR MONITORING FOR ASBESTOS
Work to be Done: Furnish all labor (North Carolina Accredited Asbestos air monitors), material, tools, equipment, necessary to perform the project air monitoring of the asbestos removal described within this scope of work. All work shall be completed in accordance with applicable Federal, State, and Local Regulation and VA Directives, whichever is more stringent. Post removal air clearances will be analyzed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and must not exceed 70 structures per square millimeter of filter area.
Asbestos-Containing Floor Tile and Mastic:
1. Building 1, 1st Floor, B-Wing Dental
All work (mobilization, containment assembly, removal activities, TEM air clearance, containment disassembly, and demobilization) is to occur between 8:00am and 5:00pm. Contractor Shall use non-friable, non-regulated methods. Specifically, Infrared radiant heat floor tile removal machines, low to no odor mastic remover, and hand-held mastic removal tools. TEM clearance.
B1029 155 ft2
B1031 155 ft2
TOTAL 310 ft2
2. Building 1 Mezzanine above Linear Accelerator (Adjacent to Pharmacy Waiting Area)
All work (mobilization, containment assembly, removal activities, TEM air clearance, containment disassembly, and demobilization) is to occur between 8:00am and 5:00pm. Contractor Shall use non-friable, non-regulated methods to remove floor tile and mastic and stair tread covering. Specifically, Infrared radiant heat floor tile removal machines, low to no odor mastic remover, and hand-held mastic removal tools. TEM clearance.
Mezzanine 760 ft2
SCOPE:
The contractor shall furnish all materials, labor, equipment, training, transportation and personnel necessary to accomplish removal the ACMs within this scope of work.
a. All work shall be completed in accordance with applicable Federal, State, and Local Regulation and VA Directives, whichever is more stringent.
b. All Abatement Designers, Supervisors, and Workers shall be accredited by the State of North Carolina s Health Hazard Control Unit (HHCU) for their specific work discipline.
c. An Asbestos Removal Permit must be obtained from the HHCU if more than 35 cubic feet, 160 square feet, or 260 linear feet of regulated asbestos-containing material is to be removed from a building.
d. Notifications and Asbestos Permit applications require an original signature and must be submitted to the HHCU 10 working days prior to beginning demolition or renovation activities.
e. Mobilization, pipe chase access, containment assembly, removal activities, post removal cleaning and removal of construction and ACM.
f. All work is to occur during hours that do not adversely impact the care of Veterans.
Refer to Technical Information Library (TIL) - Office of Construction & Facilities Management for general specifications. The contractor shall conduct all work in accordance with applicable building codes, VA Design Guides and the VA Specifications. The contractor shall be responsible for providing their own access to building codes.
01-35-26 Safety Requirements
02-41-00 Demolition
02-82-13.19 Asbestos Floor Tile And Masic
GENERAL:
Execute work to interfere as little as possible with normal functioning of the hospital including operations of utility services, fire protection systems and any existing equipment, and with work being performed by others. Use of equipment and tools that transmit vibrations and noises through the building structure, are not permitted in buildings that are occupied jointly by patients or medical personnel, and Contractor s personnel, except as permitted by COR where required by limited working space.
No utility service such as water, gas, steam sewers or electricity, or fire protection systems and communications systems may be interrupted without prior approval of COR and Chief Engineer. Electrical work shall be accomplished with all affected circuits or equipment de energized. When an electrical outage cannot be accomplished, work on any energized circuits or equipment shall not commence without the Medical Center Director s prior knowledge and written approval. The vendor shall submit a request to interrupt any such services to COR, in writing, 4 weeks in advance of proposed interruption. Request shall state reason, date, exact time of, and approximate duration of such interruption.
The Durham VAHCS reserves the right to close or shut down the project site and order the vendor s employees off the premises in the event of a local or national emergency. The vendor may return to the site only with the written approval of the Contracting Officer.
Site and Building Access: Maintain free and unobstructed access to facility emergency services and for fire, police, and other emergency response forces in accordance with NFPA 241.
Means of Egress: Do not block exiting for occupied buildings, including paths from exits to roads. Minimize disruptions and coordinate with COR.
Buildings will be occupied during performance of work. Contractor shall take all measures and provide all material necessary for protecting existing equipment and property in affected areas against fugitive dust and debris, so that equipment and affected areas to be used in the DVAMC operations will not be hindered. Coordinate alteration work in areas occupied by Department of Veterans Affairs so that Durham VAHCS operations will continue during the installation period.
The contractor shall maintain neat and orderly work areas and shall clean area of debris and rubbish daily and dispose of waste materials offsite per hospital policies. The contractor shall provide a dumpster if it is determined to be necessary and shall work with the COR in advance for a spot-on site to establish the dumpster.
All work shall be performed in full accordance with applicable local and Federal regulations. All materials and installation shall conform to the recommendations of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), plumbing and mechanical codes. No departures from specification requirements will be permitted without written approval. The Supplier shall use good safety practices while working. All hardware should be installed in such a manner to minimize damage and maximize patient and employee safety.
New work shall be installed and connected to existing work safely and professionally. Disturbed or damaged work shall be replaced or repaired to its prior conditions.
COR to escort contractors. Badges shall be required.
OSHA 10-hour training is required for all workers on site and North Carolina Asbestos Worker/Supervisor Accreditations.
Parking is not guaranteed, we will provide one parking pass per project.
A. The contractor shall provide a written safety plan (within 5 days of NTP) as outlined to the COR for approval prior to the commencement of work. This plan shall describe the contractor s general safety program and shall identify specific safety hazards incidental to the contract work.
a. The contractor shall secure and follow all instructions of an Infection Control Risk
b. Assessment (ICRA) for any work behind walls or above ceilings.
B. The contractor shall submit a work schedule and submittals within 5 days of notice to proceed.
a. The Durham VAHCS shall have 5 workdays to review and approve submittals.
CONTRACTOR STAFF AND EMPLOYEES
The Government and the Contractor understand and agree that the construction services to be performed under this contract by the Contractor to the Government are non-personal services and the parties recognize and agree that no employer-employee or master-servant relationships exist or will exist under the contract between the Government and the Contractor s employees.
Prior to commencing work, the contractor shall provide the Contracting Officer with the telephone number at which the contractor or his/her designated representative may be contacted at any time during regular working hours and an emergency number which the contractor may be contacted in situations requiring immediate attention. The above-mentioned representative, if provided, must be delegated in writing to act on the behalf of the principle/President/CEO of the company.
The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contractor s employees performing services under this contract. Such employees shall be accountable not to the Government, but solely to the contractor, who, in turn, is responsible to the Government.
All work under this contract shall be performed in a skillful and workmanlike manner. The Contracting Officer may require, in writing, the contractor to remove from the job site any employee the Contracting Officer deems incompetent, careless, or otherwise objectionable.
The contractor s employees shall not enter the work site without appropriate identification. They may also be subject to inspection of their personal effects when entering or leaving the project site.
The Contractor s office/location must be operational upon award of the contract and throughout the duration of the performance and must be open for business from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays and weekends.
Normal work hours are from 5:00 PM- 3:00 AM Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Holidays and weekends. Contractors must obtain written permission from the Contracting Officer at least 4 working days prior to work on Saturdays, Sundays, or Federal holidays. This is a fully operational medical facility, and to minimize impact to patient care some work will be required outside of normal working hours as defined previously. The contractor shall give a 1 week notice to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) so that scheduling arrangements can be provided for the employees. This notice is separate from any notices required for utility shutdown described later in this section.
PROGRESS MEETINGS
Work to take I day. Progress meetings not applicable.
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE
Work shall be accomplished within 10 days after NTP.
SCHEDULING OF WORK
Before commencement of work, the contractor shall confer with the Contracting Officer s Representative, as well as the building occupant, and agree on a sequence of procedures; means of access to premises and building; space for storage of materials and equipment; delivery of materials and use of approaches; use of corridors, stairways, elevators, and similar means of communications; location of partitions, eating spaces, and restrooms for contractor employees; and the like.
Delivery of materials and equipment shall be made with a minimum of interference to Government operations and personnel.
The work shall, so far as practicable, be done in definite sections or divisions, and confined to limited areas which shall be completed before work in other sections or divisions is begun.
Most work will be performed in occupied areas. The contractor shall take all precautions to ensure that no damage will result from his operations to private or public property. All damages shall be repaired or replaced by the contractor at no cost to the Government.
The contractor shall be responsible for providing all work site protective barriers and site control devices. This includes but is not limited to: protective fences; protective tapes; and protective signage. The contractor shall be responsible for providing all necessary traffic control, such as, street blockages, traffic cones, flagman, etc., as required for each specific task order, at no additional cost to the Government. Proposed traffic control methods shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer s representative for final approval. No street shall be completely closed to traffic without prior approval from the Contracting Officer s representative.
At the beginning of each working day, the contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer s representative of the location(s) of work to be accomplished that day.
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All temporary outages of any utility services required for the performance of work shall be scheduled with the Contracting Officer s representative no less than five (5) working days in advance of such outages. Request for power outages must be in writing.
CONTRACTOR ACCESS
Most work will be in occupied areas. The area wherein work is to be performed under this contract may be occupied by Government services during the construction period. The contractor shall have access to that portion of the area within which work is to be performed. The movement of contractor personnel, equipment, materials, and tools shall be confined to this area so as not to interfere with ongoing operations in the work areas.
CONTRACTOR QUALITY CONTROL
The Contractor Quality Control (QC) Plan, with which the contractor proposes to implement the requirements of FAR Clause 52.246-12, entitled Inspection of Construction , shall identify personnel, procedures, instructions, records, and forms to be used. After contract award, and prior to commencement of work under individual task orders, the contractor s Quality Control Plan shall be received, reviewed, and formally accepted in writing by the Contracting Officer. Failure to execute the Quality Control Plan shall result in withholding of funds from progress payments in accordance with FAR Clause 52.232-5, entitled Payments Under Fixed-Price Construction Contracts . In general, the contractor s quality control plan must address how they intend to assure that their construction complies with the requirements of the contract plans and specifications.
Coordination Meeting: Prior beginning work, the contractor shall meet with the Contracting Officer or designated representative and discuss the contractor s quality control system. During the meeting, a mutual understanding of the system details shall be developed, including the forms for recording the CQC operations, control activities, testing, administration of the system for both on-site and off-site work, and the interrelationship of contractor s inspection and control with the Government s Quality Assurance. Minutes of the meeting shall be prepared by the contractor and signed by both the contractor and the Contracting Officer. The minutes shall become a part of the contract file. There may also be occasions when subsequent conferences will be called to reconfirm mutual understandings.
a. The Quality Control Plan shall include as a minimum, the following:
(1) A description of the quality control organization, including chart showing lines of authority and acknowledgement that the CQC staff shall report to the project manager or someone higher in the contractor s organization.
(2) The qualifications, duties, responsibilities, and authorities of each person assigned a quality control function.
(3) A copy of the letter to the Quality Control Manager, signed by an authorized official of the firm, which describes the responsibilities and delegates the authorities of the Quality Control Manager, shall be furnished.
(4) Procedures for scheduling and managing submittals, including those of subcontractors, offsite fabricators, suppliers, and purchasing agents.
(5) Reporting procedures, including proposed reporting formats and distribution of the documents.
The Government reserves the right to require the contractor to make changes in his CQC Plan and operations as necessary to obtain the quality specified. These changes must be submitted to and approved by the Contracting Officer. Notification of Changes: The contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing of any proposed changes. Proposed changes are subject to acceptance by the Contracting Officer.
b. Quality Control Organization
(1) QC System Manager: The contractor shall identify an individual, within his organization, who shall be responsible for overall management of QC and have authority to act in all CQC matters for the contractor. The QC System Manager shall be approved by the Contracting Officer and replaced if the QC System Manager is unable or unwilling to perform his duties as prescribed.
(2) Personnel: A staff shall be maintained under the direction of the QC System Manger to perform all quality control activities. The actual strength of the staff during any specific work period may vary to cover work phase needs, shifts, and rate of placement. The personnel of this staff shall be fully qualified by experience and technical training to perform their assigned responsibilities and shall be directly hired by and work for the prime contractor.
(3) Minimum Qualifications: Inspectors shall have working knowledge of general construction. The major areas of construction are electrical, mechanical, site work, masonry, finish work, and carpentry. The inspectors may have expertise in one or two areas and may inspect those areas when that type of work is ongoing.
(4) Minimum Staffing: Each task order in progress shall be comprehensively inspected at least daily, and these inspections shall be documented.
c. SUBMITTALS: The QC organization shall be responsible for certifying that all submittals are in compliance with the contract requirements.
d. CONTROL: Contractor quality control is the means by which the contractor assures himself that his construction complies with the requirements of the contract plans and specifications. The controls shall be adequate to cover all construction operations, including both on-site and off-site fabrication, and will be keyed to the proposed construction sequence. Quality control includes, as a minimum, the following functions:
(1) All submittals are submitted in a timely fashion.
(2) The submittals are approved.
(3) The supplies that are delivered are the same as the ones on the submittal.
(4) The supplies are in the proper condition when delivered.
(5) The supplies are stored properly.
(6) The construction equipment is correct and meets contract requirements.
(7) Testing provisions are reviewed and testing equipment and personnel are available and correct.
(8) All tests are performed at the proper times and in the proper places.
(9) All test reports meet contract requirements.
(10) The workers are cognizant of the required level of workmanship.
(11) Inspect each area of work to ensure the preparation for the work is correct.
(12) Inspect each feature of the work to ascertain that no deficient work is covered up by succeeding work.
(13) Inspections shall continue throughout the contract.
(14) Document all inspections.
(15) The documentation covers both conforming and defective work.
(16) All deficiencies are corrected.
(17) Develop procedures to ensure that deficiencies do not recur.
(18) Develop a punch list for the completion inspection.
(19) Government officials are notified at the proper times of inspections or tests that are required
TESTS:
(1) Testing Procedures: The contractor shall monitor Negative Pressure Enclosure (NPE) only. Testing after completion will be performed by a third-party Air Monitoring Firm.
(2) Documentation:
(a) Records: The contractor shall maintain current records of quality control operations, activities and tests performed, including the work of suppliers and subcontractors. The records shall be on the Daily Construction Quality Control Report and indicate a description of trades working on the project, the number of personnel working, the weather conditions encountered, any delays encountered, and acknowledgement of deficiencies noted, along with the corrective action taken on current and previous deficiencies. In addition, these records shall include factual evidence that required activities or tests have been performed, including, but not limited to, the following:
Type and number of control activities and tests involved.
Results of control activities or tests.
Nature of defects, causes for rejection, etc.
Proposed remedial action; and
Corrective actions taken.
(b) Content: These records shall cover both conforming and defective or deficient features and shall include a statement that supplies, and material incorporated in the work have been inspected and comply with the contract. Two (2) legible copies of these records shall be furnished to the Contracting Officer s Representative daily.
SAFETY ASSURANCE
Contractor s maximum experience modification rating (ERM):
Preconstruction Safety Meetings: Representatives of the contractor shall meet with the Contracting Officer or his/her representatives prior to the start of repair, alteration, or construction activities for the purpose of reviewing the contractor s safety and health programs and discussing implementation of all safety and health provisions pertinent to the work to be performed under the contract. Preconstruction Safety Meetings shall be coordinated by the Contracting Officer or his/her representative. The contractor shall be prepared to discuss, in detail, the measures he/she intends to take in order to control any unsafe or unhealthy conditions associated with the work to be performed under the contract. This meeting may be held in conjunction with the preconstruction conference, if so, directed by the Contracting Officer or his/her designated representative. The conduct of this meeting is not contingent upon a general preconstruction meeting. The level of detail for the safety meeting is dependent upon the nature of the work and the potential inherent hazards. The contractor s principal representative(s), the general superintendent, and his/her safety representative(s) shall attend this meeting. Contractor Responsibility: The contractor shall assume full responsibility and liability for compliance with all applicable regulations pertaining to the health and safety of personnel during the execution of work and shall hold the Government harmless for any action on his part or that of his employees or subcontractors, which results in illness, injury, or death. Contractors are required to report, timely, any accidents or injuries to the Contracting Officer. Inspection, Tests, and Reports: The required inspections, tests, and reports made by the contractor, subcontractors, specially trained technicians, equipment manufacturers, and others, as required by a task order, shall be furnished in accordance with the terms of the task order. Materials and Equipment: Special facilities, devices, equipment, clothing, and similar items used by the contractor in the execution of work shall comply with the applicable regulations.
