NOTICES
Retention of Underwater Diving Consultants; Project Reference No. FDC-500-400
[43 Pa.B. 6236]
[Saturday, October 19, 2013]The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Department) will retain underwater diving consultants for open-end contracts for the underwater inspection, maintenance and repair of hydraulic structures for dams owned and operated by the Bureau of State Parks and the Bureau of Forestry. The contracts will be for a 12-month period with four 12-month extensions possible. Inspections and maintenance and repair projects will be assigned on an as-needed basis to ensure proper and safe operation of Department infrastructure and facilities.
Typical inspection services work will consist of the inspection of control tower structures and intake structures and their appurtenances including sluice gates, trash racks, valves, ladders, pipe conduits, and the like. Each field inspection shall be supplemented by a written inspection report, narrated underwater video and an electronic version. The electronic version shall be compatible with the Department's computer system.
Typical maintenance and repair projects will consist of debris removal from sluice gates, pipe conduits and trash racks; silt removal at intake structures; stop log removal and installation; sluice gate and valve adjustment and repair; installation and repair of trash racks; application of underwater coatings; concrete repairs; and injection grouting and crack repair.
Letters of Interest for this project will only be accepted from individuals, firms or corporations who are certified professional divers having been trained in the inspection, maintenance and repair of hydraulic structures. If an individual, firm or corporation not authorized to engage in the inspection, maintenance and repair of hydraulic structures desires to submit a letter of interest, the individual, firm or corporation may do so as part of a joint venture with an individual, firm or corporation who is trained in the inspection, maintenance and repair of hydraulic structures.
Section 105.53 of 25 Pa. Code (relating to inspections by permittees or owners and inspection reports) details the conditions and requirements of inspections and their corresponding reports that are to be prepared for submission to the Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waterways Engineering, Division of Dam Safety.
PART I
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS I-1. Diving and Inspection Requirements. Specific Requirements are:
A. All divers shall be certified professional divers. All diving operations shall be performed in accordance with the latest revisions of the Association of Diving Contractors Consensus Standards for Commercial Diving Operations and the OSHA Commercial Diving Regulations (1910 OSHA Subpart T) in conjunction with the United States Navy Diving Manual.
B. The consultant dive team shall be trained and experienced in the inspection, maintenance and repair of hydraulic structures. The dive team shall consist of a minimum of four- to five-person dive crews dependent on the complexity of the inspection or the maintenance and repair project. The dive team shall have an effective blend of diving and engineering expertise and be knowledgeable in the inspection, repair and maintenance of the structural and nonstructural components of a dam. The dive team shall be familiar with concrete intake structures, sluice gates, trash racks, gate valves, concrete conduits, outlet pipes, and the like.
C. Firms shall be responsible for providing their own equipment for the field inspections and maintenance and repair work. Firms shall provide all necessary materials including access and handling equipment to perform the work in a safe and workmanlike manner.
D. All diving to be performed will be surface-supplied air diving. Divers shall be equipped with helmets with two-way communication. Continuous two-way voice communication shall be provided between all divers and the surface crew at all times.
E. The dive consultant shall upon notification be able to respond to a site within 24 hours. In the event of an emergency, as perceived by the Department, the dive consultant may be required to mobilize in a shorter period of time.
F. The underwater inspection shall be supplemented by a written report of the observations made. The inspection report shall include descriptions, locations, measurements and sketches for each inspection performed. The inspection report shall document all areas of deterioration, voids, damage, and the like, discovered during the inspection. Four copies of the inspection report shall be submitted to the Department. Each dam inspection shall be submitted as a separate report.
G. The inspection report shall also include a compact disc or DVD of the entire inspection to document typical conditions encountered and areas of distress. The video inspection equipment shall be equipment useful and required to view and record underwater inspections as clear pictures. Narration of the inspection shall be included on the video. Four copies of the video inspection shall be submitted along with four copies of the written inspection report for each dam. Only one dam inspection shall be included on each disc or DVD. All discs or DVDs shall be clearly marked with the name of the dam and the inspection date.
I-2. Addenda to the Request for Proposals (RFP). If the Department deems it necessary to revise any part of this RFP before the proposal response date, the issuing office will post an addendum to the Department web site at http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us. It is the Offeror's responsibility to periodically check the web site for any new information or addenda to the RFP. Answers to the questions asked during the questions and answers period also will be posted, as necessary, to the web site as an addendum to the RFP.
I-3. Small Diverse Business Information. The offering firm must be a self-certified Small Business/Small Diverse Business verified by the Department of General Services (DGS), Bureau of Small Business Opportunities (BSBO).
A Small Diverse Business is a DGS-verified minority-owned business, woman-owned business, veteran-owned business or service-disabled veteran-owned business.
A small business is a business in the United States which is independently owned, not dominant in its field of operation, employs no more than 100 full-time or full-time equivalent employees, and earns less than $7 million in gross annual revenues for building design, $20 million in gross annual revenues for sales and services and $25 million in gross annual revenues for those businesses in the information technology sales or service business.
Questions regarding this Program can be directed to Department of General Services, Bureau of Small Business Opportunities, Room 611, North Office Building, Harrisburg, PA 17125, (717) 783-3119, fax (717) 787-7052, gs-bsbo@pa.gov, www.dgs.state.pa.us.
Note: Equal employment opportunity and contract compliance statements referring to company equal employment opportunity policies or past contract compliance practices do not constitute proof of small diverse business status or entitle an offeror to receive credit for small diverse business utilization.
I-4. Notification of Selection. Offerors whose proposals are not selected will be notified when contract negotiations have been successfully completed and the Department has received the final negotiated contract signed by the selected offeror.
I-5. Type of Contract. The type of contract as a result of this RFP shall be an open-end, requirements contract. Work shall be assigned on an as-needed basis as determined by the Department.
PART II
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS Offerors must submit their proposals in the format, including heading descriptions, outlined as follows. To be considered, the proposal must respond to all requirements in this part of the RFP. Offerors should provide any other information thought to be relevant, but not applicable to the enumerated categories, as an appendix to the proposal.
II-1. Letter of Interest. Each Letter of Interest must include the firm's Federal identification number and the project reference number. The Letter of Interest shall also include a description of the firm's three most recently completed projects similar to the project proposed. The description shall include the client, contact person and phone number, the estimated or actual construction cost of the portion of the work which the firm designed, the project manager and the names of all personnel who made major contributions to the project. The Letter of Interest shall indicate the firm's capability of working on multiple small projects at the same time and understanding of the Department's needs. A standard DGS Form 150-ASP must accompany the Letter of Interest and shall indicate the individual in charge. The Form 150-ASP is available by downloading from DGS web site at http://www.dgs.state.pa.us, choose from the menu on left margin: ''Construction and Public Works,'' then ''Project Administration,'' then ''Professional Selections,'' then ''Forms.''
II-2. Number of Copies. Six copies of the complete set consisting of the Letter of Interest and the required forms must be received no later than 4 p.m. on November 14, 2013. The six copies shall be submitted in six complete sets that shall be spiral bound or in folders or secured by binder clips. The assignment and services will be made to one or more of the firms responding to this notice. However, the Department reserves the right to reject all Letters of Interest submitted, cancel the solicitation requested under this notice or readvertise solicitation for this service, or both.
II-3. Small Diverse Business Participation Submittal. Offeror must include proof of Small Business/Small Diverse Business qualification in the submittal of the proposal, as indicated as follows:
A Small Business/Small Diverse Business verified by DGS, BSBO as a Small Business/Small Diverse Business must provide a photocopy of their verification letter.
II-4. Debriefing. The Department will not offer a debriefing session to the unsuccessful firms. The Department disclaims any liability whatsoever to its review of the proposal submitted and in formulating a recommendation for selections. Recommendations made by the Department shall be final.
PART III
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION III-1. Selection Criteria. The underwater consulting firm will be evaluated upon, but not limited to, the following criteria:
A. Professional qualifications, experience and technical competence of personnel proposed to perform the assignment. Evaluation will consider relevant past experience, education, training, registration, certification and longevity with the firm. Evaluation shall include familiarity with OSHA Commercial Diving Regulations and the Association of Diving Contractors Standards.
B. Record of satisfactory performance by the firm on similar assignments. This record shall establish the ability to properly manage the project in terms of costs, quality control and performance schedules. Names and telephone numbers of references shall be included.
C. Specialized experience with specific application to dams in this Commonwealth.
D. Available manpower to perform the services required.
E. Understanding of problem as demonstrated in the letter of interest.
F. Equitable distribution of contracts.
G. Offerer is a self-certified Small Business.
To be eligible for selection for this project the Offerer firm must be a self-certified Small Business/Small Diverse Business verified by the GS, BSBO. Refer to Part I, I-3.
III-2. Number of Contracts. The number of Open-End Contracts and the dollar amount of each contract shall be at the discretion of the Department for the first year. The extent of the work for the subsequent 4 years of the contract will be dependent on the availability of additional funds and additional projects for those years, also at the discretion of the Department.
It is the intent of the Department to select multiple firms for projects to be assigned on a regional basis.
PART IV
MAILING AND CONTACT INFORMATION Firms interested in performing the required services for this project are invited to submit Letters of Interest to Alfred Uzokwe, P.E., Director, Bureau of Facility Design and Construction, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 8th Floor, 400 Market Street, P. O. Box 8451 Harrisburg, PA 17105-8451. Contact Edward Raptosh at (717) 783-3329 for general information concerning the underwater inspection and maintenance and repair work.
ELLEN M. FERRETTI,
Acting Secretary
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 13-1964. Filed for public inspection October 18, 2013, 9:00 a.m.]
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