1.When Will the Bid Be Awarded After the Closure Date?

1.When will the bid be awarded after the closure date?

Answer: The bid will be awarded by no later than June 29th, 2015.

2.What if there is a problem with the OCC gaining access to a site and the court possibly has to become involved?

Answer: Oklahoma Statutes (O.S.) Title 17 §323(12) allows authorized representatives of the PSTD to access properties where storage tank systems are present or a release from a system has occurred for the purpose of any reasonable investigation. The PSTD will be sending courtesy access letters to the current property owners of each site notifying them of the pending assessment on their properties and citing this clause of the statute.

3.There is limited number of drilling rigs available; suppose we win the NE quadrant but the rigs are committed to drilling in the other quadrants and no rigs are available?

Answer: It is the responsibility of the winning bidder to secure all necessary sub-contractors, including drilling rigs, and ensure that the work can, and will be, completed by the deadlines outlined in the solicitation letter.

4.Is the OCC regulator that will be on site willing to accommodate the consultants schedule including long days (12-14 hours) and possible weekends?

Answer: To the extent possible, an OCC Project Environmental Analyst will be on site during the normal work week the day the drilling is scheduled to begin to aid in selecting the best possible locations for the borings and answer questions about the assessment. Project Environmental Analysts will not be available to be on-site during weekends. See answer to question #38 for further elaboration.

5.Since the reports going to entail, maps, tables, graphs, OWRB reports, final lab reports, boring logs? Is there a report template? Do we just use the PSTD boring installation form?

Answer: There is no specific report template for presenting the results of each site assessment. You are free to use whatever format you choose, as long as all the information and data outlined in the solicitation letter is included in the reports.

6.Are disposal costs to be included in the bid? Since disposal can only be an estimate will a CO be possible?

Answer: Yes. Each bid should include disposal related costs. Note that no change orders can be submitted for this solicitation and the OCC will consider all bids to be a representation of the total and final costs to complete the work outlined in the solicitation letter.

7.Who will sign the OCC Disposal form as the generator of the waste?

Answer: A representative of the company(s) awarded the bid to complete the assessments can sign the OCC Disposal form as the generator of the waste.

8.Will the OCC require original signatures on the disposal form from the transporter and disposal facility or will an e-mail signed form be acceptable?

Answer: Anemailed version of the Disposal form with all appropriate signatures will suffice.

9.Are two samples to be collected from every boring regardless if all the PID readings are ND?

Answer: Yes. Regardless of PID readings, a minimum of two (2) soil samples are to be collected from each boring for laboratory analyses of the appropriate Chemicals of Concern (CoCs) as outlined in the solicitation letter.

10.The groundwater grab samples will require setting a temp well, if water is not present in all borings will a CO be required to reduce the bid by a lesser amount to reflect the reduction in the number of water and/or soil samples?

Answer: The PSTD is not requiring that a temporary well be set to collect water samples. As is stated in the solicitation letter, a grab water sample is to be collected from the open boring (where present) for laboratory analyses of appropriate CoCs. Your bid should reflect the costs to collect and analyze 2 soil samples and one (1) water sample per boring. The OCC understands that water samples may not be collected from all borings and does not expect a downwards change order to reconcile such costs. Conversely, the OCC cannot entertain any upwards change orders for this project so all contingencies should be factored into your bid.

11.Are all the sites accessible in wet weather conditions?

Answer: The OCC cannot guarantee the degree of accessibility of each and every site during wet weather conditions.

12.Is the site and address information correct so OKIE calls can be completed?

Answer: The OCC has attempted to provide either the physical address or as accurate a description of the physical location of each site as possible. These can be found in the top, left of each aerial map. Several of the sites do not have physical addresses or specific finding directions (ex. PO Box, Rural Rt. No. only) and additional research may be required on your part to identify accurate, physical locations for such sites.

13.Are change orders acceptable for unforeseen problems that cause additional costs?

Answer: No Change Orders (upwards or downwards) will be accepted for this bid solicitation and your bid should reflect the total and final cost to complete all the tasks outlined in the solicitation.

14.Will a health and safety plan be required for each site?

Answer: The OCC considers an appropriate site health and safety plan to be standard internal protocol and practice under such circumstances and assumes these will be available.

15.The Bid mentions 8020/8015 methods. What about 8021 for BTEX and do you want MTBE?

Answer: EPA Method 8021 is a modification of Method 8020 for BTEX analyses and may be used for analyses of the BTEX components. The OCC is not requiring analysis for MTBE on any of thesamples.

16.Disposal, where does the OCC consider central holding area for the drums? Area on site or at a designated site in OKC ? Tulsa?

Answer: Based on a conversation with Jon Roberts, Program Manager in the Land

Protection Division of the Oklahoma DEQ, they are agreeable to thetransportation and temporary storage of all generated soil drumsfrom the

various sites to a close by centralized and secure staging area pending the soil

laboratory analytical results in order to alleviate the safety concerns associated

with the storage of these drums at the sites of old, abandoned UST facilitiesthat are potentially much less secure.

17. Does the OCC have an area where the drums can be temporarily stored?

Answer: The OCC does not have any designated area where the drums may be temporarily stored.

18.If the soil is non-detect on the PID can it be spread on site or at the central holding area?

Answer: Soils can be spread on-site or at the central holding area only after confirmation that laboratory analytical results of the composite sample from all the drums for a particular site are below detection limits for all CoC.

19.If at a central holding area offsite, will the OCC reimburse for transporting from holding area to the landfill?

Answer: This scenario should be factored into your bid.

20.There was no mention of running Total Lead for composite samples that Landfills require for disposal? Did you intend for that to be part of the bid?

Answer: Yes. Total lead will be required for the composite soil samples from the drums for potential disposal purposes and should be a part of the bid.

21.Are back up samples required (i.e. 2 samples per collection point)?

Answer: The OCC is not requiring duplicate samples for each collection point.

22. The required total depth of the borings is 20’. Is it safe to presume its okay to stop short of that if shallow limestone or other bedrock is encountered?

Answer: Should auger refusal occur due to encountering limestone or other bedrock prior to achieving the target depth of 20 feet for a given boring, then it is ok to stop drilling at the point of auger refusal and collect soil samples (and water if encountered).

23.It says, “soil waste should be stored at a centralized temporary holding location”. Does this mean off-site? If so, we’re to transport the drums without first characterizing the waste stream (i.e. lab analyses). Correct?

Answer: Based on a conversation with Jon Roberts, Program Manager in the LandProtection Division of the Oklahoma DEQ, they are agreeable to thetransportation and temporary storage of all generated soil drums from thevarious sites to a close by (off-site) centralized and secure staging area pending the soillaboratory analytical results in order to alleviate the safety concerns associatedwith the storage of these drums at the sites of old, abandoned UST facilitiesthat are potentially much less secure.

24.Would the PSTD allow soil cuttings to be placed back down the boring to minimize or eliminate soil waste if field screening levels of soil gas were low to none?

Answer: Soils can be spread on-site or at the central holding area only after confirmation that laboratory analytical results of the composite sample from all the drums for a particular site are below detection limits for all CoC.

25.Pages 2 and 3 of the Request for Solicitation (# 1850002279-TOU2) indicate that laboratory analyses of soil and groundwater samples for BTEX and TPH shall be completed using EPA Method 8020/8015 Modified. Should the analytical method be the Oklahoma GRO 8020/8015 Method and the Oklahoma DRO 8020/8015 Method? The OCC typically requires analysis using the Oklahoma method which is slightly different than the standard EPA Method 8020/8015 Modified.

Answer: The Oklahoma GRO 8020/8015 Method and DRO 8020/8015 Method, which should basically mirror the EPA Methods, can be used.

26.Page 2 of the Request for Solicitation indicates borings shall be installed using a “hollow-stem auger”. The drilling description also indicates that “the diameter of the borings should be as small as possible to minimize generation of residual waste soils…”. Is it acceptable to use a Geoprobe® direct-push drilling unit to collect soil and groundwater samples instead of a hollow-stem auger?

• The advantages of the using the Geoprobe® direct-push drilling unit include: a.) Generating a minimal volume of drill cuttings; b.) Core samples are sealed in acetate liners until the environmental personnel are ready to field-screen the soil samples; and, c.) The small size of the drilling unit facilitates accessibility to drilling locations in congested areas.
• Groundwater samples can be collected from each boring using a peristaltic pump and dedicated tubing inserted into the drill rods, or through the Geoprobe® check valve system. After reaching total depth with the Geoprobe® direct-push drilling unit, the operator will advance a reusable steel screen through the drill rods to the total depth of the boring, raise the drill stem, and expose the screen to groundwater in the borehole.
• The Geoprobe® direct-push drilling unit is also equipped with hollow-stem augers (HSAs) which can be used to overdrill the borehole if necessary.
  

Answer: The target depth for each soil boring for the assessments is 20 feet. Given the difficulty in achieving this depth with some push-pull units in various types of soil, the OCC is requiring that a hollow-stem auger rig be used to drill all borings. This will also ensure that all potential bidders are bidding on the same technology and allow the OCC to evaluate all bids uniformly.

27.Page 3 of the Request for Solicitation indicates grab water samples shall be collected from each open boring for laboratory analyses. However, it is unlikely that groundwater will be present in all borings. In order to make all bids submitted by interested parties directly comparative, shall the bids assume analysis of one groundwater sample from every boring? Or shall the bid include costs for soil sample analyses and a unit rate for groundwater sample analyses?

Answer: Yes, the bids should assume analysis of one groundwater sample from every boring.

28.Since it is unlikely that groundwater will be present in all borings, how long must the borehole remain open before determining that it is “dry” and can be plugged?

• If the Geoprobe® is used to drill the borings, and the Geoprobe® reusable steel screen and check valve system is used to collect groundwater samples (if present), can the boring be plugged immediately if no groundwater is present?
  

Answer: If the soils appear entirely dry with no evidence of water yield anywhere upon completion of the boring, then proceed with plugging at that time. Should the soils at the apparent interface with the water table or at total depth show evidence of available water, i.e. moist, then leave boring open for 15-30 minutes in an attempt to allow the formation to produce sufficient water to collect an open-hole water sample.

29.Estimating the costs for drum disposal is problematical because the number of drums and the locations of the sites with drums that require disposal are unknown at this time. In order to make all bids submitted by interested parties directly comparative, shall the bids assume disposal of all drummed wastes? Or shall the bids include unit costs for pickup, transport (mileage), and disposal (per drum)?

Answer: Each bid should include disposal costs, in the event that all drums of stored material from each site will need to be transported to a disposal facility.

30.Page 3 of the Request for Solicitation indicates “transportation of all drummed residual waste soils generated from each site to a centralized temporary holding location for proper disposal pending the soil laboratory analytical results for each site.” Please confirm that this means placing the drummed wastes generated at a particular site at a central location on the same site. We assume that the drummed wastes cannot be removed from the site to another central holding area until the lab results are available.

Answer: Based on a conversation with Jon Roberts, Program Manager in the Land Protection Division of the Oklahoma DEQ, they are agreeable to the transportation and temporary storage of all generated soil drums from the various sites to a close by (off-site) centralized and secure staging area pending the soil laboratory analytical results in order to alleviate the safety concerns associated with the storage of these drums at the sites of old, abandoned UST facilities that are potentially much less secure.

31.In order to meet the OCC’s timeframe to complete the environmental assessments, it will be necessary to drill borings at more than one TOU facility in a day – possibly up to two or three sites per day. In addition, weather conditions or other conditions encountered during the assessments may delay drilling. Can the bidders assume that the PSTD Project Environmental Analyst will be available when the drilling crew arrives at each TOU facility? Will the PSTD Project Environmental Analyst’s schedule be sufficiently flexible to accommodate an expedited or delayed drilling schedule?

Answer: An OCC Project Environmental Analyst (PEA) will be on site during the normal work week the day the drilling is scheduled to begin to aid in selecting the best possible locations for the borings and answer questions about the assessment. If more than one site will be drilled in a day (2 orpossibly 3 sites in a given day), then to the extent possible, multiple OCC PEAs will be available during the normal work week to be at the various sites in the same day. Project Environmental Analysts will not beavailable to be on-site during weekends. See answer to question #38 for further elaboration.

32.If we win the bid for any of the quarters and some of the sites go to a case-I realize we have the option of working the case-question –do unit cost rates then apply to the new case?

Answer: Standard costing procedures and protocols will apply to any case that may be activated based on the results of these site assessments. This includes unit costs for all scopes of work where the PSTD has established unit cost rates.

33.Section A.2.4of the OMES Forms-CP-004SA states that an electronic copy of the bid must also be submitted in addition to the sealed hard copy. Is the electronic copy to be emailed to you on the same day as submittal of the sealed hard copy?

Answer: The electronic and hard copies need to be submitted prior to the closing date…either submitting them together same day, after or before each other will be the preference of the vendor.

34.Section A14 of the above noted document also states that the DCS vendor registration must be completed in order to receive an award from the State of Oklahoma. Does that process have to be completed prior to bid submittal, or only in the event of contract award?

Answer: If the awarded vendor is not registered with OMES Vendor registration, before award and Purchase Order is submitted by Oklahoma Corporation Commission…vendor will need to process such registration. It would benefit the vendor to register with OMES Vendor Registration to conduct future business opportunities with the State of Oklahoma.

35.Do you want a separate Responding Bidder Information sheet for EACH quadrant, or just one such sheet with the four quadrant bids included? We understand that each quadrant should act as a separate bid; we just want to make sure a single sheet counts as a responsive bid.