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Contractor's Inquiry Responses

Contract No. FR4275172


Inq. 23	Post Date: 2/2/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/29/2010
	Q. Please clarify SHA's intent regarding Section C.b.I.B.a.iv, Environmental Violations. How is SHA defining "fines" and "stop work order"?
	A. The Proposers shall describe the circumstances and follow-up action for any environmental violation they have received in the past five years ON SHA PROJECTS in which a fee was imposed on the Proposer either through a penalty, fine, or liquidated damages, or if they were required to suspend construction activities.

Inq. 22	Post Date: 2/2/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/29/2010
	Q. Is the organizational chart part of the 4 page limit of the Team Organizational section?
	A. Yes, the organizational chart is part of the 4 page limit for Team Organization.

Inq. 21	Post Date: 2/2/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/29/2010
	Q. Reference the recent response to Contractor's Inquiry 10 (RFQ Section G.b): As this project is a stipulated sum design build procurement and the major design elements of the project have been completed, the professional services MBE participation is disproportionate to the design project requirements. a. The bridge and highway professional design services to date, being substantially complete, would have required DBE participation to develop and therefore, 2% of the total contract value goal for MBE participation for professional services required to complete the project is excessive. b. For this Contract we believe a DBE value of not more than 1% of the contract value for professional services to be more appropriate, or consideration be given to further revising the DBE requirement to 20% of designers work.
	A. As noted in the response to Inquiry No. 5, the MBE Professional Services goal was re-evaluated subsequent to the issuance of the Request for Qualifications and the revised goal is set at 2% of the total contract value. No further adjustment will be made to this goal.

Inq. 20	Post Date: 2/2/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/29/2010
	Q. Reference the recent response to Contractor's Inquiry 7: If forms A-1 (Key Personnel Experience) are not included in the pages count for Lead Designer and Lead Contractor, please clarify what content is expected in the 8 pages previously committed to personnel resumes.
	A. There are six (6) key staff members required for the Lead Design Firm and two (2) key staff members required for the Lead Construction Firm. Each key staff member shall have a one page resume submitted as part of this section of the Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) as outlined on pages 15 and 16 of the Request for Qualifications, which accounts for eight (8) pages. The A-1 form lists each of the key staff members whose resumes the Proposer has submitted in the SOQ and is not part of the overall page count.

Inq. 19	Post Date: 2/2/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/29/2010
	Q. Given the amount of information required for the Organizational Chart, is it possible to format this as an 11 x 17 ("Z-fold") sheet?
	A. Yes, an 11x17 inch size organizational chart is acceptable.

Inq. 18	Post Date: 2/2/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/29/2010
	Q. Please confirm that Form A-1 is not included in the page limits for the proposal.
	A. See response to Inquiry No. 7.

Inq. 17	Post Date: 1/29/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/27/2010
	Q. Please clarify that page number limits apply to single-sided pages.
	A. The page number limits apply to a single-side of a page.

Inq. 16	Post Date: 1/29/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/27/2010
	Q. In the advertisement, the DBE participation for professional services (design) was 3% of the total contract award. On this contract, much of the design services are already done (bridges, preliminary engineering). This creates a burden on the designer who now may have to give away 40% of the design work instead of the 28% (approximately). We think this is unfair and the percentage should be of the designers work and not the total contract award.
	A. Please refer to the response to Inquiry No. 5 and Inquiry No. 9, noting a change to the DBE professional sub goal. An addendum has been issued to reflect the change.

Inq. 15	Post Date: 1/29/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/26/2010
	Q. With regard to our design build pursuit of SHA Project FR-4275172, I-70 from East of MD 144 to West of South Street (Phase 2D), we respectfully request a clarification of the 3% MBE participation in professional services relative to the contract value. This value seems excessive and out of the ordinary for professional services.
	A. Please refer to the response to Inquiry No. 5 and Inquiry No. 9, noting a change to the DBE professional sub goal. An addendum has been issued to reflect the change.

Inq. 14	Post Date: 1/29/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/26/2010
	Q. Would you consider allowing a smaller font size on form A-2 then the required 12 Point as noted on page 18 of the RFQ?
	A. No. The Administration will not accept a font size smaller than 12 Point.

Inq. 13	Post Date: 1/26/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/25/2010
	Q. The RFQ is silent on the issue of Quality Management. Will SHA provide construction inspection? If not, what are the requirements for the Proposer Quality Management Program?
	A. SHA will provide construction inspection services.

Inq. 12	Post Date: 1/26/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/25/2010
	Q. Paragraph C.B.I.B.a.i. on RFQ Page 16 directs the Proposer to "Submit resumes of the following key design firm management and staff..." Please confirm the requirement is actually to submit resumes for key construction firm management and staff.
	A. Resumes are required for the Lead Construction key staff as outlined in C.B.I.B.a.i. Disregard the reference to "key design" as it should read "key construction". An Addendum will be issued to correct the RFQ.

Inq. 11	Post Date: 1/26/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/25/2010
	Q. Since the Bridges will be 100% designed by SHA with no changes allowed will SHA be the designer of record of the bridges and seal the plans, review shop drawings and answer contractor questions regarding the bridges, or will the Design Builder be required to seal the plans and therefore need to redo and check all computations/designs per MD licensing laws.
	A. SHA will be the designer of record for the bridge plans and the D/B team will not be required to sign or seal the plans or perform any re-design work. The D/B Team will be required to perform the design, sign and seal all calculations, related to the shop drawings, temporary sheeting and shoring design, demolition shields, etc. SHA will perform the primary review of all contractor prepared shop drawings and answer questions during the construction phase.

Inq. 10	Post Date: 1/26/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/25/2010
	Q. RFQ Section G Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program, subsection b. indicated " the Design-Builders shall make good faith effort to achieve MBE participation in professional services for this contract of no less that 3% of the total contract value." Since the bridge designs and a portion of the roadway design were performed by SHA, the professional services for design will only be required for approximately half (1/2) to two-thirds (2/3) of the total construction project. Thereby, the expected total professional services for this project would be expected to be well below 10% of the overall construction value. This will place the DBE goal for professional services well over 30% (nearing 50% potentially). As written, this requirement is placing the burden on the Design-Builder to base their DBE requirements on work they will not be performing. We request the Design DBE goal be based on a percentage of the Professional Services or if the method in the current RFQ is retained that the goal be reduced to 1 or 1.5% of the total contract price. The latter will account for the significant portion of the project that is already designed.
	A. Please refer to the response to Question No. 5 and Question No. 9, noting a change to the DBE professional sub goal. An addendum has been issued to reflect the change.

Inq. 9	Post Date: 1/25/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/22/2010
	Q. Is the 3% DBE requirement for the design firm part of the 30% DBE requirement for the project or is it in addition to the 30%?
	A. Please refer to the response to Question No. 5 noting a change to the DBE professional sub goal. In response to this question, the DBE professional sub goal of 2% is part of the overall DBE goal of 30% for the project.

Inq. 8	Post Date: 1/26/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/22/2010
	Q. On page 14 of the RFQ, please verify that item "e" applies only to joint ventures.
	A. Item "e" on page 14 applies to any Proposer that intends to form a joint venture, limited liability company or partnership, but has yet to do so at the time that the Statement of Qualifications is submitted.

Inq. 7	Post Date: 1/25/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/22/2010
	Q. Does form A-1 count as part of the 10-page count for the design firm or the 6-page count for the contractor?
	A. No, Form A-1 is not part of the maximum page limit.

Inq. 6	Post Date: 1/20/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/20/2010
	Q. Will you provide the minutes for the March 6, 2009 information meeting?
	A. Information related to the March 6, 2009 meeting can be found on our web site under "Business Center", "Contract Bids & Proposals". Under "Search by Contract Number, Contract Date" look for Contract FR4275168P and look under "Additional Information" to find all the information related to the March 6, 2009 meeting.

Inq. 5	Post Date: 1/20/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/19/2010
	Q. The proposed DBE participation goal is 30% of the Contract total price. Additionally an MBE goal of 3% for Professional Services (page 22) is required. This percentage seems unrealistic given the fact that the Bridges and Retaining Walls have already been designed and there are no Quality Control Professional Services required for this project. Please consider decreasing this goal.
	A. The Administration has re-evaluated the MBE Professional Services goal based upon the design work associated with this contract. The MBE Professional Services goal has been changed to 2% of the Contract total price. The overall DBE participation goal will remain at 30% of the Contract total price. This modification will be made as an addendum to the RFQ.

Inq. 4	Post Date: 1/25/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/19/2010
	Q. Is it possible to divide the Geotechnical and Pavement Engineer into two key staff positions? By allowing this additional position it would allow for further DBE sub-consultant opportunities. If so, would you considering increasing the page count from 10 pages to 11 pages?
	A. The Proposers may divide the Geotechnical and Pavement Engineer position into two key staff positions based on specialty. The page count, however, will not change. If the Proposer chooses to use two individuals to fill this position, their experience shall be reflected on one page, clearly identifying the person and the position (or specialty).

Inq. 3	Post Date: 1/20/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/19/2010
	Q. Page 4 of the SOQ states the stipulated sum is estimated in the upper range of project classification I which is $30-$50 Million. The draft RFP (page 74) says the stipulated sum is $38 Million. Please provide the proposed stipulated sum for this project.
	A. The Stipulated Sum will be defined and finalized once the RFP is issued to the Reduced Candidate List.

Inq. 2	Post Date: 1/20/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/19/2010
	Q. Is it acceptable for the Design Manager to have a pending Maryland PE License?
	A. The Administration will only accept a pending Maryland PE License if it is due to obtaining a reciprocal license honored by the State of Maryland. If the reciprocal license is not obtained 30 calendar days prior to the submittal of the RFP proposals, then this person will need to be replaced according to the process outlined under Section f. SUBSTITUTION of the RFQ.

Inq. 1	Post Date: 1/13/2010	Inquiry Date: 1/13/2010
	Q. Will there be a pre-proposal meeting for this project?
	A. No. An informational meeting for this project was held on March 6, 2009 and the Administration does not intend to hold any additional meetings.

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