Q: What is the physical address for the existing water plant?
A: 238 W. Sixth St. Florence NJ 08518
Q: Given the language of Section VI, have the insurance requirements been finalized or amended from what appears in the RFP? With regard to Professional Liability Insurance, was the omission of an aggregate limit in the description of the required coverage intentional?
A: Yes. See below.
Amendment to Section VI Insurance Requirements
Worker’s Compensation Insurance
Shall be maintained in full force during the life of the contract, covering all employees engaged in performance or the contract pursuant to N.J.S.A. 34:15-12(a) and N.J.A.C. 12:235-1.6
General Liability Insurance
The contractor shall furnish evidence to the Township of Florence prior to commencement of the work that they or and of their subcontractors perform and will provide Standard Liability for any operations to be performed by contractor of subcontractors as follows:
General Liability Insurance shall be provided with limits of $1,000,000.00 for any occurrence and $2,000,000.00 aggregate for bodily injury ad property damage. Coverage shall be maintained in full force during the life of the contract.
Automotive Liability Insurance
Automotive Liability Insurance covering the contractor for claims arising from owned, hired and non-owned vehicles with Combined Single Limit of $1,000,000.00. Coverage shall be maintained in full force during the life of the contract.
Professional Liability Insurance
Professional Liability Insurance covering contractor for claims arising from its representation of the municipality with limits not less than $1,000,000.00 for any one occurrence or limits not less than $1,000,000 per claim for a policy written on a Claims Made basis. Coverage shall be maintained in full force during the life of the contract.
Additional Insured Requirement
Vendor shall name Florence Township as Additional Insured for ongoing and completed operations coverage.
Q: question regarding the “proposal form” that is referred to on page 2 of the RFP package. It states that “proposals must be on the official proposal form which can be downloaded, but I do not see a proposal form?
A: The proposal form is the RFP. So as long as all the forms in the RFP are submitted, the submittal will be complete.
Q : Where are the 6 wells located in relation to the water plant and aquifer?
A : All 6 drinking water wells are located within the municipal complex within 2,000 feet of the water plant. All 6 wells pull from the PRM aquifer at 120’-150’ in depth, and they are piped together behind the existing water plant aerators.
Q : Will wells #1 & #2 be operate together as lead wells?
A : Wells #1 & #2 will operate on an as needed basis to supplement flow and will not be in lead position.
Q : What are the normal and emergency power requirements? Will the emergency backup generator need to be upgraded for the new treatment building & equipment?
A : The existing normal incoming power service is 480/277 – 600A. The emergency standby generator is a Caterpillar D450GC , 450kW, 562.5kVA.
Q : Does the township have any architectural requests for the construction and finishes for the proposed water treatment facility?
A : Florence Township would like to match and complement the existing treatment plant layout and color scheme. However, we will review and entertain suggestions on material types and finishes, such as steel vs matching block.
Q : Does the township have a preferred SCADA integrator or can the consultant provide those services?
A : Florence Township is open to any integrator that can perform the services and will not require a specific contractor or consultant to complete the work.
Q : Does Florence Township want the new treatment plant to be fully automated?
A : The new treatment plant should be fully automated, and the controls should be integrated with the existing treatment controls.
Q : Are the wells designed to operate at the same time?
A : The water plant operates based on water tower #1 & #2 levels. As the water tower levels recede, the high service pumps get called to pump in to the potable system. As the high service pump wet well draws down, additional wells are called upon to operate. Florence Township controls the order of operation for the high service pumps and for the wells.
Q : The RFP calls for a well #3 point of use treatment. Will this well not be included in the treatment system for the other wells? Is there a reason for separate treatment?
A : Well #3 will ultimately be part of the same treatment train as all other wells. However, since well #3 is the only well that shows consistent elevated levels of PFOA, we want to provide POU treatment in case the well is needed prior to completion of the full treatment plant. The POU will be considered temporary until final construction of the treatment plant. Well #3 will ultimately be treated for iron and manganese along with the rest of the wells. If possible, the well #3 POU may be incorporated into the final treatment plant by relocating the POU equipment. The temporary POU treatment for well #3 will be for PFAS only.
Q : What is allowed to be discharged from the treatment plant, such as iron/manganese & PFAS treatment.
A : There is an existing wastewater collection line behind the existing water treatment plant. The collection system there is fairly flat and not capable of taking excessive flow. Flow equalization may be required to release treated backwash water depending on the recommended treatment units. Release of PFOA treatment byproducts will be determined by regulatory guidelines and consideration should be made for future wastewater treatment guidelines.
Q : The fee schedule indicates lump sum costs for the 8 items in the engineering services section. Without a better understanding of the requirements for line item #8, financing support, it will be difficult to provide a lump sum cost for that line item. Overall project costs will also be an extremely rough number based on the limited information provided.
A : This question creates a valid point, and this will be considered upon review of the proposals. It is also understood that the overall project and construction costs will be a rough value based upon the somewhat limited information.
Q : Under the evaluation process, it refers to the ability to complete services in a timely manner. Is the township looking for a construction schedule? This will be difficult to tie down.
A : The township wants to ensure that when it is time to go with the design and bid, that the firm is able to deliver in a timely manner. We do not yet have a construction schedule since funding and other items come into play. However, the NJDEP will ultimately be looking for a timeline for design, permitting and construction.
Q : Will as built plans for the existing water treatment plant, raw water data for each individual well and existing chemical storage information be provided?
A : At this time, this information will not be posted. Security and sensitivity of information must be considered, and guidelines for protecting public drinking water infrastructure must be followed.
Q: What is the physical address for the existing water plant?
A: 238 W. Sixth St. Florence NJ 08518
Q: Given the language of Section VI, have the insurance requirements been finalized or amended from what appears in the RFP? With regard to Professional Liability Insurance, was the omission of an aggregate limit in the description of the required coverage intentional?
A: Yes. See below.
Amendment to Section VI Insurance Requirements
Worker’s Compensation Insurance
Shall be maintained in full force during the life of the contract, covering all employees engaged in performance or the contract pursuant to N.J.S.A. 34:15-12(a) and N.J.A.C. 12:235-1.6
General Liability Insurance
The contractor shall furnish evidence to the Township of Florence prior to commencement of the work that they or and of their subcontractors perform and will provide Standard Liability for any operations to be performed by contractor of subcontractors as follows:
General Liability Insurance shall be provided with limits of $1,000,000.00 for any occurrence and $2,000,000.00 aggregate for bodily injury ad property damage. Coverage shall be maintained in full force during the life of the contract.
Automotive Liability Insurance
Automotive Liability Insurance covering the contractor for claims arising from owned, hired and non-owned vehicles with Combined Single Limit of $1,000,000.00. Coverage shall be maintained in full force during the life of the contract.
Professional Liability Insurance
Professional Liability Insurance covering contractor for claims arising from its representation of the municipality with limits not less than $1,000,000.00 for any one occurrence or limits not less than $1,000,000 per claim for a policy written on a Claims Made basis. Coverage shall be maintained in full force during the life of the contract.
Additional Insured Requirement
Vendor shall name Florence Township as Additional Insured for ongoing and completed operations coverage.
Q: question regarding the “proposal form” that is referred to on page 2 of the RFP package. It states that “proposals must be on the official proposal form which can be downloaded, but I do not see a proposal form?
A: The proposal form is the RFP. So as long as all the forms in the RFP are submitted, the submittal will be complete.
Q : Where are the 6 wells located in relation to the water plant and aquifer?
A : All 6 drinking water wells are located within the municipal complex within 2,000 feet of the water plant. All 6 wells pull from the PRM aquifer at 120’-150’ in depth, and they are piped together behind the existing water plant aerators.
Q : Will wells #1 & #2 be operate together as lead wells?
A : Wells #1 & #2 will operate on an as needed basis to supplement flow and will not be in lead position.
Q : What are the normal and emergency power requirements? Will the emergency backup generator need to be upgraded for the new treatment building & equipment?
A : The existing normal incoming power service is 480/277 – 600A. The emergency standby generator is a Caterpillar D450GC , 450kW, 562.5kVA.
Q : Does the township have any architectural requests for the construction and finishes for the proposed water treatment facility?
A : Florence Township would like to match and complement the existing treatment plant layout and color scheme. However, we will review and entertain suggestions on material types and finishes, such as steel vs matching block.
Q : Does the township have a preferred SCADA integrator or can the consultant provide those services?
A : Florence Township is open to any integrator that can perform the services and will not require a specific contractor or consultant to complete the work.
Q : Does Florence Township want the new treatment plant to be fully automated?
A : The new treatment plant should be fully automated, and the controls should be integrated with the existing treatment controls.
Q : Are the wells designed to operate at the same time?
A : The water plant operates based on water tower #1 & #2 levels. As the water tower levels recede, the high service pumps get called to pump in to the potable system. As the high service pump wet well draws down, additional wells are called upon to operate. Florence Township controls the order of operation for the high service pumps and for the wells.
Q : The RFP calls for a well #3 point of use treatment. Will this well not be included in the treatment system for the other wells? Is there a reason for separate treatment?
A : Well #3 will ultimately be part of the same treatment train as all other wells. However, since well #3 is the only well that shows consistent elevated levels of PFOA, we want to provide POU treatment in case the well is needed prior to completion of the full treatment plant. The POU will be considered temporary until final construction of the treatment plant. Well #3 will ultimately be treated for iron and manganese along with the rest of the wells. If possible, the well #3 POU may be incorporated into the final treatment plant by relocating the POU equipment. The temporary POU treatment for well #3 will be for PFAS only.
Q : What is allowed to be discharged from the treatment plant, such as iron/manganese & PFAS treatment.
A : There is an existing wastewater collection line behind the existing water treatment plant. The collection system there is fairly flat and not capable of taking excessive flow. Flow equalization may be required to release treated backwash water depending on the recommended treatment units. Release of PFOA treatment byproducts will be determined by regulatory guidelines and consideration should be made for future wastewater treatment guidelines.
Q : The fee schedule indicates lump sum costs for the 8 items in the engineering services section. Without a better understanding of the requirements for line item #8, financing support, it will be difficult to provide a lump sum cost for that line item. Overall project costs will also be an extremely rough number based on the limited information provided.
A : This question creates a valid point, and this will be considered upon review of the proposals. It is also understood that the overall project and construction costs will be a rough value based upon the somewhat limited information.
Q : Under the evaluation process, it refers to the ability to complete services in a timely manner. Is the township looking for a construction schedule? This will be difficult to tie down.
A : The township wants to ensure that when it is time to go with the design and bid, that the firm is able to deliver in a timely manner. We do not yet have a construction schedule since funding and other items come into play. However, the NJDEP will ultimately be looking for a timeline for design, permitting and construction.
Q : Will as built plans for the existing water treatment plant, raw water data for each individual well and existing chemical storage information be provided?
A : At this time, this information will not be posted. Security and sensitivity of information must be considered, and guidelines for protecting public drinking water infrastructure must be followed.