CHUGACH ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION, INC. Anchorage, Alaska February 10, 2014 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO: Prospective Proposers FROM: Chugach Electric Association, Inc. 5601 Electron Drive Anchorage, Alaska SUBJECT: RFP No. 14-01 Hane Substation Engineering Services This document forms a part of the Proposal Documents. Acknowledge receipt of this document in the space provided below and include the document with your Proposal submittal. Failure to do so may subject the Proposer to disqualification. The questions below are verbatim from the Proposer. This document consists of six (6) pages. Question 1. Answer 1. Question 2. Answer 2. Question 3. Answer 3. Question 4 with Answers. Can you confirm if a project is a T&M Not-To-Exceed for each Task Order? Yes. Would Chugach staff be accompanying our staff to the agency scoping meetings? We want to make sure Chugach is OK with us conducting the meetings without them, if they re unable/not planning to attend. Chugach would attend all agency scoping meetings. POWER assumes that the agency scoping meetings would all occur within one-week. Is that a reasonable assumption? No. Depending on the specific requirement there could be multiple meetings over several months. For Public meetings: Q. How many public meetings does Chugach anticipate having? A. The number of public meetings depends on the permitting that is required, which will depend on the design and want easements or other permitting is necessary. Q. Will all public meetings occur in the same week? A. Probably not. Q. Will we be responsible for scheduling and/renting public meeting venue(s)? A. No. Meetings are usually scheduled by the permitting agency. Q. Will we be responsible for advertising the public meetings in newspapers and other media sources? A. No Q. What kind of format will the meetings include: a formal presentation by us and/or Chugach staff or an informal open house where members of the public are encouraged to walk around, view project information, and ask questions? A. Typically permitting meetings are for agencies that are providing permits. Any 14-01Q&A s 1
meetings that are done at community councils or other public events would typically be done with Chugach personnel. Q. If the meetings are informal, will we be responsible for providing the content for poster displays and providing the posters? Or will we only be responsible for providing content, which Chugach will then format/design, print, and mount on posters? A. It could be a mix of any of the above, depending on what needs to be presented. Q. How many people will we need to have on-hand at the public meetings? A. Most agency meets can be done with the engineering firm on the phone. If public hearings or meetings are required for specific permits, personnel form the engineering firm may be required to attend for technical support. Q. How long will public meetings last? Will they be scheduled for evening or will they last all day long? A. Most public meetings are in the evening and can go from 6pm to 11pm or later. Typically Chugach only presents for a small portion of that time. Question 5. Answer 5. Question 6. Answer 6. Question 7. Answer 7. Question 8. Answer 8. Question 9. Answer 9. Question 10. Answer 10. Question 11. Answer 11. Will the drawings that were prepared as part of the conditional use permit application and the RFP be provided to the successful firm for continuation of design (i.e. station plan, station elevation, one lines, grading plan, landscape plan, lighting plan, etc.)? Yes. There is a specific lighting criterion that must be met as a stipulation of the conditional use permit. Will the successful firm be responsible for finalizing the lighting study? Yes. Will the equipment foundations and structures need to be adjusted for snow level (requiring operator platforms and other provisions for personnel access)? Climate/weather conditions will need to be included in the design. Has any site-specific earth resistivity investigation has been performed, and if so can it be provided? If not, will Chugach have one performed or should we include it in our bid? Chugach has not performed a site-specific earth resistivity investigation. The ground grid design, and all work associated with developing the ground grid design, is included in the scope of this RFP. Will the Consultant be responsible for any on site testing and commissioning activities? No. Construction Supervision Is it Chugach s expectation for the engineering firm (Contractor) to provide full time on site construction supervision during the entire construction period of March 2015 through December 2015, or a certain percentage of this duration? Also, what should we assume for onsite Construction Supervision: a 40 hour/ 50 hour/ 60 hour work week? Chugach s expectation is for the engineering firm to provide a full time inspector during construction. Construction duration and work hours are not known at this time. For the purpose of this proposal assume 50 hours per week form 3-1-15 through 12-1-15. Are there any municipal funds involved? No. All funding will be by Chugach. 14-01Q&A s 2
Question 12. Answer 12. Question 13. Answer 13. Question 14. Answer 14. Question 15. Answer 15. Question 16. Answer 16. Question 17. Answer 17. Question 18. Answer 18. What is required for right-of-way/easement acquisition? The ROW and easement requirements will be based on design. The 138kV getaway structure or structures may require additional easements both for the structure(s) and the guys. The 12.5kV vault and conduits to the vault may require additional easements depending on where the vault and conduits are located. Easements and permitting requirements will depend on the final design. Section B.1. of the attached Conditional Use Permit Zoning Resolution states A Notice of Zoning Action shall be filed with the State of Alaska District Recorder s Office. Proof of such shall be submitted to the Planning Department. Will this be part of the permitting scope? Yes. Completion of the conditional use permit and all other permitting required for the substation is included in the scope of work for this proposal. Typically, permitting documents and drawings are developed by the engineering firm and provided to Chugach for submittal to the appropriate agency. Chugach will pay the agency s fee, if any, associated with a permit Chugach acquires for this project. Is there additional Relay or Communication scope at any other substation required as part of this project? No. How does Chugach Electric normally handle Transformer oil containment, is it integrated into its foundation or are other methods used? Chugach s typical oil containment design is a concrete bathtub around the transformer foundation with a sump. However, if the proposer has a different concept Chugach is open to other options. Other oil containment options are subject to review and approval by Chugach. Does CEA have a survey available with adequate detail to perform a grading/drainage design or does a new survey need to be included in our scope of services? Chugach does not have a survey that is adequate for developing a grading/drainage design. Proposers should assume a survey will be necessary to complete the design and permitting specified in the RFP. Does the Conditional Use Permit have an expiration date? If so, should our scope of services include renewing the permit? Yes, the Conditional Use Permit expires on May 1, 2015 if the conditions of the permit have not been satisfied. Chugach plans to have the design completed prior and the conditions of the permit met prior to this date. In appendix A, the Abbott grading drawing shows the switchgear building on the north side of the substation site and in appendix C, the Abbott grading drawing shows the switchgear building on the south side of the substation site. Is there a preferred arrangement? A conceptual design was provided in the RFP. The actual design will be based on the technical and permitting requirements and developed by the successful proposer. Chugach would prefer to keep the design similar to what was proposed in the conditional use permitting if possible. Both layouts can be found in the Conditional Use Permit. The 14-01Q&A s 3
layout with the switchgear located at the north end of the lot is the most recent version. Question 19. Answer 19. Question 20. Answer 20. Question 21. Answer 21. Question 22. Answer 22. Question 23. Answer 23. Question 24. Answer 24. Question 25. Will the consultant be responsible for conducting the soil resistivity measurements utilizing the Wenner Four-Point method? The ground grid design, and all work associated with developing the ground grid design, is included in the scope of this RFP. Chugach does not require a specific method for determining the grounding requirements, but grounding must meet the requirements specified in IEEE standard 80-2000. What Structural modeling software is used by Chugach Electric? Chugach has PLS-CADD and AutoCAD software, but does not have structural modeling software that performs finite element analysis. Developing structural and loading requirements would be the responsibility of the successful proposer and should be incorporated into the design. Are there any existing underground utilities which will need to be relocated or remain in service after the completion of the substation? Chugach had all underground utilities on the property removed. Chugach has underground facilities in the road ROW where the 138kV line is located. In addition to Chugach s underground facilities, several other utilities have underground facilities in this location. The vault and conduit for the 12.5kV distribution feeders along with the 138kV getaway structure will need to take these underground facilities into consideration. There appears to be existing structures and underground utilities (gas line) on this site. Is the consultant responsible for developing a demolition plan and coordinating to have the gas line removed or relocated? All existing structures and underground utilities on substation site have been removed. Demolition was completed after the Conditional Use Permit was obtained. Can Chugach Electric expand on the scope of Han Substation communication design requirements? All communication equipment will be specified and procured by Chugach with the exception of the communication tower. Chugach will provide a tower population schedule and the consultant will be responsible for the tower design. Procurement of the tower will be done by Chugach. Chugach will also provide the number of communication racks and the space required for them. These communication racks and the communication equipment in them will be provided by Chugach. However, the consultant will need to incorporate these communication racks into the switchgear design. Is the proposed communication equipment standard for Chugach Electric? All communication equipment is typical for this size substation. Chugach will provide the consultant with specifications for the communication equipment that will be used after the bid has been awarded. Can CEA please expand on the selected consultant s role and scope for the communication system and SCADA system? If within the consultant s scope: a. Will a new tower design be required for this project? b. Will we be responsible for specifying and procuring the microwave dishes, radio(s), multiplexer (if required), and waveguides? 14-01Q&A s 4
Answer 25. Question 26. Answer 26. Question 27. Answer 27. Question 28. Answer 28. Question 29. Answer 29. Question 30. Answer 30. Question 31. Answer 31. Yes a new tower design will be required for this project. Chugach will specify and procure all communication equipment, including waveguides. Is there any known contamination on site? Are we expected to perform any studies to examine contamination? There is a small amount of contamination on site that Chugach knows of. Chugach plans to dispose of the contaminated soils before construction of the substation begins. Dealing with the known contamination is not included in the scope of this RFP. Is the Relaying package integrated with the switchgear design order or added on site? The relay and controls for the switchgear will be included with the switchgear design and part of the scope of this RFP. The relay controls for the 138kV breakers will be completed by others. The consultant will be given the number of relay racks and loading required for the 138kV breaker controls so the consultant can incorporate this information into the switchgear design. Can CEA please expand on the selected consultant s role and scope for the protective relay study and settings? Protective relay study and relay settings will be done by Chugach. The preliminary 138kV one line diagrams indicate SEL-311L line differential relays will be used for line protection. Will these relays communicate to the remote stations via the microwave system or is fiber optic cable being brought into the station? Via a microwave system. Can CEA please expand on the procurement strategy for the 12.47kV switchgear enclosure? It appears that the 12.47kV switchgear enclosure will house all of the protection, control, SCADA and comm. Equipment for both the transmission and distribution equipment. a. What is the consultant s scope? b. What is the switchgear manufacturer s scope? a. The consultant shall develop bid documents, including drawings for the 12.5kV switchgear. The 138kV protective relays and relay racks, the communication racks and communication equipment will be designed and procured by Chugach, with the exception of the tower which shall be designed by the consultant. Space for the racks, cables to the racks, and power for the racks will be included in the consultant s scope of work. All 12.5kV relay and controls will be included with the purchase of the switchgear and the bid documents for the switchgear, including preliminary drawings for the switchgear, will be the responsibility of the consultant. b. The switchgear manufacture will provide design drawings based on the bid documents developed by the consultant. Both Chugach and the consultant shall review and approve drawings and all other submittals by the switchgear manufacturer. Once design is approved, the switchgear manufacture is responsible for manufacturing and delivering the switchgear. How many manufacturers does CEA typically solicit for bids on each piece of major equipment? The number varies depending on equipment but usually five to ten. 14-01Q&A s 5
Question 32. Answer 32. Question 33. Answer 33. Question 34. Answer 34. What is the width of the existing easement for the 138kV line? Please see the attached Right-of-Way drawing MJS1-RW-0001-0003. There is an existing Right-of-Way to the north of the existing 138kV line. The current 138kV line is located in road right of way. Permits to add the new structure will need to be obtained from Alaska Department of Transportation once the structure design is completed. Please clarify the scope of the transmission line for this project. There is a 138kV line that runs down the north side of O Malley road across from the lot that is to be used for Hane Substation. That line is to be intersected for the substation s 138 kv getaways. The design will determine what structure(s) will be installed. The four new distribution feeders will exit the substation and cross under O Malley Road. Two of the new feeders will go to a new vault N7A on the north side of O Malley but the exact size and location of this vault is to be determined. The other two new feeders will go to vault N7 with one feeder to be fed through vault N7 and terminated in Switch Cabinet 918. Please see the attached plan and profile drawing, and grid maps 2634 and 2534 for more information. Can CEA please expand on the transmission lines and some demarcation point for scope and responsibility? Please see the response in the previous question. FIRM: BY: DATE: TITLE: END OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR RFP NO. 14-01 14-01Q&A s 6