Replace Switchgear Bldg 18 Construction

Description of Work - Summary: The switchgear in Building #1 at the Durham VA Health Care Center, 508 Fulton St, Durham, NC has been inspected and deemed deficient. There is an immediate need to replace the switchgear as it is past its life cycle. Estimated construction magnitude is between $2,000,000 and $5,000,000.

NAICS CODE:

236220 Size Standard: $45.0 Million General: The contractor shall upgrade the distribution system for building 18 normal power switchgear and transformers to meet the power requirement for redundancy in Building 18 at the Durham VA Health Care System. The contractor shall provide phasing coordination for each section below to minimize impact to normal operations. The contractor is responsible for providing all supervision, materials, labor, equipment, transportation, testing, and storage for this project.

The contractor may be required to provide alternate source of power to minimize operation impacts. The contractor shall replace the existing substation B18-SWGR-Main A/B including transformers B18-XF-T6 and B18-XF. All work shall be performed according to the attached drawings and specifications.

Specific Requirements: The construction for this project will cover the following but not limited to:

Provide new switchgear and related transformers in Building1 BG-000 Provide new Substations and distribution switchgear. Provide new transformers to replace T-6 and T-7. Provide a new tie breaker that can properly transfer power without having manually load shed power to close the breaker. Relocate the distribution circuits to the new switchgear room. Provide a concrete foundation to house the new switchgear. Modify the existing OIT and HAC closet. Modify the existing location to properly house the new equipment.

Provide a warranty in accordance with the FAR. All material and installation will be in accordance to all state and federal codes, NFPA, ANSI standards, drawings, and specifications.

Electrical distribution components (switchboards) would include provisions to manually limit the potential energy due to potential fault conditions(Arc Quenching) when operating or maintaining the equipment to ensure maintenance and operational safe working conditions while maintaining system reliability and required code/efficiency ratings.

Installation Requirements: Competent, experienced, licensed or certified workers shall perform crafts requiring specialized skills. All work shall be performed in full accordance with applicable local and Federal regulations. All equipment and installation shall conform to the VA master specifications. All equipment and installation shall conform to the recommendations of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), including the National Electrical Code (NEC).

The Supplier shall use good safety practices while working. All hardware should be installed in such a manner to minimize damage and maximize patient and employee safety. All equipment and procedures shall conform to OSHA, NEMA, and ANSI Standards and conform to the Standard Building Code and the Standard Mechanical Code. All installations for the Durham VAMC shall conform to VAR and FAR standards.

Normal working hours shall be 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday – Federal Holidays or any other Holiday designated by the President of the United States excluded. Some work may be outside normal working hours. For working outside the “normal working hours” as defined in this contract, the vendor shall give 3-day notice to the Contracting Officer so that arrangements can be provided for the employees. This notice is separate from any notices required for utility shutdown described later in this section.

No photography of VA premises is allowed without written permission of the Contracting Officer. Execute work to interfere as little as possible with normal functioning of Medical Center, including operations of utility services, fire protection systems and any existing equipment, and with work being done by others.

Use of equipment and tools that transmit vibrations and noises through the building structure, are not permitted in buildings that are occupied jointly by patients or medical personnel, and Contractor’s personnel, except as permitted by COR where required by limited working space. No utility service such as water, gas, steam sewers or electricity, or fire protection systems and communications systems may be interrupted without prior approval of COR.

Electrical work shall be accomplished with all affected circuits or equipment de energized. When an electrical outage cannot be accomplished, work on any energized circuits or equipment shall not commence without the Medical Center Director’s prior knowledge and written approval. The vendor shall submit a request to interrupt any such services to COR, in writing, 15 working days in advance of proposed interruption. Request shall state reason, date, exact time of, and approximate duration of such interruption.

Working outside the normal business hour may be necessary to limit the impact as much as possible. VA reserves the right to close or shut down the project site and order the vendor’s employees off the premises in the event of a national emergency. The vendor may return to the site only with the written approval of the Contracting Officer.

Site and Building Access: Maintain free and unobstructed access to facility emergency services and for fire, police and other emergency response forces in accordance with NFPA 241. Means of Egress: Do not block exiting for occupied buildings, including paths from exits to roads. Minimize disruptions and coordinate with COR.

Hot Work: Perform and safeguard hot work operations in accordance with NFPA 241 and NFPA 51B. Coordinate with COR. Obtain permits from facility Safety Manager at least 24 hours in advance. The contractor shall maintain neat and orderly work areas and shall clean area of debris and rubbish daily and dispose of waste materials offsite per hospital policies. The contractor shall provide a dumpster if it is determined to be necessary, and shall work with the COR in advance for a spot-on site to establish the dumpster.

Space on campus is limited and a dumpster location is not guaranteed. Testing will be accordance with ANSI standards and IEE standards unless otherwise provided in specifications for new devices provided. Coordinate with COR for all Factory Acceptance Testing. Contractor must have an EMR Rating of 1 or less and must not have any Repeat, and Willful, or more than three serious OSHA Violations or any EPA violations within the past 3 years.

These ratings must be provided by contractor’s insurance company for verification. To our understanding, this should be included to the bidding documents that are to be provided and this language should be included in contracting document for GC required bidding documents. List of contractor trade to include but is not limited as follows. All trade personnel must meet the specifications.

Qualified Electricians Drywaller Floor installers Painters Plumbers Fire sprinkler specialists HVAC Place of Performance: Tasks will be performed at the VA Medical Center Durham, VA. Work will be around an occupied healthcare facility in operation 24 hours a day. This work will require appropriate personal protective equipment and proper infection control measures. Work will be phased to minimize disruption to clinic and medical center operations.

Period of Performance: Completion of project shall be 238 calendar days from NTP.