RFP Prefabricated Modular Buildings

New clarification added: Q46: We kindly request extension for tender deadline to be able to complete design drawings and technical proposals.A46: UNOPS is not in a position to extend the submission deadline. 

New clarification added: Q42. Requirement for internal height. What is the minimum free height requirement for the containers? The restrictions with the 20” container only allows a certain dimension of a building module with maximum dimensions of 2280 * 2270 mm. This means the highest possible internal height could be 2280 mm. A42. The Schedule of requirements has specified external dimensions of the pre-fabricated units. Please provide the maximum possible internal height.Q43. Are flat rack containers allowed to be used in shipping? This would enable much more efficient loading and unloading of goods and very few limitations.  A43.Please refer to section 7.3 of the Schedule of requirement /SOW.Q44.In case the offeror is able to provide a more efficient way to build the desired structures within the desired timeframe, is an alternative building method allowed to be offered?. This alternative method would offer but not be limited to following advantages: Full flexibility in design Use of local labourUse of local raw materials Local production Gender equality requirement Lead time minimal Re-use in any form 100% recyclability Minimal tools required Logistics advantages are hugeA44. If the proposed solution meets the requirement specified in the schedule of requirements, the solution will be acceptable to UNOPS.Q45: Kindly clarify on the following;1) How many Prefabricated Modular Buildings are required in South Sudan?2) In which towns are these Prefabricated Modular Buildings in South Sudan?3) When is the expected deadline of installing these Prefabricated Modular Buildings?4) Is electric wiring also included in the package?A45: please refer to Q22/A22

New clarification added: Q41: 2.4 Frames . The frame shall be composed of steel structures conforming to Eurocode 3 or equivalent. The frame shall consist of economical steel sections with lowest thickness as far as practicable based on the detailed frame analysis.If my product is Galvanized steel Structure (PreFab) would that pass with same or big dimension that would fit into a standard 20f container?A41 : Please refer to the Schedule of requirement(SoW). The product shall meet the parameters specified

New clarification added: Q40: Our last question seem to be mixed with another entry. Please provide an estimated maximum order for each Purchase Order.A40:  Pleae refer to Q22/A22.

New clarification added: Q37: Two important requirements stated in the SOW seem in contradiction each other, i.e. Sound Insulation and Thermal Insulation. The 42dB Sound Reduction Index for external panel elements (floor, wall and roof) cannot be achieved in no way with a prefabricated solution consisting of insulated sandwich panels. The best performance can be obtained using rockwool, but in the best case you can get no more than 30 dB sound reduction. On the other side, sandwich panels with rockwool insulation do not provide a good insulation compared to other type of insulation materials like PUR, PIR, etc., so there are not suitable to comply with the U-values requested in particular for cold climate zones.Can you please review and possibly downgrade your requirements so that they can be achieved with a prefabricated temporary solution?A37: Please propose the most effective technical solution or combination of technical solutions to obtain the stated performance result for sound and thermal insulation and include the level of  dB and U-values achieved by the particular technical solution.  Q38: The requested U-value for the doors is very demanding and not usual for a prefabricated temporary construction due to their elevated costs. We recommend having the same value as for the windows, i.e. 2.00 W/m2 K.   Can you please review and possibly downgrade your requirements?A38: Technical configuration and functional performance of door systems is quite different from those for window systems within these facilities.  Hence the more stringent door parameters. Please propose the most effective technical solution to obtain the stated performance result for thermal insulation of the doorways and include the level of U-values achieved by the particular technical solution. Q39: It is not clear the difference between Roof Live Load and Roof Snow Load, as both situations cannot exist. Do you confirm that the roof shall be designed for 1.50 kN/m2 as a whole?A39:  In standard structural analyses procedures, normally considered load combinations for long term stability include separate evaluations for snow and live load since these loads are not the same.  It may be the case that live loading of the roof structure is increased at a particular time in order to remove excessive snow loading.

New clarification added: Q35: Could you please provide us with a list of developing countries to refer to?A35: Bidder shall use the list of developing countries published by a reliable source. Bidder may refer to the below document.  https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_current/2014wesp_country_classification.pdfQ36: As regards the loading of all the forms and the various attachments, we have seen that the maximum extension is 20MB each.Is it possible, with regard to Forms C (financial proposal form) and D (technical proposal form) and related attachments, to increase the extension up to at least 50mb each? Our technical drawings, grouped by form, are quite heavy.A36: Capacity of a single document should not exceed 20MB. Bidders can submit multiple files under each folder/schedule.

New clarification added: Q25: It is understood that the delivery term are FCA suppliers nominated sea port. Please confirm that export clearance, port handling charges are payable by UNOPS nominated Buyer.A25: The delivery term is FCA nominated sea port which means the supplier must carry out and pay for export clearance formalities. Port handling charges will be covered by the party handling the freight of the goods.Q26: Please clarify the required activity at the destination site for the supplier Technical Representative.A26:  UNOPS requested unit rates of pre-fabricated modular units based on FCA incoterm. Sometimes clients will request technical support during the implementation. In such situations scope of technical support, the cost will be agreed in advance. The technical support will include but is not limited to installation, testing and commissioning. (Please refer to section 5.2 of the SoW)Q27: Please clarify who designs the foundation for the buildings at site.A28: Bidders shall submit foundation designs as requested in the Schedule of requirements. In the case of combined units, the supplier shall provide design loads and UNOPS/client will carry out foundation designs.Q28: Please clarify who inspects and checks the MEP systems are installed correctly at site before use.A28:  UNOPS/Client will conduct testing and commissioning or UNOPS may request technical support from the supplier.Q29: For multiple building installations, please clarify that no site MEP system components are the responsibility of the supplier.A31: Supplier is not responsible for external MEP components. Q30: Tender Particulars state that all proposals shall be submitted net of any direct taxes (custom duties and indirect taxes, such as sales taxes, VAT, taxes and commodities such as fuel). However, Section I: Instruction to Offerrors, Item no. 18 Duties and Taxes states that UNOPS is exempt from all direct taxes, exempt charges for public utility charges, and is exempt from customs restrictions, duties, and charges of a similar nature in respect of Articles imported or exported for its official use. All proposal shall be submitted net of any direct taxes and other taxes and duties unless otherwise specified in the Tender Particulars Section. Please confirm that this contract is exempted from all taxes such as custom duties and charges, sales taxes, and VAT.A30: all proposals shall be submitted net of any direct taxesQ31: Tender Particulars state that proposal security is not required, however, in Section 1 – Instruction to Offerors, Item no. 19 states that “ The Offeror shall furnish as part of its proposal, a Proposal Security, if required in the Tender Particulars Section. Any proposal that does not include a proposal security in the amount and form of the describe in this section may be rejected by UNOPS." Please confirm if the Offeror should provide a proposal security as part of its proposal.A31: No Proposal security requested in the RFP.Q32: Tender Particulars states that performance security is not required, however, in Section 1 – Instruction to Offerors, Item no. 35 states that “ The successful offeror, if so specified in the Tender Particular shall furnish a performance security in the amount and form specified therein, within the specified number of days after receipt of the contract from UNOPS. Failure of the successful offeror to submit the abovementioned performance security or signed the contract shall constitute sufficient grounds for the annulment of the award and forfeiture of the proposal security.     Please confirm if this contract requires a performance security.A32: No Proformance security requested in the RFP.Q33: Tender Particulars states that liquidated damages is not applicable, however, in Section 1 – Instruction to Offerors, Item no. 37 states that “ If the contractor fails to deliver any or all of the goods if the Contractor fails to deliver any or all of the goods by the date(s) of delivery or perform the services tied to the delivery of goods within the period specified in the Contract, UNOPS may, without prejudice to any or all its other remedies under the Contract and if so stated in the Tender Particulars section, deduct from the Contract price, as liquidated damages, a sum of the original total Contract price for each day of delay until actual delivery or performance, up to a maximum deduction of 10%."                                      Please confirm if liquidated damages is applicable for this contract.A33: No Liquidated damage applicable in the LTA.Q34: Please provide an estimated maximum order for each Purchase Order. Esteemed SIrsConcerning the Thermal insulationWáter proofingTermite resistanceFire resistanceSound Insulation.Added insulation in floor, roof and walls.please define levels of insulation, sound isolation and fire resistance expected as well as the insulation on floors and wallsA34: please refer to the schedule of requirement  (SoW) & UNOPS design planning manual for buildings for details. 

New clarification added: Q17: Delivery times - up to 25 pcs: under the current market conditions we are afraid your requirement for a maximum of 8 weeks delivery time is very unrealistic. With detailed knowledge of the situation we suggest 14 to 16 weeks. Is that acceptable to you?A17: Delivery time of 8 weeks applicable to the agreed FCA point, not to the final destination.Q18: Validity of the offer and prices: over the last 6 months, sales prices have increased by 25%... We're concerned that it's not possible to hold bid prices for the duration of a long-term contract. Is there any other solution that is acceptable to you? A18: UNOPS considered the request.  Price validity has been amended as "Prices quoted against this RFP shall remain fixed for an initial period of two(2) years from the date of signature of the Long Term Agreement. The supplier may be allowed to request a price adjustment at every two (2) years subject to the UNOPS approval process stipulated in the Procurement Manual."Q19: To take part in this tender, our intention is to form a joint venture with our manufacturer. In reference to point 2.7 of the "Evaluation Criteria", do we have to provide ISO 9001 for all the companies participating in the JV or is it enough just for one of the participants (in this case the manufacturer) to supply it?A19: Please refer to particulars>Evaluation method details.  All joint venture members combined must meet the requirement other than the criteria 1.1. In your referred case ISO 9001 certificate of one party (manufacturer) is sufficient to meet the RFP requirement.Q20: Shall we submit detailed design drawings for all units or just for one of them as an example? please clarify.A20 : Please refer to criteria 3.1 of Form D. extract is as below,a.The offeror shall submit a Structural design for basic module A1.b. Offeror shall submit details of all materials proposed and reference standards for A1.C. Offeror shall submit structural design and loading considerations/evaluations for horizontal and vertical connections with joints details for two-storied buildingsQ21: Shall we submit design drawings before or after awarding? please clarifyA21:  requested design drawings shall be submitted as a part of the technical proposal.Q22: Could you please provide us with the quantity of prefabricated buildings for each country?A22 : The purpose of the RFP is to establish Long term agreements for undefined quantities of Prefabricated Modular Buildings in multiple destinations. Q23: Do we add the shipping cost to the unit cost or will it be considered after awarding? Please explain.A23: The RFP requested unit rates for FCA point. 

New clarification added: Q17: Delivery times - up to 25 pcs: under the current market conditions we are afraid your requirement for a maximum of 8 weeks delivery time is very unrealistic. With detailed knowledge of the situation we suggest 14 to 16 weeks. Is that acceptable to you?A17: Delivery time of 8 weeks applicable to the agreed FCA point, not to the final destination.Q18: Validity of the offer and prices: over the last 6 months, sales prices have increased by 25%... We're concerned that it's not possible to hold bid prices for the duration of a long-term contract. Is there any other solution that is acceptable to you? A18: UNOPS considered the request.  Price validity has been amended as "Prices quoted against this RFP shall remain fixed for an initial period of two(2) years from the date of signature of the Long Term Agreement. The supplier may be allowed to request a price adjustment at every two (2) years subject to the UNOPS approval process stipulated in the Procurement Manual."Q19: To take part in this tender, our intention is to form a joint venture with our manufacturer. In reference to point 2.7 of the "Evaluation Criteria", do we have to provide ISO 9001 for all the companies participating in the JV or is it enough just for one of the participants (in this case the manufacturer) to supply it?A19: Please refer to particulars>Evaluation method details.  All joint venture members combined must meet the requirement other than the criteria 1.1. In your referred case ISO 9001 certificate of one party (manufacturer) is sufficient to meet the RFP requirement.Q20: Shall we submit detailed design drawings for all units or just for one of them as an example? please clarify.A20 : Please refer to criteria 3.1 of Form D. extract is as below,a.The offeror shall submit a Structural design for basic module A1.b. Offeror shall submit details of all materials proposed and reference standards for A1.C. Offeror shall submit structural design and loading considerations/evaluations for horizontal and vertical connections with joints details for two-storied buildingsQ21: Shall we submit design drawings before or after awarding? please clarifyA21:  requested design drawings shall be submitted as a part of the technical proposal.Q22: Could you please provide us with the quantity of prefabricated buildings for each country?A22 : The purpose of the RFP is to establish Long term agreements for undefined quantities of Prefabricated Modular Buildings in multiple destinations. Q23: Do we add the shipping cost to the unit cost or will it be considered after awarding? Please explain.A23: The RFP requested unit rates for FCA point. 

New clarification added: Q17: Delivery times - up to 25 pcs: under the current market conditions we are afraid your requirement for a maximum of 8 weeks delivery time is very unrealistic. With detailed knowledge of the situation we suggest 14 to 16 weeks. Is that acceptable to you?A17: Delivery time of 8 weeks applicable to the agreed FCA point, not to the final destination.Q18: Validity of the offer and prices: over the last 6 months, sales prices have increased by 25%... We're concerned that it's not possible to hold bid prices for the duration of a long-term contract. Is there any other solution that is acceptable to you? A18: UNOPS considered the request.  Price validity has been amended as "Prices quoted against this RFP shall remain fixed for an initial period of two(2) years from the date of signature of the Long Term Agreement. The supplier may be allowed to request a price adjustment at every two (2) years subject to the UNOPS approval process stipulated in the Procurement Manual."Q19: To take part in this tender, our intention is to form a joint venture with our manufacturer. In reference to point 2.7 of the "Evaluation Criteria", do we have to provide ISO 9001 for all the companies participating in the JV or is it enough just for one of the participants (in this case the manufacturer) to supply it?A19: Please refer to particulars>Evaluation method details.  All joint venture members combined must meet the requirement other than the criteria 1.1. In your referred case ISO 9001 certificate of one party (manufacturer) is sufficient to meet the RFP requirement.Q20: Shall we submit detailed design drawings for all units or just for one of them as an example? please clarify.A20 : Please refer to criteria 3.1 of Form D. extract is as below,a.The offeror shall submit a Structural design for basic module A1.b. Offeror shall submit details of all materials proposed and reference standards for A1.C. Offeror shall submit structural design and loading considerations/evaluations for horizontal and vertical connections with joints details for two-storied buildingsQ21: Shall we submit design drawings before or after awarding? please clarifyA21:  requested design drawings shall be submitted as a part of the technical proposal.Q22: Could you please provide us with the quantity of prefabricated buildings for each country?A22 : The purpose of the RFP is to establish Long term agreements for undefined quantities of Prefabricated Modular Buildings in multiple destinations. Q23: Do we add the shipping cost to the unit cost or will it be considered after awarding? Please explain.A23: The RFP requested unit rates for FCA point. 

New amendment added #2: The purpose of the amendment is as followsParticulars >Scope of the proposal: The price validity of the LTA has been reduced to two(2) years and the section amended as "Prices quoted against this RFP shall remain fixed for an initial period of two (2) years from the date of signature of the Long Term Agreement. The supplier may be allowed to request a price adjustment at every two (2) years subject to the UNOPS approval process stipulated in the Procurement Manual."Revised price form (Section IIIa: Form C: Financial Proposal Form_RFP22766_R1_020821) has been uploaded. changes are highlighted in yellow.

New clarification added: Q14: With reference to the Solar PV System, please provide the following clarifications:- Do you confirm that this is not a stand-alone system, but a system connected to the electrical grid and used as a power backup?- In order to size the battery bank, please provide the power demand in kW and the autonomy in hoursA14: Please refer to section 2.17 of the Schedule of Requirement (SoW).  The solicitation process is to establish Long term agreement. Hence exact requirements such as power demand, on-grid/off-grid arrangements are not known at this stage. The solar PV system is an optional item, hence proposers are free to propose suitable solar PV systems or unit rates of PV system components. (Revised Section IIIa: Form C: Financial Proposal Form_RFP22766 uploaded to Document Sectin)Q15: In your eSourcing Portal you require to upload as part of the Technical Documentation the documents for evaluation of criteria 2.7 & 2.8. Please clarify to which documents you are referring to.A15: Please refer to the criteria section of eSourcing.  Criteria 2.7 & 2.8 areas below,2.7 Bidder must provide a copy of ISO 9001 certification or equivalent certification, or internal quality standard policy and/or written procedures.2.8 Bidders should provide a plan that outlines how they will reserve a portion of opportunities for women in the organization/businessQ16: In your eSourcing Portal you require to upload as part of the Technical Documentation the Product Catalogues. Are you referring to the catalogues for a basic module A1 requested in item 3.14 of Form D or other catalogues, e.g. catalogues of products manufactured by the bidder?A16: Please refer to section 9.2 of Schedule of Requirement (SoW)..The extract is as below,The Offeror shall provide Catalogues and Users’ Guide for a basic module A1 clearly indicating all building elements, assembly/disassembly procedures, required maintenance of the building elements and final disposal. In addition, the Offeror shall also provide details of re-joining two or more basic units.In addition, proposers shall upload product catalogues of proposed equipment.

New clarification added: Q8: Concerning the Clarification "The units shall be able to assemble and disassemble by using commonly available basic hand tools" , we understand that this refers to the walls, ceilings etc of the structures which can be made of light materials.  The main structures (framwork) have to be made of steel and raised by a crane to avoid injuries to workers.  A Crane would anyways be needed to move the shipping container from the truck to the ground.    Would you accept an offer where the steel structures (framework) are assembled with the help of a small crane and the rest by hand?A8: Kindly note that the scope of the solicitation is for prefabricated modular units as defined in the Schedule of Requirement. This section did not refer to load/unload containers from/to trucks.Q9: We understand that your preference is to load the prefabricated flat-packed units into a ISO 20 feet container. Considering that the net clearance of a typical 20 feet container is 2280mm width x 5860mm length, and a minimum tolerance is needed to move in and out the prefabricated units, the minimum dimensions indicated in section 2.1 of SOW shall be reduced of at least 30-50mm. The issue is that with these reduced dimensions (compared to a standard 20ft unit measuring 2438x6058x2591mm) some configurations like A1 and all the toilets/bathrooms cannot be done as there is not sufficient interior room to accommodate all the sanitary fixtures required. Can you please advise how we shall proceed?A9: The size of units shall fall within the below dimensions. UNOPS preference is to load units into ISO containers (20’ 0r 40’ depending on the order side) to avoid damages during the freight. Length : 5860mm ~ 6058mmWidth :   2280mm ~2438mmheight:   2270mm ~ 2591mmThe size of units exceeding the ISO 20’ container dimensions will not be acceptable to UNOPS.Q10:  We understand that all the prefabricated units shall be delivered in flat-packed configuration. Does it apply to the toilets/bathroom units as well?A10:Please refer to section 7.3 of the schedule of requirement (SoW). Transporting the modules in a flat pack or closed container(preferred) is acceptableQ11:  From the sketches provided with the SOW, in some configurations we identify a certain number of windows that in our opinion is quite excessive. Typical natural lighting requirements from most of international standards vary between 1/10 and 1/8 of the floor area, and ventilation requirements are even lower. Can you please clarify which are your requirements?A11: Sketches provided in SoW are indicative only. Proposers shall submit suitable units. Please refer to the UNOPS design planning manual for minimum requirements.Q12:  It is not clear to us your requirement for footings. We can provide a preliminary design for tender purposes, but footings shall be done on site depending on the final configuration of the buildings due to their volume and weight. Please confirm that they are excluded from our SOW.A12: Please refer to criteria 3.5 in Form D. Details of foundation design for single unit and double story building considering the design loads used in the structural analysis of the building as per Section II: Schedules of RequirementsQ13:  When you require a FCA Port of Exit delivery term, are you referring to an international sea port or could it be the manufacturer’s warehouse?A13: FCA point shall be an International Sea port. 

New clarification added: Q7: We would like to request an extension of the deadline to submit bids in response to the tender taking into account the number of units to be quoted in different scenarios and the documentation required at this stage.A7: Your request has been considered and the bid submission deadline has been extended until 23 August 2021. 

New amendment added #1: The purpose of the amendment is as followsBid submission deadline has been extended until 2021-08-23 10:00 UTCDeadline for clarifications has been extended until 2021-08-16 10:00 UTCForm I : Manufacturer’s Authorization Form form uploaded under "document section"

New clarification added: Q4: Over the last 6 months steel prices have been rising at an alarming rate. and we would like to explore the possiblity of indexing our price over the lifespan of the contract to safeguard against future increases in costs. The variations have been quite strong, in some cases rising to 260% in one year for certain steel prices and it will be difficult to be able to guarantee the prices over a 3 year timespan.     Would UNOPS accept a price where part of the module price is indexed?  A4: Please refer to Particulars>scope of the bid. “Prices quoted against this RFP shall remain fixed for an initial period of three(3) years from the date of signature of the Long Term Agreement. The supplier may be allowed to request a price adjustment at the end of the initial period subject to the UNOPS approval process stipulated in the Procurement Manual.”Q5: The sizes of the modules requested are: Width : 2280mm ~2438mm.   Would a Module 2440 (2mm more) be acceptable?A5: As specified in the schedule of requirement, the size of one unit shall be equal or small than ISO 20’ container.Q6: Could you do me a favor to indicate us that will there be muti winners for one lot .A6:  Please refer to Particulars>Scope of bid : "UNOPS will use the results of this solicitation process to establish non exclusive Long Term Agreements with multiple vendors"

New clarification added: Q2: May I know is this project in a single area in Afghanistan or the place of performance is in multiple areas in Afghanistan?A2: The solicitation process is to establish Long Term Agreements for undefined quantities in multiple destinations.Q3: Concerning the Qualification Criteria, are modular hospitals considered “similar services”?. In the sense that they are delivered to Government Health Services and these are comparable to “international aid or development organizations”.A3: Supply of modular prefabricated buildings will be considered as a similar experience.

New clarification added: Q2: May I know is this project in a single area in Afghanistan or the place of performance is in multiple areas in Afghanistan?A2: The solicitation process is to establish Long Term Agreements for undefined quantities in multiple destinations.Q3: Concerning the Qualification Criteria, are modular hospitals considered “similar services”?. In the sense that they are delivered to Government Health Services and these are comparable to “international aid or development organizations”.A3: Supply of modular prefabricated buildings will be considered as a similar experience.

New clarification added: Q1:  In reference to the section II: Schedule of requirement, point 1.1  Salient Futures  We would like to know where is written.: “using only basic hand tools that must characterize the prefabricated building requested by you, should be understood as the possibility of assembly and disassembly even by hand only, without the need to use mechanical lifting means such as cranes or forklifts"? “Each unit shall not take more than one working day” should be understood as referring to each single building or to each basic module of which the various buildings are fitted. We would like  to know if the planimetric drawings, developed on two floors, contained in the call for tenders, have a binding nature (perhaps due to the small size of the space available) or if the same planimetric development can be proposed organized on a single floor instead of two with the consequent reduction of assembly times and in compliance always with the current safety and accident prevention regulations.A1: The units shall be able to assemble and disassemble by using commonly available basic hand tools.Installation of one unit (single unit) shall not take more than one day.The sketches included in the solicitation document are for illustration purposes. Proposers shall propose prefabricated units meeting applicable standards specified in schedule II - Statement of Works