December 6, 2017 Questions and Answers for RFP No. 010 for the provision of prefabricated pharmacy storage units 1. Question: In the site annex attachments mention is made of distance from the DHO What is the DHO and what is its significance to the sites? Answer: "DHO" refers to District Health Office. District Health Offices are usually located in the main administrative areas of the city/town in each district. The DHO supervises all health facilities within each respective district. 2. Question: No mention is made of plug (power socket) requirements. How many do you require within each pharmacy? Answer: The preferred design for off-grid units is without plugs (power sockets), however, offerors can make provision for one connection (covered) in case an outlet is required in future installation. For on-grid sites, the design should include one outlet. 3. Question: Will a concrete slab be provided for the generators? As they will have to be externally mounted? Answer: No concrete slabs will be required. However, as requested in the RFP, offerors shall propose designs that ensures the security of the generators. 4. Question: What size gate do you require in the fence? Will trucks or vehicles need access? Answer: Gate size shall be approximately 3.2 meters with two (2) swing gates of approximately 1.6 meters each to permit truck and/or vehicle access. 5. Question: What about an alarm or internal security system is it needed? Answer: The Offeror shall propose an innovative anti-theft system to timely respond to any security breaches of the unit. Proposals shall clearly indicate how the PV panels, batteries, power inverter and other components of the unit will be protected against theft. 6. Question: The desk height is shown as 1.2m!! There is no desk this height. Standard international desk height is 750mm. A counter height is 1.2m but this cannot be made in steel and is not a standard off the shelf purchase. Please confirm the requirement? Answer: A standing desk is required without a chair. The desk should therefore be of appropriate height to allow for staff to conduct work while standing. Offerors shall make proposals with the most reasonable height desk they are able to offer.
7. Will you only select a single contractor, or will you entertain a separate bid for the solar PV supply and installation, given that this is a very specialist field. Answer: Chemonics prefers for a single subcontractor to install the prefabricated units and associated solar PV systems, as it expected that the design of the unit will be influenced by the PV system design. However, Chemonics will accepts bids that include solar partner with a harmonized design/approach. In such cases, the subcontract will be awarded to the lead company in the partnership. The leading company shall be responsible for compliance with all subcontract terms and conditions and making all partnership arrangements, including but not limited to division of labor, invoicing, etc., with the other company/companies. 8. Question: The indicated timeline for completion of the project is indicated as 30 September 2018 (Pg. 10). Upon review an estimated minimum of 13 teams would need to be allocated to meet the deadline and not the indicated 8 teams as per the RFP (Pg. 8). May the team numbers be increased to meet the deadline? If team numbers are not increased the indicated deadline will not be achievable. Answer: A minimum of 8 teams are acceptable for all proposals. Offerors are encouraged to present options of proposed numbers of teams and projected corresponding end dates. While 8 is the minimum acceptable, Chemonics has the discretion to select the appropriate number of teams and projected end date upon review of vendor proposals. Example of presentation of team and timeline options: 9. Question: Please note: [Company Name] will submit a price for all 233 units to maximize volume discounts on materials and components which will ultimately be passed on. (This is in response to page 10 of the RFP which refers to offers of less than 100 units). If less than the maximum number of units are awarded the submitted proposal price will have to be adjusted accordingly. Answer: Noted. 10. Question: Can you indicate the intended payment milestone percentages? Answer: The deliverables payment schedule and obligated amounts per deliverable, if any, will be based on the Offeror's cost proposal and the subcontract type agreed upon with the selected Offeror. 11. Question: Please confirm that this project is VAT and Duties Exempt on Inco Term DDP?
Answer: Yes. This procurement is on DDP INCOTERMS. VAT and Duties exemptions will be provided. 12. Question: Would a change in door type be accepted from a double door to a single hinge fridge door with similar dimension to improve unit insulation and temperature control. (Like a commercial fridge door)? Answer: A single-hinge fridge door may be considered; however, a double-hinge fridge door is preferred. 13. Question: To meet output and automation requirements on air conditioner units we propose split unit AC s for the units. 2 x 12000btu for 40m² units and 2 x 18000btu for the 70m² units Is this acceptable? Answer: The size and type of ACs shall be designed and proposed by the Offeror with justification, recognizing that units with PV panels will need to generate the power requirements of the proposed AC units. 14. Question: There are excellent alternatives to plywood floor boards for the unit such as magnesium oxide boards which have several improved characteristics such as fire resistance, weather ability, strength, resistance to mold and mildew, flexibility, adherence advantages. Would this be acceptable? Answer: Innovation in all aspects of the system design requested in this RFP is encouraged. Offerors are encouraged to present proposals with inventive designs and energy efficient equipment, with clear explanation and justification for the proposal. Thus, alternative floor designs with justifications are encouraged. 15. Question: With reference to the attic fan, would a mechanically driven extraction fan be acceptable that continually extracts warm air out of the ceiling/roof void. (e.g. Whirlybird) or will an electric extraction fan only be considered? Answer: Chemonics may consider the design for mechanically driven fans as acceptable with justification. 16. Question: Indicated on the 70m² unit are 24 bays of shelving. Is this the requirement as [we understand that previously installed units] only had 14 bays maximizing the backwall space? Answer: Please note that all offerors should consider the dimensions indicated below: Minimum 14 Bays Bolted Shelving, adjustable (5 levels) for 70m² Minimum 8 Bays Bolted Shelving, adjustable (5 levels) for 40m² 17. Question: The indicated shelving requirement is 152cm by 1000cm. Standard shelving on previous SIB s design is 914mm x 610mm bay. Is this acceptable?
Answer: Chemonics may consider these designs as acceptable. 18. Question: The indicated desk height is 1200mm. Standard desk/work station heights are around 800mm. Is this acceptable? Answer: A standing desk is required without a chair. The desk should therefore be of appropriate height to allow for staff to conduct work while standing. Offerors shall make proposals with the most reasonable height desk they are able to offer. 19. Question: Is there no requirement for a chair? Will this be a stand desk only? Answer: No there is no requirement for a chair. Yes, this will be a standing desk only. 20. Question: For the 40m² unit the required shelving is 14 bays Is this requirement correct, or would less shelving be required in line to fit the design i.e. 7+ bays? Answer: Please note that all offerors should consider the dimensions indicated below: Minimum 14 Bays Bolted Shelving, adjustable (5 levels) for 70m² Minimum 8 Bays Bolted Shelving, adjustable (5 levels) for 40m² 21. Question: Also indicated on the 40m² unit are 6 internal light fittings the exact same as the 70m² unit. Is this correct or must this be adjusted down in line with the 40m² design? Answer: Offerors are encouraged to design the lighting appropriate to the size of the unit. 22. Question: With reference to the PV system can you please confirm the exact days autonomy required for the system. Indicated in the RFP is that the system must not exceed 5 days. The difference in system design requirements is significant between 1 and 5 days autonomy impacting numbers of panels, inverters and specifically batteries required, therefore having a direct impact on cost? (Would a 3 days autonomy supported by panels be sufficient for your requirement)? Answer: Chemonics will accept designs with autonomy no less than 3 days and no more than 5 days. The offers shall clearly indicate justification for the chosen autonomy based on the prefabricated storage unit and PV system design. 23. Question: Called for in the RFP is a hybrid inverter (pg. 22) which can transfer power back from PV to grid. Is this necessary as the allocated PV sites in the RFP are indicated to be off grid with no connection to main grid therefore an off grid / bi directional inverter is a better suit given the requirement. Answer: The inverter will be a hybrid inverter. There may be times when a backup generator will be attached, or if the national grid eventually reaches a particular site, the unit may connect. These eventualities would enable using the unit for other uses.
24. Question: Please confirm that the requested autonomy is PV panel supported? Autonomy powered by batteries alone would significantly increase the amount and specification of battery required? Answer: The autonomy is to be confirmed by the bidder as the bidder calculates the necessary equipment based on the bidders chosen air conditioning units and light fixtures after running heat transfer simulations to ascertain the duty cycle of the bidder's chosen air conditioner. 25. Question: As indicated in the RFP please confirm that a minimum 3-year service plan for post warranty maintenance must be costed for all unit options? Answer: Yes, confirmed. 26. Question: Can you indicate proposed dates when site assessments should take place? Answer: As indicated in the RFP under Deliverable 3, site assessments should be completed approximately 4 weeks after contract signing. 27. Question: Please note: There is 1 x extra unit (70m² with generator) indicated in the annexure = 55 units vs. summary page 13 = 54 units. Answer: Please see a revised table below per the annexes: 28. Question: Please note: There is 1 x less unit (40m² with generator) indicated in the annexure = 59 units vs. summary page 13 = 60 units. Answer: Please see a revised table below per the annexes:
29. Question: Should the heat reflective paint be applied to all roofs as requested or only the ones without PV panels? The PV panels, if placed on the roof would mostly negate the usefulness of the heat reflecting paint as the paint reflects radiant heat or solar induced heat (direct sunlight), if the roof isn t in direct sunlight then the paint can t reflect solar radiation. The panels will act as a similar shield against heat gain through radiation. The paint (in either option) will have no effect on conductive heat gain. Please advise? Answer: Heat reflective paint is not necessary where PV panels are installed. 30. Question: Should the perimeter fencing be proportional to the unit size? Indicated in the RFP for both 40m² and 70m² is (18m x 9m), should the 40m² unit have a smaller fencing foot print proportional to its size? Answer: Yes, the perimeter fencing shall be proportional to the unit size as below: Fence dimensions for 70m² shall be 18m x 9m Fence dimensions for 40m² shall be 12m x 9m 31. Question: The 40m² roof surface area of the smaller unit will be too small to accommodate the required solar panels on even a 5kw system if the unit is not orientated true north to minimize prevailing shadow lines (which from previous installs cannot be guaranteed give space constraints at the health center). Therefore, potential feasible solutions are either to place the required PV panel array on existing roof space available at the nearest existing building at the health center next to where the SIB is proposed to be built (this can be confirmed through the site assessment process). Or alternatively increase the length of the 40m² unit to accommodate the panel requirement thereby increasing the unit m² to over the required 40m² foot print. Please may you advise regarding the above? Answer: The 40m² roof surface is on a substantially smaller unit requiring substantially less cooling capability and therefore may require a smaller sized PV system compared to the 70m². It is assumed the bidder will be running heat transfer simulations to ascertain the duty cycle of the bidder's chosen air conditioners and determine PV size. Based on these simulations, the solar panels requirements for the 40m² unit may be smaller than the 70m². Additionally, if the solar panels in the proposed design cannot fit the 40m² roof, Chemonics and the selected bidder may explore various options, including placing the required PV panel array on existing roof space available at the nearest existing building at the health center.
32. Question: The specs are not clear on the tender on page 15 and 16. Is there a possibility that you can send us clear specs please? Answer: The question is not clear on what specifically needs to be clarified. The specifications are listed in the RFP and clarifications to specific questions are contained in this response. 33. Question: Would it be possible to obtain the latitude and longitude for the proposed sites? Answer: The exact coordinates for the proposed are not available at this time. To guide offerors, estimated distances of each site from the main District Health Office (DHO) have been included in annexes 5 and 6 of the RFP. 34. Question: Would shipping container type units be acceptable? Answer: Chemonics may consider a variety of prefabricated unit designs with sufficient justification. 35. Question: Could you please confirm that monitoring and communication requirement is only for PV system installs (as per pg. 22) or must this capability be extended to the non- PV system units specifically for monitoring of temperature, door opening and AC unit performance. Answer: Confirmed, this requirement is only for off-grid units with PV system installations. 36. Question: How many years or what period must the monitoring and communication capability be available? Answer: The monitoring capability is an integral part of the system. Monitoring is expected to be available across the lifespan of the system. 37. Question: Please note: Page 22 indicates that the service life of the charge controller should be 20 years. The indicated service life of charge controllers is generally over a shorter period. We can advise based on the manufactures specification. Answer: Service life of the charge controller goes to defining quality of the system, not the monitoring. Bidders are encouraged to provide sufficient justification for the proposed service life based on the manufacturer's specification. 38. Question: On page 22 under charge controller, the RFP indicates solar (overload, and high voltage). Solar PV systems cannot overload or provide high voltage. Typically, what is measured is battery temperature and draining of battery. Would this monitoring type suit your requirement? Answer: These are inherent protection features of the charge controller, with no relation to monitoring. Monitoring capabilities are elaborated on elsewhere in the RFP.
39. Question: To ensure reliability in monitoring and communication of systems (Specifically Pg. 22 charge controller), 3G (GSM) capability is preferred to Ethernet capability. Would this specification be acceptable? Answer: The elements of the system (including charge controller, inverter, monitoring logger, input/output units, etc.) communicate locally in the prefabricated storage unit, via Ethernet. GSM is to be used to communicate with proposed cloud. Although some areas may only have only 2G, requiring data transfer technologies based on the GSM 2G protocols, bidders are encouraged to submit proposals with 3G (GSM) designs with sufficient justifications. Consideration should be made to areas that may have 3G coverage limitations when describing monitoring and notification capabilities to be supplied. 40. Question: Is the power requirement of additional equipment (such as fridges or freezers, which might be installed at a later stage) known? Answer: Power requirements for these items are not included because the expectation is not to have these items. 41. Question: Is there an internal layout for the storage units available? Answer: Offerors are encouraged to propose designs for both the prefabricated storage unit and the PV system. 42. Question: Item II.2.2 states, The autonomy period shall not exceed 5 days. Does this requirement include the a/c units? Answer: Yes, the proposed autonomy should be for a PV system to run a unit with A/Cs as designed by the offeror.