Contract No. 3 Adjoining Bulgarian Infrastructure Works
DANUBEBRIDGE VIDIN-CALAFAT
Contract No. 3 Adjoining Bulgarian Infrastructure Works
Responses to Tenderer’s Questions - Part 2
No / Ref / Question / AnswerVolume 1
Section 1: Instruction to Tenderers / In § 4.2.5 is stated: ‘The tenderer, or all members of a joint venture / consortium collectively, shall have successfully completed at least 2 projects with a minimum value of €36 million each.’
Q1: Are references provided by a Nominated Subcontractor, i.e. for the construction of railway track, considered as valid evidence for the tenderer, or for the joint venture / consortium in order to meet or exceed the minimum selection criteria. / There is no Nominated Subcontractor for this tender. References are required for the tenderer, or all members of a joint venture/consortium. References provided from any subcontractor will not be accepted.
Volume 1
Section 1: Instruction to Tenderers
Volume 3B, Technical Specifications Railway Works / Language
There seems to be a discrepancy between:
Volume 1, Section 1: Instruction to Tenderers, clause 13, Language of Tenders
and
Volume 3B, Technical Specifications Railway Works, clause 16100 as follows:
Instruction to Tenderers clause 13.1/13.2:
“The Tender and all correspondence and documents…must be written in the language of the procedures which is English.”
…“For the purposes of interpretation of the tender, the language of the procedure will prevail.”
Technical Specifications, Railway works, clause 16100 (last para):
… “In the event of ambiguity between this English-language version of this Section 16000 and the Bulgarian-language version the Bulgarian-language version shall take precedence.”
Q1: Please advise how to proceed with these obviously contradictory wordings.
Q2: We did not receive a Bulgarian-language version and would even not be able to interpret correctly such Bulgarian-language version.
Please advise. / The English language is the language of the procedure and the Tender Documents. However references in Volume 3B are made to original regulatory documentswhich exist in Bulgarian language.
No / Ref / Question / Answer
Volume 1, Section 2 / Time for Completion of the Works
The time for Completion of the works is indicated in Volume 1, Section 2, Tender form being 24 months.
It is assumed that in that period the contractor is released from 3rd party obligations and has full independence and freedom to organize and perform the works.
Please confirm/advise. / During the period of construction the contractor will not be exempt from 3rd party obligations and will be required to liaise with the Contractors for the DanubeBridge and the contractors for the railway construction on the Romanian side.
Volume 1, Section 2, General Conditions of Contract the General Conditions / Design Works by the Employer
According to Volume 1, Section 2, General Conditions of Contract the General Conditions comprise the
“Conditions of Contract for Construction building and engineering works designed by the Employer” (Red Book of … FIDIC)
We therefore assume that design works is done by the employer and excluded from the works and will be provided by the Employer.
Please confirm/advise. / Confirmed Red FIDIC Conditions of Contracts for Construction for Building and Engineering Works Designed by the Employer (First Edition 1999). The design will be provided by the Employer. However, as per Clause 4.1 of the General Conditions, further design work will be required to produce working drawings, for example for signaling and communications dependent on the equipment proposed by the Tenderer.
Volume 2, Section 3, Particular Conditions of Contract (clause 13) / Adjustment for Changes in Cost
According to Volume 2, Section 3, Particular Conditions of Contract (clause 13 Variations and Adjustments) Subclause 13.8 of the Red Book shall not apply. Related to the present fluctuation of raw material prices (e.g. copper, steel) a considerable risk is transferred to the Tenderer / Contractor. From the date of contract coming into force such risk may be reduced by special precautions of the Contractor. In accordance with Instructions to Tenderers, clause 17 the Tender Period shall be in total 190 days:
-Tender validity 90 days
-Extension of Tender validity up to 40 days
-Further 60 days from the date of Notification
It would be highly appreciated, if a price adjustment as per sub-clause 13.8 of the Red Book would be active until the date the contract comes into force.
Please recheck/advise. / It is not intended to applyprice adjustment.
No / Ref / Question / Answer
Volume 2, Section 3, Particular Conditions of Contract
Volume 3B, Railways Works / Bill of Quantities
In Volume 2, Section 3, Particular Conditions of Contract the Bill of Quantities is listed in the sequence under item g).
At least for those parts Volume 4 related to Volume 3B, Railways the BoQ seems to be very rudimentarily (typical short version BoQ) and taking references to other documents (like a long version BoQ) is not supplied with the Tender in this case. Please deliver the additional information as needed to allow the tenderer to fulfill his obligations in respect to clause 8.2 of the Instructions to Tenderers. / Volume 4 – Bill of Quantities shall be read in conjunction with the appropriate specifications and drawings included in the Tender Documents. There is no other Bill of Quantities.
Volume 4, Bill of Quantities / Bill of Quantities Assembly
In Volume 4, Bill of Quantities frequently the wording “Assembly” is used. As to be assumed “Assembly” means the supply of material together with manpower and other services as needed to perform such works. However at some parts of the BoQ wordings like “delivery” and “supply and assembly” are used as well. We would appreciate a clear wording for each item, what works are assumed to be done.
Please advise. / Assembly includes manpower and other services needed to perform the works. The supply and delivery of equipment is covered by separate items in the BoQ.
Volume 1
Section 1: Instruction to Tenderers / According to the text in tender documentation (Volume 1, page 10) "The same
company may only participate as subcontractor in different tenders if that is justified bythe specific nature of the market and cleared by the European Commission".
Our questions are:
41.1.1Who will decide about the "justification by the specific nature of the market"?
41.1.2Who should ask for this decision and where? Kindly indicate the respective institution, its respective department and address (e-mail).
41.2. Who should ask for the permission to participate as subcontractor in different tenders by the European Commission? Kindly indicate the respective department of the European Commission and its address (e-mail). / This contract is not considered to be of a specific nature of the market. Therefore the same company may participate as a subcontractor in different tenders. In this case the a.m. company may not participate neither as a JV partner nor a Sole tender in other tenders.
No / Ref / Question / Answer
Volume 3B, 16402 / In the tender documentation (Volume 3B, 16402) the required "interlocking shall be
relay based with routed shunting and shall be designed in accordance with the
principles of Electronic Interlocking (TS-BDZ-00.001-96)".
TS-BDZ-00.001-96 describes the requirements only for the relay stands/racks of the EC-M equipment (interlocking for small stations) and not for the whole interlocking system. Please explain.
In this document there are quoted several standards and requirements which are not valid anymore. For example in point 2.2 it is stated that only the specialists of ZAT factory are allowed to produce and install the relay stands/racks. Please explain. According to our opinion this requirement is violating the basic principals of the fair competition. / Interlocking shall be relay based with routed train and shunting movements using the principles of electrical interlocking as a minimum and using axle counters for detections of the occupancy/vacancy of the sections of the railway track.
The tender documentation refers to TS-BDZ-00.001-96 only where a relay part is proposed in the interlocking system. It shall be constructed on a stand/racks modular principle. The requirement related to ZAT shall be disregarded.
Volume 3B, Railways Works / In the tender documentation there are stated the orders from year 2002 (orders No.47, 49 and 51). These orders are not valid anymore. Currently is valid the order 58from 2006. Please explain which orders should be respected. / The orders from year 2002 (47,49 and 51) are replaced by order 58 from 2006.
Volume 3B 16403 / The EC-M interlocking system described in TS-BDZ-00.001-96 is old system without visualization. If the visualization is required, we believe that the new modern electronicinterlocking system would better meet the requirements. Is it possible to offer themodern electronic interlocking system? / According to the Tender Documents Volume 3B 16403 visualization is required. It is possible to offer a modern interlocking system under the condition that it meets all the functional and technical requirements in the Tender Documents and has been certified and tested by an EU railways authority.
Volume 3B, 16406 / In the tender documentation (Volume 3B, 16406) the required speed is 1760 km/hour.
We suppose that the correct speed is 160 km/hour. Please confirm. / We confirm the correct speed is 160 km/hr.
Volume 3B, 16412 / In the tender documentation (Volume 3B, 16412) there are quoted the European
requirements and standards for ERTMS/ETCS which must be respected. It is also
stated that "Additionally the trackside equipment shall comply with the current
regulations and orders of the NRIC". Please specify these regulations and orders of
NRIC. / Order 58 of the Ministry of Transport shall be referred to concerning trackside equipment in addition to the quoted European requirements and standards.
No / Ref / Question / Answer
Volume 3B, 16412 / Please confirm that the "on board equipment for ETCS" is not the subject of this tender. / We confirm that on board equipment for “ETCS” is not the subject of this tender.
Volume 3B, 16401 / In the tender documentation (Volume 3B, page 52, 16401) is stated that the qualification of the engineers employed for Signaling and Telecommunication work should be an Institution of Railway Signal Engineers license, or equivalent qualification, appropriate to the work being carried out.
Can you specify the term “equivalent qualification”? We assume that the engineers, who have the required special education, long time experience and accordant references and who have passed the respective exams by the national authority and were duly certified in accordance with the respective national law, are fully meeting the requirements of tender documentation. Please confirm. / We confirm that the engineers who have the required special education together with long time experience and accordant references and who have passed the respective exams and were duly certified in accordance with the respective national law meet the requirement of the tender.
Volume 3B, 16402 / Volume 3B, page 52, 16402
Please explain unambiguously if it is compulsory to use relay part of the EC-M interlocking. / See answer to question 44.
Volume 3B, 16402 / Please explain what should be understood under the definition “relay based interlocking with principles of electronic interlocking”. / See answer to question 42.
Volume 3B, 16402 / Volume 3B, page 53, 16402
Article 16402 is stating on page No. 53 with (a) General which continues till page 56 (g) Vidin Passenger Station. There are no items b,c,d,e,f in between. Please confirm that the text is complete and no items under b,c,d,e,f are missing. In case that the text is not complete, kindly provide the missing items. / There are no missing items. Sub-clauses g-k shall be read as b-f accordingly.
Volume 3B, 16403 / Volume 3B, page 64, 16403
In the first paragraph a printer is stated as a part of the control of the station interlocking system. Is it an obligatory part of the control? / The printer is an obligatory part of the control of the station interlocking system.
Volume 3B / If computer control is required, please specify the safety level (SIL according to EN 50129) / The safety level is SIL 4.
Volume 3B / Please specify what safety level is required for computer display. / The safety level required is SIL 2.
Volume 3B, 16402 i / Volume 3B, page 59, 16402 i) – last line
Please specify what is “interim speed”. / Omit “with one interim speed”.
Volume 3B, 16407 / Volume 3B, 16407
What is the specification of the interface to the existing line signaling equipment. / Please refer to Rules for the Technical Exploitation of the Railway Infrastructure - Part 2 2006, published by National Company “Railway Infrastructure”.
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