U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268

Z -- DECONTAMINATION OF A COMBUSTION RESEARCH FACILITY SOL OH-00-16 DUE 111699 POC Mike Hennessey, 513-487-2032 E-MAIL: EPA Contracts Management Division, Cincinnati, OH, hennessey.mike@epamail.epa.gov. The following are questions that were received with the responses. The due date for quotes remains 11/16/99. RFQ -- OH-0016 Questions and Answers 1. Will floor plan and/or equipment location, etc. drawings for the subject area be available RESPONSE -- Floor plan drawings are available on site if needed. However, the purpose of the visits was to allow the Contractors to familiarize themselves with the Facility. 2. The synopsis/solicitation indicates that "the containment systems shall stay in place for a final, detailed cleaning (fine cleaning/wipedown) for which EPA will be responsible." Does this include the HEPA filtration equipment? If so, for what duration? Who will dismantle the containment systems? RESPONSE -- The critical barriers should remain in sealed after the coarse decontamination is completed. The Contractor may remove his HEPA equipment at this time. Presuming that the materials used to seal all barriers are simply plastic and tape, and that they are accessible to EPA, they will be removed by EPA upon completion of the final decontamination. 3. Since the work area will be under HEPA filtered negative pressure, why do measures need to be taken to reduce the amount of dust in the work area? Can you describe the types of dust reduction measures you anticipate? RESPONSE -- The Contractor should simply try, where practical, to reduce the cloud of dust likely to be generated during the initial stages of the Project. It is not our charter to tell them how to do their job. If the area is under sufficient negative pressure, fugitive dust will not be a problem. 4. The synopsis/solicitation requests that the qualifications of the CIH that will direct the work be submitted with the proposal. Does the contractor or the EPA provide this person? RESPONSE -- The Decon Plan and the Health and Safety Plan (upon award) may be approved by the Contractor's CIH. The Project Surveillance CIH will be provided by EPA and will report to the Project Officer. 5. After the bag house has been cleaned,will there be any analysis to determine that it is "clean"? RESPONSE -- No. The only test will be no visible dust. 6. Can we work on Saturday? RESPONSE -- No. The contractor can work between 6:00 A.M and 6:00 P.M. Monday through Friday. 7. What specific air monitoring wil EPA perform? RESPONSE -- Air monitoring will be done through the course of the project. Filters will be analyzed for the constituents of concern listed in the Statement of Work. 8. Could you further define how "clean the initial cleaning is supposed to be (i.e., Does it have to pass a white glove test?) RESPONSE -- Equipment must be free of visible contamination. Settled dust must be removed from all exterior surfaces. Surfaces need not be sterile but must appear clean. 9. How shoud costs be given? (i.e. lump sum, time & materials, not-to-exceed, etc.) RESPONSE -- The quote should be a limp sum. 10. Does the contractor's IH have to be present at all times? Response -- No. The Contractor's IH must approve their Decon & Health & Safety plans. Their IH need not be present for the duration of the project. 11. Can we obtain a copy of the Scope of Work for the oversight contractor/CIH? RESPONSE -- For Information purposes only, statement of work is as follows: INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE MONITORING AND PROJECT SURVEILLANCE WORK Environmental Research Center "G" High Bay Statement of Work BACKGROUND: On August 19, 1999, a fire occurred in the Wing G Highbay area of EPA's Environmental Research Center, 86 T.W. Alexander Drive, RTP, NC. In dealing with that fire, a baghouse located in this area was partially disassembled and a quantity of dust and/or flyash was released. The site of the fire is a combustion research facility that operates under a Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Research Design & Demonstration permit and therefore all materials released there must be treated as RCRA hazardous wastes. A single fly ash sample taken soon after the fire contained: arsenic, 19.1 micrograms per gram (ug/g) barium, 53.9 ug/g cadmium, 828 ug/g chromium, 237 ug/g lead, 197 ug/g mercury, <18.7 ug/g selenium, <2.0 ug/g silver, 1.41 ug/g nickel, 130 ug/g vanadium, 181 ug/g copper, 110 ug/g This area must be decontaminated before unprotected personnel are allowed to return to the area and resume operations. The areas and items that must be decontaminated consist of approximately 6,300 square feet (sf) first floor, 2,000 sf mezzanine, five combustion units, air pollution treatment units, and various support equipment. EPA intends to contract for the decontamination effort. EPA also requires the services of a qualified organization to conduct technical monitoring of the overall cleanup project. The current schedule for the cleanup is: 1. Award of decontamination contract..........................4th quarter, 1999 2. Approval of work plan for decontamination effort...........4th quarter, 1999 3. Initiation of phase one (visual) decontamination effort....4th quarter, 1999 4. Completion of visual decontamination effort................4th quarter, 1999 5. Issue work assignment and initiate phase two (Wipedown) decontamination.............4th quarter, 1999 6. Completion of phase two cleanup............................1st quarter, 2000 DESCRIPTION OF WORK: Under this work assignment, the Contractor (hereinafter referred to as the Industrial Hygienist or IH contractor) shall provide monitoring and surveillance support services to oversee the total decontamination effort. All such monitoring shall be by or under the supervision of, an IH contractor currently certified by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (CIH). Each IH contractor employee working under this work assignment must possess minimum training requirements of 40 hours Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response with an annual refresher; Respiratory Protection: and Hazardous Communication specific in the metals encountered during the project. The IH contractor shall 1) recommend to the EPA Work Assignment Manager (see Sampling and Oversight Plan under Reporting) an appropriate level of decontamination and 2) provide all labor, materials and equipment (including respiratory protection) necessary to conduct project surveillance and environmental monitoring of the total cleanup effort. The IH contractor must use appropriate NIOSH sampling method(s). The IH contractor shall arrange for analysis of all samples by an American Industrial Hygiene Association accredited laboratory. In addition to the cleanup of the facility, the IH contractor shall monitor the contracted cleanup of the exterior and interior of a baghouse unit (confined space entry, approximately 8 ft x 8 ft x 10 ft) which must be decontaminated prior to disposal. All portable sampling apparatus (approximately 6 items) located in the contaminated area shall receive priority cleaning and decontamination to a level suitable for removal from the work area. The IH contractor shall monitor the contracted cleanup of that equipment. Until notified otherwise by the EPA Work Assignment Manager, minimum personal protective equipment for all personnel entering the contaminated area shall be supplied air respirator (pressure demand), full body protective suits, gloves, and boots. EPA will arrange for disposal of all used protective clothing items which may be left at the site. All personnel entering the work area must be enrolled in an occupational medical surveillance program for respiratory protection and the metals encountered during the project. Personnel must have biological monitoring by an accredited occupational health clinic during the project and results submitted in the final report. The phase one cleanup contractor will conduct a thorough "visual cleaning" (no contamination visible to the eye) of the area. The final or phase two cleanup will be conducted by the EPA contractor that operates the facility once the EPA Work Assignment Manager has determined that the level of the contamination has been reduced to the degree that only negative pressure air purifying respirators need be used. The IH contractor shall recommend levels of personal protective equipment throughout the project based upon environmental sampling data results. The IH contractor shall inspect the work site during both phases of the cleanup activities and shall ensure all work is performed in accordance with all state, local, and federal environmental and occupational safety and health requirements. The IH contractor shall perform the following sampling: A statistically significant number of Baseline area air samples and wipe sample shall be collected inside and outside of the contaminated area before phase one cleanup activities begin. Work Area air and wipe samples shall be collected inside of, and outside of the regulated work site to monitor metals concentrations during the cleanup work. Personnel Samples shall be collected in the breathing zone of one cleanup worker per shift to provide the Government data to compare with the work area samples. The personnel samples collected for the Government shall be in addition to, and not substitute for, any samples required by the IH contractor. Final Clearance area air and wipe samples shall be collected both inside and outside of the regulated work site upon conclusion of the phase two cleanup. Upon completion of the sampling, the IH contractor must provide the EPA Work Assignment Manager, a statement certifying the area is safe to re-enter without the need for personal protective equipment. This statement must be approved by an IH contractor CIH. REPORTING: Within 15 days after issuance of this work assignment and prior to starting the actual cleanup and monitoring, the IH contractor shall submit to the EPA Work Assignment Manager, a written Sampling and Oversight Plan approved by an IH contractor Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH). The Plan must include the number of samples to be collected, sampling methods, and recommendations for determining an appropriate level of decontamination to complete the cleanup. The IH contractor also shall submit a CIH approved site specific Health and Safety Plan including personnel qualifications. The IH contractor must secure approval of the EPA Project Officer of both the Sampling and Oversight Plan and the Health and Safety Plan before cleanup and monitoring work begins. EPA will not allow the cleanup contractor to begin until these plans are approved, so delays will involve numerous personnel and must be avoided. The IH contractor shall submit daily verbal reports and a final written report the EPA Work Assignment Manager on the progress of the work. These reports shall describe the cleanup contractor s compliance with federal, state, and local regulations as well as recommendations on the appropriate level of personal protective equipment. The IH contractor shall provide the written report to the EPA Work Assignment Manager with 15 working days after completion of the work specified herein, giving a synopsis of the project, all air and wipe monitoring analysis data, and work site observations. The IH contractor shall also submit to the EPA Work Assignment Manger an electronic copy of the work in Corel Word Perfect 8.0, including digital color photographs. Posted 11/09/99 (W-SN399486). (0313)

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