1) Has NDEQ established a maximum budget for this project ...



1) Has NDEQ established a maximum budget for this project that it is willing to share?

Answer: NO

2) Has Nebraska conducted any previous state-wide (or state-sponsored) waste characterization studies and if so, can the report(s) be made available?

Answer: NO, Nebraska has not conducted any previous state-wide waste characterization studies.

3) Has NDEQ identified state-wide waste characterization studies performed by other states (adjoining or otherwise) that it can cite as being representative of the level of detail of results being sought in this effort?

Answer: NO. Note the Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

4) The RFP mentions residential and commercial waste. There is no mention of construction and demolition (C&D) waste. Is the study limited to residential and commercial waste being disposed in the eight targeted landfills, or is it more broadly defined to include all wastes from all generator sectors (MSW, C&D, residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, agricultural) that may be getting disposed in the target landfills?

Answer: The study should include all wastes being disposed in the target landfills. Residential waste will include waste originating from single family and multi-family residences and buildings. Commercial waste is more broadly defined to include all waste originating from sources other than single or multifamily residences. Note the requirement to sample and report separately commercial and residential waste has been removed. The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

5) Related to Question 3 above, is there any further breakdown to the annual tons reported in the RFP for each landfill. For example, is it possible to break these tons down into residential, commercial, C&D, and mixed/unknown?

Answer: The department has total quarterly tonnage figures for each landfill. No other breakdown of the information is available. See Attachment 1.

6) The RFP indicates that the “quarterly progress report must include the summary of activities that have taken place for the previous quarter.” No mention is made of providing preliminary statistical analysis of each season. Does this mean that the statistical analysis (including seasonal comparisons) are not due until the delivery of the draft report at the conclusion of sorting?

Answer: YES

7) The RFP provides annual disposal quantities for the eight target landfills. The list of Deliverables for the project indicates “Statewide averages of the percentage of each categorized material being disposed of at each of the landfills must be provided.” Are the annual quantities provided for the eight targeted landfills supposed to be used as weighting factors to develop state-wide averages, or is there county or regional disposal quantity data that can be made available to serve this purpose (if not now, then before the conclusion of the project)?

Answer: Yes, the annual quantities provided for the eight targeted landfills are supposed to be used as weighting factors to develop state-wide averages. Annual and quarterly waste disposal tonnage totals at all permitted landfills in the state are provided in Attachment 1. No further breakdowns are available by county or region.

8) The RFP requires the contractor to “specify in the proposal the number of samples to be taken at each site each season and…indicate the criteria used in determining why that number is representative of the waste being received at each landfill.” However, limited guidance is provided on NDEQ’s objectives for conducting the waste characterization study (beyond inferences that can be drawn from the list of deliverables). Such guidance is important to justify the criteria for sample sizes. Please complete the following sentence by checking the ending that best describes the desired level of detail for the statistically defensible analyses that are to be performed for this project. “The results of this study should enable solid waste and recycling program managers to identify incremental recycling/diversion opportunities…”

a. “At the state level only, and not differentiate by region, by landfill, or by generator class (e.g., residential, commercial, C&D, etc.)” (i.e., results are to be used primarily for new facility planning)

b. “Within specific generator classes (residential, commercial, etc.), but only at the state level” (results begin to enable evaluation of current recycling diversion programs, but only broadly across the state)

c. “At each of the target landfills, but not differentiate by generator class” (provides improved macro data at the regional level and enables differentiation of aggregate waste stream characteristics by region)

d “Within specific generator classes at each of the target landfills” (enables detailed evaluation of the effectiveness of current recycling and diversion programs, as well as opportunities for new programs within the wastesheds of each targeted landfill?

The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

9) Page 1, Section I – the first paragraph in this section states the qualified contractor will perform a “waste characterization study on the amount and composition . . .”. Is the Nebraska DEQ asking the contractor to estimate the amount of waste disposed in all landfills in Nebraska by Nebraska residents? If yes, this is a distinctly different study than doing a waste characterization study, which is what the scope of work in the RFP focuses on. To estimate the amount or tonnage of waste disposed in the State of Nebraska we will need to obtain data from all landfills in Nebraska (not just the 8 listed in the RFP) and account for waste imports and waste exports.

Answer: NO.

10) Page 21, Section IV.C.7 – the contractor is requested to provide a “proposed report form” as part of the proposal. Is this the proposed form we would use to tabulate the data during the sorting studies? If no, please elaborate on what the DEQ is requesting.

Answer: YES

11) Page 22, Section IV.D.5 – the onsite activities list includes a requirement that commercial and residential loads be sampled and reported separately. Will these results ultimately be combined to represent “municipal solid waste” or should our sorting methodology include statistically significant sampling of both commercial and residential waste which in effect may double the number of samples required.

Answer: Note the requirement to sample and report separately commercial and residential waste has been removed. The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

12) Page 23, Section IV.E. – the final report is to include the results of the waste characterization study but also recommendations regarding the areas potentially needing permanent HHW facilities (item #6), C & D sites (#7), and compost sites (#8). What kind of database or information does the State have regarding existing facilities managing these materials and more specifically their location, ownership, materials accepted, tipping fees, processing capacity, and ability to expand?

Answer: No longer applicable. The list of deliverables has been amended. The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

13) Page 23, Section IV.E.9 – the final report is to contain recommendations on any additional recycling efforts that may be necessary at each location. What is meant by “location”, is it the 8 landfill locations? The geographic areas these landfills serve? Does the State know the geographic areas served by the landfills? Does the State have information on existing recycling programs offered throughout the state so that the contractor can make recommendations based on the coverage (or lack of) and the effectiveness (or lack of) of existing programs.

Answer: No longer applicable. The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

14) The RFP provides for a two year contracting timeframe. Ideally, how long does the State expect the seasonal sorting at the 8 landfills to take and from that point in time how long to prepare the final report (which also includes additional solid waste planning requirements)?

Answer: The contract period is two years to complete the work and prepare all necessary reports.

15) Have the 8 landfills agreed to work with the contractor to accommodate our needs during the study? For example, we will need space at the landfill to conduct the sorting, we may need to erect a temporary tent during the colder seasons, we may need to have the use of a front end loader to help select samples from incoming trucks, we may need equipment to aggregate loads at the smaller landfills that may receive significant self-haul loads. If we do need assistance moving waste to the sorting area, to aggregate loads or to take representative samples from trucks, will this be done by the landfill at no cost? Are all the landfills publicly owned and operated except for the Pheasant Point Landfill?

Answer: The eight landfills have all agreed to allow access and space to conduct the sorting. The eight landfills also responded to general questions concerning availability of an impermeable pad, shelter, and equipment. See responses below.

|LANDFILL |IMPERMEABLE PAD |SHELTER |EQUIPMENT |

|City of Hastings Landfill |No |No |Yes |

|Lexington (LASWA) |Yes |Yes |Yes |

|Lincoln Bluff Road |Yes |Yes |Yes |

|Northeast Nebraska Solid |Yes |Yes |Undecided |

|Waste Coalition (NNSWC) | | | |

|Sidney Area Solid Waste |Yes |Yes |Yes |

|Agency | | | |

|Solid Waste Agency of |Yes |Yes |Yes |

|Northwest Nebraska (SWANN) | | | |

|Valentine Area Solid Waste |No |No |Yes |

|Agency | | | |

|Waste Management of |No pad, however sort could occur over lined portion |No. |Yes |

|Nebraska, Inc./Pheasant Point |of landfill. | | |

Contact information for each of the landfills is provided in Attachment 1. Contact the landfills directly to determine what additional accommodations they will make, clarifications to their responses above, and to determine if they are publicly or privately owned and operated. IT IS THE CONTRACTOR’S RESPONSIBILITY TO DETERMINE AVAILABLE ACCOMMODATIONS BY THE LANDFILLS.

16) Does the State have a not-to-exceed budget allocated for this project, and if so, can you tell us what the budget allocation is?

Answer: NO

17) The RFP appears to be formatted for a construction or materials procurement type project rather than a professional services contract including fixed pricing, best and final offer, a performance bond and a $100 dollar per day penalty for failure to meet schedule dates until deliverables are approved. Since this is a consulting study rather than a construction project, can this performance bond requirement be waived and the provisions for penalty and retainage be eliminated or reduced to a more typical level for professional services? Typically retainage on professional service contracts is zero, since profit margins are not as high as construction projects.

Answer: NO

18) The RFP request is for a fixed price contract (lump sum?) but insufficient data has been provided to allow the Proposer to determine the number of samples that will be required to achieve a statistical accurate result. Has NDEQ considered the size samples and the number of vehicles to be sampled to obtain a statistically representative sample? This question has significant cost implications. For example, most waste sort projects involve at least 5 days of sampling to minimize bias and multiple waste trucks each day that are mechanically or manually reduced to representative samples. If one consultant assumes 5 days per site, per quarter and one consultant assumes 1 day there will be a huge price difference and a significant difference in the selection of “representative” samples. It is suggested NDEQ provide some guidance on the level of effort that they envision.

Answer: The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

19) Waste deliveries will likely come from four principle sources residential (single family residential, duplexes), commercial (multifamily residential and retail/commercial businesses), and industrial (food processing, manufacturing, etc.) and construction/demolition. Is it the intent of study to sample and analyze all of these waste streams or to focus only on the first two? Can the state provide any guidance on the number and size of samples that will be required for the study?

Answer: The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See answer to question #4, IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK, and Attachment 1.

20) Will the NDEQ provide summary data on the typical number of vehicles by type (or waste source) that may arrive at each location in order to determine the number of samples required to be considered “representative”? If the consultant has to compile and sort through weigh tickets to accumulate this data, it could impact the cost significantly.

Answer: NO. The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

21) The RFP states that payment will be made based on a Fixed Price and not paid until an acceptable deliverable has been received by the State. Is this intended to mean a lump sum payment? Please define what the state considers to be deliverables upon which the Proposer can receive progress payments (e.g. can adequate milestones be established to allow timely payment, such as after a field sampling event is complete (majority of labor, materials, travel, lodging) but before the office summary of results are tabulated). If the intent is that the consultant will only be paid upon delivery of each quarterly report and a 20 % retainage is being withheld, the consultant will incur substantial interest charges (i.e., 3, 4 months or longer) while they await payment. As such the consultant will need to include interest in the overhead cost for the project or will NDEQ pay interest on retainage. Can payment be changed to a monthly basis based on project milestones instead?

Answer: The RFP is clear that quarterly payments will be made. The required deliverables are clearly spelled out. Monthly payments are not an option.

22) The number of waste sorts requested includes 32 events, which will be required significant funds to conduct. What has the state budgeted for these events and if sufficient funding is not available will the state scale down the project, abandon the program or find additional funding?

Answer: See #1.

23) In consideration of the issues of the difficulty maintaining “daily cover on sorted waste” and other problems associated with the outdoor elements, what provisions will be provided by NDEQ in terms of enclosed space for conducting the sorts at each of the various landfill locations? A rain event during the sorting operation will increase the weight of the sorted materials and distort the results of the study, so some form of shelter needs to be provided. A bay at a transfer station, vacant building or maintenance shed is suggested. The location of the building will need to be in close proximity to the landfill to avoid major inconvenience to the normal delivery process.

Answer: See # 15

24) Heavy equipment (e.g., loaders) will be required to obtain a representative sample from each truck load selected for sampling. Will the state or the landfills be able to provide the needed support to conduct the initial sample selection and waste cleanup? If the consultant has to include the equipment rental and labor for these activities it will have a significant impact on the price.

Answer: See #15

25) How many loads or tons per season per landfill does the NDEQ anticipate will be characterized? A Missouri study characterized less than 2% of waste annually. A military study characterized less than 0.03% by weight.

Answer: The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

26) What is the most recent EPA waste characterization study and where can a copy be obtained?

Answer: No longer applicable. The list of deliverables has been amended. The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

27) What are the most recent studies available in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota? Where can we obtain a copy of those studies?

Answer: No longer applicable. The list of deliverables has been amended. The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

28) Which landfills have indicated the study work can be done inside a building? Will some of the work (at which landfills) have to be performed on the working face of the landfill?

Answer: See #15

29) At landfills with multiple facilities (C&D, MSW, recycling), will loads for each type of facility be characterized? Or only MSW?

Answer: Only the waste to be disposed of in the MSW facility (targeted landfills) will be characterized.

30) Which landfills have multiple permitted facilities? Please provide types of facilities at each landfill.

Answer: Does not matter.

31) Will operators allow work after business hours and on weekends to avoid conflicts with work at the landfill?

Answer: See #15

32) Does all sorting have to be done over lined areas of permitted facilities? If not possible, we assume we will need to create a lined area or work on concrete pad.

Answer: All sorting must be done over a lined area or some other impervious surface to prohibit infiltration of leachate into the environment. See # 15

33) Will landfill operators provide staff and equipment assistance on a limited basis? Once characterization is finished, will operators pickup and haul waste from the sorting area to the working face of the landfill?

Answer: See #15

34) Are quarterly reports due March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31 for winter, spring, summer and fall?

Answer: YES

35) Is the NE Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan available for our use in developing recommendations? When was the plan last updated?

Answer: YES. The plan has not been updated. The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

36) Does NE have numbers available regarding waste trends – increases or decreases in waste percentages since Subtitle D regulations were put in place?

Answer: NO

37) Does the Department of Environmental Quality want the study to provide statistically significant findings on a facility-by-facility basis or just on a statewide basis?

Answer: The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. The list of deliverables has been amended. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See answer #7, IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK, and Attachment 1.

38) What EPA waste characterization study would you like the Nebraska results to be compared to?

Answer: No longer applicable. The list of deliverables has been amended. The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

39) Will tonnage figures be available for each facility showing the split between commercial waste and residential waste? If not, then should we include in the proposal and budget the cost of collecting that data? (We believe the tonnage data for residential vs. commercial waste is necessary for the study.)

Answer: NO. The Contractor should budget for whatever it believes is necessary for it to do the job. Note the requirement to sample and report separately commercial and residential waste has been removed. The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

40) What portion of the budget does the Department anticipate being allocated to in-field data collection, versus the analysis, reporting, and policy recommendations described on page 23 of the RFP?

Answer: Do not know. The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

41) Page 28 of the RFP describes the details that are desired in the cost proposal. Does that mean you want the cost proposal to consist of an itemization of specific deliverables (e.g., the number of samples, a final report, etc.) and a cost associated with each deliverable (e.g., cost per sample, cost of report, etc.)?

Answer: Cost of the total project only.

42) The RFP states photographs will be taken of the sampled waste before and after the sorting task. After sorting, there will be at least 29 categories. Does the NDEQ require photos of all 29 sorted categories, for each sample?

Answer: As many photographs as it takes to clearly see everything. More than one category can be in each photo.

43) The RFP states that the vehicle bringing the load must also be photographed. Some hauling companies may object. Would the NDEQ be willing to inform all licensed haulers of the study and of the photographing of the trucks?

Answer: If a hauler objects to the photographing of its truck a description of the vehicle type and any company name will be considered adequate.

44) The level of effort will be substantial with the request to conduct multiple season, multiple site field events. Therefore, has the NDEQ established a budget range for completion of this project?

Answer: NO

45) Will the Department consider alternative proposals with fewer sites and/or fewer seasonal sorts?

Answer: NO

46) Will each landfill have a concrete or other impervious area available for waste sorting? Each landfill are already required to do random sorts for prohibited materials. If they are using an impervious surface, it would be advisable to use the same surface for off-loading materials to be sorted. Please provide details.

Answer: See # 15

47) Contractor Requirements - #4 Contractors will provide...temporary shelter when necessary". Is this a requirement for shelter for 1) personnel that are doing the sorting or 2) a shelter/temporary building in which to do the actual sorting during bad weather or "when necessary" Please provide clarification

Answer: When necessary in order to perform the required tasks in the judgment of the contractor. See #15

48) Is there a specific criteria/EPA/ASTM or other method that is to be used in sorting the waste stream in order to characterize it and determine volume and weights? NAC Title 132 for Integrated Solid Waste is geared toward inspections to assure hazardous wastes are excluded as does 40 CFR 258, not characterizing all wastes received.

Answer: No specific criteria is specified. See Attachment 1

49) This sorting will be more extensive that than done by each landfill as part of their permit requirements. Obviously the number or percentage of loads or tonnage to be sampled will be key to developing a cost estimate. Is right of access and cooperation of landfill management assured? Since the sorting will interrupt day-to-day landfill operations this is a concern.

Answer: See #15

50) Since there is the possibility of encountering hazardous waste during the characterization is NDEQ requiring that on-site workers have initial 40 Hour or 24 Hour HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Site and Emergency Response) and current 8-hour annual refresher training?

Answer: It is the Contractor’s responsibility to ensure health and safety including training for it’s workers.

51) Is there a yearly escalator or COLA-type annual adjustment to

parallel salary and other cost(rent, fuel, etc.) increases? This is

difficult to address for a 2 to 3 year period.

Answer: No. Contract period is two years.

52) Where is the NDEQ Quality Management Plan on the web? Please

provide the URL

Answer: It is not on the website, you can request it through the NDEQ records management section.

53) Is NDEQ going to provide the waste stream data from neighboring

states and US EPA.

Answer: NO. No longer applicable. The list of deliverables has been amended. The Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

54) The best data would be if the same statistical comparison is used

across the different sources. Will NDEQ provide the statistical

analyses and methods to be used for data comparison.

Answer: NO, the NDEQ will not provide the statistical analysis and methods to be used for data comparison. Note the Project Description And Scope Of Work has been revised to better reflect the objective of the study. In addition, Attachment 1 has been developed to provide additional guidance. See IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK and Attachment 1.

55) Is the assumption correct that the scales at each landfill will be

available for this project?

Answer: See #15

56) Was wondering what exactly a characterization study is? Solid waste meaning Concrete, wood, and Steel? Where are these 8 sites located? Who has done this work in the past?

Answer: Please refer to the RFP

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