Request For Proposal # 1824 48V DC Power Plants Response to Vendor Questions Listed below are vendor questions

s and County Responses related to RFP #1824 1) Can vendors quote GE power plants and rectifiers that compare to the Alpha/Argus ones specd? No, vendor proposals need to include Alpha Argus. The County has already deployed Alpha Argus equipment on other portions of its network. For purposes of standardizing maintenance support and repair of the network the County desires to use the Alpha Argus system. 2) We would like to bid on unfortunately our largest system is 260 amps and is designed for 19 racks. The County requires 300 amp minimum. 1) For the two pre existing sites would new 12AWG need to replace existing or can the old cable be re-used? At pre-existing sites, the existing DC plant will be reused with the only replacement being the battery stack. 12AWG wire will not be sufficient for battery cables. 2) What is the proper working window for all service effecting plant and battery cutovers? Cutovers are normally done live during working hours. Battery replacement is not normally service affecting. Battery replacement can be done with rectifers powering the system. New DC plant is at a new site; which has no equipment load and can be done during working hours. 3) With the new plant what size breakers does the existing equipment run off of? Two-way equipment will need 50 amp (qty 4) Microwave radio will be 20 amp (qty 2). These breakers are at the DC plant end of the wire. The rack of equipment at the load end has it's own sub-panel with smaller fuses/breakers which are not a requirement for the purchase. 4) For testing purposes what type make and model generator is located at each of the three locations? Battery replacement only sites do not need switch-over testing (site 60, HMB PD) La Honda will have an Onan 35 KW 35GGPA. 5) For La Honda how many AC drops are required at the power plant?

AC will be provided to plant rack location(up to one AC breakered circuit per rectifier, as needed) ; actual connection to plant will be performed by the vendor during installation. This new plant has no inverter requirement as this site will have no AC equipment loads on the DC plant. 6) Would it be necessary to have slip on Jones plugs designed into the batteries so that easy disconnect can happen? No 7) Is it required by San Mateo to have a battery disconnect switch for fire and safety? Yes - load disconnect is a requirement. Separate battery disconnect is not. 8) Will all battery connections running Back to be DC plant need to be laced with waxed string? Existing wiring from DC plant main breaker panel to sub-panels at load locations/racks are run on overhead cable ladders above relay racks and are secured with nylon cable ties. Cable ties work fine - lacing is not necessary. Note that the site requiring an entire DC plant plus batteries is a new communications site with no loads at this time. Connecting this new plant to the subpanels will not be a requirement for this purchase. For future purchases, where a new DC plant replaces an existing older unit, connecting to subpanels will be needed. For "large gauge" cabling from the DC plant rack to the battery stacks, nylon cable ties are still sufficient. 9) What is the use of 12VDC to a sub panel? To power 12VDC equipment; irrelevant with battery replacements and no 12VDC at La Honda The requirements listed were based on existing uses of DC plants at numerous sites. Various sites, based on the location specific radio equipment might have a 12VDC requirement. At this specific location (La Honda), 12VDC is not required. For future purchases (other sites requiring DC plant replacement or upgrade) 12VDC could easily be a requirement. 10) Is the sub panel 19 or 24 rack?

Sub panel is 19" in most relay racks. Some microwave radios (e.g. Harris' Megastar) have a fused subpanel in their 24" rack. All subpanels are existing equipment and are not being purchased as part of this initial effort. 11) For the 12 vdc to a sub panel is a fuse panel required or are we talking about a wilmore or DC convertor?

12VDC not required for this plant (La Honda) purchase. For other plants (potential future purchases), a 12VDC fuse/breaker panel at the DC plant is not required. We have historically hung Wilmore converter(s) (internally breakered) in the DC plant rack. Their output was cabled directly to the 12VDC sub panel in the rack(s) with 12VDC loads. 12) Do the existing batteries have corrosion, damage and or harmful leaks?

Minimal corrosion/discoloration is possible at connection points. Nothing progressed to "furry" stage. There is no structural damage to mounts, cases, or connectors. Some self sealing vents might have outgassed, but there is no indication of acid leakage or corrosion from acid. These battery stacks haven't been neglected or abused. They're just at end-of-life and are too small for today's increased site loading. 13) With the request of 4 hrs of back up to what load of current. i.e. 4.2 La Honda -300A min is that rectifier min or load current for 4 hrs of back up the same for the other sites- what is the current load that you wish to have backed up for 4 hrs. This is needed to size the battery correctly.

We normally like to see our DC plants have sufficient battery backup for 4 hours at or very near plant capacity. We realize our plants aren't normally loaded to capacity but during radio system fallback/emergency conditions loads are at their highest. Following these guidelines allows for future site radio equipment (load) expansion (up to plant capacity) without noticeable degradation in battery run-time. 14) La Honda has a note this site is single phase- what are the other sites-

Site 60 Single Phase, HMB PD is three phase, but only battery replacements are occurring at these sites. 15) Will the proposer bid on installation of the DC loads or will the County make sure that loads are connected to the load breakers? County will make sure loads are connected. Loads are already connected at all locations that get new battery stacks. At La Honda, where a new plant + batteries is to be installed, this is a new site and loads do not currently exist and will be installed by county/radio system vendor at a later time. 16) Will a site walk to at least one of the site be available to see the conditions- cable run length from battery to charger etc? We can walk the two battery replacement sites (Site 60 and HMB PD), but not the new DC plant site because that site is not yet built. The Site Walk will take place on Wednesday, December 12, 8:00 A.M. Parties are to meet at the Radio Shop located at 501 Winslow Street, Redwood City, 94063.

17)

Will the County be supplying the overhead cable racks?

Yes. However, vendor should be prepared to provide hardware required to secure DC plant to overhead cable ladders. 18) Will the County supply breaker sizes to quote on this bid or will these be purchased at a later time by the County? Two-way will be 50 amp (qty 4) Microwave will be 20 amp (qty 2) These breakers are at the DC plant end of the wire. The rack of equipment at the load end will have its own sub-panel with smaller fuses/breakers which are not a requirement for the purchase. AC breakers/circuits on plant input are county provided up to DC plant location. Connection to AC circuits is a vendor requirement. See Q9. 19) Can the county provide to the proposer the type of battery at each location to be removed? Yes- Site 60: GNB90A13, HMB PD: GNB50A05 20) Will the County be connecting the AC loads to the inverters- if so great if not this information is needed for a correct install bid. No inverter needed for new DC plant; irrelevant with battery replacement 21) Will the County provide all AC feeds needed for the install of the DC power plant providing an AC tail to the rack? AC will be provided to plant rack location (up to one AC breakered circuit per rectifier, as needed); actual connection to plant will be performed by the vendor during installation.