Addition/Relocation of Potable Water and Sewer Lines – Temporary, Bern, Switzerland

STATEMENT OF WORK
1. Utility Relocation Services – Bern, Switzerland Aug 2026
2. STATEMENT OF WORK for RELOCATION AND EXTENSION OF POTABLE WATER AND SEWER LINES – EAST OF CHANCERY United States Embassy Bern, Switzerland Aug 2026
3. 1.1 PROJECT DATA
A. Project Title: Addition/Relocation of Potable Water and Sewer Lines – East of Chancery, in Support of Temporary Construction Offices, Bern, Switzerland
B. Project Location: Primary work location is the area east of the U.S. Embassy (Chancery Building) in Bern, where temporary construction offices will be sited during the related Selective Improvement Project (SIP) construction period.
4. 1.2 PROJECT SCOPE
A. The U.S. Government leases the Chancery in Bern. The U.S. Government requires the addition and/or relocation of existing potable water lines and sanitary sewer lines to a new alignment east of the Chancery to serve temporary construction offices to be installed in that area in support of the Bern SIP construction effort to be carried out by the Department of State Bureau of Overseas Building Operations (OBO) using an American Contractor.
B. Contractor is responsible for providing complete surveying, design, and installation/relocation services necessary to meet the requirements of this contract within established schedules. Services may include, but are not limited to: field survey, utility mapping, civil/site engineering, plumbing design, trenching and excavation coordination, pipe material specification, connection detailing, backflow prevention, and restoration of disturbed surfaces. Services must comply with Swiss, American, and International standards and codes as listed below.
C. Contractor shall provide the following types of services:
1. Type A. Survey and Field Verification. Contractor shall conduct a field survey to verify existing conditions, including the location, depth, size, material, and condition of existing potable water and sewer lines in the vicinity of the Chancery. Contractor shall verify dimensions and required length of extension/relocation to reach the temporary construction office area east of the Chancery. Contractor shall document existing utility tie-in points, elevations, and any conflicts with other subsurface utilities or structures. Contractor shall prepare a survey report with findings, including a utility location plan (plan and profile drawings) and photographic documentation.
2. Type B. Design Services. In accordance with Swiss and American plumbing, civil, and life safety codes and standards, Contractor shall prepare design and construction documents (statements of work, drawings, and specifications) for the addition and/or relocation of potable water and sewer lines to the east Chancery temporary construction office location. Design shall include pipe sizing, material selection, slope/grade calculations for gravity sewer lines, pressure calculations for potable water lines, connection details to existing mains, and any required backflow prevention or cross-connection control devices. Design services may include preliminary conceptual sketches and final construction drawings following American Institute of Architects (AIA) standards, utilizing AutoCAD, with specifications written in the most recent Construction Specification Institute (CSI) format. Contractor shall develop construction cost estimates (materials, labor, and equipment) based on verified quantities and the extension length determined during survey. Contractor must verify existing site conditions prior to finalizing design. Contractor shall prepare documents for permit review and submission to the U.S. Department of State, OBO, and local Swiss authorities, if required by code. Contractor shall respond to permit review comments and revise design and construction documents based on review comments and requirements from the Facilities (FAC) office.
3. Type C. Construction/Installation Coordination. Contractor shall coordinate installation of the new/relocated potable water and sewer line segments, including excavation, pipe-laying, backfill, compaction, and surface restoration, ensuring minimal disruption to Chancery operations and existing site utilities. Contractor shall test all new potable water lines for pressure integrity and disinfect per applicable code prior to connection, and test sewer lines for proper flow and leak-tightness prior to backfilling.
5. 1.3 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
A. Building Codes
1. Design of this project is governed by Swiss and American construction, plumbing, and life safety codes and standards such as the Swiss Water and Sewer Code (RAS), Swiss Electrical Code (RETIE) where relevant to any conduit relocation, IBC (International Building Code), International Plumbing Code (IPC) principles, ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers), NFPA (National Fire Prevention Association), Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (ABA), and Department of State Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) design standards.
2. In cases where the Host Country Code is more stringent, the Contractor shall submit a Request for Information (RFI) to the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and/or Government Technical Monitor (GTM) for resolution.
B. The services provided are a multi-discipline effort requiring civil, plumbing, and surveying expertise. The Contractor shall provide the services of a fully trained and experienced team of professional surveyors and engineers to complete the requirements within this Statement of Work (SOW).
C. The use of sub-consultants must be reviewed and approved in advance by the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government may review the qualifications of any proposed sub-consultant.
D. Project Budget: Contractor shall provide services within the budget established in each task order.

E. Drawing Format and CADD
1. All project documents shall be in "hard metric."
2. Computer-aided design and drafting (CADD), compatible with AutoCAD LT2018, is required for all portions of this project.
3. All drawings, specifications, cost estimates, and other portions of submittals shall be prepared in English.
F. Meetings
1. The Contractor shall prepare a detailed written record of all conferences and meetings with the COR/GTM related to the Project.
2. Confirmation of telephone conversations in which decisions affecting the project are made shall also be prepared in writing.
3. Copies of these records shall be submitted to the COR/GTM within five calendar (5) days of the event.
4. The written format established by the Contractor for these records shall be subject to the approval of the COR/GTM.
5. Each record shall conclude with the following statement: "The matters reported in this document are considered by the (insert name of Contractor here) to be within the scope of this contract as presently priced, except for (Contractor to identify items or state 'none') as further described below."
6. 1.4 CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS
A. General Requirements
1. Design must be consistent with Embassy standards, materials, and design used in other offices and spaces of the compound when applicable.
2. The Contractor shall provide submittals for review prior to submission to authorities, and prior to any re-submission to authorities for final approval.
3. A minimum review time of two (2) weeks will be required after each of these submittals. The Contractor shall only proceed with design work during the review periods with written approval from the U.S. Government COR and/or GTM.
4. As required by City of Bern, a final construction permit document submittal shall be required that incorporates all the review comments from the previous submittals. OBO and American Embassy Bern will complete a backcheck review of the final construction documents.
5. Review Comments a. The Contractor shall incorporate all review comments into the design and return all annotated material with the next submission. b. Comments not accepted by the Contractor shall be brought to the attention of the Contracting Officer (CO) through the COR in writing immediately for resolution. Decisions of the CO with respect to incorporation of comments considered within the SOW of this contract will be final. Review comments recognized by OBO as requiring actions outside this SOW will require contract modification, and no work on them shall be initiated until a Notice To Proceed (NTP) is issued by the CO. The Contractor shall provide, in booklet form, one (1) copy of all comments and the actions taken in response to the comments.
6. Project Design Schedule a. Phase: Survey and Field Verification; Duration: two (2) weeks after Notice to Proceed; Due Date: To Be Determined. b. Phase: Initial Draft of Permit/Design Documents; Duration: two (2) weeks after completion of survey; Due Date: To Be Determined. c. Phase: Government Review; Duration: two (2) weeks after receipt of Initial Draft Permit Application Documents; Due Date: To Be Determined. d. Phase: Revision and Updated Permit Document; Duration: two (2) weeks after receipt of review by the Government; Due Date: To Be Determined. e. Phase: Government Review; Duration: two (2) weeks after receipt of revised documents; Due Date: To Be Determined. f. Phase: Final Construction Documents; Duration: one (1) week after last Government review. If there are few comments, individual corrected drawing sheets may be issued.
B. Utility-Specific Requirements
1. Potable Water Lines: Design shall comply with plumbing design requirements of the International Building Code (IBC), as well as applicable Swiss water code requirements, including minimum burial depth for frost protection, separation distance from sewer lines, pipe material compatible with potable use, and pressure testing/disinfection prior to service.
2. Sanitary Sewer Lines: Design shall comply with the Swiss Water and Sewer Code (RAS) and applicable IBC plumbing requirements for gravity sewer systems, including minimum slope, cleanout spacing, and connection to existing sewer main.
3. Separation and Conflict Avoidance: Contractor shall verify and maintain code-required horizontal and vertical separation between new/relocated potable water and sewer lines, and shall identify and avoid conflicts with other subsurface utilities (electrical, telecommunications, fire suppression, etc.) discovered during survey.
C. Structural Requirements: Where applicable, seismic requirements shall be designed in accordance with the specifications for seismic zone 3.
E. Plumbing: Design Basis: plumbing design shall comply with the requirements of the International Building Code (IBC).
E. Electrical Requirements (if conduit relocation is affected): The electrical design shall comply with the International Electrical Code (IEC), published by the International Code Council.
F. Fire and Life Safety Requirements: The design must comply with NFPA – National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, where relevant.
G. Security Requirements: All documents, drawings, submittals, and any information related to the Project is considered Sensitive but Unclassified (SBU) and must be released, saved, transmitted, and filed accordingly. The SBU classification must be clearly identified on all documents, drawings, and submittals. The contractor staff working shall pass a local security check.

H. The Contractor shall carefully review and coordinate drawings, specifications, and other project documents before submittal. This includes identifying all interface points and controls between drawings and documents, particularly at connection points to existing utility infrastructure. The Contractor shall have a quality control program in effect, requiring employees and consultants to thoroughly review and coordinate all project data prior to submittals. Deficiencies, ambiguities, conflicts, and inconsistencies shall be rectified prior to the submittal of documents, or they will be rejected by the Contracting Officer. The letter of transmittal shall certify that all documents have been reviewed and coordinated prior to submittal. The certification shall be signed by a principal of the Contractor's firm.
4. 1.5 ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN PROJECT DESIGN
A. The Government will furnish the Contractor with basic floor plans and building system information, including known as-built information regarding existing potable water and sewer line locations at the Chancery.
5. 1.6 DESIGN REVIEW BY THE GOVERNMENT
A. The Government will review Contractor design submissions to verify adherence to the contract.
B. Design reviews by the Government are not to be interpreted as resulting in an approval of the Contractor's apparent progress toward meeting contract requirements but are intended to discover information which can be brought to the Contractor's attention which might prevent costly error and misdirection.
6. 1.7 DESIGN DOCUMENTATION
A. Standard Submittal Phases: The design submittals shall be provided in the phases described above. For standard format requirements, see IBC Code Supplement. For submittal quantity requirements, see Section 1.7.C below. The Government will check all submittals for compliance with the contract, including conformance to security classification requirements.
B. Submittal Requirements: The requirements within this SOW serve as direction to the Contractor in the development and delivery of a complete set of construction documents that provide the necessary interfaces, coordination, and communication among all of the design disciplines (survey, civil, plumbing).