Traffic Incident Management – On-Call Services
Request for Proposal
Iowa Department of Transportation
Introduction
The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is interested in contracting with Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) consultant professionals to provide on-call Traffic Incident Management (TIM) services to meet the transportation system mobility and safety needs of the Department. If your firm is interested in providing the described services, please submit a proposal stating your ability and availability to complete this work.
Project Background
The Iowa DOT requires outside assistance and expertise to establish a statewide TIM program to meet the mobility and safety needs of the Department. Desired consultants will have the expertise and resources to assist with a wide variety of TIM services throughout the state, including planning, implementation, evaluation, training and exercise work serving a wide range of needs in Iowa. If your firm is interested in providing the described services, please submit a proposal stating your
qualifications, experience and availability to complete this work. Project Scope
General Information
The Iowa DOT intends to select up to four consultants to fulfill TIM service needs. Tasks will be assigned on a case-by-case basis, dependant on the consultants experience, expertise & availability.
The consultant selected on this RFP will assist the Iowa DOT in a range of Traffic Incident Management services. These services include but are not limited to:
The development of comprehensive, coordinated Traffic Incident Management (TIM) plans.
These plans may serve metropolitan areas, interstate and freeway highway segments, rural areas, traffic critical construction projects and special events.
The TIM plans will be developed utilizing local stakeholder input and concentrate on improving safety for the travelling public, safety for first responders, and mitigating the effects of planned and unplanned traffic incidents. Emphasis is placed on the key focus areas of incident response, traffic management and communications & coordination as the primary components of the TIM planning.
The development of the TIM plan will require a partnership arrangement with the Iowa DOT’s Office of Traffic Operations, Iowa DOT District staff, and local stakeholders. The Iowa DOT’s Office of Traffic Operations staff (Traffic Ops staff) will provide project management and oversight. The consultant selected will work in cooperation with the Iowa DOT to develop relationships with local stakeholders. While the Iowa DOT Traffic Ops staff will be involved in meetings and the review of deliverables, the consultant should be able to work independently with limited day-to-day oversight.
The ultimate goal is to develop a comprehensive, coordinated Traffic Incident
Management plans which have a high level of ownership by local stakeholders (rather than the DOT’s or consultant’s TIM plan). It is imperative the TIM plans maximize local stakeholder buy in and acceptance. In order to accomplishment this acceptance, the consultant will need to develop strong working relationships with local stakeholders and maintain the appropriate levels of attendance and stakeholder participation at the working group meetings.
Conversion of response plans to electronic format. To enhance accessibility and ease of use, the DOT has adopted an electronic format (PDF with imbedded links) for the TIM response plans. All TIM response plans will be converted to the designated electronic format.
TIM training development – Development of TIM training modules to train and reinforce with local stakeholders the various components and procedures established in their local TIM plan.
TIM exercise program development and implementation – Development of TIM exercise program and conducting tabletop exercises with stakeholders in field locations.
Planned Tasks
A list of the anticipated tasks is included below. It is anticipated additional tasks may be included as TIM needs dictate.
1. Traffic Critical Construction Project TIM Plan Development and Support
The purpose of a project-based traffic incident management plan project is to improve the coordination of efforts of the Iowa DOT and local stakeholders (e.g., police, fire, responders, public works) to mitigate the adverse traffic impacts of construction projects and to better respond to incidents which occur within and near the projects. The DOT anticipates developing 12-15 traffic critical project TIM plans annually. It is also anticipated the work zone intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies will be made available on the projects to provide the stakeholders additional tools to assist in these efforts.
Note: The development of the TIM plans for the Traffic Critical projects in the 2014 construction season will require an accelerated schedule. Proposals should include provisions to meet these needs.
2. Metropolitan TIM Plan Development
The metropolitan TIM plan focuses on the incident response needs of the interstate, freeway and expressway highway networks in and near a metropolitan area.
Iowa has nine metro areas (Ames, Cedar Rapids*, Council Bluffs*, Des Moines*, Dubuque, Iowa City*, Quad Cities*, Sioux City*, and Waterloo) for development of TIM plans. TIM plans have previously been developed for those metro areas designated with an asterisk. This task would include developing of TIM plans for the remaining areas and updating existing TIM plans, as the DOT determines necessary.
3. Interstate TIM Plan Development
The interstate TIM plan focuses on the incident response needs of the statewide interstate highway system.
The interstate TIM plan will address year-round incident response as well as an interstate closure plan for winter weather and road conditions.
4. Regional TIM Plan Development
The regional TIM plan focuses on the year-round incident response needs of the primary road networks in rural areas.
It is anticipated the regional TIM plan development will coincide with the Iowa Regional Planning Association (RPA) boundaries and will include RPA participation. Iowa has eighteen RPAs statewide. To date, there has been no development of rural TIM plans. 5. TIM Response Plan – Conversion to Electronic Format
To enhance accessibility and ease of use, the DOT has adopted an electronic format for the TIM response plans. All TIM response plans will be converted to the designated electronic format.
6. TIM Training Program - Development and Implementation
Develop module-based training program focused on TIM principles and the specific details of local TIM plans. Assist DOT in implementing TIM training statewide 7. TIM Exercises Program - Development and Conducting
Working with input from local responders, develop traffic incident management table-top exercise program for metropolitan and regional areas. Assist DOT in conducting exercises locally.
Contract Information
On-call professional services contracts will be established between the Iowa DOT and the selected consultants for the period of three (3) years. Work on specific projects will be dependent upon the needs of the Iowa DOT during the life of the contract. For planning purposes, the Iowa DOT is
agreement may vary depending on the need for services. The Department will not guarantee the number of consultants selected, the amount of work or contract value.
The base contract will define the general terms and actual work will be defined by work orders. In most cases, the payment method will be cost plus fixed fee, but may be lump sum or specific rate of
compensation, depending on the task. As tasks are identified, they may be either assigned directly to a single consultant, or the Iowa DOT may request a task-specific proposal from more than one of the contracted consultants. In either case, the consultant will need to prepare a proposed scope of work and, if selected, a budget for approval by the Iowa DOT.
General Requirements
The consultant and their subconsultants are required to be prequalified as defined in the Iowa DOT’s Policy and Procedure Manual, PPM No. 300.04, for the duration of the contract. Work under this contract will require prequalification in work category 238, Intelligent Transportation Systems. Failure to remain prequalified during the contract will result in cancellation of any remaining portion of the contract. Details regarding prequalification are available at the Consultant Utilization webpage,
http://www.prof-tech-consultant.dot.state.ia.us/
It is the policy of the Iowa DOT the Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE’s) and Targeted Small Businesses (TSB’s) shall have the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in the performance of Iowa DOT contracts. Although a DBE/TSB goal is not established, the Department still encourages the spirit of the program to be incorporated in the proposed contract whenever possible. In the event DBE participation is required on a particular contract, the goal will be established as part of the negotiation. A list of certified DBE firms may be found at
http://www.dot.state.ia.us/contracts/contracts_eeoaa.htm A list of TSB firms may be found at
https://dia.iowa.gov/tsb/
Selection Information
The selection committee will review and evaluate the proposals submitted based on the following criteria and the weighted value assigned to each.
Evaluation Criteria
20% Firm’s experience and resources available to meet the project needs. 25% Key staff’s expertise related to Traffic Incident Management planning. 25% Specific qualifications of the Project Manager.
15% Understanding of project scope and familiarity with local/regional issues. 10% Current workload of the firm and Project Manager.
100% TOTAL
While oral interviews may be conducted, if the Selection Committee requires additional information, they are not anticipated.
Proposal Information & Requirements
If your firm is interested in this project, please provide information concerning your availability to perform necessary work, the project team, the qualifications and experience of the key members of the team and recent examples of similar work prepared by your firm.
In order to facilitate the review of the project proposals by the Selection Committee we ask the following information be included in the proposal:
1. Listing of organizations included in the project team. This discussion should also include the primary areas of responsibility of each organization.
2. The name, office address, qualifications, experience and availability of the contract manager as well as the managers in charge of each major work task under the general direction of the contract manager. This information should include the identification of similar projects managed or participated in by this individual. The selection of a contract manager and work task managers by a firm will constitute a contractual commitment by that firm and NO substitute managers will be allowed without prior written approval by the Iowa DOT. 3. A brief discussion of your understanding of the project’s scope, key issues and any local
concerns that may need to be addressed.
4. A detailed description of the components your firm considers necessary to be included in a comprehensive, coordinated Traffic-Incident Management Plan and your firm’s proposed process for obtaining input and developing the TIM plan.
5. A brief discussion of similar projects the organizations on your team have completed in the past five years. This listing should be limited to the three most applicable projects. The listing should also include for whom the project was done and a reference that the selection committee may contact.
6. A listing of key members of the project team, a brief presentation of their qualifications, related experience and the percent of time they will be committing to the project. This item should also identify the work tasks for which each of these individuals will be responsible. 7. A summary of the current workload and commitment of key project members.
8. The location of the office where the majority of work will be performed.
9. A disclosure of all work for other clients that may be affected by work on the proposed contract to avoid a potential conflict of interest.
10. A listing of subconsultants included in the project team and their experience and
qualifications. This discussion should also include the primary areas of responsibility of each subconsultant and the estimated percent of the total work to be performed by each.
Please note that we are not requesting a lengthy, detailed technical proposal and work program with cost estimates. Rather, particular emphasis should be placed upon providing information concerning your proposed project approach, similar projects your firm has recently performed and the availability and qualifications of your key staff.
On the cover page of the proposal, please include title of the RFP for which the proposal is submitted and the email address of the person who should receive the results of the selection. Promotional brochures containing general, firm-wide information are not being solicited nor are they appropriate. Proposals must be submitted as a single electronic PDF and be formatted to print on 8.5” x 11” pages. The proposal must be limited to 35 single-sided pages. All pages will be counted including: proposal covers, cover letter, dividers, etc. The maximum size limit of a proposal is 7 megabytes.
Cost information should NOT be submitted as part of your firm's proposal. If submitted, they will not be considered.
The electronic proposal must be submitted via email to [email protected].
For your firm to be considered, all proposals must be received by 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 19, 2014.
An electronic return receipt will be sent within 30 minutes of the receipt of the proposal. If you do not receive a return receipt within 30 minutes, please contact Michael Jackson, by telephone (515-239-1192), immediately.
It is anticipated that the selection will be completed by Thursday, March 15, 2014. The anticipated starting date of the contract is April 17, 2014.
All questions concerning this request for proposal should be submitted via e-mail to
[email protected]. All questions must be received by 4:30pm CDT, Wednesday, February 12, 2014. Questions submitted after this time cannot be answered because of the timeframe needed to finalize and submit the proposals. Responses to questions as well as other useful information can be found on the DOT’s consultant selection website, www.prof-tech-consultant.dot.state.ia.us.
Contacting other members of the selection team is considered inappropriate. Public Records Law
The Iowa DOT will treat all information submitted by a consultant as open records following the conclusion of the selection process. Open records are public records that are open for public
examination and copying. The Iowa DOT’s release of records is governed by Iowa Code Chapter 22 and 761 IAC Chapter 4. Consultants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these laws before submitting a proposal.
Statement of Non-Discrimination
The selection and contract are subject to the provisions of Executive Order 11246 (Affirmative Action to Insure Equal Employment Opportunity). Federal and state laws prohibit employment and/or public accommodation discrimination on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, gender identity, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran’s status. If you believe you have been discriminated against, please contact the Iowa Civil Rights Commission at 800-457-4416 or Iowa Department of Transportation's affirmative action officer at 515-262-00033. If you need accommodations because of a disability to access the Iowa Department of Transportation’s services, contact the agency's affirmative action officer at 800-262-0003.
