SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Sources Sought to Provide Technical Expertise for the Highways for Life Program
- Notice Date
- 2/24/2005
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Office of Acquisition Management, HAAM, Room 4410 400 7th Street, S.W., Washington, DC, 20590
- ZIP Code
- 20590
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-DTFH61-HWY-4LIFE
- Response Due
- 3/25/2005
- Description
- DESCRIPTION: Potential Sources Sought. This is not an RFP. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is conducting as market survey to identify potential sources that can provide the technical expertise for the Highway for LIFE program in accordance with the Scope of Work herein. Highways for LIFE Program Support Contract(s) Background As proposed, Highways for LIFE is a pilot program to greatly accelerate the rate at which innovations are put into practice in the highway community. Toward this end, the program vision is to widely demonstrate dramatic improvement in the American driving experience. This vision is supported by three strategic objectives: Improve safety Reduce congestion due to construction Improve quality Technologies and practices needed to make highways safer, reduce congestion due to construction and provide longer lasting highways have been developed and proven. However, too many of these technologies and practices remain underutilized in an industry that is accustomed to slow evolution. The strategy conceived to achieve the outcome defined by the Highways for LIFE vision and goals is founded on the following principles and elements: Active involvement of highway community stakeholders in determining how these goals will be achieved. Performance standards that establish high expectations with regard to safety during construction and over the life of the new or rehabilitated facility, congestion caused by construction, and quality Investment in: Highway construction projects in which State Departments of Transportation strive to achieve the Highways for LIFE Performance Standards through the application of innovative technologies and practices Technology partnerships with industry to accelerate the rate at which proven technologies are put into practice in highway construction and broaden participation in Highways for LIFE An extensive program of technology transfer and information dissemination to educate and equip personnel at all levels and in all sectors of the highway community with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively apply the best available technologies and practices to meet the challenges of 21st century highway construction. Monitoring and evaluation of all components of the Highways for LIFE program to provide the information needed to achieve maximum effectiveness and measure success. Through this strategy FHWA would work with the highway community and stakeholders to bring about a leap forward in highway design and construction practices, and initiate a new culture that seeks out and embraces new technologies and practices. Bringing the Highways for LIFE concept to fruition will require active involvement on the part of many of the FHWA headquarters and field offices and will also require extensive contractor support for activities such as development and delivery of training and technical assistance; development of a knowledge system; a Lead States program; workshops on Highways for LIFE tools, technologies, or projects; marketing and communications; database development, data collection, and monitoring to support the evaluation of individual Highways for LIFE projects and program components as well as assessment of overall program success. Contractor personnel are needed to support the work of Highways for LIFE Team and other FHWA staff involved in Highways for LIFE activities on an as-needed basis. The broad types of work that may be required can be defined at this time, but the overall level of effort that will be required, and the distribution of that effort among the activities provided for under this procurement are uncertain and subject to change pending the conclusion of reauthorization and annual appropriations legislation. Full implementation of the proposed Highway for LIFE Pilot program and rapid realization of the potential benefits are dependent upon the inclusion of specific program funding in the pending highway reauthorization legislation. The final scope and scale of the program will depend on the outcome of the pending highway reauthorization process. However, a more incremental approach to the program goals is both feasible and appropriate within FHWA?s existing authority and programs. FHWA is committed to pursuit of Highways for LIFE to the extent feasible. Information about Highways for LIFE is available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/rnt4u. Scope of Work/Areas of Activity The contractor shall provide technical, engineering, information technology (IT), marketing, and communication and administrative support to the Federal Highway Administration in pursing the goals of improved safety, reduced construction-related congestion, and improved quality for highway infrastructure. All work will be performed through the issuance of specific Task Orders, each of which may provide for work in one or more of the following areas. 1) Program Planning and Administration Provide expert advice and consultation, coordination, and administrative services in support of further development, implementation, refinement, and continuous improvement of the Highways for LIFE Multi-Year Plan as well as the day-to-day management of the program. Services provided may include assessment of current practices, attitudes and cultural norms surrounding highway design and construction to identify barriers to timely adoption of improved technologies and practices, development of strategies to break down those barriers, and the provision of on-site technical and administrative services to support program planning and management. 2) Stakeholder Input and Involvement Assist the FHWA in the planning and conduct of meetings, workshops, conferences, and other activities undertaken to obtain input from and enlist involvement of stakeholders throughout the highway community and highway user communities. Services provided may include administrative services including logistical arrangements for stakeholder meetings and workshops such as rental of meeting rooms and audio-visual equipment, travel arrangements and expense reimbursement for selected meeting participant (?invitational travel,? as directed by the Government), preparation of reference materials, meeting notices, invitation letters, participant registration support services, note taking and preparation of meeting notes/minutes 3) Highways for LIFE Projects Provide engineering, marketing, IT, and administrative services for the Highways for LIFE construction projects. Services provided may include (1) engineering evaluation of candidate Highways for LIFE construction projects; (2) engineering services for development, evaluation and/or refinement of Highways for LIFE Performance Standards in the areas of safety (both during construction, and over the life of the constructed facility), construction-related congestion, and quality; (3) IT services to develop an electronic process for submission of candidate Highways for LIFE projects; (4) administrative services to establish and maintain project files and records. (Engineering support for project construction is provided for under Technology Transfer). 4) Technology Partnerships Provide engineering, marketing, IT and administrative services supporting the Highways for LIFE Technology Partnerships. Support services provided may include: (1) administrative and IT services to monitor, track and communicate status, progress, and products of Technology partnerships; and (2) engineering services in support of the conduct, coordination, and evaluation of Technology Partnerships projects. 5) Technology Transfer Provide expert engineering and marketing support for Highways for LIFE projects, education and training course development and delivery, administrative services, and conference and workshop arrangements (including meeting rooms, block reservations for participants, reimbursement of expenses for selected participants (?invitational travel,? as directed by the government), and display and promotional materials and equipment, and audiovisual arrangements). Target audiences for technology transfer and educational activities could include public and private sector personnel at all organizational levels (entry- level technicians through senior managers) as well as trade-school, community college, university, and graduate students pursuing highway construction-related careers. 6) Communication (Information Dissemination) Provide marketing and communications services, expert consulting services related to change initiation and management, administrative services, meeting and conference support services, graphics services and still and video photography in support of Highways for LIFE information dissemination. Services provided may include: expert advice on organizational change management, development and execution of communication and marketing plans for the program and program elements as a whole and for individual construction projects, tools, technologies, or groups thereof , development of print, video, and web-based marketing and communication tools for an array of audiences spanning the full spectrum of the highway community and its constituents (for example a public website, a promotional brochure, and individual sheets on Highways for LIFE example projects), development of files of communications/marketing related items including photos, graphic design elements quotes from key individuals, speeches, etc. meeting arrangements and facilities including meeting rooms, block hotel reservations for participants, reimbursement of expenses for selected participants (as directed by the Government), display and promotional materials and equipment, and audiovisual equipment. 7) Monitoring, Evaluation and Documentation Provide engineering, marketing and IT services, data collection, testing, data processing, storage, retrieval, analysis, summary, conclusions, recommendations and report preparation services to monitor and evaluate the Highways for LIFE program and all elements thereof. Prepare annual reports as well as a final report at the conclusion of the program. Services provided may include: (1) design of the data collection program or Highways for LIFE monitoring and evaluation; (2) execution of data collection activities such as: compilation of information documenting the design and construction of highway facilities (including construction methods, materials, and technologies used); collection of performance information such as measurements of longitudinal profile, texture and noise, pre-, during-, and post-construction crash data, testing of pavement and or bridge components or materials, queue length and/or road user delay, and data that may be used to gage the effectiveness of technology transfer and communication activities; (3) delivery of the collected data to the Government in a well documented database (4)analysis, interpretation, and reporting of collected data to support sound conclusions as to the effectiveness of individual projects, technologies or practices; groups of projects; Highways for LIFE program components, and the program as a whole. Staffing The total estimated staffing level over an anticipated 5 year contract period is 55 to 60 person years. The types of skills anticipated are: project/program manager, highway engineer, engineering technician, transportation finance, economist, industrial process control, statistician, clerical and administrative support, meeting facilitation and support, organizational change specialist, marketing, communications, technical writer and information technology Facilities and Equipment The types of facilities and equipment are: highway materials laboratory, computer hardware and software, traffic monitoring equipment, safety data collection equipment and pavement evaluation equipment Interested firms shall submit sufficient information which will permit evaluation of technical expertise and capabilities, in writing to Federal Highway Administration, Office of Acquisition Management (HAAM 20-B), Room 4410, 400 7th Street, S.W. Washington D.C. 20590, Attention: Dan Confer. Written responses should be limited to 5 double-sided pages. For questions concerning this announcement contract Dan Confer at 202-366-0730 of Charles M. Kotch at 202-366-4256. This synopsis is not to be construed as a commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract nor does the Government intend to pay for any information or responses submitted as a result of this announcement. See note 25 for specific information, to be submitted in response to his synopsis.
- Record
- SN00757609-W 20050226/050224211932 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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