SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- Integrating Freight Considerations into Collaborative Decision Making for Additions to Highway Capacity
- Notice Date
- 3/9/2010
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- The National Academies, Transportation Research Board, SHRP2, 500 Fifth Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20001, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20001
- Solicitation Number
- SHRP2_C15
- Archive Date
- 5/5/2010
- Point of Contact
- David Plazak, Phone: 202-334-1834, Linda Mason, Phone: 202-334-3241
- E-Mail Address
-
dplazak@nas.edu, lmason@nas.edu
(dplazak@nas.edu, lmason@nas.edu)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- SHRP 2 Request for Proposals Focus Area: Capacity Project Number: C15 Project Title: Integrating Freight Considerations into Collaborative Decision Making for Additions to Highway Capacity Date Posted: March 9, 2010 Background To address the challenges of moving people and goods efficiently and safely on the nation's highways, Congress has created the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2). SHRP 2 is a targeted, short-term research program carried out through competitively awarded contracts to qualified researchers in the academic, private, and public sectors. SHRP 2 addresses four strategic focus areas: the role of human behavior in highway safety (Safety); rapid highway renewal (Renewal); congestion reduction through improved travel time reliability (Reliability); and transportation planning that better integrates community, economic, and environmental considerations into new highway capacity (Capacity). Under current legislative provisions, SHRP 2 will receive approximately $150 million with total program duration of seven years. Additional information about SHRP 2 can be found on the program's web site at www.trb.org/shrp2. Capacity Focus Area The overall Capacity program goal is to develop approaches for systematically integrating environmental, economic, and community requirements into the analysis, planning, and design of new highway capacity. The scope of the SHRP 2 Capacity program extends from the early stages of the transportation planning process, when many potential alternatives are being considered, through project development. When decisions include a major highway component, further development of the highway option is within the scope of the program. When decisions are made that lead to non-highway options, further development of the non-highway component is outside the scope. The fundamental product of the SHRP 2 Capacity research program is a Decision Guide consisting of 42 key decision points that occur during transportation project activities that are within the scope of this research. This was formerly called the Collaborative Decision Making Framework. The decision points include: •Systems planning •Pre-program studies (e.g., corridor studies) •Programming •Environmental Review •Permitting A decision point is one at which approvals and signoffs are required before the process can advance. ( See Special Note 1 ) The evidence from case studies conducted under project C01, from the broader literature, and from the personal experience of many professionals is that successful collaboration with resource agencies, elected officials, and the public is essential to timely completion of capacity-enhancing projects. Failure to collaborate early, successfully, and with commitment is often the root cause of delay, re-work, difficulty in environmental review or permitting, and even law suits. As the Capacity research program evolved, it became clear that the Decision Guide is a framework to which the results of other Capacity research should be linked. In order to provide the multiple linkages required by this approach, a web-based resource was developed called Transportation for Communities-Advancing Projects through Partnerships (TCAPP). Passages from the case studies and other resources are linked to the applicable decision points in the Decision Guide so information can be found. A draft beta test version is located at http://transportationforcommunities.com. The results of C15 will be integrated into TCAPP. Project Background Freight transport occupies a growing portion of the nation's highway capacity. This fact cannot be ignored in addressing the overall goal of SHRP 2 Capacity Program. The AASHTO Freight Bottom Line Report (http://freight.transportation.org/doc/FreightRailReport.pdf) notes that the U.S. economy is forecast to grow at 2.9% per year for the next 30 years, population will increase from 300 million to 380 million (over 80% residing in urban areas), and the demand for freight transportation will double. The same report notes that whereas today 2,100 miles of Interstate highway carry more than 25,000 trucks per day, in 2035, 16,700 miles (40%) will carry this volume. A recent FHWA study ( An Initial Assessment of Freight Bottlenecks on Highways, 2004 ) reports 243 million hours of annual delay to freight trucks, most of it occurring at urban freeway interchanges and similar bottlenecks. In summary, the United States is headed for a freight capacity problem of epic proportions and the heart of the problem will be in and around major cities. The recent severe recession may have gained the nation four or five years of breathing room on freight network congestion. However, before 2050, freight capacity issues will be felt along major corridors in some rural areas as well. In many ways, growing freight demand is a key driver behind needs for new highway capacity. There are numerous proposals to address this, including doubling Interstate highway mileage, a network of truck lanes allowing longer vehicles, increasing intermodal rail facilities, truck-only toll roads, and time-of-day pricing on roads and bridges. However, the planning and engineering communities are not well versed in freight economics. Decisions on highway capacity enhancements made without understanding how the movement of freight is likely to react have great potential for unintended consequences, including negative impacts on economic competitiveness, activity, development, and growth. The time and manner of freight transportation are determined by either the shipper or the receiver of goods, not by the carrier. Some large commercial shippers employ private fleets and others contract for service. In either case, freight shipments are part of an optimized supply chain. Shippers and receivers define transportation system freight needs more than freight carriers do; supply chains are increasingly global. In order for public sector highway planners and engineers to use public policies to have an effect on freight transportation with the intent of enhancing peak-period highway capacity, it is necessary for them to better understand the economics of supply chains for various enterprises. The transportation-related cost factors in supply chains include travel time, speed limits, truck size and weight, fuel cost, toll cost, and cost of delay. How decisions on the transportation of freight react to changes in these elements depends on the overall effect on supply chain costs and the method of payment. Highway infrastructure capacity decision-making processes are primarily led by the public sector with stakeholder input from the private sector, community groups, and non-governmental organizations such as environmental interests. Freight shippers, receivers, and carriers are stakeholder groups that ought to be closely involved in collaborative decision-making but whose needs and motivations are not always well understood by the public sector, e.g. state departments of transportation (DOTs), metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and port authorities. Freight demand for new highway capacity is actually growing substantially faster than all travel demand, so it is likely that many new freight shipping bottlenecks will develop around the nation in the next two to three decades. Some will naturally be around ports, border crossings, and intermodal terminals; many others will be in and around metropolitan areas, but some will be in rural areas along major cross-country routes. The SHRP 2 Capacity research program is designed to produce a blueprint for an improved collaborative decision-making process for planning new highway capacity in the United States so that capacity can be added in the right places at the right times and with less friction and fewer "re-do" loops in the planning and project development process. The collaborative decision-making process is built around a series of key decision points; it stresses achieving well-founded decisions as opposed to following links in the traditional planning process. Because of new research on freight transport that the National Cooperative Freight Research Program began in 2007, SHRP 2 delayed starting this project until 2010, allowing time for new research to develop products on which SHRP 2 can build. Several previous Transportation Research Board studies have laid the foundation for this project. These include NCHRP 594 (2007) and NCFRP 1 (2009). In addition, the FHWA Office of Freight Operations and Management is addressing a number of issues related to growth in freight capacity needs through a series of cross-cutting guides aimed at such issues as considering freight in NEPA, considering freight in highway project design and construction, and considering freight in system preservation. A primary product of Project C15 research will be a practitioners' guidebook. It is important that the project and the guidebook incorporate the results of these works so as to take advantage of work that has already been done or is in progress while supporting the needs of the freight community in the collaborative decision-making process for adding new highway capacity. Objectives •Delineate appropriate consideration of freight transportation in the highway capacity planning and project development process and the collaborative decision-making framework developed through the SHRP 2 Capacity research program. Identify where freight concerns should be addressed at key decision points and where it is most critical to consider freight in order to make good decisions. Provide guidance for transportation agencies to get the right freight stakeholders with the right information involved at the right time. Tightly integrate freight considerations into the Transportation for Communities-Advancing Projects through Partnerships (TCAPP), http://www.transportationforcommunities.com/, transportation capacity decision guide on the Internet. •Provide guidance to state DOTs, MPOs, decision makers, and stakeholders about appropriate consideration of freight is in planning for and providing highway capacity that serves economic development. Show how passenger and freight capacity improvements can be mutually beneficial. •Make sure that all sorts of freight movement, from international to local deliveries, are considered in highway capacity planning. Local deliveries tend to be "invisible" to planning practitioners and decision makers as well as to the public but they represent a significant portion of local system demand. •Give state DOTs and MPOs guidance on where to start in considering freight needs as part of the highway capacity planning process; provide brief but useful illustrative examples of successful practices at various scales and for various types of situations and regions. •Ensure that local land use planning decisions and policies are integrated into the products of C15 to the extent possible since they help shape freight shipping patterns, especially local deliveries. Tasks Task descriptions are intended to provide a framework for conducting the research. SHRP 2 is seeking the insights of proposers on how best to achieve the research objective. Proposers are expected to describe research plans that can realistically be accomplished within the constraints of available funds and contract time. Proposals must present the proposers' current thinking in sufficient detail to demonstrate their understanding of the issues and the soundness of their approach to meet the research objective(s). 1.Conduct background research on the consideration of freight transport movements in highway capacity planning and project development. Gather recent and relevant work by FHWA, TRB (NCHRP and NCFRP), SHRP 2, AASHTO, which is extensive. Provide the digested results in the practitioner guidebook as references and web links. Provide context for the importance of considering freight in capacity planning. Produce an interim report. 2.Identify the key decision points at which the highway capacity planning should consider freight matters and should be involved in these key decisions. Identify where questions need to be asked with respect to freight within TCAPP. What do decision makers need to know (in terms of knowledge and data) to make informed decisions that support freight and economic activity/development? Produce a technical memorandum. 3.Develop a focused brief series of varied examples of successful practices by state DOTs, MPOs, and other transportation agencies that can be used as illustrations in the guidebook and eventually within TCAPP. Some case study and "sidebar example" work has already been done through prior research projects. These should be included and cited as appropriate. Develop specific guidance on how DOTs and MPOs can effectively collaborate with the freight community and with the economic development community (including Chambers of Commerce and similar organizations) on highway capacity issues. Produce an interim report. 4.Develop a draft practitioner's guidebook on how to do market-driven freight planning. The draft guidebook should incorporate work from Tasks 1 through 4. 5.Provide for a vetting process for the Task 5 draft guidebook. 6.Make improvements and revisions and develop the final practitioner's guidebook. 7.Collaborate with SHRP 2 Project C01/C07 contractor team to ensure that the results from Project C15 are incorporated into the Transportation for Communities (TCAPP) web portal: http://transportationforcommunities.com. Work with C01/C07 contractor team to provide a simple means within TCAPP for practitioners and freight stakeholders to quickly highlight and hone in the on key decision points where freight needs should be considered in highway capacity planning. 8.Prepare a research report to document all the tasks from the SHRP 2 C15 project. Deliverables: 1.Task 1 interim report. 2.Task 2 technical memorandum 3.Task 3 interim report 4.Draft freight planning practitioners' guide 5.Revised Final freight planning practitioners' guide 6.Integration of research results into the TCAPP web portal 7.Draft Final research report 8.Revised Final research report Special Notes Note 1: Transportation for Communities-Advancing Projects through Partnerships (TCAPP) is the product of Project C01. It contains the Decision Guide also developed under Project C01 and provides the Framework to which many SHRP 2 Capacity results will be attached. TCAPP is on the web at transportationforcommunities.com. More information on the contents of TCAPP may be found at TRB.org/SHRP2/Capacity. The project C01 contractor maintains a website that provides background on how the Collaborative Decision-Making Framework was developed. http://sites.google.com/site/shrpc01/. Note 2: Proposers' teams should include professionals with experience in: •Understanding supply chains, private sector freight shipping and receiving, and multi-modal freight transportation •Direct experience working with DOTs and MPOs on freight planning and highway planning and project development decision processes •Organizational management skills and experience •Public/stakeholder involvement expertise •Communications methodologies and instructional writing Note 3: It will be critically important that proposers become familiar with other related SHRP 2 research projects and be prepared to coordinate with other SHRP 2 projects and contractor teams. The most critical linkages are likely to be with projects: •C01/C07 (developing the TCAPP Capacity Planning Framework); this project is largely completed and a web site is available at: http://transportationforcommunities.com/ •C20 (freight modeling and data improvement strategic plan); this project is under way Note 4: Bidders should be especially aware and demonstrate their knowledge of the ongoing activities of the Federal Highway Administration's Office of Freight Management and Operations and the National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) in preparing their proposals. General Notes 1. Proposals will be evaluated by SHRP 2 staff and Expert Task Groups (ETGs) consisting of individuals collectively very knowledgeable in the problem area. Selection of an agency is made by the SHRP 2 Oversight Committee, based on the recommendation from SHRP 2 staff and the ETG. The following factors are considered: (1) the proposer's demonstrated understanding of the problem; (2) the merit of the proposed research approach and experimental design; (3) the experience, qualifications, and objectivity of the research team in the same or closely related problem area; (4) the proposer's plan for participation by disadvantaged business enterprises-small firms owned and controlled by minorities or women; and (5) the adequacy of facilities. TRB and the SHRP 2 Oversight Committee strongly encourage the significant participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in SHRP 2 research contracts. Although no quota is specified nor is DBE participation mandated, the proposer's plan for involvement of DBEs is a factor in selection of the research contractor, and the contractor's adherence to its DBE plan will be monitored during the contract period. Contractors are required to submit periodic reports comparing actual with proposed payments to DBEs. The "Research Team Builder" section of the SHRP 2 web site (http://www.trb.org/StrategicHighwayResearchProgram2SHRP2/Public/Pages/Research_Team_Builder_177.aspx) is a resource for proposers interested in participating on research teams. 2. Any clarifications regarding this RFP will be posted on the SHRP 2 Web site (www.TRB.org/SHRP2). Announcements of such clarifications will be posted on the front page and, when possible, will be noted in the TRB e-newsletter. Proposers are advised to check the Web site frequently until April 9, 2010, after which no further comments will be posted. 3. According to the provisions of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 21, which relates to nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs, all parties are hereby notified that the contract entered into pursuant to this announcement will be awarded without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability. 4. The essential features required in a proposal for research are detailed in the Manual for Conducting Research and Preparing Proposals for SHRP 2 (http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/shrp2/PreparingSHRP2Reports.pdf). Proposals must be prepared according to this document, and attention is directed specifically to Section IV for mandatory requirements. Proposals that do not conform to these requirements will be rejected. 5. The total funds available are made known in the project statement and line items of the budget are examined to determine the reasonableness of the allocation of funds to the various tasks. If the proposed total cost exceeds the funds available, the proposal is rejected. 6. All proposals become the property of the Transportation Research Board. Final disposition will be made according to the policies thereof, including the right to reject all proposals. Funds Available: The total project budget is $300,000 Contract Time: Total project time: 12 months Responsible Staff: David J. Plazak, dplazak@nas.edu, 202-334-1834 Authorization to Begin Work: September 1, 2010, expected Proposals (20 single-bound copies) are due not later than 4:30 p.m. on April 20, 2010 This is a firm deadline, and extensions simply are not granted. In order to be considered, all 20 copies of the agency's proposal, accompanied by the executed, unmodified Liability Statement must be in our offices not later than the deadline shown, or they will be rejected. Delivery Address: PROPOSAL-SHRP 2 ATTN: Neil F. Hawks Director, Strategic Highway Research Program 2 Transportation Research Board 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 Phone: 202-334-1430 Liability Statement The signature of an authorized representative of the proposing agency is required on the unaltered statement in order for SHRP 2 to accept the agency's proposal for consideration. Proposals submitted without this executed and unaltered statement by the proposal deadline will be rejected. An executed, unaltered statement indicates the agency's intent and ability to execute a contract that includes the provisions in the statement. Here is a printable version of the Liability Statement (http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/shrp2/LiabilityStatement.pdf). A free copy of the Adobe Acrobat PDF reader is available at http://www.adobe.com. IMPORTANT NOTICE Potential proposers should understand that the research project described herein is tentative. The final content of the program depends on the level of funding made available. Nevertheless, to be prepared to execute research contracts as soon as possible after sponsors' approvals, the Strategic Highway Research Program is assuming that the tentative program will become official in its entirety and is proceeding with requests for proposals and selections of research agencies.
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