SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- Communicating Railroad-DOT Mitigation Strategies
- Notice Date
- 6/8/2011
- 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_R16A
- Archive Date
- 8/2/2011
- Point of Contact
- Monica A. Starnes, Phone: 202-334-1894, Linda Mason, Phone: 202-334-3241
- E-Mail Address
-
mstarnes@nas.edu, lmason@nas.edu
(mstarnes@nas.edu, lmason@nas.edu)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Project Number: R16-A Project Title: Communicating Railroad-DOT Mitigation Strategies SHRP 2 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 has expanded its efforts to include activities, such as pilot tests and field demonstrations, that help to prepare research results for implementation. Renewal Focus Area The U.S. highway system is aging and must be rebuilt while we are driving on it and living next to it. Research in the SHRP 2 Renewal focus area therefore addresses the need to develop a consistent, systematic approach to completing highway projects quickly, with minimal disruption to the community, and producing facilities that are long-lasting. Identifying new technologies for locating underground utilities; developing procedures to speed the evaluation of designs and the inspection of construction; and applying new methods and materials for preserving, rehabilitating, and reconstructing roadways and bridges are among the goals for this focus area. Alternative strategies for contracting, financing, and managing projects and mitigating institutional barriers also are part of the emphasis on rapid renewal. The renewal scope applies to all classes of roads. Project Background The objective of the completed SHRP 2 Project R16 was to identify and develop strategies and institutional arrangements that could produce cooperative relationships between railroads and public agencies and to develop model agreements. These model agreements and best practices for coordinating on public highway projects were created as a tool-box that both parties could use through the project delivery cycle. With the conclusion of the project, there is an immediate need to communicate and pilot-test the findings so as to facilitate their implementation. Based on the published research report from Project R16 (SHRP 2 Report S2-R16-RR-1 http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/shrp2/SHRP2_S2-R16-RR-1.pdf ), there is a need to establish a joint committee or "community of interest" to share best practices and distribute model processes. This "community of interest" will ideally capture the interest of the most innovative members of both highway agencies and railroads. This "community of interest" should meet on a regular basis to update model agreement language and communicate successful practices and lessons learned. The need to find "champion-pairings" of one or more railroads and public agencies willing to successfully pilot test model agreements resulting from Project R16 has also been identified. The research resulting from Project R16 includes examples of individual public agencies and railroads that successfully teamed to expedite the project agreement process, suggesting that this process can be successfully implemented on a broad scale. Building upon those experiences, SHRP 2 seeks to engage other public agency/railroad pairs to test and improve their project coordination efforts utilizing the findings from Project R16. In addition to Class I railroads, regional Class II freight railroads should be included in the scope of this project, as these entities are expected to also team with public agencies to implement highway-rail projects. Objectives •Create, establish, and maintain a joint committee or "community of interest" to share best practices and distribute model processes. •Identify and recruit "champion-pairings" (at least one state DOT and one Class I/ II railroad pairing) to apply and pilot test the results of Project R16. 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 objectives. 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 meeting the research objectives. Task 1: Identify appropriate stakeholders for membership in the "community of interest." The "community of interest" should be balanced with respect to geography and organization type, and should include practitioners from Class I and Class II freight railroads, as well as state, local, and federal highway agencies, and other relevant stakeholders. The "community of interest" recommendations may include multiple levels of membership (e.g., full members, associates). Prepare an interim report summarizing Task 1 and present the report and recommendations to SHRP 2 for review and approval. Task 2: Identify, collect and distribute all needed informational material to the "community of interest." Task 3: Plan and hold a kick-off meeting with the selected "community of interest" members and associates. The contractor for this project must facilitate the development of the charter and direction for the "community of interest." The meeting format should provide for both in-person and remote participation capabilities. Prepare a set of deliverables including the informational materials distributed for/at the meeting, the meeting minutes and, if applicable, a recording of the meeting in a standard digital format. Task 4: Plan and organize follow-up meetings and/or webinars, not less frequently than semiannually. Meeting format should provide both in-person and remote participation capability. Prepare a meeting report for each follow-up meeting or webinar of the "community of interests" and deliver to SHRP 2. Task 5: Identify and recruit "champion-pairings" (at least one state DOT and one Class I/ II railroad pairing) to implement the results of Project R16. Obtain a signed memorandum of understanding ("MOU") to implement master agreement(s) for a major highway/rail project or program (e.g., grade separation, track relocation). Task 6: Prepare a case report documenting lessons learned from the "champion-pairings." The case report must specify the best practices used by the "champion-pairings." The case report shall be addressed to SHRP 2 and distributed to the "community of interest." Task 7: Prepare an implementation plan for long-term sustainability of the "community of interest." Deliverables • At the end of Task 1: An Interim Report detailing the results of Task 1 and the recommendations for "community of interest" membership • At the end of Task 3: A kick-off meeting report including the informational materials provided for the meeting pursuant to Task 2, presentation materials distributed, approved meeting minutes and a recording of the meeting in a standard digital format (web link acceptable). • During Task 4: A meeting report for each follow-up meeting or webinar of the "community of interests." Each report must include the informational and presentation materials distributed at the meeting, approved meeting minutes, and a full recording of each meeting or webinar in a standard digital format (web link acceptable). • At the end of Task 5: A copy of the signed memorandum of understanding. • At the end of Task 6: A case report documenting lessons learned from the "champion-pairings" pilot test. • At the end of Task 7: Implementation plan for long-term sustainability of the "community of interests." • Monthly progress reports • Quarterly progress reports • Two (2) interim meetings with SHRP 2 staff: One (1) in Washington, DC and one (1) at the contractor's facility • Telephone conference calls, as needed Funds Available: $200,000 Contract Time: 24 months Responsible Staff: Dr. Monica Starnes, mstarnes@nas.edu, 202-334-1894 Authorization to Begin Work: October 2011 Proposals (20 single-bound copies) are due not later than 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on July 18, 2011. See Special Note 1. 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. P roposals submitted without this executed and unaltered statement by the proposal deadline will be summarily 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. The Liability Statement is included as Figure 1 in the Manual for Conducting Research and Preparing Proposals for SHRP 2 referred to in General Note 4. 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 (DBEs)-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 DBEs 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 contractor selection, and the contractor's adherence to its DBE plan will be monitored during the contract period. The Contractor Expression of Interest section of the SHRP 2 website is a resource for proposers interested in participating on research teams. This database is being enhanced and will be renamed the Research Team Builder. 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 July 1, 2011, when 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. Special Note 1. Proposals submitted in response to this RFP must comply with the following special requirements: a. The Research Approach section shall be no more than 30 pages, printed double-sided, in type no smaller than 12 point. b. The Credentials section shall be no more than 30 pages. c. The Exhibits section shall be no more than 30 pages. 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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