Loren Data Corp.

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COMMERCE BUSINESS DAILY ISSUE OF MARCH 17,1998 PSA#2053

DOT, Fed Hwy Admin, Office Of Acquisition Management, 400 7th St, SW, Room 4410, Washington, DC 20590

A -- EFFECTS OF ROADSIDE DESIGN ON ROLLOVER -- EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN SOL DTFH61-98-R-00057 DUE 042098 POC Lise S. Lyles, Contracting Officer, 202-366-4229 This is a BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) entitled "Effects of Highway Design on Rollover -- Experimental Design" A. DESCRIPTION. This BAA identifies the Federal Highway Administration's(FHWA) intention to sponsor research on rollovers on crashes. The research goal is to develop and evaluate effective, affordable, and implementable highway design treatments that reduce the frequency and severity of vehicle rollovers. The FHWA plans two stages of research: a precursor study followed by a larger study (or series of studies). The precursor study is the subject of this BAA. B. OBJECTIVES. The objectives of this BAA are to: (1)identify directions for future research that are most likely to yield effective,affordable, and implementable highway design treatments to mitigate rollovers; (2)develop a detailed plan for future research, including statements of work and estimated costs for studies to perform that research. Innovative thinking in charting the course for future research is essential to achieving the research goal. The intent of this BAA is to afford Offerors the maximum flexibility within the objectives and scope stated herein.C. BACKGROUND Rollover is the most harmful event in approximately one-third of all roadside crashes in the U.S.,and is cited as the single most harmful events in a roadside crash (Viner 1993). Both NCHRP Research Results Digest 220, "Strategies for Improving Roadside Safety" and AASHTO's Strategic Highway Safety Plan, call for actions to reduce the frequency and severity of rollovers. A "Synthesis of Rollover Research" by Mohamedshah and Council (1997) reported the results of a literature search using the Transportation Research Information Service (TRIS). The search yielded 80 articles and publications containing the following key words: rollover, effects of side slopes, roadside, and fixed objects. Based upon their knowledge of rollovers, the authors selected for critical review ten articles from the past 18 years that covered the major aspects of rollover crashes. They grouped the previous work in five areas: "(1) Roadway Features -- which affect rollover rates by affecting the rate of ran-off-road accidents which ultimately lead to rollover, (2) Roadside Features -- which affect the risk of rollover once a vehicle has left the roadway, (3) Vehicle Types -- which affect the risk of rollover and the severity of injury given rollover, (4) Vehicle Orientation/ Maneuver/Speed -- which can affect both the probability of leaving the road and the probability of tripping/rolling once off the road, and (5) Crash Severity -- the severity of the rollover as affected by vehicle and roadside characteristics." A copy of the "Synthesis of Rollover Research" (Attachment No. 1) is available for downloading on our Webpage at HTTP://WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV/AAA/HAMHOME.HTM. Problem Statement. Many of the most obvious treatments to mitigate the rollover problem would be difficult to implement universally (e.g., flattening side slopes or lowering vehicles'center of gravity). Therefore,fresh thinking is needed to identify effective, affordable, and implementable highway design countermeasures. This BAA, which will identify and prioritize the most promising directions for future research, is a first step. As an intermediate step, research may be needed to better understand the mechanisms that induce rollover and the factors that increase the probability and severity of rollover when vehicles leave the traveled way. Ultimately, research is needed to develop and evaluate highway design countermeasures. Scope. The scope of this BAA is restricted to rollover in crashes when vehicles leave the traveled way. The research may consider both roadway- and roadside-related tripping mechanisms and factors (e.g., departure speed and angle) that influence the probability and severity of rollover when vehicles leave the traveled way. The scope excludes on-road rollovers and rollovers in multi-vehicle crashes. The FHWA recognizes that to keep vehicles on the roadway is one way of mitigating rollovers.Since other research (in areas including design consistency, rumble strips, and ITS) is addressing ran-off-road crashes, the research in response to this BAA shall focus on how and why rollovers occur when vehicles leave the traveled way. The research may consider roadway-related factors that influence the probability of vehicles leaving the traveled way (e.g., to prioritize where treatments should be implemented), but the scope excludes countermeasures targeted at keeping vehicles on the roadway. The FHWA further recognizes that vehicle- and driver-related factors contribute to rollovers. Since the FHWA purview is highway-related, the research should be restricted to highway design treatments that would be effective, affordable, and implementable. The scope excludes vehicle-design and driver-related countermeasures. The research may, however, consider vehicle- and driver-related factors that influence the effectiveness of highway design treatments. The highway design treatments that are considered may include, but are not limited to, travel lane, shoulder, and roadside cross slopes and changes in cross slopes; curbs; traveled way and shoulder edge dropoffs; other roadside design elements; and other highway design elements. D. REQUIREMENTS. The Contractor's research effort shall include, but not be limited to the following components:(1)review existing technical literature, available data bases, and potential research methodologies;(2)identify gaps, if any exist, in the state-of-knowledge of the rollover problems that need to be filled before highway design countermeasures can be developed and evaluated; (3)prioritize directions for future research that are most likely to yield effective, affordable, and implementable highway design treatments;(4)develop a detailed plan for future research including statements of work and estimated costs for studies to perform that research. The Contractor shall prepare a draft final report that: (1) documents and justifies, based upon the literature review and subsequent evaluation, their prioritized directions for future research, and (2) presents the detailed plan for future research. The audience for the final report will be research sponsors and researchers. Submit 10 copies of draft report to the COTR within ten months of the effective date of the BAA. The Government will review the draft report, and the COTR will furnish written comments to the contractor within 30 days after receipt. The Government's comments shall be incorporated in the final report. The Contractor shall also prepare and submit to the COTR a technical brief within ten months of the effective date of the contract that summarizes the research results and recommendations for an audience of design policy makers and practitioners. Ten copies of the final report and the technical brief shall be submitted to the COTR on or before the completion date of the contract. Each report shall also be submitted to the COTR as a WordPerfect file on 3.5 inch diskettes. The Contractor shall provide two briefings to the FHWA personnel at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, Virginia. The timing of the briefings shall be mutually agreed upon by the Contractor and the contracting officer's technical representative. Progress Reports The contractor will furnish to the COTR six copies of a narrative type monthly progress report on or before the 15th of the month and one copy to the Contracting Officer. Each report will set forth concise statements covering actives relevant to the contract and will include: (a)accomplishments to date;(b)estimated cost to complete the work; (c)identification of any problems encountered that would affect the completion of the BAA within the time and money constraints as set forth in this study, together with ecommended solutions to such problems;(d)identification of work to be accomplished during the next reporting period;(e)current and cumulative costs expended versus scheduled costs. E. CONTRACT PERIOD. Negotiable, but not more than 12 months. F. CONTRACT TYPE. Cost reimbursement, cost-plus-fixed fee or cost sharing. G. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS. There will be no formal RFP or other solicitation for this requirement. Proposals responding to this BAA must be valid for 180 days, and may be funded at any time during that validity period. Proposals should be submitted in seven copies by not later than 4:00 p.m. EST April 20, 1998, at the; Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Room 4410, HAM-30, Washington, D.C. 20590, Attention: Lise S. Lyles. Please show BAA number DTFH61-98-R-00057 and the closing date on the forwarding envelope. Late proposals will be handled in accordance with FAR 15.208. H. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS. Any resulting contracts will contain appropriate federal agency clauses for the type of contract awarded. Successful offerors shall be required to submit "Certifications and Representations" prior to award. Data and reporting requirements will be negotiated with successful offerors. In responding to this announcement, please prepare your proposal in two parts, as follows: 1. TECHNICAL -- A work plan shall be submitted that reflects a review of pertinent research in the proposed area and that describes in detail how the offeror will proceed if awarded a contract. Detail the tasks envisioned for the work, the approach, the methodology, the data collection techniques, any equipment requirements and deployment, other investigation tools to be employed, and the amount of time necessary to perform each task. Resumes of key personnel shall be included as attachments. Note: The technical proposal shall not exceed 45 single-sided, 8.5 X 11 inch pages. Text shall be in 12 pitch or larger type, double-spaced. The page limit includes all information, i.e., charts, illustrations, resumes, attachments, etc. 2. COST -- The cost or price breakdown shall be submitted utilizing the sample format(Attachment No. 2) {available for downloading on our Webpage at HTTP://WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV/AAA/HAMHOME.HTM} together with supporting detailed, complete cost data, including any subcontractor data, in accordance with FAR 15.404-3. Include a person-hour breakdown by task. I. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA. Individual proposal evaluations will be based on acceptability without regard to other proposals submitted under this BAA. The primary basis for selecting proposals for acceptance shall be technical factors. Cost realism and reasonableness shall also be considered to the extent appropriate. Technical merit will be evaluated based on the following criteria (listed in descending order of importance): (1)Understanding of and insights into the rollover problem, critical gaps in the state-of-knowledge, and alternative highway design countermeasures. (2)Proposed approach to identify the directions for future research that are most likely to yield effective, affordable, and implementable highway design treatments. (3) Qualifications of the offeror to perform this study.J. GOVERNMENT RIGHTS The Government anticipates that $175,000 will be dedicated to this BAA. The Government reserves the right to incorporate ideas from successful offers into future contracts. This BAA does not commit the Government to pay for response preparation costs. K. ELIGIBILITY. All responsible sources may submit a proposal which shall be considered by the FHWA. NOTE: The BAA and its attachments are also available for downloading on our Webpage at HTTP://WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV/AAA/HAMHOME.HTM. (0071)

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