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Volume 40 - Issue 8 - February 25, 2021

State of Kansas

Department of Transportation

Notice to Consulting Firms

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is seeking qualified consulting engineering firm(s) for the project listed below. Interested consulting firms must be prequalified by KDOT or otherwise demonstrate qualification in the following categories: Category 162–Long Range Planning and Category 231–Traffic Control Analysis and Design. Consultants may create a team to meet the prequalification requirements. A PDF must be emailed to David Lutgen, P.E., Contracts Engineer at kdot.designcontracts@ks.gov. Responses are to be limited to eight (8.5x11) pages, the subject line of the reply email and the file name must read “Kansas Strategic Highway Safety Plan – Firm Name.” Request for Proposals (RFPs) must be received by 12:00 p.m. (CST) March 12, 2021 for the consulting firm to be considered.

If a firm is not currently prequalified by KDOT a response may still be submitted.  Firms not prequalified must also provide documentation that demonstrates the firm is qualified for each specified category listed in this notice for the project.  Firms may use the KDOT prequalification form to provide this documentation. KDOT 1050 Prequalification category definitions (Blue Book) can be found at http://www.ksdot.org/descons.asp.  All firms doing business with KDOT must be registered and in good standing under the laws of the State of Kansas at the time of contracting and must comply with applicable state and federal laws, rules, and regulations.

Background and Purpose of Project

A strategic highway safety plan (SHSP) is a coordinated and informed approach to reducing highway fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. By coordinated, we mean that many agencies staffed by people with a variety of skills representing the 4E’s of highway safety take part—including engineering, education, law enforcement, and emergency medical services. Informed refers to a need for crash data. It also means using research results in the deployment of proven safety countermeasures to make travel safer. All public roads include the 10,000 miles of road within the Kansas state highway system and the 130,000 miles of roads owned by cities, counties, and townships.

Since 2009, Kansas has coordinated development and implementation of its SHSP under the direction of an Executive Safety Council (ESC). The role of the ESC is outlined in the current 2020-2024 SHSP.

The Executive Safety Council (ESC) will tap the skills of many agencies to champion transportation safety on all public roads in Kansas by developing and maintaining the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). The ESC will:

  • analyze data to identify statewide goals and emphasis areas.
  • recruit stakeholders for emphasis area teams.
  • direct the teams.
  • support strategy implementation by the appropriate agencies.

Reporting to the ESC, are Emphasis Area Teams (EAT). The role of the EATs is also outlined in the current SHSP.

Reporting to the ESC, the emphasis area teams will develop action plans, including safety-related programs and projects, to implement the SHSP. The teams will:

  • analyze data to select and prioritize strategies.
  • develop performance measures.
  • identify resources, including funding, legislation, staffing and lead agencies, to support programs and projects.

Moving forward, additional roles are being considered for the ESC. These include:

  • Promote collaboration among member agencies.
  • Annually promote a “big push” focused on a specific area of highway safety.
  • Approve advisory opinions developed by the EATs.
  • Establish SHSP policies and procedures.
  • Provide advice and guidance, address challenges, and remove barriers for meeting the strategies and goals outlined in the SHSP.

We are also looking to create a Steering Committee made up of a KDOT and non-KDOT representative of each EAT. The Steering Committee will:

  • Assume the function of directing the teams from the ESC.
  • Serve as liaison between the ESC and EATs.
  • Complete assignments given by the ESC.

There are currently nine EATs:

  • Roadway Departure
  • Occupant Protection
  • Impaired Driving
  • Older Drivers
  • Intersections
  • Local Roads
  • Teen Drivers
  • Pedestrians and Cyclists
  • Data Support

Between these nine teams there are 51 strategies based on the 4Es of Highway Safety: Engineering, Education, Enforcement, and Emergency Medical Services. Each of these strategies are further detailed based on:

  • Method of implementation
  • Program
  • Cost
  • Lead agency
  • Target date
  • Output
  • Outcome

The complete 2020-2024 Kansas Strategic Highway Safety Plan can be found at http://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/burTrafficSaf/reports/kshs.asp.

KDOT is initiating a project to contract with a consultant to coordinate implementation of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan and administer activities of the ESC, Steering Committee, and EATs. KDOT is asking proposers to describe their approach to delivering on this project scope.

The following sections of this RFP provide details on the project schedule, budget, scope, and instructions. Following review of the proposals, KDOT will invite a subset of proposers to participate in a virtual interview to further explain their approach and answer any questions KDOT has about the proposal.

Schedule

KDOT will look to proposers to provide a schedule for deliverables for a three-year contract beginning May 1, 2021.

Budget

KDOT has secured approximately $350,000 per year in federal funding to be used toward this project. KDOT considers this an upper limit on the funds that will be allocated toward this project.

Scope of Services to Be Performed

The consultant will maintain the overall SHSP safety partners’ involvement process working with the ESC, Steering Committee, and EATs to facilitate effective implementation of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). These tasks are listed below with examples. The tasks and examples are not intended to be definitive or complete.

  • Task 1: SHSP Oversight and Promotion:
    • Provide facilitation and guidance on implementation strategies.
    • Evaluate the effectiveness of current strategies and determine if strategies can be enhanced by restructuring or leveraging additional support.
    • Prepare for and host a quarterly management progress meeting with the Steering Committee.
    • Host a website specific to the SHSP.
    • Prepare and distribute a quarterly electronic newsletter.
    • Prepare an annual report detailing status of implementation, including an executive summary.
    • Prepare a plan for development of the 2025-2029 SHSP to be written in 2024.
  • Task 2: EAT Facilitation:
    • Maintain the overall SHSP safety partners’ involvement process facilitating the EATs to effectively implement the strategies and actions within Kansas’ SHSP and the directives of the ESC.
    • Facilitate meetings and activities of the nine (9) EATs.
    • Provide engineering technical expertise to the EATs where applicable.
    • Facilitate development of legislative advisory opinions from each EAT.
    • Ensure performance measures (output and outcome measures) for each EAT and its corresponding strategies are in place and tracked.
    • Provide/update list of known and adapted strategies that were developed by each EAT applicable on Kansas roadways.
  • Task 3: ESC Facilitation:
    • Ensure member agency plans are consistent with the SHSP.
    • Provide support to the ESC so the members can review relevant data and information and provide the direction for effective implementation of SHSP strategies.
    • Facilitate quarterly meetings and activities of the ESC.
    • Prepare a meeting binder and distribute to members one (1) week in advance of the meeting.
    • Consolidate legislative advisory opinions from EATs.
    • Identify and coordinate with legislative safety champions.

Instructions for Proposal

The main text of the consultant’s proposal must not exceed eight (8.5x11) pages to address the topics listed below. Proposals shall address the following items:

1. Staffing Plan

Include the following information to describe the proposed team and staffing plan:

  • Name, address, and phone number for each proposed organization on the team.
  • Provide the name and contact information for the project manager.
  • Provide name, contact information, anticipated role, qualification, education, training, and expertise as well as prior relevant experience of all key staff intended to perform services.

2. Project Approach

Please describe your team’s proposed approach to deliver the scope of services listed above.

3. Quality Control Process and Communication

Please describe your team’s process for assuring information quality, timeliness, and communication among the various groups supporting development and implementation of the SHSP.

4. Document Ownership, Storage, and Access

KDOT requires to retain ownership of the documents and amendable final deliverables. KDOT prefers the vendor to maintain these documents on their own servers, and to provide access to same through a web-based user interface.

5. Past Performance

Provide descriptions of projects completed by the proposing team or individual team members that were similar in scope or that required similar capabilities. Describe how the project demonstrates experience relevant to the work described in the scope section of this RFP.

Proposal Evaluation

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  • Past successful experience of the team providing to transportation agencies a portion of the scope of this project. If none, at least experience of the team participating in activities related to a SHSP.
  • Organizational plan for delivering the scope of this project.
  • Creativity and new suggestions not otherwise detailed in the scope within KDOTs funding limit for this project.
  • Proposed schedule for project completion.

Anticipated Schedule for Subsequent Events

RFPs are due by 12:00 p.m. (CST) March 12, 2021. Evaluation and ranking of technical proposals on or about March 19, 2021 after which time all firms that submitted will be notified of the ranking. KDOT may conduct interviews with the top ranked three to five firms. Interviews will be held the week of April 5, 2021. Negotiations with the most highly ranked firm to commence on or about April 19, 2021. Agreement in place and in effect May 1, 2021. RFPs are to be delivered via email to kdot.designcontracts@ks.gov.

Contract Terms and Conditions

A standard KDOT agreement for engineering and technical services will be used for this project. Special Attachments for the Kansas “Tax Clearance Certificate,” the “Certification of Final Indirect Costs,” and the Special Attachment No. 10 (“Policy Regarding Sexual Harassment”) will also eventually become attachments to the contract.

Questions about this RFP shall be sent by email to KDOT at kdot.designcontracts@ks.gov.

Calvin E. Reed, P.E. Director
Division of Engineering and Design

Doc. No. 048897

Secretary of State Seal