Volume 41 - Issue 5 - February 3, 2022

State of Kansas

Department of Transportation

Notice to Consulting Firms

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is seeking qualified consulting firms for construction inspection services as described below. Firms entering into any federally funded transportation project are required to have indirect cost rates prepared in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 31, which is covered in the AASHTO Uniform Audit & Accounting Guide. A PDF (1Mb maximum size) of the interest response must be emailed to Kimberly Marotta, Programming Team Lead, Bureau of Local Projects, at kimberly.marotta@ks.gov. Interest and experience responses are limited to four pages. The subject line of the reply email and the PDF file name must read “Local Projects On-Call Inspection-[insert Firm Name here].” The letter of interest stating qualifications, a ranking of which districts the firm prefers to work in, and an Excel spreadsheet listing “Inspector Name, Certification No., Office Location (City), and Expirations by Inspection Categories” (similar to what is contained in KDOT’s prequalification form No. 1050) must be received by 12:00 p.m. April 1, 2022, for the consulting firm to be considered. View categories at http://www.ksdot.org/divengdes/prequal/default.asp. Please note that per BLP Memo 19-07, KDOT will no longer accept any documents related to the procurement and utilization of construction inspection services that contains the terms CONSTRUCTION OBSERVATION or CONSTRUCTION OBSERVER.

Project: On-Call LPA Inspection Services-Statewide

KDOT is seeking qualified firms to provide construction inspection services for a pool that the LPAs can utilize to select construction inspection staff on LPA construction projects statewide. The scope of services is to provide construction inspection services on as-needed basis district-wide. Firms selected will be required to provide the following services.

1. Grading inspection
2. Structures inspection
3. Asphalt inspection (plant and/or road)
4. Concrete pavement inspection (plant and/or road)
5. Materials testing
6. Contract documentation
7. Traffic control inspection
8. Seeding/Erosion control
9. Construction staking
10. Other similar services

The goal of the Consultant Shortlist Committee will be to select up to 20 consultants for District 1, 15 for District 2, 10 for District 3, 15 for District 4, 18 for District 5, and 10 for District 6.

On-Call contracts will be awarded using the qualifications-based selection procedure, with the following distinct characteristics:

1. Single solicitation for multiple on-call contracts: The Bureau of Local Projects will identify certain classifications of services for which on-call contracts should be available and the number of consultant firms which ideally should be selected for such classifications in the event the services are needed in the future. (See KDOT form No. 1050 for classifications listed in the Consultant Prequalification Questionnaire.) The number of on-call contracts to be placed for one of more classifications of services with be identified in the advertised solicitation. Such number will be based on potential need, range of scope and complexity, and the mix of resources which may be required.
2. In accordance with 23 CFR 172.9(a)(3), on-call contracts will specify: (i) the maximum length of the contract period, including allowable contract extensions not to exceed five years (typically four-year contract period with one-year extension) which will begin January 1, 2023; and (ii) the maximum total contract dollar amount that may be awarded under such contract terms will not exceed $2,000,000 per firm for each district in which the firm was selected.

KDOT will use the following criteria as the basis for selection of the consulting engineering firms:

1. Size and professional qualifications (20%)
2. Experience of staff (25%)
3. Workload of firm (20%)
4. Firm’s performance record (25%)
5. Location and number of CIT inspectors on staff relative to each KDOT district (10%)

The firms accounting systems must have the following capabilities before the firm may be awarded a contract.

• Valid, reliable, and current costs must be available within the system to support cost and pricing data.
• Capability to provide a means of measuring the reasonableness of incurred costs.
• Capability to identify and accumulate allowable costs by contract or project records which will reconcile with the general ledger.
• Ability to provide supporting documentation of actual expenditures for each billing, based on costs.

Qualifications-Based Procedure for implementing Task Orders/Work Orders

1. Each consultant firm signatory to a current on-call contract for the relevant classification(s) of technical services required will be notified by KDOT email, listing all projects in the region where consultant firm is qualified to render services. Consultant will respond to KDOT who will then forward all interested consultant firms to respective project LPAs.
2. The notification will: (i) contain a description of the task(s) to be performed, the project, the schedule and any other particular requirements; (ii) solicit written confirmation from each consultant firm as to the particular skill, specialized experience, technical competence and qualification of the firm, and employees available for assignment to perform the task(s) in a timely manner; and (iii) specify the date or deadline such confirmation must be submitted to and received by KDOT to be considered for the task(s).
3. After the deadline, a Selection Committee will be convened and it may conduct interviews, by telephone or otherwise, to obtain supplemental information from consultant firms. The Selection Committee will review the information submitted, the past performance of similar services by the firms under consideration, as well as other relevant information and select the most highly qualified firm for the task order/work order. KDOT will notify all participating consultant firms of the selection.
4. KDOT will prepare an independent estimate to be used for comparison purposes and as a basis to ascertain and negotiate a fair and reasonable cost for the services.
5. Such first-ranked firm shall then submit a cost proposal for the task order/work order. A Negotiating Committee will be convened to evaluate the cost proposal and negotiate any changes. If negotiations cannot be reached, the next-ranked firm will be contacted to submit a proposal following the process through the ranked firms until negotiations are successfully concluded.
6. When negotiations are successfully concluded, a written task order/work order reflecting the agreement of the parties shall be prepared for signature by duly authorized representatives of the parties.

Selection and notification process is estimated to be completed by July 1, 2022.

Questions can be directed to Tod Salfrank at Tod.Salfrank@ks.gov.

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

Doc. No. 049800