Volume 41 - Issue 23 - June 9, 2022

State of Kansas

Department of Transportation

Notice to Consulting Firms

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is seeking a qualified consulting firm to perform professional services for the project described below. Interested consultants must email a proposal to KDOT.DesignContracts@ks.gov by 12:00 p.m. (CDT) June 22, 2022, to be considered for selection.

Consultant Prequalification

Interested consulting firms must be prequalified by KDOT or otherwise demonstrate qualification in Category 241 Construction Inspection and Testing.

If a firm is not currently prequalified by KDOT, a proposal 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 must 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. Consultants may create a team to meet the prequalification requirements. 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.

Anticipated Consultant Scope

The KDOT District 1, Area 5 Wamego, Kansas Construction Office is requesting an embedded consultant to provide full time, in house, technical and construction contract administration as further described below.

Under the direction of the Area Engineer (AE) or Construction Engineer (CE), the embedded consultant shall assist in executing the continuous flow of paperwork and documentation necessary to administer construction contracts. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Coordinate preparation and processing of project documentation such as notifications of working days charged, daily reports of asphalt pavement and concrete pavement construction, logs of pile driving, and weekly surfacing reports.
• Coordinate preparation and processing of construction payment estimates for construction contractors, utilities, railroads, etc.
• Review change orders and force account statements. Verify information is correct and check calculations. Advise supervisors of potential problems and provide guidance to less experienced staff.
• Coordinate preconstruction conferences including preparation of the agenda and minutes.
• Review change orders and submit to construction engineer.
• Review subcontractor approval requests
• Prepare and send project correspondence such as notices to proceed, change orders, notices of acceptance, final papers, subcontractor approvals, etc. to the appropriate parties.
• Coordinate the preparation and submission of all required computations and recapitulations necessary to complete final payment to the contractor. Verify information is correct and checks calculations.
• Maintain a system of office management for a construction office to make certain that all necessary forms and reports are submitted. Check and maintain records of contractor payrolls and prompt pay certifications. Maintain and update a complete functional filing system for all office records.
• Train other technicians or engineers in the use of AASHTOWare, completing forms and reports, material certifications, payment vouchers, and other documentation needed for FHWA or KDOT certification.
• Serve as inspector on a construction project or in a concrete or asphalt plant. Prepare required documentation for projects. Participate in the decision-making process. Make recommendations and provide effective leadership to less experienced staff.
• Coordinate the preparation and submission of completed construction plans and combine construction files for completed projects.
• Other construction contract administration duties as assigned.

In addition, the consultant will serve as a mentor and provide effective leadership to less experienced technicians and engineering associates. The consultant will identify and recommend areas of additional training needed within the construction office. This information will be used to assist the AE or CE to organize effective training programs for the construction office.

The consultant shall also provide other project related construction assistance to the AE and CE as directed.

Minimum Personnel Qualifications

• A minimum of 4 years of engineering technical support.
• Experience using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.
• Current CIT certifications in Basic Inspection, Asphalt Paving Inspection, Concrete Paving Inspection, Structures Inspection, ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician, Aggregate Field Technician.
• Expert proficiency with KDOT’s construction management software (CMS) and completion of the KDOT AASHTOWare training.

Anticipated Schedule and Key Dates

1. Proposals are due by or before 12:00 p.m. (CDT) June 22, 2022
2. The program fiscal year for this project is FY 2023 (July 2022–June 2023)
3. Anticipated Start Date: July 2022
4. Anticipated Completion: See Special Contract Conditions (below)

Instructions for Proposal

1. No cost or pricing information shall be submitted with the proposal. Proposals including cost or pricing information will be considered non-responsive and withdrawn from further consideration.
2. The consultant’s proposal must not exceed 4 pages total (including any cover letter, index, etc.). All pages shall be standard letter size (8.5” x 11”). Any page larger than standard letter size will be count as two or more pages depending on size.
3. A single PDF (2MB maximum size) of the proposal including all attachments must be emailed to KDOT.DesignContracts@ks.gov by the proposal due date and time.
4. The subject line of the email and the PDF file name must read:
   1. “FC-1001-23–EmbedConst.Admin in D1A5 Wamego_FIRM NAME”
5. The proposal must be accompanied by Special Attachments No. 8 (“Tax Clearance Certificate”) and No. 10 (“Policy Regarding Sexual Harassment”). If you need a Tax Clearance Certificate, you can request one at https://www.ksrevenue.gov/taxclearance.html. Allow 2-3 business days for processing.
6. The outline in Table 1 below describes the expected proposal organization and content sections.
7. Table 2 lists the evaluation criteria and associated weights which will be used to make a selection.

Table 1: Proposal Content
Section	Description of Intent
Cover Letter	1 page
Project Approach	Demonstrate a unique approach to accomplish the design efficiently and to a high standard. Include cost-effective and optimized solutions to address the anticipated improvements in the design. Include unique qualifications or experience related to the project approach.
Approach to Schedule	Describe the approach to accomplish the scope of services within the schedule requirements. Include anticipated key milestone dates and availability of staff.
Approach to Quality Control	Describe methods or procedures your firm will use to provide all drawings, reports and other services with professional quality and technical accuracy.
Qualifications and Experience	For key personnel to be assigned to the project provide names, office location, qualifications, education, training, and expertise. Identify their area(s) of responsibility and percent of their time dedicated to the project. List work for which you do not have in-house capability and name the firm you propose to subcontract with.
Past Performance	Describe team’s past performance with respect to ability to meet project schedules; quality of work; and ability to control costs on similar transportation projects, especially those performed for KDOT. Include three references and contact information.
Familiarity with KDOT and Project Area	Describe team’s familiarity with KDOT’s design process and standards. Describe familiarity with the project area and any identified special site conditions.

Table 2: Evaluation Factors
Evaluation Factor	Weight
Qualifications and experience of project manager and other key project team members proposed for services	20%
Past performance history for similar projects/services for KDOT	20%
Availability to respond to the work	20%
The quality and completeness of the response	10%
Understanding of District and Area	10%
Understanding of KDOT contract administration and closeout procedures	20%

Contract Terms and Conditions

A standard KDOT agreement for engineering and technical services will be used for professional services projects. The following special attachments will need to be provided by the selected consultant and all subconsultants with the signed work order following negotiations and will become attachments to the contract.

• Special Attachment No. 8 (“Tax Clearance Certificate”)
• Special Attachment No. 10 (“Policy Regarding Sexual Harassment”)

Special Contract Conditions

This is expected to be a full-time (40 hours/week excluding holidays) assignment based at the District 1 Area 5 Office in Wamego, Kansas. The hours may be split between two employees of the consultant, but both must meet the qualifications. The contract period will be one calendar year with an optional one-year extension.

Questions

All questions regarding this request for proposals shall be emailed to KDOT.DesignContracts@ks.gov.

Questions can be submitted until June 9, 2022; answers will be provided to all prequalified consultants on June 15, 2022.

Marcia Turner, P.E., Contracts Manager
Division of Engineering and Design

Doc. No. 050195