Volume 43 - Issue 46 - November 14, 2024

State of Kansas

Department of Transportation

Request for Proposals

Notice to Consulting Firms

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is seeking a qualified consulting firm or team of firms to perform professional services for the project(s) described in Table 1 below. Interested consultants must submit a proposal as laid out herein by 12:00 p.m. (Central Time) December 11, 2024, to be considered for selection.

Consultant Prequalification

Interested consulting firms must be prequalified by KDOT or otherwise demonstrate qualification in the following category(s):

• 323 – Underwater Bridge Inspection

If a firm is not currently prequalified by KDOT in any of the required categories, 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 solicitation 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.

Background and Scope of Project 106 KA-1675-04

This project is to investigate and prepare reports for underwater bridge inspections in accordance with FHWA guidelines within the calendar year 2025. The project has twenty (20) locations, which includes four (4) Missouri River crossings. The consultant will need to augment the underwater diving inspection with side scanning sonar technology. The consultant will also be an “on call” consultant for additional underwater inspections through calendar year 2029 as warranted by flood events.

Project 106 KA-1675-04 -Statewide Underwater Bridge Inspection Summary

The following is a list of the 20 structures:

001-0058	(37.921944, -95.426667)	105-0194	(39.045556, -94.789444)
003-0055	(39.559444, -95.1125)	105-0195	(39.045556, -94.789167)
023-0081	(38.975, -95.236111)	105-0235	(39.191667, -94.770278)
023-0082	(38.975, -95.235556)	105-0240	(39.191389, -94.770556)
052-0026	(39.329722, -94.908333)	105-0243	(39.098611, -94.612778)
105-0031	(39.113056, -94.615)	105-0244	(39.098889, -94.612778)
105-0044	(39.099722, -94.679722)	105-0258	(39.059444, -94.871667)
105-0045	(39.099444, -94.679444)	105-0277	(39.087222, -94.658611)
105-0072	(39.075278, -94.624444)	105-0287	(39.075278, -94.624722)
105-0077	(39.059444, -94.871667)	105-0340	(39.113333, -94.614167)

Anticipated Consultant Scope

KDOT anticipates the following to be included in the consultant’s scope:

• Underwater Inspection

Each inspection will be led by an engineer who meets the requirements for the Underwater Bridge Inspection Team Leader.

The scope included herein may not be all-inclusive. A scoping meeting will take place after consultant selection is made.

Anticipated Schedule and Key Dates

1. Proposals are due by or before 12:00 p.m. (Central Time) December 11, 2024.
2. Ranking of proposals is expected to occur on or around December 18, 2024. Negotiations with the most highly ranked firm are expected to begin on or around January 8, 2025. An executed agreement is anticipated around January 22, 2025.
3. The program Calendar year for this project is 2025-2029
4. Anticipated Start Date – February 2025

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 counted as two or more pages depending on size.
3. A single PDF (10 MB maximum size) of the proposal must be uploaded to the appropriate bid form on Bid Express by the proposal due date and time.
4. The proposal PDF file name must read:
   1. “106 KA-1675-04–KDOT Statewide Underwater Bridge Inspections FIRM NAME”
5. The proposal must be accompanied by Special Attachments No. 8 (“Tax Clearance Certificate”), No. 10 (“Policy Regarding Sexual Harassment”), and No. 12 (“Certification of Company Not Currently Engaged in the Procurement or Obtainment of Certain Equipment, Services, or Systems”). 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. Both attachments are required for every firm involved in a multi-consultant team. Upload these files as instructed in Bid Express.
6. The outline in Table 1 below describes the expected proposal organization and content sections.
7. Depending on the number and quality of responses received, KDOT anticipates shortlisting (based on proposals) and holding interviews prior to final selection (which may be based on both proposal and interview content). If KDOT deems interviews to be necessary, interview details and requirements and evaluation criteria for the interview will be distributed to shortlisted consultant teams in advance.
8. Table 2 lists the evaluation criteria and associated weights which will be used to shortlist respondents and may be considered in final selection.

Table 1: Proposal Content
Section	Description of Intent	Page Limit
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	25%
Proposed Project approach	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	15%

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 Attachment No. 12 (“Certification of Company Not Currently Engaged in the Procurement or Obtainment of Certain Equipment, Services, or Systems”)

Special Contract Conditions

Individual reports will be created for each bridge. Data will be uploaded to the KDOT database within 60 days of inspection date. Inspection reports will be submitted to KDOT, and a review meeting will be set up by the consultant before the end of 2025.

Questions

All questions regarding this RFP shall be submitted via Q&A section of bid form in Bid Express.

Questions can be submitted until November 21, 2024; answers will be provided to all pre-qualified consultants on November 28, 2024.

Calvin Reed
Secretary
Department of Transportation

Doc. No. 052653