Volume 44 - Issue 15 - April 10, 2025

State of Kansas

Department of Transportation

Request for Proposals

Notice to Consulting Firms

106 P-1771-26 - Statewide Rail and Freight Plan Updates

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is seeking a qualified consulting firm or team of firms to perform professional services for the project described in Table 1 and Table 2 below. Interested consultants must submit a proposal as laid out herein by 12:00 p.m. (Central Time) April 30, 2025, to be considered for selection.

Consultant Prequalification

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

• 162 – Long Range Planning

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 Preqeualification Category Definitions (Blue Book) can be found at https://www.ksdot.gov/doing-business/design-consultants/design-consultant-prequalification. 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.

Table 1: Background of Project
Project Number	Background and Scope of Project
P-1771-26	KDOT’s current State Freight Plan was adopted in May 2023, and serves as an update to KDOT’s 2017 Kansas State Freight Plan and meets federal requirements established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 (BIL). This plan guides the state’s vision, goals, and objectives identified in the Kansas 2045 Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). Kansas’ current State Rail Plan was adopted in October 2022. This PRIIA compliant plan provides a clear understanding of the multimodal freight and rail systems, how industries and people use the systems, and the system needs, issues, and opportunities so KDOT can make better- informed policy and investment decisions.

Table 2: Project Summary
P-1771-26 Scope of Project
KDOT is seeking proposals from qualified firms to conduct an update to the Kansas State Freight and Rail Plans into one combined document. The Freight and Rail Plan will be multimodal in nature to include rail, highway, intermodal, and air cargo transportation. At a minimum, the plan will meet state freight plan criteria outlined in 49 U.S.C. § 70202 and the state rail plan criteria outlined under section 303 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA). The intent is that this document’s rail plan component provides an opportunity to fully envision and present the state’s rail network within a broader context of the state’s multimodal transportation system. It is expected that the selected consultant will identify opportunities that support both planning processes simultaneously while producing a document that meets both FRA and FHWA’s requirements.

Anticipated Consultant Scope

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

• Public Involvement Services
• Preliminary Design Services
• Discovery Phase Services
• Planning Study Services (Including EA/EIS)
• RR Involvement

KDOT anticipates the following may be included in the consultant’s scope in this phase:

• Public and stakeholder involvement (schools, agriculture, residential, businesses, commercial, industrial, local communities, railroads, freight, etc.)
• Traffic safety review; among other things, the safety review must consider crash history and risk factors, and link desired safety outcomes to improvement recommendations. The review shall also consider/evaluate recent safety investigations along the subject corridors.
• Market analysis of trends and opportunities for growth and future demand.
• Existing and future land-use and traffic projections.
• Corridor mobility analysis (multimodal, O/D, etc.)
• Freight and economic development consideration within the study area.
• High-level scan for potential utility, environmental, and historic property impacts.
• Corridor improvement recommendations and cost estimates for immediate, midterm, and ultimate improvements; and
• Implementation strategies for the plan, which shall include, but may not be limited to, funding opportunities and strategies under state and federal programs, such as the Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The scope included herein may not be all-inclusive and is subject to change. KDOT, at the Secretary’s discretion, reserves the right to retain for subsequent phases of design and consulting services the consultant selected to provide services associated with this Request for Proposals. Scope in subsequent phases will likely include, but is not limited to, plan development through preliminary and final design as well as traffic engineering.

Anticipated Schedule and Key Dates

1. Proposals are due by or before 12:00 p.m. (Central Time) April 30, 2025.
2. Ranking of proposals is expected to occur on or around May 2, 2025. Negotiations with the most
3. Highly ranked firm are expected to begin on or around May 23, 2025. An executed agreement is anticipated around July 1, 2025.
4. The program fiscal year for this project is FY2026 (July 2026–June 2027).
   1. Project Kickoff: Summer 2025
   2. Public Engagement: Summer 2025, Fall 2026
   3. Final Study: Spring 2027

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 the page limit laid out in Table 3 below (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. “P-1771-26_Statewide Rail and Freight Plan Updates 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 3 below describes the expected proposal organization and content section.
7. Depending on the number and quality of responses received, KDOT will shortlist (based on proposals) three to five firms and notify all firms submitting proposals of the shortlisted firms by return email. Thereafter, at KDOT’s option, shortlisted firms may be interviewed through virtual meeting prior to final selection (which may be based on both proposal and interview content).
8. If KDOT deems interviews to be necessary, interview details and requirements and evaluation criteria for the interview will be distributed to shortlisted firms in advance. Table 4 lists the evaluation criteria and associated weights which will be used to shortlist respondents and may be considered in final selection

Table 3: 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.	2 Pages
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.	2 Pages
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.	2 Pages
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 4: Evaluation Factors
Evaluation Factor	Weight
Qualifications and experience of project manager and other key project team members proposed for services	10%
Proposed approach for review and analysis	10%
Approach and commitment to meet advertised schedule	15%
Past performance history for similar projects/services for KDOT	10%
Innovation/Creativity in solutions	15%
Availability to respond to the work	10%
The quality and completeness of the response	15%
Demonstrated understanding of nature and scope of project	10%
Identification of special conditions to be considered for the project	5%

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

The planning process is anticipated to be 12–18 months in duration.

Questions

All questions regarding this Request for Proposals shall be submitted via Q&A section of bid form in Bid Express. Questions can be submitted until April 17, 2025; answers will be provided to all prequalified consultants on April 24, 2025.

Calvin Reed
Secretary
Department of Transportation

Doc. No. 053030