Volume 41 - Issue 24 - June 16, 2022

State of Kansas

Department of Transportation

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 described in Table 1 below. Interested consultants must email a proposal to KDOT.DesignContracts@ks.gov by 12:00 p.m. (CDT) July 13, 2022, to be considered for selection.

Consultant Prequalification

Interested consulting firms must be prequalified by KDOT or otherwise demonstrate qualification in category: 231 Traffic Control Analysis and Design.

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.

Table 1: ackground and Scope of Project
Project Number	ackground and Scope of Project
KA-3232-02	Reconstruction of the I-235, I-135, K-254, and K-96 interchange (Gold Project) in northeast Wichita, Kansas, to include light tower and sign structure replacements.

Table 2: Project Summary
Project Number	Route and Scope	Length (mi)	Project Termini
KA-3232-02	235–87 TMP Management Services During Construction	6.127	I-235, I-135, K-254 and K-96 Interchange (Gold Project) in northeast Wichita, Kansas

Anticipated Consultant Scope

The KDOT anticipates the following to be included in the consultant’s scope: Transportation Management Plan (TMP) management services during all phases and stages of construction operations necessary to complete this project. The TMP has already been developed since this project has been deemed a significant project. The TMP documents mobility and safety metrics to be measured and recorded throughout construction. Additionally, it includes information on what traffic control scenarios were considered and the anticipated impacts on the work zones and surrounding areas. The TMP’s ultimate goal is to create a safer work zone and understand construction’s impacts to safety and mobility on the surrounding roadway network. The TMP (linked below) includes specific goals for this project.

The TMP Management Services During Construction manager/team must be capable of performing in-field reviews/measurements of traffic queues, travel times, and signal operations as well as performing desktop peak hour daily reviews/measurements of traffic queues, travel times, and safety performance measures. The key metrics to be measured are outlined in the document “Transportation Management Plan, Gold Phase 2B”, dated June 2022 which is available here at https://bit.ly/KDOT-TMP-GoldPh2B. This document is referred to herein as both “Gold Project TMP” and “TMP”.

KDOT draws specific attention to the following sections of the TMP:

• Section 5: TMP Activity During Construction (pages 36-38) This section provides guidance on types of data collection, frequency of data of collection, and definitions.
• Attachment A – Mobility Goals and definition of Event for key areas
• Attachment B – Safety Goals

There are three key categories of activities which the TMP Management Services During Construction consultant shall be responsible for executing: data collection; documentation; and communication (via meetings, memos, and reports). KDOT’s expectations for each are described below:

Data Collection

• In addition to measurement requirements noted in the TMP, field and desktop measurements and observations shall be collected during all Initial Periods during a single nighttime period.
• Desktop (including mobility, safety, and incident clearance) and field measurements shall be collected in accordance with the measurement collection scenarios as outlined in the TMP in Section 5 (pages 36-38).
• Field measurements shall be collected for all corridors identified within the “Location” column found in Attachment A (starting on page 47) of the Gold Project TMP. Additional corridors may be identified during scope negotiation.
• Field measurements shall include but are not limited to travel times, queue lengths, and number of signal cycles to clear an intersection during the peak period and shall be documented with photos/videos.
• Desktop measurements and observations shall be either screen captures or video recordings collected in 15-minute intervals during the peak hour. These measurements can be accomplished utilizing a tool such as Google Maps Traffic, WICHway cameras, other mapping/traffic software/website, contractor provided ITS equipment (if available), or other third-party ITS equipment as provided by the TMP Manager Team.
• Incident clearance times information shall be gathered from WICHway by the TMP Manager.
• Safety data measurements shall include coordination by the TMP Manager with WICHway and/or Highway Patrol and/or local law enforcement. This ensures the safety data analysis includes crashes on the construction routes and detours.
• For the safety measurements, severe and fatal crashes shall be reviewed within 48 hours of receiving the crash report. This review shall include a memo summarizing the crash, how the crash was influenced by the project and any recommendations to minimize future crashes.

Documentation

• Field review information, photo logs and/or video logs shall be kept and stored for submission to KDOT upon request. The field reviews and logs shall include the collector’s name, location, direction, date, time, weather, and vehicle type.
• For desktop review information, screenshots or videos of traffic conditions, the collector’s name, data source, date, time, weather, and location shall be included. This information shall be stored for submission to KDOT upon request.
• For review of safety data, a log of crash types, severity, date, and location of crashes shall be kept and stored for submission to KDOT upon request and to facilitate ongoing trend analysis.
• For review of incident management clearance times, a log of date, time, and time to clear shall be kept and stored for submission to KDOT upon request and to facilitate ongoing trends analysis.

Communication (Meetings, Memos, and Reports)

• Meetings between the TMP Manager and the Construction Team shall be conducted on a weekly basis to facilitate maintaining safe and mobile work zones. These meetings shall include TMP Manager reports on safety, mobility, and incident management goals and trends.
• Memos shall be submitted at a frequency determined by the measurement collection scenario as outlined in Section 5.
• At a minimum, memos shall include information on the data collected, any observations that are critical to maintaining safety and satisfactory mobility, recommendations, and mitigation alternatives analysis. They shall also include consistently reported metrics for safety, mobility, and incident management to enable quick identification of trends.
• The final lessons learned report shall detail all phases, the “Events” that occurred, trends in mobility and safety, recommendations on what worked well, and improvements that could be made on future projects. The report shall also contain a full area, as previously studied in Section 4.3 of the TMP, safety review for the duration of construction.
• All memos and reports shall be submitted to KDOT in PDF format.

These expectations may not be fully inclusive. A scoping meeting will be held with the selected consultant to kick off the negotiation phase.

The selected consultant shall provide the measurement reporting timelines and deliverables as further detailed below:

TMP Monitoring

• Field Measurements/Observations – Record queues at signals/ramps/work zone, travel time runs, and signal operations.
• Desktop Measurements/Observations – Measure traffic queues, travel times, and safety performance measures at the significant intersections of the project.
• Measurements shall be taken both in the field and at desktop level starting when temporary traffic control devices are placed in the field at the start of a project or the start of a change of construction phase. Measurements shall be collected during both the A.M. and P.M. peak periods (typically 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.) for the following progressive scenarios:
  • Prior to start of construction activities – Measure A.M. and P.M. peak hour travel times with field and desktop measurements and observations for three (3) weekdays prior to construction beginning.
  • Prior to implementation of a new long-term traffic control configuration/traffic switch – Measure A.M. and P.M. peak hour travel times with field and desktop measurements and observations for three (3) weekdays in advance. At least one field travel time run should be completed during each peak hour for each route with an upcoming traffic switch. If a currently implemented traffic control configuration is affecting travel times, supplement these measurements with previously collected travel times prior to any traffic switch. A memo shall document the travel times collected and any potential issues the TMP manager anticipates.
  • Initial Period, or the first three (3) calendar days, measure in the A.M. and P.M. peak hour with both field and desktop measurements and observations. Submit a Preliminary report on the observations within 24 hours of the observed peak hour.
  • Stabilizing Period, or the two (2) weeks immediately following the Initial Period, measure in the A.M. and P.M. peak hour with desktop measurements. Preliminary reports shall be provided within 48 hours of measurements.
  • Remaining Period, or the remaining duration of the phase of construction after the Stabilizing Period, measure the A.M. and P.M. peak hours via desktop review. Preliminary reporting of the metrics shall be within one (1) week of the data collected.
• Safety metrics shall be tracked on a weekly basis and updated with information as it is available.
  • If serious injury or fatal crash occurs, a review of the crash report and reporting of the crash shall occur as noted in Data Collection section above.
  • Incident Clearance times shall be reported on a weekly basis.

After an Event

• An “Event” is defined as when a threshold at a monitored location, as defined in the TMP, is exceeded. An “Event” could also be an unanticipated condition that is deemed to be unsafe or results in excessive congestion or delays.
• If an Event occurs, measurements shall follow procedures described in the Initial Period until the Event is resolved. After the Initial Period, measurement procedures shall continue through the Stabilizing Period and return to the Remaining Period.
• The TMP Manager shall, within two (2) calendar days of an Event, propose to KDOT a plan of action. The plan of action shall include additional data collection needed and plan for use of the data. The plan shall also include a schedule for determining and implementing the final solution if it is determined to be necessary.

Deliverables

• Preliminary reporting on performance against the goal shall follow the deliverable schedule shown in the TMP Monitoring section. These shall be in the form of a memo/short presentation to the project team.
• At the conclusion of each construction season and/or project, a report that breaks out the metrics documented and the mitigation measures implemented for each phase shall be provided. This document shall include the higher scale goals and metrics such as crash rates/numbers and travel time increases. The final conclusion of the report shall provide lessons learned.

Anticipated Schedule and Key Dates

1. Proposals are due by or before 12:00 p.m. (CDT) July 13, 2022
2. Important dates:
   1. Letting: September 21, 2022
   2. Notice of Acceptance: December 13, 2023

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 6 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 (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. “KA-3232-02–TMP Mgmt on Gold Project_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 3 below describes the expected proposal organization and content sections.
7. Table 4 lists the evaluation criteria and associated weights which will be used to make a selection.

Table 3: 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 4: Evaluation Factors
Evaluation Factor	Weight
Qualifications and experience of project manager and other key project team members proposed for services	15%
Project approach	20%
Approach and commitment to meet advertised schedule	10%
Understanding of the project area	20%
Innovation/Creativity in solutions	20%
Availability to respond to the work	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”)

Questions

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

Questions can be submitted until June 29, 2022; answers will be provided to all prequalified consultants on July 6, 2022.

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

Doc. No. 050249