Volume 41 - Issue 40 - October 6, 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(s) described in Table 1 below. Interested consultants must email a proposal to KDOT.DesignContracts@ks.gov by 12:00 p.m. (CDT) October 26, 2022, to be considered for selection.

Consultant Prequalification

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

• 161 Corridor/Project Feasibility Studies
• 162 Long Range Planning

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. 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: Background and Scope of Project
Project Number	Background and Scope of Project
P-1791-23	The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or “BIL,” was signed by the President on November 15, 2021 and has been codified at 23 United States Code (U.S.C.) 175. The BIL authorizes a new Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) and related formula funding for purpose of reducing transportation emissions from on road highway sources. In order to fulfill this purpose, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requires each State to develop a carbon reduction strategy and to fund projects that are designed to reduce transportation emissions. The Carbon Reduction Strategy is due to the Federal Highway Administration no later than two years following the enactment of BIL. States are required to develop the Carbon Reduction Strategy in consultation and coordination with any MPO designated within the State (23 U.S.C. 175(d)(1)). Sixty-five percent of the state’s CRP apportionment is required to be obligated in urbanized areas and is further outlined in the federal guidance while the remaining thirty-five percent of CRP apportionment is available to be obligated anywhere in the state. The State Carbon Reduction Strategy shall support efforts to reduce transportation emissions and identify projects and strategies to reduce these emissions. It must be updated at least once every four years (23 U.S.C. 175(d)(3) and (4)). States are encouraged to obligate CRP funding for projects that support implementation of the Strategy that is developed. States are encouraged to develop their Carbon Reduction Strategies as an integral part of their long-range transportation planning processes, but they may be standalone documents at the discretion of the agencies. KDOT’s Carbon Reduction Program will encompass a comprehensive Carbon Reduction Strategy inclusive of all content requirements per federal guidance, incorporate the need for consultation and coordination with MPOs and rural stakeholders, and contain a plan for the immediate and long-range investments with respect to this funding in order to achieve quantifiable transportation emission reductions. CRP guidance can be found at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/sustainability/energy/policy/crp_guidance.pdf.

Table 2: Project Summary
Project Number	Route and Location	Length (mi)	Project Termini
P-1791-23	106 – Statewide All Federal and State Highways	Not relevant to this project	KDOT is seeking proposals from qualified firms to develop the KDOT Carbon Reduction Program (KCRP)
Project Number	Type
P-1791-23	Kansas Carbon Reduction Strategy

Additional Detail of Services

The KDOT Carbon Reduction Program (KCRP) must be structured to meet all requirements included in the BIL guidance for timely submission to FHWA for approval. It is expected that the selected qualified firm will identify opportunities that support both planning and project implementation processes simultaneously. Qualified firms will assist KDOT in the following scope of services to include, but not be limited to, the development of the Carbon Reduction Strategy, conducting coordination and consultation processes, implementation and co administration of the Program, and development of quantifiable evaluation criteria.

Anticipated Schedule and Key Dates

1. Proposals are due by or before 12:00 p.m. (CDT) October 26, 2022.
2. Anticipated Start Date: Winter, 2022 with Draft Report due August 2023.
3. End date: Spring 2024.
4. The program fiscal year for this project is FY2023 (June 2022 – July 2023).
5. Ranking of proposals is expected to occur on or around November 2, 2022.
6. Negotiations with the most highly ranked firm are expected to begin on or around November 7, 2022.
7. An executed agreement is anticipated around November 28, 2022.

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. “P-1791-23, Carbon Reduction Program Dev., statewide_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	Page Limit
Cover Letter		1 Page
Project Approach	Demonstrate a unique approach to accomplish the plan and to a high standard. Include cost-effective and optimized solutions to address the anticipated improvements. Include unique qualifications or experience related to the plan approach.
Approach to Schedule	Describe the approach to accomplish the scope 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%
Proposed approach for review and analysis	30%
Past performance history for similar projects/services for KDOT	10%
Availability to respond to the work	10%
The quality and completeness of the response	15%
Familiarity with applicable federal regulations and guidance	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”)

Questions

All questions regarding this Request for Proposals shall be emailed to KDOT.DesignContracts@ks.gov.

Questions can be submitted until October 13, 2022; answers will be provided to all prequalified consultants on October 18, 2022.

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

Doc. No. 050564