Volume 43 - Issue 41 - October 10, 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) October 30, 2024, to be considered for selection.

Consultant Prequalification

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

• 171 - Environmental Documentation
• 201 - Location and Design Concept Studies/Corridor Studies
• 211 - Highway Design–Major Facility
• 212 - Highway Design–Minor Facility
• 221 - Non-Standard Span Bridge Design
• 222 - Standard Span Bridge Design
• 231 - Traffic Control Analysis and Design
• 321 - Bridge Structural Analysis
• 325 - Hydraulic and Hydrologic Studies
• 401 - Landscape Seeding and Erosion Control

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.

Table 1: Background and Scope of Project
Project Number	Background and Scope of Project
K-8245-01	This project includes the new construction of US-54 from one mile west of junction K-14/US-54, east to the existing 4-lane section east of Kingman in Kingman County. The design phase is expected to evaluate the current shelved design and make improvements based on community feedback. Services associated with this Request for Proposals are for the Preliminary and Final Design, with an option to supplement the contract through Construction Phase Services. This project will require a value engineering study to be completed. A separate value engineering Request for Proposals will be issued.

Table 2: Project Summary
Project Number	Route and Scope	Length (mi)	Project Termini
K-8245-01	054-048 Grading, surfacing, and bridges for construction of a 4-lane freeway section that will bypass the city of Kingman to the north.	9	US-54 in Kingman County
Project Number	Structure BR#, Structure Scope, Structure Size and Type
K-8245-01	Structures designed under Project No. 54-48 K-8245-01 to be evaluated with current industry standards and redesigned, if necessary. Additional structures should be anticipated with changes to the current project design. There are currently 13 bridges designed (including 8 large bridge-sized culverts) with the potential for more to be added with plan changes.

Anticipated Consultant Scope

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

• Preliminary Design Services
• Final Design Services
• Public Involvement Services
• Environmental Documentation Preparation (Permitting)
• Letting and Construction Phase Services
• 3D Electronic Deliverables Preparation

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

• Mini-Discovery Phase to review previous project materials.
• NEPA/Potential for Break in Access.
• Utility Coordination Assistance.
• Structural improvement needs.
• Public Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement:
  • Develop Stakeholder Engagement Plan:
    • Identify list of stakeholder groups. At a minimum, the stakeholder groups will include:
      • Political subdivisions including cities and counties.
      • Businesses.
      • Property owners.
    • Outline targeted outreach for each stakeholder group which may include brochures, media releases, fact sheets, presentations, and public meeting boards.
    • Outreach may also occur using technology including virtual public meetings, infographics, social media, and websites.
  • Develop and Implement Public Outreach Effort:
    • Identify appropriate opportunities to engage public and gather input.
    • Outreach efforts could include a wide range of materials including:
      • Brochures.
      • Media releases.
      • Fact sheets.
      • Presentations.
      • Public meeting boards.
  • Document all stakeholder engagement and public outreach efforts.
• Grant Application Support:
  • Data collection and review.
  • Identify strategies for maximum points.
  • Prepare cost estimates as needed.
  • Coordinate with KDOT for required information.
  • Draft support letters for public, elected and appointed officials, stakeholders and other relevant entities as identified by KDOT and advance the application.
  • Establish application schedule.
  • Coordinate and lead meetings.
  • Consultant shall prepare the grant application based on NOFO requirements.
  • Provide tables and graphics as necessary.
  • Provide final draft grant documents for review that will be coordinated with the Grant Lead, project team and others that are relevant in the process.
• Bi-annual Cost Estimates, as well as, at major project milestones.

Activities performed by KDOT include:

• Engineering Survey.
• Development of Existing Right of Way.
• Traffic Forecast.
• Geotechnical Services:
  • Soil Investigations.
  • Bridge Foundation Geology.
  • Pavement Field Investigation and Design.
  • Surfacing Recommendations.
• Lighting and Sign Structures.
• Environmental Services:
  • Lead Paint Testing.
  • Permit Application.
  • Permits will include NPDES – Storm Water Runoff Permit for which KDOT will need from consultant:
    • Total project site area in acres.
    • Total disturbed area in acres (from Seeding Plans).
    • Impervious area in square feet (existing and proposed).
    • Above information needs to be provided by consultant (90) days prior to letting.

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) October 30, 2024.
2. Ranking of proposals is expected to occur on or around November 1, 2024. Negotiations with the most highly ranked firm are expected to begin on or around November 15, 2024. An executed agreement is anticipated around November 29, 2024.
3. The program fiscal year for this project is FY2031 (July 2030–June 2031).

Schedule for the project has not been released. FY 2031 is simply a placeholder.

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 (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. “K-8245-01_Kingman Bypass_FIRM NAME”
5. The proposal must be accompanied by Special Attachments No. 8 (“Tax Clearance Certificate”), No. 10 (“Policy Regarding Sexual Harassment”), and 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 at https://www.ksrevenue.org/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 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 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.
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	20%
Approach and commitment to meet advertised schedule	15%
Understanding of the project area	20%
Approach to quality control	15%
Knowledge of the NEPA process	10%
Demonstrated understanding of nature and scope of project	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 Attachment No. 12 (“Certification of Company Not Currently Engaged in the Procurement or Obtainment of Certain Equipment, Services, or Systems”)

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 October 17, 2024; answers will be provided to all prequalified consultants on October 24, 2024.

Calvin Reed
Secretary
Department of Transportation

Doc. No. 052555