SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- Integrated Delivery of SHRP 2 Renewal Research Projects
- Notice Date
- 9/20/2011
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- The National Academies, Transportation Research Board, SHRP2, 500 Fifth Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20001, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20001
- Solicitation Number
- SHRP2_R31
- Archive Date
- 11/16/2011
- Point of Contact
- James Bryant, Phone: 202-334-2087, Linda Mason, Phone: 202-334-3241
- E-Mail Address
-
jbryant@nas.edu, lmason@nas.edu
(jbryant@nas.edu, lmason@nas.edu)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- TRB's second Strategic Highway Research Program SHRP 2 Request for Proposals Focus Area: Renewal Project Number: R31 Project Title: Integrated Delivery of SHRP 2 Renewal Research Projects Date Posted: September 20, 2011 Proposal Due Date: November 1, 2011 SHRP 2 Background To address the challenges of moving people and goods efficiently and safely on the nation's highways, Congress has created the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2). SHRP 2 is a targeted, short-term research program carried out through competitively awarded contracts to qualified researchers in the academic, private, and public sectors. SHRP 2 addresses four strategic focus areas: the role of human behavior in highway safety (Safety); rapid highway renewal (Renewal); improved travel time reliability through congestion reduction (Reliability); and transportation planning that better integrates community, economic, and environmental considerations into new highway capacity (Capacity). Under current legislative provisions, SHRP 2 has expanded its efforts to include activities such as pilot tests and field demonstrations that help to prepare research results for implementation. Additional information about SHRP 2 can be found on the program's Web site at www.trb.org/shrp2. Focus Area Background The U.S. highway system is aging and must be rebuilt while we are driving on it and living next to it. Research in the SHRP 2 Renewal focus area therefore addresses the need to develop a consistent, systematic approach to completing highway projects quickly, with minimal disruption to the community, and producing facilities that are long-lasting. Identifying new technologies for locating underground utilities; developing procedures to speed the evaluation of designs and the inspection of construction; and applying new methods and materials for preserving, rehabilitating, and reconstructing roadways and bridges are among the goals for this focus area. Alternative strategies for contracting, financing, and managing projects and mitigating institutional barriers also are part of the emphasis on rapid renewal. The renewal scope applies to all classes of roads. Project Background The Renewal focus area is a $32 million applied research program that includes more than 30 research projects. Five primary product groupings have been developed based on product/asset areas: Pavements, Bridges, Nondestructive Testing (NDT), Project Delivery, and Utilities and Railroads. A list of some of the research projects included in each grouping is included below: Pavements 1.R05. Modular Pavement Technology 2.R21. Composite Pavement Systems 3.R23. Using Existing Pavement in Place and Achieving Long Life 4.R26. Preservation Approaches for High Traffic Volume Roadways 5.R02. Geotechnical Solutions for Soil Improvement, Rapid Embankment Construction and Stabilization of the Pavement Working Platform (also applies to the Bridge area) Bridges 1.R04. Innovative Bridge Designs for Rapid Renewal 2.R19-A. Bridges for Service Life beyond 100 Years 3.R19-B. Bridges for Service Life beyond 100 Years: Service Limit State Design 4.R06-A. Nondestructive Testing to Identify Concrete Bridge Deck Deterioration NDT 1.R06-B. Evaluating Applications of Field Spectroscopy Devised to Fingerprint Commonly Used Construction Materials 2.R06-C. Using Both Infrared and High-Speed GPR for Uniformity Measurements on New HMA Layers 3.R06-D. Nondestructive Testing to Indentify Delaminations between HMA Layers 4.R06-E. Real Time Smoothness Measurements During PCC Pavement Construction 5.R06-F. Development of a Continuous Deflection Device 6.R06-G. NDT for Tunnel Linings Project Delivery/Construction 1.R03. Identifying and Reducing Worker, Inspector, and Manager Fatigue in Rapid Renewal Environments 2.R07 Performance Specifications for Rapid Highway Renewal 3.R09. Risk Manual for Rapid Renewal Contracts 4.R10. Innovative Project Management Strategies for Large, Complex Projects 5.R11. Strategic Approaches at the Corridor and Network Level to Minimize Disruption from the Renewal Process Utilities/Railroads: 1.R01. Encouraging Innovation in Locating and Characterizing Underground Utilities 2.R01-A. Technologies to Support Storage, Retrieval, and Utilization of 3-D Utility Location Data 3.R01-B. Multi-Sensor Platforms for Locating Underground Utilities 4.R01-C. Innovation in Location of Deep Utilities 5.R15-B. Identification of Utility Relocation 6.R16. Railroad-DOT Institutional Mitigation Strategies A detailed list of projects can been accessed at http://www.trb.org/StrategicHighwayResearchProgram2SHRP2/Pages/Renewal_Projects_303.aspx Renewal is defined as the reconstruction or substantial rehabilitation of deteriorating highway infrastructure to new standards of service. Rapid Renewal implies accelerated construction but also includes planning, project development, and maintenance & operations features that minimize the total project duration, produce long-lasting facilities, and minimize motorist delay. To date, Rapid Renewal has typically been achieved only under special, high-profile circumstances because very real barriers exist to consistent application of these tactics. For instance, to build facilities more quickly it is necessary to perform in situ work faster, do as much as possible away from the site, monitor and inspect construction rapidly, and provide a contracting environment that allows this to happen. Similarly, limits on sensing technology inhibit rapid inspection and construction acceptance. The strategic objectives of the SHRP 2 Renewal focus area include completing highway projects rapidly, while causing minimal disruption to the community, to produce long-lasting facilities. Each of the products resulting from the Renewal Research Program makes a contribution to achieving the strategic objectives. This project seeks to leverage the incremental improvements provided by individual products by looking at how products within the product grouping and across the spectrum of the Renewal research program can be used in complementary ways to enhance a transportation agency's ability to systematically apply Rapid Renewal on a routine basis. The tools are intended to provide insight into questions such as: How can the products from the Pavement, NDT, Bridges, Project Delivery and Utility/Railroads areas be used to enhance an agency's ability to develop and execute the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of their infrastructure? How do the products or combinations of products enhance transportation agencies' ability to rapidly renew their infrastructure? Project Objective The objective of this project is to develop (a) tool(s) to promote and support systematic and integrated application of the products developed in the Renewal Research Program to enhance a transportation agency's ability to consistently apply Rapid Renewal in the development and execution of the planning, design, construction, maintenance, and preservation of their infrastructure. Tasks Task descriptions are intended to provide a framework for conducting the research. SHRP 2 is seeking the insights of proposers on how best to achieve the research objective. Proposers are expected to describe research plans that can realistically be accomplished within the constraints of available funds and contract time. Proposals must present the proposers' current thinking in sufficient detail to demonstrate their understanding of the issues and the soundness of their approach to meet the research objective(s). Phase 1 Task 1: Conduct an extensive review of the SHRP 2 Renewal products and describe how each product individually improves a transportation agency's ability to consistently apply Rapid Renewal. Task 2: Document and analyze the relationships between the SHRP 2 Renewal products and how they could be integrated and/or applied in complementary ways to enhance a transportation agency's ability to consistently achieve Rapid Renewal in the development and execution of the planning, design, construction, maintenance, and preservation of their infrastructure. Relationships within a product grouping (e.g. Pavements, Bridges, etc) as well as possible relationships across the entire Renewal research focus area should be considered. Task 3: Describe how the various product combinations considered in Task 2 can enhance a transportation agency's ability to consistently achieve Rapid Renewal in the development and execution of the planning, design, construction, maintenance, and preservation of their infrastructure. Task 4: Identify challenges and/or barriers (both technical and nontechnical) to the integration and/or complementary use of the renewal products and recommend ways to overcome them. Task 5: Develop and submit a Phase 1 interim report detailing the findings of the preceding tasks and provide a work plan for Phase 2. The Phase 1 report should include but is not limited to the following: - Draft guidance to help transportation agencies identify the rapid renewal strategies and tools that may be applicable to a particular project; - Documentation of how the SHRP 2 highway renewal products can be applied in a systematic way to achieve rapid renewal; - A roadmap that clearly identifies the relationships among the products and how they could be integrated and/or applied in complementary ways both within a product grouping and across the entire Renewal research focus area. The Phase 2 Work plan should clearly describe and discuss the tool(s) proposed for development in Phase 2, and how they would be applied in practice. The Phase 1 report and Phase 2 work plan will be reviewed by SHRP 2 to determine whether this contract should continue into Phase 2. Phase 2 After approval of the work plan developed in Phase I and on receipt of notice to proceed to Phase 2, conduct the following tasks: Task 6: Develop (a) tool(s) that clearly communicates and demonstrates how the SHRP 2 Renewal products can be systematically applied to enhance a transportation agency's ability to consistently apply Rapid Renewal in the development and execution of the planning, design, construction, maintenance, and preservation of their infrastructure. The tool(s) should incorporate all elements developed in Phase 1. Task 7: Work with key stakeholders to demonstrate and validate the usefulness of the tool(s) under real project scenarios. The key stakeholders include transportation professionals from state transportation agencies, AASHTO, FHWA, consultants, and contractors. See Special Note 3. Task 8: Refine the tool(s) based on feedback from key stakeholders. Task 9: Submit Draft Final deliverables including the following: - Final Report documenting all of the work completed in Phase 1 and Phase 2. The report should also include recommendations for implementation including strategies for marketing and communication. - Final Tool(s) and supporting documentation for their use. Task 10: Revise all draft deliverables in response to review comments and submit final deliverables. Deliverables: Phase 1 Interim Report Phase 2 Work Plan Draft Final Deliverables Final Report Tool(s) for the systematic application of Rapid Renewal Supporting Documentation for Tool(s) Special Notes: Note 1: The researcher should consider the most efficient and effective methods for deployment of the tool(s) developed in this project. Note 2: The researchers are free to propose tool(s) that use the latest technology for deployment Note 3: An inter-agency team with members from SHRP 2, FHWA, and AASHTO has been established to create a strategic plan for communications and marketing of SHRP 2 products during implementation. The team has conducted stakeholder research that will be useful to this project. The selected contractor will be expected to coordinate with the team. Funds Available: Total: $750,000 Contract Period: 24 Months for the entire project Responsible Staff Officer: James Bryant jbryant@nas.edu, 202-596-2087 Authorization to begin work: February 2012 Proposals (20 single-bound copies) are due not later than 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on November 1, 2011. This is a firm deadline, and extensions simply are not granted. In order to be considered, all 20 copies of the agency's proposal, accompanied by the executed, unmodified Liability Statement must be in our offices not later than the deadline shown, or they will be rejected. Delivery Address PROPOSAL-SHRP 2 ATTN: Neil F. Hawks Director, Strategic Highway Research Program 2 Transportation Research Board 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 Phone: 202-334-1430 Liability Statement The signature of an authorized representative of the proposing agency is required on the unaltered Liability Statement in order for SHRP 2 to accept the agency's proposal for consideration. Proposals submitted without this executed and unaltered statement by the proposal deadline will be rejected. An executed, unaltered statement indicates the agency's intent and ability to execute a contract that includes the provisions in the statement. The Liability Statement is Figure 1 in the Manual for Conducting Research and Preparing Proposals for SHRP 2 (http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/shrp2/PreparingSHRP2Reports.pdf) (see General Note 4). Here is a printable version of the SHRP 2 Liability Statement (http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/shrp2/LiabilityStatement.pdf). A free copy of the Adobe Acrobat PDF reader is available at http://www.adobe.com. General Notes 1. Proposals will be evaluated by SHRP 2 staff and Expert Task Groups (ETGs) consisting of individuals collectively very knowledgeable in the problem area. Selection of an agency is made by the SHRP 2 Oversight Committee, based on the recommendation from SHRP 2 staff and the ETG. The following factors are considered: (1) the proposer's demonstrated understanding of the problem; (2) the merit of the proposed research approach and experimental design; (3) the experience, qualifications, and objectivity of the research team in the same or closely related problem area; (4) the proposer's plan for participation by disadvantaged business enterprises-small firms owned and controlled by minorities or women; and (5) the adequacy of facilities. TRB and the SHRP 2 Oversight Committee strongly encourage the significant participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in SHRP 2 research contracts. Although no quota is specified nor is DBE participation mandated, the proposer's plan for involvement of DBEs is a factor in selection of the research contractor, and the contractor's adherence to its DBE plan will be monitored during the contract period. The "Research Team Builder" section of the SHRP 2 web site (http://www.trb.org/StrategicHighwayResearchProgram2SHRP2/Pages/Research_Team_Builder_177.aspx) is a resource for proposers interested in participating on research teams. 2. Any clarifications regarding this RFP will be posted on the SHRP 2 Web site (www.TRB.org/SHRP2). Announcements of such clarifications will be posted on the front page and, when possible, will be noted in the TRB e-newsletter. Proposers are advised to check the Web site frequently until October 14, 2011, after which no further comments will be posted. 3. According to the provisions of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 21, which relates to nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs, all parties are hereby notified that the contract entered into pursuant to this announcement will be awarded without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability. 4. The essential features required in a proposal for research are detailed in the Manual for Conducting Research and Preparing Proposals for SHRP 2 (http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/shrp2/PreparingSHRP2Reports.pdf). Proposals must be prepared according to this document, and attention is directed specifically to Section IV for mandatory requirements. Proposals that do not conform to these requirements will be rejected. 5. The total funds available are made known in the project statement and line items of the budget are examined to determine the reasonableness of the allocation of funds to the various tasks. If the proposed total cost exceeds the funds available, the proposal is rejected. 6. All proposals become the property of the Transportation Research Board. Final disposition will be made according to the policies thereof, including the right to reject all proposals. IMPORTANT NOTICE Potential proposers should understand that the research project described herein is tentative. The final content of the program depends on the level of funding made available. Nevertheless, to be prepared to execute research contracts as soon as possible after sponsors' approvals, the Strategic Highway Research Program is assuming that the tentative program will become official in its entirety and is proceeding with requests for proposals and selections of research agencies.
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