6913G624Q300050_SOW.pdf

Request for Quotation (RFQ) No. 6913G624Q300050 V3222079

U.S Department of Transportation

Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

Maintenance and User Support for the Federal Highway Administration’s Infrastructure Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability Tool (INVEST) Version 2.0

Statement of Work

1.0 Introduction

This statement of work lists requirements for maintenance and user support for the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Infrastructure Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability Tool (INVEST).

2.0 Background

The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) currently provides program support, technical assistance, and strategic outreach and communications to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Natural Environment (HEPN) to ensure the timely and effective delivery of activities related to INVEST. HEPN launched INVEST Version 1.0 in October 2012 to serve as a practical, web-based, collection of voluntary best practices, designed to help transportation agencies integrate sustainability into their programs (policies, processes, procedures and practices) and projects. INVEST Version 2.0 will likely be released in 2024, pending FHWA review of the updated content.

3.0 Scope

The Contractor shall provide hosting, maintenance, user support, and technical support for INVEST Version 2.0 starting June 15, 2024. INVEST is hosted independently from the FHWA website at https://www.sustainablehighways.org/.

4.0 Tasks

Support to Tasks A, B, C, D, and E below will be funded via funded base period Contract Line Item Numbers (CLIN) 00100, 00200, 00300, 00400, 00500, and 00600, covering June 15, 2024, through September 14, 2024. Additional support may be needed through optional support CLINs 00700, 00800, 00900, 01000, and 01100 covering September 15, 2024, through December 14, 2024, and CLINs 01200, 01300, 01400, 01500, and 01600 covering December 15, 2024, through June 14, 2025.

Work is planned to start June 15, 2024, and, if all options are funded, will conclude by June 14, 2025.

INVEST Website Maintenance and User Support Tasks

Task A: INVEST Hosting and General Maintenance The contractor shall maintain the INVEST Version 2.0 website. This shall include hosting the site, ensuring that all components are functioning correctly, correcting bugs, and scanning for broken links. On a quarterly basis, the contractor shall provide the Volpe Center with a summary of performed maintenance activities. In addition to general maintenance, the contractor shall perform updates to the INVEST site to ensure user information remains secure.

Task B: INVEST Design/Development Updates https://www.sustainablehighways.org/

The contractor shall perform updates to the INVEST site to ensure the website pages remain up to date, and that the overall website continues to be user-friendly and functional. To ensure continued functionality and usability of the website, the contractor will perform minor design/development changes as needed.

Task C: INVEST User Support Through four (4) quarterly meetings of one (1) hour apiece, the Volpe Center will consult with the contractor regarding user inquiries. All meetings will be held via teleconference using a USDOT compliant videoconferencing platform. The contractor will offer user support including responding to users with technical difficulties accessing or using the site, responding to questions on how INVEST functions and how to use that functionality, and responding to users’ questions or needs submitted via the website. In advance of the quarterly meetings, the contractor shall provide a brief summary of user questions and responses (to be included as part of quarterly summary reports).

Task D: INVEST Website Usage Through the aforementioned four (4) quarterly meetings of one (1) hour apiece, the Volpe Center will consult with the contractor regarding website usage. The current INVEST website already has a mechanism in place to track the use of INVEST by different transportation agencies. This tracking includes metrics that FHWA understand the number of agencies using the tool, the number and type of projects being examined, etc., but does not divulge private details on any one project. This information assists FHWA in understanding how and where the tool is being used, and helps determine future changes that are needed. The metrics are based on data derived from two sources, including 1) the INVEST tool which can be used to pull current reporting records and 2) a browser tool that provides statistical data on website access. The contractor will offer technical assistance and address issues that may arise with the metrics being collected. Additionally, on an as needed basis, the contractor may need to make changes to the tracking mechanism. In advance of the quarterly meetings, the contractor shall provide information on website usage (to be included as part of quarterly summary reports).

Task E: INVEST Transition to Internal DOT Hosting The INVEST website is scheduled to transition to internal hosting through the DOT Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) on their Drupal platform. The transition will require close coordination between HEPN, OCIO, the Volpe Center, and the contractor. The Volpe Center will coordinate meetings on a monthly basis through the duration of the period of performance to include the contractor, OCIO, and HEPN representatives, for the purpose of exchanging the information and materials required to ensure a smooth transition without a disruption in website availability. The contractor will respond to requests for information and materials in between regular meetings from the Volpe Center for the same purpose.

5.0 Deliverables and Period of Performance

The contractor shall provide maintenance and user support for INVEST Version 2.0 from June 15, 2024, through June 14, 2025, if all options are exercised.

CLIN Task Deliverable(s)* # Deliverables

Format Due Date

00100 (Base)

A-E

Enterprise-level hosting, security certificate for hosting on contractor servers/cloud service provider

3 (monthly) N/A Monthly starting June 15, 2024 through September 14, 2024

00200 (Base)

Security certificate for INVEST website

1 Basic third-party SSL encryption security certificate

Ongoing from June 15, 2024, through September 14, 2024

00300 (Base)

One quarterly summary report on hosting and maintenance activities (including server/cloud up time, data integrity and security, general bug fixes, broken links scan), user questions/needs and responses provided, website analytics, and program-specific data

1 (quarterly) Word file transmitted via email

The summary report will be due September 14, 2024.

00400 (Base)

Design/development updates

3 Email confirming implementation of design/development updates

September 14, 2024

00500 (Base)

One quarterly meeting (1 hour each) to discuss issues pertaining to user questions/problems and website usage (includes labor related to technical support to resolve reported issues)

1 (quarterly) Conference call each quarter (including preparation time)

NLT September 14, 2024

00600 (Base)

Three (3) monthly meetings (1 hour each) to discuss needs and provide information/materials relevant to the transition to OCIO website hosting (includes labor related to gathering necessary information/materials)

3 (monthly) Conference call each month (including preparation time)

Once monthly starting in June 2024 and going through September 14, 00700 (option)

A-E

Enterprise-level hosting, security certificate for hosting on contractor servers/cloud service provider

3 (monthly) N/A Monthly starting September 15, 2024, through December 14, 00800 (option)

One (1) quarterly summary report on hosting and maintenance activities (including server/cloud up time, data integrity and security, general bug fixes, broken links scan), user

1 (quarterly) Word file transmitted via email

The first week of every quarter starting in September 2024. The final summary report will be due on or before December 14, 2024.

Format Due Date questions/needs and responses provided, website analytics, and program-specific data

00900 (option)

Design/development updates

3 Email confirming implementation of design/development updates

December 14, 2024

01000 (option)

One (1) quarterly meeting (1 hour each) to discuss issues pertaining to user questions/problems and website usage (includes labor related to technical support to resolve reported issues)

1 (quarterly) Conference call each quarter (including preparation time)

The first week of every quarter starting in September 2024 through December 14, 2024

01100 (option)

Three (3) monthly meetings (1 hour each) to discuss needs and provide information/materials relevant to the transition to OCIO website hosting (includes labor related to gathering necessary information/materials)

3 (monthly) Conference call each month (including preparation time)

Once monthly starting in September 2024 and going through December 14, 2024

01200 (option)

A-E

Enterprise-level hosting, security certificate for hosting on contractor servers/cloud service provider

6 (monthly) N/A Ongoing from December 15, 2024, through June 14, 2025

01300 (option)

Two (2) quarterly summary reports on hosing and maintenance activities (including server/cloud up time, data integrity and security, general bug fixes, broken links scan), user questions/needs and responses provided, website analytics, and program-specific data

2 (quarterly) Word file transmitted via email

The first week of every quarter starting in December 2024 through June 14, 2025

01400 (option)

Design/development updates

5 Email confirming implementation of design/development updates

June 14, 2025

01500 (option)

Two (2) quarterly meetings (1 hour each) to discuss issues pertaining to user questions/problems and website usage (includes labor related to

2 (quarterly) Conference call each quarter (including preparation time)

The first week of every quarter starting in December 2024 through June 14, 2025

Format Due Date technical support to resolve reported issues)

01600 (option)

Six (6) monthly meetings (1 hour each) to discuss needs and provide information/materials relevant to the transition to OCIO website hosting (includes labor related to gathering necessary information/materials)

6 (monthly) Conference call each month (including preparation time)

Once monthly starting in December 2024 and going through June 14, *Electronic deliverables, such as quarterly summary reports, shall be emailed to the project points of contact (POC), Clay Reherman, at clay.reherman@dot.gov.

Acceptance Criteria

To be accepted, the INVEST 2.0 maintenance and user support deliverables will be emailed to the project technical POC, Clay Reherman, at clay.reherman@dot.gov. The deliverables will be reviewed by the Government for compliance with the SOW, timeliness, and format. The POC will acknowledge acceptance of each deliverable by email.

mailto:clay.reherman@dot.gov mailto:clay.reherman@dot.gov