693JJ3-20-BAA-0005 Questions_Answers.pdf

693JJ3-20-BAA-0005 Questions and Answers

Question

Number

Date

Received Question Answer

08/05/2020

Does the data from the adjacent vehicles need to be collected by probing them or from the visual/sensor feed?

Adjacent vehicles need not be instrumented with sensors (i.e., “probed”). In fact, we’re most interested in adjacent vehicles that are unaware of the data collection effort. Extracting data about adjacent

(uninstrumented) vehicles by processing the sensor data on the probed subject ADAS/ADS enabled vehicle can be considered so long as you have confidence in the accuracy the estimated data variables.

Conversely, we would consider data that is (or was) collected via instrumented adjacent human driven vehicles so long as these human drivers are unaware of the presence of ADS/ADAS enabled vehicles operating nearby (so to capture their naturalistic reaction to the technology).

2 08/05/2020

Is MCity, the University of Michigan’s autonomous vehicle testing facility, considered a naturalistic environment?

We are defining “naturalistic” environments as environments in which the adjacent (human driven) vehicles in the traffic stream are unaware of the data collection effort taking place (we do not want them to be prompted to change their behavior; we want to capture what happens naturally if the human drivers are faced with driving in the vicinity of an ADAS/ADS enabled vehicle). If those conditions can be replicated at MCity, or some other testing environment, then such a dataset could be considered.

3 08/05/2020

Is this possible to do as a project in collaboration between a for-profit startup and a university, where the university provides access to the hardware and the startup does all of the data collection and classification?

Yes, such a proposal can be considered.

4 08/05/2020

This question is in regards to Volume 1 length as stated on page 16 of the solicitation (693JJ3-20-

BAA-0005). In the final column of the table on that page the page limit is set at 56 total pages

(20 technical approach, 20 preliminary data management plan, 10 team organization and staffing, and 6 for experience and past performance) for Volume 1. However, the line immediately following that table states “Volume

I must be no longer than 20 pages in length”.

What is the total Volume 1 length set at?

There is a typo on page 16 of the solicitation. As noted, the page limitations in the table sum to 56 pages. Thus, the total Volume 1 length should not exceed 56 pages, with limitations on individual sections of Volume 1 (i.e., Technical Approach, Preliminary

Data Management Plan, Team

Organization/Staffing, and

Experience/Past Performance) noted in the table. Please see the amended BAA for clarification.

5 08/05/2020

Page 16 of the RFP states that “Volume I must be no longer in 20 pages in length.” However, the page limits for the different parts of

Volume I presented in the table on RFP page

16 indicate a Volume I page limit of 56 pages.

Please clarify the overall page limit for

Volume I and the individual page limits for

Parts I-IV. In addition, please clarify if the cover page, table of contents, and references are included in the page limit.

There is a typo on page 16 of the solicitation. As noted, the page limitations in the table sum to 56 pages. Thus, the total Volume 1 length should not exceed 56 pages, with limitations on individual sections of Volume 1 (i.e., Technical Approach, Preliminary

Data Management Plan, Team

Organization/Staffing, and

Experience/Past Performance) noted in the table.

Volume II has no page limit.

If an Offeror chooses to include a

Title Page and/or a Table of

Contents, these pages will not be counted against the page limit. References are counted as part of the page limitations.

6 08/05/2020

Does FHWA intend to release any part of the proposal submissions to the public?

No, we do not intend to make the proposal submissions public.

7 08/05/2020

There seems to be a conflict in the proposal page limit description in the following section of the RFP for the Broad Agency

Announcement 693JJ3-20-BAA-0005:

VII. PROPOSAL CONTENT AND

CONFIGURATION

The table says that the technical part should have the page limit of 20+20+10=50;

But the statement after says that the Technical part should be limited to 20 pages.

Your clarification will be much appreciated.

Please refer to the response in question 4.