RFP No. 693JJ320R000016 FOIL 07.31.2020.pdf

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STANDARD FORM 33 (REV. 9-97)

Prescribed by GSA - FAR {48 CFR} 53.214(c)

SOLICITATION, OFFER AND AWARD 1. THIS CONTRACT IS NOT A RATED ORDER

UNDER DPAS (15 CFR 700)

RATING

PAGE OF PAGES

1 | 84

2. CONTRACT NUMBER

3. SOLICITATION NUMBER

693JJ320R000016

4. TYPE OF SOLICITATION

SEALED BID (IFB)

X NEGOTIATED (RFP)

5. DATE ISSUED

7/31/2020

6. REQUISITION/PURCHASE NO.

HRDS10200005PR

7. ISSUED BY CODE HCFA-23 8. ADDRESS OFFER TO (If other than Item 7) Federal Highway Administration Office of Acquisition and Grants Management 1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E.

Washington, DC 20590

Email to: Sarah.Tarpgaard@DOT.gov

NOTE: In sealed bid solicitations “offer” and “offeror” mean “bid” and “bidder”

SOLICITATION

9. E-MAILED offers for furnishing the supplies or services in the Schedule will be received at the place specified in Item 8, until 4:30 pm Eastern time 9/01/2020.

CAUTION LATE Submissions, Modifications, and Withdrawals: All offers are subject to all terms and conditions contained in this solicitation.

THIS SOLICITATION IS OPEN TO ALL SOURCES (FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION).

10. FOR A. NAME B. TELEPHONE (NO COLLECT CALLS) C. E-MAIL ADDRESS

INFORMATION

CALL:

Sarah Tarpgaard Contracting Officer

AREA CODE

NUMBER

EXT.

Sarah.Tarpgaard@DOT.gov

11. TABLE OF CONTENTS

() SEC. DESCRIPTION PAGE(S) () SEC. DESCRIPTION PAGE(S)

PART I - THE SCHEDULE PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSES

X A SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM 1 X I CONTRACT CLAUSES 53

X B SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COST 3 PART III - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACH.

X C DESCRIPTION/SPECS./WORK STATEMENT 5 X J LIST OF ATTACHMENTS 61

X D PACKAGING AND MARKING 21 PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

X E INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE 22 X K REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS 62

X F DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE 23 AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

X G CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA 25 X L INSTRS., CONDS., AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS 68

X H SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS 37 X M EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD 79

OFFER (Must be fully completed by offeror) NOTE: Item 12 does not apply if the solicitation includes the provisions at 52.214-16, Minimum Bid Acceptance Period.

12. In compliance with the above, the undersigned agrees, if this offer is accepted within _180_ calendar days (60 calendar days unless a different period is inserted by the offeror) from the date for receipt of offers specified above, to furnish any or all items upon which prices are offered at the price set opposite each item, delivered at the designated point(s), within the time specified in the schedule.

13. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

(See Section I, Clause No. 52.232-8)

10 CALENDAR DAYS

20 CALENDAR DAYS

30 CALENDAR DAYS

CALENDAR DAYS

14. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS AMENDMENT NO. DATE AMENDMENT NO. DATE

(The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the SOLICITATION for offerors and related documents numbered and dated):

15A. NAME CODE FACILITY 16. NAME AND TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN

AND OFFER (Type or print)

ADDRESS

OF

OFFEROR

15B. TELEPHONE NUMBER 15C. CHECK IF REMITTANCE 17. SIGNATURE 18. OFFER DATE

AREA CODE

NUMBER

EXT.

ADDRESS IS DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE -

ENTER SUCH ADDRESS IN SCHEDULE.

AWARD (To be completed by Government)

19. ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS NUMBERED

20. AMOUNT

21. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION

22. AUTHORITY FOR USING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION:

10 U.S.C. 2304(c) ( ) 41 U.S.C. 253(c)( )

23. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN

IN (4 copies unless otherwise specified)

ITEM

24. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 7) CODE 25. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY CODE

26. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

27. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

28. AWARD DATE

IMPORTANT – Award will be made on this Form, or on Standard Form 26, or by other authorized official written notice.

RFP No. 693JJ320R000016

Pre-Proposal Webinar & Virtual Site Visit Webinar Date: 8/6/2020, 1:00 – 2:30 pm Eastern

RSVP by 8/5/2020 to attend – see below

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will hold a Pre-proposal Webinar and Virtual Site Visit for potential Offerors and interested parties. FHWA officials will share pictures and videos of the FHWA Federal Outdoor Impact Laboratory (FOIL) and equipment, discuss the procurement process and requirements for this RFP, as well as answer relevant questions.

Participation in the Pre-proposal Webinar and Virtual Site Visit is not mandatory to submit a proposal under this solicitation. FHWA intends to summarize substantive questions and answers discussed during the webinar for release online at beta.SAM.gov under this RFP number within 2 business days after completion of the webinar, along with the webinar presentation slides.

Webinar DATE & TIME: 8/6/2020, 1:00 – 2:30 pm Eastern

REGISTRATION: To participate in the Pre-proposal Webinar and Virtual Site Visit, register by 8/5/2020 by sending the following information to Sarah.Tarpgaard@DOT.gov. Participants will receive confirmation of registration and webinar access instructions by email.

• Participant’s Name and Title

• Name of Company/Organization

• Email and Phone Number

Questions in Advance: Interested parties are encouraged to submit questions in advance of the webinar. Submit questions in advance by email to Sarah.Tarpgaard@DOT.gov.

mailto:Sarah.Tarpgaard@DOT.gov mailto:Jeremiah.Rogers@DOT.gov

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

The Contractor shall furnish non-personal technical support services to perform the activities described herein under this contract entitled, “Roadside Safety Research and Federal Outdoor Impact Laboratory (FOIL) Technical Support Services” in support of the of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) located in McLean, Virginia.

B. 1 ID/IQ MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM CONTRACT AMOUNTS

This is an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract utilizing Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP), Time and Materials/Labor Hour (TM/LH), or a hybrid of both Task Order (TO) types in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 16.500. This ID/IQ is designed to address the Government’s need for a full range of non-personal services, as broadly described in Section C, Statement of Work.

During the term of the contract, the Government guarantees award of TOs totaling a minimum of $50,000 under this contract. The maximum amount of all TOs issued by the Government shall not exceed a ceiling of $8,500,000.

B.2 SCHEDULE OF RATES FOR TIME AND MATERIALS/LABOR HOUR

All TOs issued on a TM/LH basis will be subject to the pricing set forth in Attachment J.1, Labor Rate Schedule. Labor categories and hourly labor rate ceilings governing TOs under this ID/IQ contract shall conform to Attachment J.1. The hourly labor rates (unit of issue) are the maximum burdened rates allowable for TM/LH TOs. The Contractor may elect to propose lower hourly rates on a TO basis. The labor rates that are proposed and accepted at the time of TO award shall remain in effect for the duration of the TO award.

The hourly labor rates shall reflect fully-burdened hourly rates for each labor category with all proportional overhead, fringe, profit/fee, G&A, etc. The labor rates under this ID/IQ contract represent the blended hourly labor rates and include Contractor employee labor, subcontractor employee labor, and consultant labor. The labor rates set forth in the table in in Attachment J.1 reflect one labor rate applicable for performance at a Government site or for performance at a Contractor or Contractor-approved site.

At any time and throughout the life of the contract, at the request of either the Contractor or the Government, the Contractor may propose additional labor categories, labor rates and descriptions in addition to the Government labor categories contained in Attachment J.1. These additional labor categories, rates, and descriptions will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

NOTES TO OFFERORS:

• Price proposals shall adhere to the pricing structure established in Attachment J.1 and instructions in Section L. The fully burdened TM/LH ceiling rates awarded at initial ID/IQ contract award shall serve as the basis for all future year pricing for those ceiling rates. The resulting ID/IQ contract will include Attachment J.1 with the accepted Contractor loaded labor rates inserted in the pricing table.

• The Government anticipates that the following labor categories will perform work activities under TOs onsite at FHWA TFHRC in McLean, Virginia:

o Lab Manager (one person full time); and o Lab Technicians (3 personnel full time).

• The Government anticipates that other labor categories listed in Attachment J.1 will perform work activities under TOs either: (1) offsite at the Contractor’s facility or other location approved by the Contractor; or (2) onsite at TFHRC.

• The Government will provide workspace and Government-provided computers/phones for use by Contractor staff onsite at TFHRC for the performance of TOs. Estimated workspace and Government-provided computers/phones will accommodate up to eight

(8) Contractor personnel onsite at TFHRC. See Section H, USE OF GOVERNMENT

FURNISHED FACILITIES.

• Contractor Use of the FHWA FOIL Facilities and Equipment for Other Uses:

Pursuant to FAR 52.245-1(c) the FHWA authorizes the Contractor to use the FHWA FOIL facilities and equipment for non-contract purposes, including provision of crash and impact testing for non-government commercial purposes. The Contractor may use the Government property for commercial use. In exchange for such non-government use, the Contractor shall provide consideration in the form of cost-shared expenses necessary to maintain, upkeep, refresh, and enhance the lab equipment and facility (to be awarded under Task Order 1). FHWA authorizes the Contractor to use the FHWA FOIL facilities and equipment for non-governmental commercial purposes for up to 500 hours per year.

The quantity of 500 hours per year is estimated to be 25% of the total use (Government and commercial work combined). See the RFP Attachment J.9 “Requirements and Terms for Contractor Use of the FHWA FOIL Facilities and Equipment for Non-Government Commercial Purposes.” NOTE: During performance, the commercial non-contract use may increase based on mutual agreement of the parties and authorization from the Contracting Officer. FHWA intends to re-assess the 500 hours maximum after one year of performance, with the goal of increasing authorized non-government use in the future to the extent feasible and mutually agreeable to the parties, up to an estimated 50% authorized non-government use.

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 BACKGROUND

The FOIL is an ISO 17025 accredited highway research and crash testing laboratory that supports FHWA Safety Research and Development (R&D) programs and other Federal security initiatives. Research at the FOIL focuses on crash events and dynamic loading from crash impacts. FOIL’s research involves computer simulation as well as crash testing of roadside hardware (e.g., guardrails, sign supports, cable barriers, concrete safety shapes) to evaluate effectiveness. The lab uses crash data from on-site tests to populate rich finite element models showing the impact of vehicle collisions and other events on roadways and roadside hardware.

Researchers use these test data and models to formulate and test computer-generated crash predictions.

The FOIL’s unique capabilities support FHWA’s vision to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on the Nation’s roadways. The FOIL is used by FHWA program office customers and other government agencies to conduct research that requires advanced crash-testing facilities and finite element modeling. FOIL’s customers use research data generated at the lab to support specialized analysis of roadside hardware. The data collected at FOIL is generally publicly available to researchers around the world. National security and State Department data is normally the only data not released.

The FOIL is managed by the FHWA Office of Safety R&D Roadway Team, which primarily supports the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) strategic goal to reduce fatalities and injuries on the Nation’s roadways, but also serves to enhance efforts to improve safety worldwide. The goals of the Roadway Team include:

Improving safety by expanding researchers’ knowledge about crashes;

Developing and sharing the detailed vehicle and hardware models; and Leading efforts to apply computer simulation tools to enable researchers to study the complex interactions associated with crashes.

The resources of the Roadway Team help researchers quantify and understand the crash performance of vehicles, the effects of a vehicle’s performance on drivers and passengers, and the compatibility of vehicles with each other and with roadside hardware during crashes. Using the data and information collected by the team, researchers can optimize the safety of vehicle and hardware designs, formulate guidelines for more effective deployment of safety features, and develop innovative safety treatments to avoid crashes or minimize the impact of crashes.

Similarly, the team serves to apply advanced crash analysis technologies to improve the physical security of facilities, particularly related to threats posed by vehicle impacts.

The Roadway Team’s mission supports the USDOT goals by expanding the knowledge of the causes of crashes, advancing the use of crash simulations for the analysis of problems, and applying these to develop novel solutions. This may involve efforts to adapt approaches used in other fields or forming new partnerships to expand the capabilities in the application of advanced crash analyses.

The Roadway Team has compiled a long list of achievements. These include:

• The development of detailed finite elements (FE) models for more than a dozen passenger cars, SUVs, or pick-up trucks. These can all be used for simulation of frontal crashes and many can be used for side-impact analyses;

• The development of FE models to single-unit trucks and a tractor-trailer combination;

• The development of FE models for guardrails, concrete safety shapes, transitions, end treatments, sign supports, breakaway devices, cable barriers, mailboxes, and other roadside hardware;

• The application of the FE models in crash simulation software for the analyses of vehicle to barriers or roadside hardware crashes as well as vehicle-to-vehicle crashes;

• The establishment of a website for convenient dissemination of these models to other researchers. Much of the crash simulation work around the world use models developed under contract for FHWA/NHTSA;

• The improvement of the techniques and internal material models for crash simulations using LS DYNA;

• The establishment of protocols for model validation using full scale crash tests;

• The operation of the FHWA FOIL located in McLean, VA to capture crash performance measures to enhance models or validate them;

• Addressing security needs by using models to develop various anti-ram barriers; and

• Conducting numerous workshops and seminars to exchange ideas and develop consensus on crash analysis methods.

Acronyms:

AASHTO: American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials CDC: Center for Disease Control COE: Centers of Excellence CO: Contracting Officer COR: Contacting Officers Representative DOS: US Department of State FE: Finite Element FOIL: Federal Outdoor Impact Laboratory LS Dyna: General-purpose finite element program capable of simulating complex real-world problems. It is used by the automobile, aerospace, construction, military, manufacturing, and bioengineering industries.

NASS: National Accident Sampling System NCAC: Prior to about 2008, FHWA research activities in the subject research areas were conducted under the name NCAC. Since then the activities have been conducted as part of the Office of Safety R&D Roadway Team. This change resulted from an increase in the breadth of the program with revised emphasis on certain areas and new approaches to managing the program.

NHTSA: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TFHRC: Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center TRB: Transportation Research Board

C.2 OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this ID/IQ contract are:

1. To provide non-personal technical support services on an as-needed basis;

2. To develop and promote knowledge and technologies for advanced crash analyses to improve highway and vehicle safety and infrastructure security; and

3. To operate and maintain the FOIL at FHWA’s TFHRC in McLean, Virginia.

To achieve these objectives, TOs may include the following activities:

(a) Conducting advanced crash research to assist researchers and engineers in resolving transportation safety and security issues;

(b) Applying advanced research methods and techniques for the development and evaluation of vehicles, road features and hardware, and infrastructure protection systems to improve safety and security;

(c) Advancing the state-of-the-art in crash analysis methods and technologies;

(d) Conducting crash and impact testing to validate computer models and produce relevant data for crash analysis to improve highway and vehicle safety and physical security;

(e) Disseminating the findings of the research and the applications of the advanced technologies to foster increases in data and knowledge and the application of improved tools for addressing safety and security issues;

(f) Supporting multifaceted information sharing and educational opportunities to practitioners, students, decision-makers and others to enhance awareness of safety and security issues and develop and deploy means to mitigate them; and

(g) Maintaining and refreshing lab equipment, supplies and technology, and managing lab certification and accreditation as needed.

C.3 SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor shall furnish non-personal technical support services to perform advanced crash analysis research and FOIL Technical Support Services. The Contractor shall furnish technical crash analysis and transportation engineering research support services in support of the activities of the FOIL, including general lab maintenance and operations. On a TO basis, the Contractor will conduct project-specific lab testing and research activities in the advanced crash analysis research area.

The scope of this ID/IQ contract includes the following:

1. The Contractor shall conduct fundamental and applied research to include conduct of crash and impact testing in support of the missions of the FHWA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of State (DOS), and potentially other Government agencies.

2. The Contractor shall analyze technical, deployment, logistical, and administrative issues and provide technical advice, recommendations, and technical support to the FHWA.

3. The Contractor shall develop and apply modeling and other analytical techniques, which may involve considerations of all types of vehicles, different roadway and roadside conditions, varying impact conditions (e.g., speed and angle of crash), and various occupants.

4. The Contractor shall support and coordinate programs and activities related to the following:

o Developing Finite Element (FE) models, crash simulations, and other simulation techniques to analyze the potentials for new design concepts for safety hardware;

o Product engineering;

o Conducting field tests and evaluations;

o Marketing; and o Delivering safety products and technologies.

5. The Contractor shall operate, maintain, upkeep, refresh, and enhance the FOIL lab equipment and facility.

C.4 TASK REQUIREMENTS

Specific work to be performed will be set forth under individual TOs in one or more of the Task Areas listed below in Section C.4.1 below. When a TO is awarded, the Contractor shall provide the necessary personnel, material, equipment, services and facilities to perform the requirements in the TO work statement. The Contractor shall be fully capable to perform the TO requirements in all Task Areas listed in C.4.1 below.

NOTE TO OFFERORS: A proposal shall demonstrate that the Contractor’s team is fully capable of performing all Task Areas. The Contractor’s team includes the prime and any subcontractors.

C.4.1 TASK AREAS

Task Area A: Crash Modeling and Simulation

1. Develop, Validate, and Maintain Finite Element (FE) Models of Vehicles and Hardware

2. Advancement of Modeling and Analysis Strategies and Techniques

3. Research Reporting, Information Sharing, and Collaboration

Task Area B: Analyze and Develop Systems for Physical Protection and Security

Task Area C: Operate and Maintain the FOIL at TFHRC

1. General FOIL Operation and Maintenance Onsite at TFHRC

2. Conduct Crash Tests and Impact Tests at the FOIL to Characterize Material

Properties and Support Crash Analysis Research

C.4.2 TASK AREA A: CRASH MODELING AND SIMULATION

C.4.2.1 TASK AREA A-1: DEVELOP, VALIDATE, AND MAINTAIN FINITE

ELEMENT (FE) MODELS OF VEHICLES AND HARDWARE

The Contractor shall develop, validate, and maintain FE models of vehicles, roadside hardware, testing equipment, other roadway elements, and various physical security barriers.

These efforts shall involve building increasingly more detailed models, i.e., recent FE vehicle models have had from 800,000 to one million elements. These will include effective representations of active components (e.g., steering and suspension systems) with appropriate characterizations of the material properties and contact surface interactions for all elements.

The Contractor shall build FE models for use with LS Dyna software to facilitate comparison with previously generated results. The Contractor shall undertake model building in a manner that will provide the opportunities for varied applications of the models over time. This implies a strong need for effective documentation of the models and a process for continual improvement of the models. The Contractor shall support an on-line database (i.e., website) to make all Government-furnished models (developed under previous awards) as well as new models available to potential users.

The following lists examples of the type of work related to this Task Area. The list is not all inclusive:

1. Model Development - The Contractor shall develop several new vehicle and hardware FE models. The Contractor shall provide solid capabilities in reverse engineering of vehicles using methods that allow accurate but rapid capture of element geometries and connection details. The

Contractor shall implement strategies that will allow the reverse engineering process to support various applications of the models (e.g., frontal and side impacts with other vehicles and oblique impacts into roadside barriers). The Contractor shall conduct material testing of samples from the reverse engineering process, component testing, non-destructive tests, comparisons of results from full-scale crash tests, and other efforts to validate the models.

2. Model Verification & Validation – The Contractor shall validate the FE models to the levels required in TOs. This validation is essential to the credibility of the crash simulation results derived from the application of the FE models. The Contractor shall update FE models to ensure that they are in compliance with any FHWA procedures that may be adopted during this contract.

3. Strategic Reduction of Models – Efforts to develop detailed vehicle models have been shown to increase the breadth of applications of the models. The Contractor shall undertake efforts to create strategically reduced models for special applications. These models shall be created by merging elements from areas of detailed models in a manner that will reduce the number of elements the computer has to process for each time steps while leaving sufficient detail for the type of crash being analyzed (e.g., for oblique impacts into roadside barriers only the front right quadrant of the vehicle needs to be represented by small elements while the rest can be merged to form larger elements).

4. Model Documentation – The Contractor shall provide complete documentation of the structure, element characteristics, contacts, materials properties, specification of the LS Dyna functions used, and modeling assumptions for each newly developed model.

5. Model Maintenance and Support - The Contractor shall provide on-going maintenance for those previously developed models as well as any new models developed under this or other FHWA/NHTSA/DOS contracts. The support shall include effort, as directed by the COR, toward resolving problems discovered in new applications or enhancing models. The Contractor shall update documentation and post revised versions of the models as needed.

C.4.2.2 TASK AREA A-2: ADVANCEMENT OF MODELING AND ANALYSIS

STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES

The Contractor shall conduct research and technical support activities to support advancement of modeling and analysis strategies.

Note: Recent industry examples of advancements made by automotive manufactures and academia are listed below. These recent advancements provided useful insights on the safety performance in crash events and demonstrated new approaches that could be used by researchers and practitioners, but these approaches have yet to be widely applied.

• Apply “mesh-less modeling” methods to enhance the computer representation of soil materials;

• Use vehicle dynamics analysis to provide new insights on vehicle-to-barrier interfaces;

• Promote non-destructive tests of new FE models (e.g., bump and terrain response of vehicle suspension systems) for improved validation of model representation of these suspension systems;

• Analyze fluid movements in fuel tank to understand the potentials for failures in impacts; and

• Material testing to understand the effects of cracks or tears in guardrails to understand their performance in secondary crashes.

The Contractor shall conduct activities as needed to continue advancement of modeling, simulation, and analysis such as, for example, formulate viable modeling verification and validations procedures, test and analyze for the development of improved tire models (including side wall friction and response), develop applications of tractor-trailer models in crash investigations, perform investigations to establish a generic means to assess vehicle-to-hardware compatibility, develop new materials models, enhance material failure models (e.g., crack propagation), develop applications of motorcycle models, and formulate methods to incorporate optimization into crash analyses.

The following lists examples of the type of work related to this task area. The list is not all inclusive:

1. Undertaking studies to formulate or validate new modeling or analysis techniques;

2. Testing new versions of software and/or features of software packages to determine their usefulness to advanced crash analyses;

3. Assessing the feasibility of new applications of modeling, crash simulation, and other analyses techniques through benchmark and other tests;

4. Investigating the sensitivity of various model formulations for realism, accuracy, run times, and other measures to develop improved analyses strategies;

5. Documenting efforts in research papers for critical peer review and promotion of new approaches; and

6. Conducting FOIL tests to provide data to support efforts to develop sophisticated models with failure modes, to include novel types of dynamic tests.

C.4.2.3 TASK AREA A-3: RESEARCH REPORTING, INFORMATION SHARING, AND

COLLABORATION

The Contractor shall perform research reporting, information sharing, and collaboration. The Contractor shall document the advanced crash analysis research efforts under this contract.

The Contractor shall disseminate findings to a broad audience to increase awareness and understanding of crash events.

The following lists examples of the type of work related to this task area. The list is not all inclusive:

1. Preparation of technical reports with appropriate documentation of background, approach, assumptions, analysis plans, instrumentations, data gathered, interpretations, conclusions, and references. The Contractor shall make use of the web for distribution of materials, as well as the application of emerging technologies.

2. Generation of technical and executive summaries, topical articles, program summaries, presentations, and research papers associated with each of the research efforts undertaken.

3. Maintenance of a website for sharing data and providing access to the materials generated under this contract.

4. Formulation and delivery of information sharing programs including those to support AASHTO, TRB, and other groups.

5. Provision of support for Pooled Fund Studies and other efforts aimed at reducing the number and severity of road departure crashes.

6. Provision of support for visiting scholars, industry information sharing, workshops, and other programs aimed at promoting both the results from advanced crash analyses and the increased application of the methods and models in both private and public sectors (e.g., increased efforts to publish within the Society of Automotive Engineers).

7. Provision of support for interaction in international forums, support for visiting scholars, and conduct of demonstration projects to advance the state-of-the-art.

C.4.3 TASK AREA B: ANALYZE AND DEVELOP SYSTEMS FOR

PHYSICAL PROTECTION AND INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY

NOTE TO OFFERORS: Past projects have involved developing various types of anti-ram barriers for the DOS. The process involved the use of FE models and crash simulation to evaluate existing barrier designs, evaluate improvement options, develop and assess new concepts, plan validation tests, and/or determine feasibility in specific applications. Past efforts have looked at bollards, knee walls, super fences, street planters, cable fences, and other types of barriers. The use of advanced analyses techniques is seen as a powerful means to determine the effectiveness of security measures under a broad range of conditions. Impact testing of barrier components has played an integral part of past evaluations.

The Contractor shall undertake analyses and testing to develop and evaluate systems for physical protection and security of the infrastructure. The Contractor shall conduct tests as necessary to validate the results of the advanced analysis. The tests shall be conducted in conformance with DOS and American Standards for Testing & Materials (ASTM) [www.astm.org] standards. The Contractor shall support or perform impact tests with trucks at various speeds. The Contractor shall oversee the construction of barriers for the tests.

The following lists examples of the type of work related to this task area. The list is not all inclusive:

1. Synthesizing past efforts and findings - New research efforts shall start with an effort to synthesize past efforts and findings to serve as a basis for approaching the problem, providing validation data, and focusing on critical aspects;

2. Developing analysis and testing plans that reflect the range of conditions that infrastructure protection must function to provide strong assurances of effectiveness;

3. Applying FE models, crash simulation and/or vehicle dynamics software; to evaluate existing forms of infrastructure protection, and/or developing concepts for innovative designs;

4. Generating data and summaries reflecting the findings; and

5. Documenting efforts.

C.4.4 TASK AREA C: OPERATE AND MAINTAIN THE FOIL

C.4.4.1 TASK AREA C-1: GENERAL FOIL OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

ONSITE AT TFHRC

Crash and impact tests of vehicles and roadside hardware and their components and subassemblies have been conducted at the FHWA’s FOIL located in McLean, Virginia for over 30 years. These tests and the data generated supported efforts to develop and validate FE models of vehicles and hardware as well as provide quantitative measures for the evaluation of safety devices. Testing has included full-scale vehicle and pendulum tests at different impact speeds, angles, and critical impact points as needed.

http://www.astm.org/

The FOIL facility has a hydraulically-driven looped cable accelerator system capable of getting a 15,000 vehicle to 60 miles per hour, and a pendulum impactor with 1800 and 4500 pound weights that can replicate impacts at about 20 miles per hour. The facility is equipped with a full range of data sensors and seven high-speed, digital cameras for capture crash event data. A computer system is available in the control center to execute the tests, capture data, and store the results. A three-bay vehicle prep building with a full set of tools and equipment is also part of the facility. Other equipment is available from the resources of the TFHRC. On average, a total of 12 full scale and 150 pendulum tests are conducted at the FOIL each year. Full capabilities of the FOIL (as described above) are expected through the duration of the contract.

The Contractor shall be responsible for FOIL lab and facility maintenance, upkeep, refresh, and enhancement, and shall perform all tasks necessary to ensure the FOIL remains fully capable to provide the services described above.

The Contractor shall be responsible for ISO17025 accreditation of the FOIL. As such the Contractor may be directed to participate in activities such as inter-lab testing and comparisons of data, processing protocols, or crashworthiness evaluation.

The Contractor shall follow the latest version of the FOIL Quality Manual. (See Section J, Attachments.)

C.4.4.2 TASK AREA C-2: CONDUCT CRASH TESTS AND IMPACT TESTS AT THE

FOIL TO CHARACTERIZE MATERIAL PROPERTIES

The Contractor shall conduct crash and impact tests at the FOIL to evaluate vehicle safety performance, roadside hardware crashworthiness, verify the adequacy or response of components, and/or demonstrate that security treatments to meet the requirements of the Task Orders. This includes pendulum, static, and component level tests to determine material behavior and component failure data that would be incorporated in existing vehicle and roadside hardware FE models. The Contractor shall undertake other efforts such as the analysis of crash test videos, processing of crash test data, and correlation of crash data to the corresponding crash videos.

The Contractor shall be responsible for test set-up, vehicle preparations, and other efforts needed to conduct a test, and provide the maintenance and operation of the facility.

The Contractor shall follow the latest version of the FOIL Operations Manual. (See Section J, Attachments.)

The following lists examples of the type of work related to this task area. The list is not all inclusive:

1. Develop test plans;

2. Prepare vehicles and test articles for testing;

3. Install instrumentation;

4. Execute tests; and

5. Maintain the facility.

C.5 CONTRACT LEVEL REQUIREMENTS

C.5.1 LABOR CATEGORIES

The Contractor’s project team must possess the necessary combination of qualifications and experience to provide superior-level support and products to the satisfaction of FHWA. The following labor categories, skills/disciplines, and/or expertise are anticipated for the successful completion of all anticipated work under this contract.

1) Principal Investigator – The Principal Investigator (PI) shall be responsible for overall technical direction and supervision of the Sr. Research Scientist(s)/Technical Expert(s) and staff on all tasks orders under the contract. The PI shall have, as a minimum, a Master’s degree in a field applicable to highway and/or vehicle safety, infrastructure security, or advanced crash analysis techniques, as well as approximately 15 years of progressively responsible experience in highway and vehicle safety and advanced crash analyses related contract management and research. This experience shall include technical leadership of significant work in safety and advanced analyses. The PI shall have demonstrated success in keeping programs involving multiple subcontractors on schedule and within budget, and in providing high quality products meeting the sponsor’s expectations.

2) Sr. Research Scientist/Technical Expert – The Sr. Research Scientist/Technical Expert shall be responsible for management of TOs, including quality assurance for all products delivered to the Government and availability of resources to complete TOs. The Sr.

Research Scientist/Technical Expert shall have experience in successfully managing projects similar to the activities described in Section C Statement of Work. The Sr.

Research Scientists/Technical Experts shall have, as a minimum, a Master’s degree in a subject area that is directly related to the performance of the contract, as well as have approximately 15 years of experience in transportation related contract management, and research and development.

3) Research Scientists/Technical Experts – The labor category Research Scientist/Technical Expert includes engineers (i.e., civil, mechanical, biomedical, computer, automotive, electrical, systems, computer hardware and software specialists, instrumentation specialists, data analysts, occupant risk analysts, etc.). The Research Scientists/Technical Experts shall have, as a minimum, a Master’s degree in a subject area that is directly related to the performance of the contract, as well as approximately 10 years of experience. The experience shall be in a technical field relevant to the work required under this contract, including involvement in the roadside safety community and or meetings.

4) Junior Research Scientists/Technical Experts – The labor category Junior Research Scientist/Technical Expert includes engineers (i.e., civil, mechanical, biomedical, computer, automotive, electrical, systems, computer hardware and software specialists, instrumentation specialists, data analysts, occupant risk analysts, etc.). The Junior Research Scientists/Technical Experts shall have, as a minimum, a Master’s degree in a subject area that is directly related to the performance of the contract and have approximately 5 years of experience. The experience shall be in a technical field relevant to the work required under this contract, including involvement in the roadside safety community and or meetings.

5) Lab Manager/Sr. Lab Technician – Lab Managers/Sr. Lab Technicians shall have approximately 5 years of experience in developing test plans, preparing vehicles and/or test articles, installing and verifying test instrumentation including high-speed digital video inputs, executing and documenting tests, as well as maintaining the lab and appropriate credentials or warranties associated with its equipment. Lab Managers will be responsible for providing information to the PI and formulating plans for effective use of the lab facilities. Specialized experience is needed for the vehicle modeling, crash and impacts, and high-performance computing labs. The one Lab Manager/Sr. Lab Technician assigned to the FOIL shall perform work onsite at FHWA/TFHRC full time.

6) Lab Technicians – The Lab Technicians shall be capable of performing mechanical, electrical, electronic, construction, video, instrumentation, and related skills for the set-up and execution of tests, the teardown of vehicles, the installation of test articles, the clean- up after tests, and the general maintenance of the labs. The estimated three Lab Technicians assigned to the FOIL shall perform work onsite at FHWA/TFHRC full time.

7) Software/Computer Engineer – Advanced crash analyses involve the use of sophisticated software tools and high-end graphics processing tools. The Software/Computer Engineer shall provide direct support in these areas and manage a high-performance computing facility. The software/computer engineer shall have approximately 5 years of experience in operating and/or managing high performance computers and supporting advanced software.

8) Technical Writer/Editors – The Technical Writer/Editors shall have, as a minimum, a

Bachelor’s degree plus approximately 2 years of experience in writing and editing technical material, preferably in the highway-engineering field (6 years of writing/editing experience may be substituted for the Bachelor’s degree). The Technical Writer/Editors must be skilled in writing and editing documents of various lengths from 1 page to more than 100 pages, ensuring technical accuracy, proper grammar, consistency of style, and proper format.

9) Technology Transfer Specialists – The Technology Transfer (T2) Specialists shall have approximately 5 years of experience in professional information sharing efforts that include coordination of research product development, workshop set-up and management, development of topical publications, website management, multi-media program development and research implementation or knowledge management. The T2 Specialists may be assigned the webmaster role to use the Internet as a means to share data and findings and shall have experience with video, multimedia, graphic arts, and distance learning.

10) Administrative – Administrative personnel will have a range of responsibilities at senior and junior levels including the following: typist; receptionist; financial analyst;

meeting planner; personnel manager; etc. Administrative personnel shall possess a college degree and/or four to five years of work experience in word processing, spreadsheet analysis, preparation of presentation materials, making logistical arrangements including travel, recording costs and expenditures, generating basis progress reports, coordinating staff activities, etc. Junior level administrative personnel may have only a subset of these skills.

11) Researchers/Graduate Students/Interns (Junior) – Researchers/Graduate

Students/Interns shall be capable of undertaking the basic research tasks to assist in the completion of the tasks outlined in the Statement of Work under Section C.

Researchers/Graduate Students/Interns shall be capable of literature reviews, model building, data analysis, conducting lab tests, and drafting reports and other documentation. Generally, Researchers/Graduate Students/Interns (Junior) are actively pursuing an undergraduate degree in a field related to the subject work.

12) Researchers/Graduate Students/Interns (Senior) – Researchers/Graduate Students/Interns shall be capable of undertaking the basic research tasks to assist in the completion of the tasks outlined in the Statement of Work under Section C.

Researchers/Graduate Students/Interns shall be capable of literature reviews, model building, data analysis, conducting lab tests, and drafting reports and other documentation. Generally, Researchers/Graduate Students/Interns (Senior) are actively pursuing a graduate degree in a field related to the subject work.

13) Subject Matter Expert – As needed, generally an authority in an area or topic, with significant relevant experience, understanding and unique expertise.

C.5.2 KICK-OFF MEETING

The Contractor shall attend an in-person or virtual kick-off meeting within three weeks of the ID/IQ contract award. The objective of this meeting is to introduce attendees, to provide an opportunity for Contractors to meet with the CO and/or Contract Administrator, the COR, define roles and responsibilities, and respond to questions. Contractor Key Personnel shall attend this meeting.

The costs incurred to attend the kick-off meeting are unallowable direct costs under the ID/IQ contract and, therefore, cannot be charged as direct costs to the Government. Contractors are to handle such costs in accordance with their disclosure statements/cost accounting systems.

C.5.3 TRANSITION

Transition (Beginning of Contract): A TO for operation and maintenance of the FOIL will include a Transition Period estimated to last one month. During the Transition Period, the FHWA will provide to the Contractor available FOIL protocols, and provide virtual or onsite hands-on training to the Contractor staff on the FOIL and the protocols.

Transition (End of Contract): The Contractor shall provide services needed to assist in a smooth and orderly transition between the incumbent Contractor and a successor Contractor to ensure minimum disruption to vital Government business. These services may include, but are not limited to: data and other file transfer, material transfer, coordination with other FHWA Contractors, and other activities to assist in an orderly transfer and establishment of continued operation of the contract services. The Contractor shall cooperate fully in the transition.

C.5.4 ID/IQ MONTHLY PROGRESS REPORTS

The Contractor shall furnish electronically to the CO and the COR a contract level consolidated Monthly Progress Report on or before the 10th of the month following the calendar month being reported. The costs incurred in the administrative reporting are unallowable direct costs under the ID/IQ contract and, therefore, cannot be charged as direct costs to the Government. The Contractor is to handle such costs in accordance with their disclosure statements/cost accounting systems. The Monthly Progress Report shall provide the following information for each active

TO:

(a) Task order number, title, period of performance, award value, and funded value.

(b) A clear and complete account of the work performed during the reporting period.

(c) An outline of the work to be accomplished during the next reporting period.

(d) A description of any problem encountered or anticipated that will affect the completion of any individual activity and/or task order within the time and fiscal constraints as set forth in the contract and/or individual task orders, together with recommended solutions to such problems; or, a statement that no problems were encountered.

(e) Deliverables submitted, date due, and date submitted.

(f) Project status, based on opinion of Principal Investigator, shown as red, yellow, green.

(g) Preliminary or interim results, conclusions, trends, or other items of information that the

Contractor feels are of timely interest to the FHWA.

(h) For Labor Hour and Time & Materials type TOs:

• A tabulation of the planned overall, actual for the month, and cumulative actual overall labor hours expended by labor category by task;

• Current and cumulative expenditures of materials and travel if applicable by month versus budgeted materials and travel;

• Explanation of travel expenditures including destination, purpose of trip, travelers’ names and labor categories, duration, and total expenses incurred.

• Estimate of the percentage of technical completion compared to percentage of expenses incurred; and

• As specified in FAR 52.232-7, identify an estimated timeframe within which 85% of the TO ceiling price is estimated to be incurred.

(i) Hours of authorized non-contract use of the FOIL facility and equipment, for the month and cumulative.

C.5.5 TECHNICAL REPORT SPECIFICATIONS

As required, the Contractor shall develop and update technical reports as a product of research and development, guidance and policy support, technical assistance requests, or other tasks that require a written product. Technical reports required under this contract shall be prepared in accordance with the latest version of the TFHRC Communication Reference Guide. All fonts used in the documents shall be supplied with the submittal such that the document will print as it appeared on the Contractor’s equipment. Files shall be included in the programs of origin, such as MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc., so these files can be modified or corrected and re-imported into the full text document. Graphics shall be created as separate elements and imported into the https://highways.dot.gov/research/publication-tools text file. An electronic file of each imported graphic shall be delivered to the COR or as otherwise noted in the TO. Graphics shall be produced in a program that can export an interchange file format that can be imported into the full text. Photos must be in TIF or EPS (GIF and JPEG are acceptable for electronic publishing) with on-screen preview and with line screen appropriate for printing. Files should be provided in a manageable size of 3 Mb or less.

C.5.6 MEETINGS, WEBINARS AND WORKSHOPS SUPPORT

When required by a TO, the Contractor shall plan, develop, organize, schedule, and deliver webinars, meetings, workshops, and conferences. Unless otherwise specified in the TO, the Contractor shall provide all technical and administrative functions associated with arranging and coordinating webinars, workshops, meetings, and/or conferences, such as: arranging web connections, contacting participants, and developing online scheduling. For workshops, the Contractor shall provide all technical and administrative functions associated with arranging and coordinating, such as: arranging the meeting location, contacting participants, securing lodging and meeting space, developing schedules, obtaining miscellaneous equipment and expendable supplies, and other workshop support functions.

When required by a TO, the Contractor shall make all travel arrangements for non-federal workshop participants. Arrangements will include, but not be limited to: transportation reservations and tickets; hotel reservations; local transportation between transportation terminals and hotel and, if relevant, between hotel and meeting site; and other arrangements necessary to support the successful travel and room and board for participants. The Contractor shall be responsible for the travel costs associated with non-federal workshop participants who qualify for invitational travel. (Invitational travel means non-federal individuals who are providing a direct service to the agency, such as making a presentation or advising in an area of expertise.)

The Contractor shall provide documentation of costs as needed for FHWA’s meeting reporting processes.

SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING

D.1 PACKAGING

Unless otherwise specified, preservation, packing, and packaging of items for shipment shall be in accordance with best commercial practices and adequate for acceptance by common carrier for safe transportation at the most economical rates.

D.2 SHIPMENT AND MARKING

The Contractor shall clearly mark each shipment and all information submitted to the CO…