Questions and Government Response for RFQ 693JJ324Q000051 Correction.pdf

Questions and Government’s Response for RFQ 693JJ324Q000051 # Location Question Response 1 Page 6, Part

II, Table Will the government provide an estimated labor budget?

$158,000.00

2 Page 6, Part II, Table

Will the government provide an estimated Other Direct Costs budget?

$7,000.00

Page 9, Task 1, Paragraph 1

What FHWA offices are expected to be involved in Technical Review Panel?

How many FHWA personnel are expected to participate on the panel?

The Technical Review Panel (TRP) hasn’t been organized yet. As stated on

p. 9 under Task 1: Project Management, “The COR will convene a TRP that will function to provide input on the technical direction of the Technical Assistance materials within 30 days of contract award.” FHWA anticipates the following offices would be likely representatives: National Scenic Byways Program Office, Office of Planning, Environment and Realty, Federal Lands Highway Division, and several Division Offices.

4 Page 10, Eight Virtual webinars, Paragraph 1

The SOW states: "Two of these webinars must serve as 'State and Tribal Byway coordinator orientation and onboarding' training.'" Will those two webinars be the same webinar delivered twice or two separate webinars with different topics?

The two webinars that must serve as “State and Tribal Byway coordinator orientation and onboarding training” may be the same webinar delivered twice or they may be two separate webinars with different topics.

This will be determined by the Contractor and the COR when the Contractor develops a list of topics of interest that are relevant to byway coordinators nationally and when the Contractor submits the draft schedule of virtual webinars.

The list of topics of interest and schedule of virtual webinars must be approved by the COR and TRP within 60 days and 90 days after the kick-off meeting, respectively.

5 Page 10, Online

Repository, Paragraph 1

Will the online repository be a standalone website (like the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center) or webpages on the existing FHWA website (like the Local and Rural Safety DYI webpage)?

A) If a standalone website, will the government host the website or the contractor?

B) If a webpage on FHWA's existing website, is the contractor responsible

The online repository will be a webpage(s) on the existing FHWA website:

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/scenic_ byways/.

The Contractor will provide the website content to FHWA to have it posted on the FHWA public website.

The Contractor must coordinate with FHWA’s IT office to prepare and post this online repository and conform to

$500,000.00 https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/scenic_byways/ https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/scenic_byways/ Rochelle.Infante Cross-Out for the design, development, and maintenance of the repository website or webpages, or will the contractor provide the website content to FHWA's website administrators?

the FHWA visual standards and layout.

They must also coordinate with the COR and FHWA’s Office of Public Affairs.

6 Page 11, Online

Repository, Paragraph 1

The SOW states: "Each of the eight webinar recordings must be posted to the repository no later than 30 days after each webinar is conducted."

Since the online repository is established with 24 months of award, can the government clarify the expectations for publicizing webinars that are conducted before the repository is established?

For publicizing webinars that are conducted before the online repository is fully established, the Contractor must coordinate with the COR, FHWA Technical Services Office, and FHWA’s Office of Public Affairs to prepare and post information publicizing those webinars on the FHWA public website here -https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/he p/scenic_byways/ - and conform to the FHWA visual standards and layout.

In addition, as stated on p. 11 under online repository, “Each of the eight webinar recordings must be posted to the repository [or to the FHWA public website specified above if the webinar is conducted before the online repository is fully established] no later than 30 days after each webinar is conducted.”

Also, as stated on p. 11 under Eight virtual webinars, “The Contractor must coordinate with the COR, FHWA Technical Services Office, and FHWA’s Office of Public Affairs to ensure each webinar is compliant with government standards. The Contractor must also use Zoom as the webinar platform and post each webinar recording to the @USDOTFHWA Youtube channel no later than 15 days after each webinar is conducted.”

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/scenic_byways/ https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/scenic_byways/

7 Page 12, Online

Message Board, Paragraph 1

The SOW states the message board will be accessible to "external partners." Will the message board be open to the public or restricted to select external partners (i.e., require a restricted log-in feature)?

The Contractor, COR, TRP, FHWA’s Technical Services Office, and FHWA’s Office of Public Affairs will decide together whether the message board will be open to the public or restricted to “external partners” during development of this task.

8 Page 15, Interactive map and printable road map, Paragraph 1

Can the government clarify the scope of the task to "produce, post online, and deliver the shapefiles for an interactive map"?

First, as described on p. 15 under Data Verification/Collection, “The Contractor must conduct data verification of FHWA’s GIS shapefile for the 184* nationally designated byways within 24 months from contract award. FHWA will supply the GIS shapefile to the Contractor. The Contractor must verify that indeed there are 184 lines in the shapefile, as well as confirm the GIS depictions are generally correct.”

Then, as described on p. 15 under Interactive Map and Printable Road Map, “The Contractor must produce, post online, and deliver the shapefiles for an interactive map and a printable road map that feature all 184 nationally designated byways within 28 months from contract award. The maps must be available in digital format and the general public must be able to download and print the printable version. These road maps must be easily accessible from the online repository and posted on the America’s Byways® website alongside the list of 184 nationally designated byways. In addition, the Contractor must deliver GIS-ESRI shapefiles that can be integrated with the Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty GIS (HEPGIS) and are compliant with the geospatial data act of 2018 to FHWA. Both maps must also be Section 508 and optimized for mobile devices and are subject to approval by all FHWA parties.

The Contractor must work closely with the FHWA Technical Services Office and FHWA’s current contractor for the America’s Byways® website to ensure that both https://fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/bywaysp/Byways maps are seamlessly integrated with the America’s Byways® website and in compliance with all government standards. The COR will facilitate coordination between the Contractor and these key partners during the development of both maps.

9 Page 15, Interactive map and printable road map, Paragraph 1

The SOW states: "These road maps must be easily accessible from the online repository and posted to the America's Byways website". Can the government clarify whether the interactive map feature must be integrated into the online repository or whether the repository will only link to the America's Byways website?

There must be a link to the interactive map feature from the online repository - located here:

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/scenic _byways/ - and the interactive map feature must be integrated into the America’s Byways website – located here:

https://fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/byway sp/.

As stated on p. 15, 5th paragraph, “The Contractor must work closely with the FHWA Technical Services Office and FHWA’s current contractor for the America’s Byways® website to ensure that both maps [the interactive map and printable road map] are seamlessly integrated with the America’s Byways® website and in compliance with all government standards. The COR will facilitate coordination between the Contractor and these key partners during the development of both maps.”

10 Page 16, Optional Task 5, Paragraph 1

Can the government confirm if Optional Task 5 will be evaluated, and whether we should provide a technical approach as part of the response?

Yes, Optional Task 5 will be evaluated and should be included in the technical approach as part of the response.

Optional Task 5 must also be included in the price proposal.

11 Page 17, Optional Task 6, Paragraph 1

Can the government confirm if Optional Task 6 will be evaluated, and whether we should provide a technical approach as part of the response?

Yes, Optional Task 6 will be evaluated and should be included in the technical approach as part of the response.

Optional Task 6 must also be included in the price proposal.

12 Page 17, Optional Task 6, Paragraph 2

The SOW states: "The Contractor must provide technical assistance for state and tribal byways program coordinators, establish an updated website, launch the new brand identity, if applicable, provide additional digital and print mapping, and create customized web pages." However, the

This is an error. It should read: “The Contractor must provide technical assistance for state and tribal byways program coordinators, establish an updated website, launch the new brand identity, if applicable, and provide additional digital and print mapping, and create customized web pages.”

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/scenic_byways/ https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/scenic_byways/ https://fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/bywaysp/

SOW descriptions and Deliverable Schedule do not describe activities and deliverables for establishing an updated website or launching a new brand identify. Can the government please confirm the SOW and deliverables for these tasks?

13 Page 17, Customized Technical Assistance and Support, Paragraph 1

The SOW states: "The Contractor must provide technical assistance for state and tribal byways programs and program coordinators, ongoing, as-needed for 8 hours per week." Can the government describe the expected interest in this technical assistance?

When developing the level of effort, should we assume 8 hours of technical assistance every week for the duration of the contract?

Correct. If FHWA chooses to elect to exercise the Optional Task 6 after tasks 1-4 are complete, the Contractor must provide technical assistance for state and tribal byways programs and program coordinators ongoing, as-needed for 8 hours every week, for the duration of the contract.

FHWA expects the Contractor will have enough work to fill this time because it is anticipated that State and tribal byways programs and program coordinators will have a high amount of interest in this customized technical assistance support.

14 Page 17 Interactive and printable maps for each

State Paragraph 1

Can the government clarify whether the interactive map feature must be integrated into the online repository or will the contractor only provide the content for the America's Byways website?

The interactive map feature must be integrated into the America’s Byways website. As stated on p. 15 4th paragraph, “These road maps must be easily accessible from the online repository and posted on the America’s Byways® website alongside the list of 184 nationally designated byways.”

Therefore, there must be a link to the interactive map feature from the online repository - located here:

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/scenic _byways/ - and that the interactive map feature must be integrated into the America’s Byways website – located here:

https://fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/byway sp/.

As stated on p. 15, 4th paragraph, “The Contractor must work closely with the FHWA Technical Services Office and FHWA’s current contractor for the America’s Byways® website to ensure that both maps [the interactive map and printable road map ] are seamlessly integrated with the America’s https://fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/bywaysp/Byways https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/scenic_byways/ https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/scenic_byways/

Byways® website and in compliance with all government standards. The COR will facilitate coordination between the Contractor and these key partners during the development of both maps.”

15 Page 17 Interactive and printable maps for each

State Paragraph 1

The SOW states: "The Contractor must produce 48 interactive and printable road maps for each State." If new states are added to the program after procurement, would this number increase?

Correct. As stated in the SOW on p.

18, paragraph 2, “As of May 2024, there are 184 national designated byways in 48 states, but this number could increase if new byways are designated.”

16 Page 20, Facilities, Paragraph 1

"All equipment shall be furnished by the Contractor." If needed, will an exception be made for GFE for developing the online repository?

Yes. As stated on p. 11 under Online Repository, “The Contractor must coordinate with the FHWA IT office to prepare and post this online repository on the FHWA public website, and conform to the FHWA visual standards and layout.”

17 Do the subs need to be registered with SAM.gov?

Subcontractors are not required to be registered in SAM.gov but are required to have a UEI.

18 Are there small business goals for this contract?

Based on the estimated dollar value for this effort, small business subcontracting plan is not required.

19 Can the past performance reference matrix be more than one page?

Yes. The past performance reference matrix may be more than one page.

20 In regard to data and ArcGIS Online content development, will this content be stored on the FHWA ArcGIS Online premises or on the consultant’s ArcGIS Online account?

In regards to data and ArcGIS online content development for the print and interactive maps, this content will be initially stored on the consultant’s ArcGIS online account during the development of the maps. Then the Contractor must deliver GIS-ESRI shapefiles that can be integrated with the Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty GIS (HEPGIS) and are compliant with the geospatial data act of 2018 to FHWA. This content will be stored on HEPGIS.

21 Is it FHWA’s expectation that the consultant work within the confines of FHWA and America’s Byways website platform and format or will the consultant develop or redesign the program site and associated webpages?

It is FHWA’s expectation that the Contractor will work within the confines of FHWA and America’s Byways website platform and format.

As stated on p. 11 under Online Repository, “The Contractor must coordinate with the FHWA IT office to prepare and post this online repository on the FHWA public website, and conform to the FHWA visual standards and layout. As stated on p. 15 under Interactive Map and Printable Road Map, “The Contractor must work closely with the FHWA Technical Services Office and FHWA’s current contractor for the America’s Byways® website to ensure that both maps are seamlessly integrated with the America’s Byways® website and in compliance with all government standards.”

22 Will the GIS data be considered CUI or Critical Infrastructure?

No.

23 Will the contractor be required to have specific certifications to data access approvals to stage, develop, or transfer content to FHWA

Yes. As stated on p. 19 under 3.3 Special Qualifications, “The Contractor must be responsible for maintaining an ESRI license for the GIS work.”

Also, as stated on p. 11 under Eight virtual webinars, “The Contractor must coordinate with the COR, FHWA Technical Services Office, and FHWA’s Office of Public Affairs to ensure each webinar is compliant with government standards. The Contractor must also use Zoom as the webinar platform and post each webinar recording to the @USDOTFHWA Youtube channel no later than 15 days after each webinar is conducted.”

24 Are there specific/additional FHWA guidelines/requirements for 508 compliance or is section 508 the FHWA standard.

Section 508 is the FHWA standard.

The Contractor may refer to this website for more information:

https://highways.dot.gov/section-508.

25 Regarding the online repository and message boards, are there pre-determined web-based platforms FHWA will require? Are there web-based platforms or shared drives FHWA has restrictions for use? In addition, does FHWA have access to an existing Learning Management Center (LMS)?

For the online repository, as stated on p. 11, “The Contractor must coordinate with the FHWA IT office to prepare and post this online repository on the FHWA public website, and conform to the FHWA visual standards and layout.” Also, for the webinars, as stated on p. 11, “The Contractor must also use Zoom as the webinar platform and post each webinar recording to the @USDOTFHWA Youtube channel no later than 15 days https://highways.dot.gov/section-508 after each webinar is conducted.”

Regarding the message board, FHWA does not have pre-determined web-based platforms or shared drives FHWA has restrictions for use. FHWA does have an existing Learning Management Center (Blackboard), but it is associated with the National Highway Institute.

26 Should in-person meetings be included in the response for project kickoff or coordination? If so, to which locations?

No, the kick-off meeting will be held virtually.

27 Please confirm that all materials are to be submitted directly by email to the contacts listed on the RFQ cover page and not via SAM.gov portal.

This is correct. Please do not submit any materials via SAM.gov.

28 Should our Price Quote follow the same format of the CLIN chart on page 6 of the RFQ?

Yes, this is the pricing schedule that must be used by all Offerors.

29 Should personnel resumes mention prior employment or simply prior experience working on similar projects? Should this section be more of a narrative for personnel or a bulleted list?

Personnel resumes should focus on prior experience working on similar projects. They may also mention prior employment. FHWA does not have a preference between narrative for personnel or a bulleted list.

30 Are any of the digital deliverables to be hosted on DOT.gov servers, or independently on contractor servers?

The online repository and interactive and print maps will be hosted on the DOT.gov servers, and the message board may be hosted on Contractor servers.

As stated on p. 12 under Online message board, “The Contractor must establish and maintain an online message board on a website agreed upon by the contractor and the COR, within 12 months from contract award. The online message board must be accessible from or a part of the online repository and offer coordinators a platform for asking questions on topics of interest and collecting feedback in real-time from their peers on insights and lessons learned…The Contractor must provide the content of the information exchanged on the online message board to the COR prior to the end of the contract. At the end of the term of the contract the FHWA and the Contractor will decide the fate of the online message board.”

31 If digital deliverables are to be hosted on contractor servers, how much DOT/FHWA branding should be part of the pages themselves? Furthermore, how much contractor branding should be prevalent?

If the online message board is to be hosted on Contractor servers, the extent that DOT/FHWA branding should be part of the pages themselves and the amount of Contractor branding that should be prevalent will be determined during develop of this task.

32 Please confirm that the entirety of the contract will be awarded to one individual contractor, which we believe would provide continuity and ensure efficiency for the duration of the contract.

This is correct, all tasks will be awarded to one contractor. FHWA will not be breaking up this requirement.

33 The GIS data to be provided by FHWA likely includes both point and line features, judging by the older version of the interactive map. How will we ensure its accuracy (i.e. length and byway start/end points). Aerial imagery and google earth are typically the primary methods, but should we anticipate any on-site survey?

No on-site survey is needed. As stated on p. 15 under Data Verification, “FHWA will supply the GIS shapefile to the Contractor. The Contractor must verify that indeed there are 184 lines in the shapefile, as well as confirm the GIS depictions are generally correct.” If additional GIS data information is needed, the COR will obtain clarification from the State DOT.

34 Regarding the online map resources, the document specified site features such as recommended byways for RV travel and electrical vehicle accommodations, which are likely available online. If these features aren’t yet on the website due to it being new or for any other reason, how do we plan to obtain this information?

Or will FHWA provide this data?

FHWA is not asking the Contractor to obtain information about these features. To clarify, on p. 16 under Map Resource Document, the SOW states that “The Contractor must develop a resource document that establishes what information should be consistently available to travelers about nationally designated byways across platforms, states, tribes, etc.”

35 Will the interactive map be developed and hosted within FHWA's IT systems or within the Contractor's own IT environment?

The Contractor must develop the interactive map and a printable road map, both of which will be hosted within FHWA’s IT systems.

As stated on p. 15, 4th and 5th paragraphs, “These road maps must be easily accessible from the online repository and posted on the America’s Byways® website https://fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/bywaysp/Byways alongside the list of 184 nationally designated byways. In addition, the Contractor must deliver GIS-ESRI shapefiles that can be integrated with the Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty GIS (HEPGIS) and are compliant with the geospatial data act of 2018 to FHWA…The Contractor must work closely with the FHWA Technical Services Office and FHWA’s current contractor for the America’s Byways® website to ensure that both maps are seamlessly integrated with the America’s Byways® website and in compliance with all government standards. The COR will facilitate coordination between the Contractor and these key partners during the development of both maps.”

36 Does FHWA have a preference for the interactive map development environment (e.g. Esri's ArcGIS Online or an Open-Source solution)?

FHWA does not have a preference for the interactive map development environment. But as stated on p. 15 4th paragraph, “the Contractor must deliver GIS-ESRI shapefiles that can be integrated with the Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty GIS (HEPGIS) and are compliant with the geospatial data act of 2018 to

FHWA.”

37 The solicitation states that Times New Roman size 11 font must be used in the quotation; will the government allow a smaller font size (10 pt Times New Roman) to be used in tables/charts/graphics?

Smaller than 11 size font may be used in graphics/tables/charts so long as the graphic is still legible at 100% zoom.

38 The Government states that "Quotation materials must be organized as follows: Section 1 - Technical Quotation and Section 2 - Price Quotation" but then also lists that "Quotations shall be submitted electronically as Adobe (.pdf) files with the technical capability, pricing, past performance and organizational information sections submitted in a SINGLE email whose size shall not exceed 10 Megabytes." Can the Government clarify if the Past Performance and Organizational Information sections are meant to be

The past performance and organizational information should be submitted as part of the technical quotation that includes the 15 page limit.

submitted as standalone files or if they are meant to be included in the Technical Quotation? If the latter, will they be excluded from the 15-page limit for the Technical Quotation?