C265256_Exh_A_SOW.pdf

RFP 265256

EXHIBIT A

SCOPE OF WORK

Orange County Managed Lanes Segment Advancement Study

Background and Purpose The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is seeking professional services to evaluate existing, planned, and potential managed lane facilities in Orange County and identify the segment or segments most ready to advance into the Project Initiation Document (PID) phase, pending direction from the OCTA Board of Directors (Board).

OCTA completed an Express Lanes Network Study in 2020 that established a tiered phasing strategy for a broader network of managed lane segments. Since 2020, travel behavior, managed lane operations, regional express lane planning, and policy conditions have continued to evolve, including post-pandemic travel patterns, operation of the 405 Express Lanes, ongoing operation of the 91 Express Lanes, Clean Air Vehicle policy changes, and current high-occupancy vehicle and managed lane performance considerations. While the 2020 study remains important background, this effort is not intended to update or reassess the 2020 study.

This study will start with the current managed lane system, divide it into logical study segments, screen those segments, and conduct more focused planning-level analysis for two priority segments. The final product shall be a Final Study Report with technical appendices and editable supporting files that can support OCTA decision-making and streamline future PID work. This study duration is estimated to take 18 months.

Objectives and Expected Level of Analysis

• Define logical managed lane study segments suitable for screening, comparison, and potential project advancement.

• Screen candidate segments using a transparent framework that considers need, benefit, feasibility, financial potential, readiness, and implementation risk.

• Identify up to two priority segments for focused advancement assessment. The Final Study

Report may recommend one or two segments for PID advancement, pending OCTA Board direction.

• Prepare planning-level materials for the priority segments that can support OCTA staff discussions and future PID scoping.

• Document data sources, assumptions, limitations, risks, and next steps in formats that OCTA can update and reuse.

LIMITATION ON GOVERNMENTAL DECISIONS

Nothing contained in this scope of work permits CONSULTANT’s personnel to authorize or direct any actions, votes, appoint any person, obligate, or commit AUTHORITY to any course of action or enter into any contractual agreement on behalf of AUTHORITY. In addition, CONSULTANT’s personnel shall not provide information, an opinion, or a recommendation for the purpose of affecting a decision without significant intervening substantive review by AUTHORITY personnel, counsel, and management.

Expected level of effort This is a planning-level, pre-PID study. It is not intended to produce a full PID, formal environmental document, investment-grade traffic and revenue study, microsimulation, or preliminary engineering plans. The study should be technical enough to support segment selection and future PID scoping but not scoped as a PID or later project development phase.

Relevant Materials, Data, and OCTA Support The Consultant shall rely primarily on existing studies and available data, supplemented by targeted new data or analysis only where needed and authorized by the OCTA Project Manager.

Relevant materials may include OCTA studies and data, partner agency materials, and public or agency data sources as outlined in the table below.

Category Examples

OCTA materials 2018 Managed Lane Sketch Planning Tool Analysis; 2020 Express Lanes Network Study; 405 Express Lanes and 91 Express Lanes performance and operations information; Measure M2 freeway program information;

available OCTA planning, programming, financial, traffic model outputs, and geographic information system (GIS) data.

Partner agency and regional materials

Relevant studies, plans, policies, data, and project materials from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), California Transportation Commission, Southern California Association of Governments, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Riverside County Transportation Commission, San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, Transportation Corridor Agencies, and other relevant sources.

Technical data sources

Caltrans Performance Measurement System, traffic counts, travel time and speed data, collision data, transit data, right-of-way information, environmental constraints data, express lane performance data, GIS data, and available travel demand model outputs.

OCTA anticipates providing, or facilitating access to, readily available OCTA studies, model outputs, prior study files, express lane information, and GIS layers. OCTA may provide Orange County Transportation Analysis Model outputs and may support select model runs, scenarios, or mapping needs through OCTA staff resources, subject to staff availability and study needs.

The Consultant shall be responsible for identifying data needs, preparing clear data requests, obtaining publicly available data sources, requesting or coordinating access to needed agency data, reviewing OCTA-provided data for reasonableness, post-processing raw outputs, developing segment-level measures, and documenting assumptions and limitations. Additional data collection, commercial data purchases, new model runs, or specialized analysis shall not proceed without the OCTA Project Manager’s authorization.

Scope of Services

Task 1. Project Management and Coordination The Consultant shall manage the study efficiently, maintain schedule and cost control, and communicate clearly with the OCTA Project Manager. The Consultant Project Manager shall be the day-to-day point of contact.

• Conduct a kick-off meeting; and prepare/maintain a concise work plan identifying tasks, milestones, deliverables, review periods, data requests, meetings, and decision points.

• Conduct regular project management check-ins (including key task leads, as needed), anticipated to occur biweekly unless otherwise directed by the OCTA Project Manager.

• Lead and facilitate meetings between OCTA and consultant team staff and ensure comment resolution.

• Where appropriate, facilitate meetings with the Project Development Team (comprised of internal and potentially external agencies staff members) to elicit feedback.

• Prepare agendas, action items, monthly invoices, monthly progress reports, and response-to-comments matrices for major deliverables; maintain and organize project files in OCTA’s SharePoint.

• Prepare supporting documentation and materials for OCTA Committee and Board presentations.

• Apply quality control before submitting drafts and obtain the OCTA Project Manager’s approval before distributing draft materials beyond the approved project team.

Task 1 deliverables: work plan and schedule; meeting materials and action items; monthly invoices; monthly progress reports; response-to-comments matrices, as needed.

Task 2. Segment Inventory, Screening, and Priority Selection Task 2 shall answer three questions: What are the logical managed lane study segments? How do those segments compare? Which two segments should receive the focused Task 3 advancement assessment?

• Facility inventory and segmentation: Inventory existing, planned, and potential managed lane facilities in Orange County and at key county-line interfaces. Work with OCTA to divide the system into logical study segments based on facility limits, system interchanges, county-line interfaces, travel markets, access opportunities, physical constraints, independent utility, and potential PID termini.

• Screening methodology: Develop an OCTA-approved screening methodology that considers need and benefit, express lane suitability, feasibility and constraints, financial and funding potential, and readiness or implementation risk. The methodology should also identify locations where operational, bottleneck, transit, transportation demand management, or other non-managed-lane strategies may be more appropriate.

• Screening and priority selection: Apply the approved methodology, prepare an editable screening workbook, prepare maps and exhibits, and recommend two priority segments for Task 3. Additional segments may be identified for future consideration but shall not receive the same level of analysis unless directed by the OCTA Project Manager.

• Relationship to prior studies: The Final Study Report shall briefly describe how the priority segment recommendations relate to prior OCTA managed lanes planning, including the 2020 Express Lanes Network Study, without treating that study as the controlling evaluation framework.

Task 2 deliverables: segment inventory and map; draft and final screening methodology; draft and final segment screening workbook; screening exhibits; OCTA staff workshop;

response-to-comments matrix.

Task 3. Priority Segment Advancement Assessment For the two priority segments identified under Task 2, the Consultant shall conduct a focused planning-level advancement assessment to determine whether the segments are suitable for PID initiation and to develop materials that can streamline future PID work.

Task 3 guardrails Task 3 should be more detailed than Task 2 but should remain at a planning level. Detailed modeling, microsimulation, investment-grade traffic and revenue analysis, survey-based engineering, formal environmental analysis, or other specialized technical work are not needed, unless directed by the OCTA Project Manager.

• Project framing and concept definition: Develop a preliminary purpose and need, project definition, logical termini, independent utility discussion, and list of major assumptions and unresolved project-definition issues for each priority segment.

• Concept exhibits and critical constraints: Prepare planning-level exhibits for locations that may materially affect feasibility, scope, cost, schedule, or risk. Exhibits should focus on critical locations such as termini, access points, system connections, constrained cross sections, major structures, and interfaces with existing or programmed projects.

• Planning-level traffic, revenue, and operations assessment: Build from Task 2 results and available data to summarize expected transportation need and operating benefits, relative tollable demand and revenue potential, access and egress issues, general-purpose lane considerations, transit considerations, and major operational risks to address during PID.

• Implementation readiness and risk review: Identify major environmental, cost estimates/funding, financial, institutional, governance, enforcement, interoperability, and operational issues that could affect PID advancement. Distinguish issues that should be resolved before PID, issues to be evaluated during PID or Project Approval and Environmental Document, and issues likely to affect later project delivery.

• Priority segment profiles: Prepare concise, visual profiles for each priority segment for inclusion in the Final Study Report or technical appendices. Profiles should summarize segment limits, project concept, key findings, major risks, unresolved issues, and recommended PID next steps.

Task 3 deliverables: priority segment profiles; concept exhibits for critical locations;

planning-level traffic, revenue, and operations summary; implementation readiness and risk summary; response-to-comments matrix.

Task 4. Final Study Report and Supporting Files Task 4 shall consolidate findings into a Final Study Report that serves as the primary study document for OCTA staff, management, and potential OCTA Board consideration. Supporting work products shall be incorporated into the report or technical appendices and provided in editable format for future OCTA use.

• Document the recommended segment or segments for PID advancement and explain the selection rationale, benefits, tradeoffs, risks, dependencies, and next steps.

• Include a PID transition section that organizes materials likely to be useful at the start of

PID development, including project description, purpose and need, logical termini, independent utility, maps, concept exhibits, data inventory, assumptions log, technical summaries, risk register, issue resolution plan, recommended PID scope, and schedule considerations.

• Prepare staff briefing materials and facilitate and lead OCTA staff briefings or workshops at key decision points. Staff briefing materials are intended to support discussion of study findings and are not separate Board submittal documents unless directed by the OCTA Project Manager.

Task 4 deliverables: draft and Final Study Report with technical appendices; editable decision framework, risk register, issue resolution plan, maps, workbooks, and supporting files; OCTA staff briefing/workshop materials; response-to-comments matrix.

Deliverable and File Requirements

• OCTA will establish a project SharePoint site for document exchange, review comments, and final deliverables. The Consultant shall use the SharePoint site unless otherwise directed by the OCTA Project Manager.

• Deliverables shall document methodologies, assumptions, data sources, findings, limitations, and recommendations in detail enough for OCTA to understand and reuse the analysis.

• The methodology of the analysis shall be consistent with the latest local, state, and federal managed lanes policies at the onset of the study. If there are major changes to any relevant policies during the course of this study, there should be acknowledgement of the changes and how they might affect the outcome of the study.

• All final data, maps, workbooks, model post-processing files, GIS layers, exhibits, and supporting materials developed by the Consultant shall be provided to OCTA in editable native formats compatible with OCTA systems.

• GIS deliverables shall include metadata, projection information, source notes, and date stamps. Excel workbooks shall include formulas, assumptions, source references, and sensitivity inputs sufficient for OCTA to update the evaluation.

• The Consultant shall identify any proprietary data, software, or licensing limitations that could affect OCTA reuse before using such data or tools.

Deliverable and File Requirements