Draft PWS.pdf

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

Parametric Railway Line Capacity Model

Contents

1 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

1.1 Background

1.2 Objectives

2 Tasks

This Section details the work to be performed. The place of performance is the Contractor’s location

2.1 Detailed project work plan, schedule, and meetings

2.1.1 Kickoff

2.1.2 Monthly Status Reports

2.1.3 Meetings

2.1.4 Project Schedule

2.1.5 Stakeholder Engagement

2.2 Establish Methodological Guidelines

2.2.1 Concept of Operations

2.2.2 Measures of Effectiveness

2.2.3 Thresholds

2.2.4 Identified MOEs

2.2.5 Parametric Railway Line Capacity

2.4 Data Collection and Management

2.4.1 Inventory

2.4.2 Data and Code Documentation, Management, and Implementation Plan

2.4.3 Data Management

2.4.4 Delivery

2.5 FRA Parametric Model Development

2.5.1 The PRLC Model

2.5.2 Additional Design and Operation Considerations

2.5.3 Methodological Development Approach

2.5.4 User’s Guide

2.6 PRLC Model Validation and Calibration

2.6.1 Beta Testing

2.6.2 Additional Concerns

2.6.3 Draft Materials

2.7 Coordination Support for Public Parametric Model and Tool Development

2.7.1 Coordination Support

3 Publication and Documentation Requirements

3.1.1 Requirements for Implementing Sec. 508 Standards

3.2 Software and Data Deliverables Requirements

3.1.2 Source Code for Software

3.1.3 Open Data License – Creative Commons Zero

3.1.4 Public Access to Data

4 OPTIONS

4.1 Annual Maintenance and Support Options

4.2 Options for Additional Model Re-Development and Enhancements

5 DELIVERABLES

6 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SURVEILLANCE PLAN

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

Parametric Railway Line Capacity Model

1 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

1.1 Background

Since the 1975 publication of Federal Rail Administration’s (FRA) Parametric Analysis of Railway Line Capacity Final Report , parametric railroad capacity models have seen sporadic use throughout the North American railroad industry as a tool to support both short-term and long-term network, traffic, and capital planning. While some individual railroads have developed and maintained propriety parametric models for their own internal use, the publicly available 1975 FRA model, which provided the initial conceptual framework for this approach to capacity analysis, has become largely obsolete due to major changes that have occurred over the past 50 years including railroad operating practices, traffic types, physical plant characteristics, and capacity utilization.

During that same period, detailed railroad operations simulation emerged as the dominant tool for railroad capacity analysis. FRA has been a major proponent for the use of operations simulation an essential means of assessing the efficacy of proposed changes to railroad operations and infrastructure. Since most railway improvements require careful consideration of railway line capacity and operating performance, the need for an expanded set of tools for railroad capacity analysis has grown more important.

1.2 Objectives

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) RRD-22 seeks to develop a new Parametric Railway Line Capacity Model (PRLCM) which, like the 1975 model, would be made publicly available for use by both the railroad industry and by others with an interest in railroad capacity analysis (such as sponsors of potential railroad improvement projects). The first step towards this objective is to develop the parametric railway line capacity model and test it prior to undertaking the project to publicly launch the tool. FRA believes that a new parametric capacity model would have the potential to serve as an important adjunct to existing railroad operations simulation tools and could find application in: high-level operations analysis that is performed as part of early project feasibility studies, regional intercity passenger rail planning, and as an aid in developing hypotheses for operating and infrastructure changes for subsequent evaluation using operations simulation.

Like the 1975 model, development of a new parametric capacity model would focus on an analytical examination of key factors affecting railway line capacity to:

• Determine the relative magnitude of the impact of varying key parameters such as track and signal system configuration and train operating policy in terms of their effect on capacity; and

• Develop a parametric model for general application to railroad capacity analysis.

As was the case in the development of the 1975 model, a key element of a new parametric model would be the use of a railroad operations simulation model to examine different combinations of track, signal, and train configurations and operating practices, with the resulting estimates of operating performance being used as the basis for a regression-based approach to establish the mathematically continuous relationships between various parameters and line capacity. Some of these relationships had only been previously addressed as discrete variables.

In addition to reflecting the contemporary characteristics of North American railroad operating practices, infrastructure, and traffic, the development of a new parametric capacity model would present the opportunity to: 1) incorporate advances in analytical techniques, 2) address areas of future research identified during the development of the 1975 model, and 3) address topics that were unable to be addressed (or perhaps even contemplated) as part of the 1975 model due to the https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/parametric-analyis-railway-line-capacity https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/parametric-analyis-railway-line-capacity limitations of the analytical tools available at the time. Further, there is an opportunity to develop a software implementation of the parametric model, to allow for its user-friendly application by practitioners. No such implementation was made available for the 1975 model.

2 Tasks

This Section details the work to be performed. The place of performance is the Contractor’s location.

2.1 Detailed project work plan, schedule, and meetings

2.1.1 Kickoff

At the outset of the project, the selected team will perform a project kickoff meeting and establish a project plan and schedule for the project. The project management plan shall consist of project scope and task descriptions, deliverables, schedule (e.g., Gantt chart or equivalent timeline), management and staffing plan, preliminary methodologies, planned budget expenditures across time, anticipated risks, assumptions, and other relevant information.

The selected team will identify appropriate reoccurring meetings. The draft work plan and schedule will be shared with FRA staff for feedback and the work plan and schedule will be confirmed by FRA staff before work on subsequent tasks begins.

2.1.2 Monthly Status Reports

The Contractor shall submit monthly progress reports no later than 30 days after the end of the month being reported. The progress report shall describe:

• Summary of progress on each task during the period, including status of each deliverable, including the outline, draft (or interim), and final versions:

• Major accomplishments.

• Near-term milestones.

• Variances from the current work plan, including planned corrective actions.

• Risks and risk mitigation activities

• Estimated percent completion of each task

• Anticipated work during upcoming period

• Problems encountered and and/or anticipated.

2.1.3 Meetings

The Contractor shall attend regular meetings with the COR to review the status of assigned tasks and troubleshoot areas of performance, as needed. The Contractor shall provide a written narrative of the meeting discussion, decisions, and action items. The contractor will maintain an action item tracker from these meetings.

2.1.4 Project Schedule

As part of the Project Management Plan (PMP), the Contractor shall submit, to the Government, an initial project schedule in an accessible file format after the effective date of the contract and updates showing the percent complete of major deliverables every thirty (30) days thereafter. The schedule shall include at a minimum, the major deliverables and milestones. The Contractor shall support the identification of schedule dependencies related to the project.

SubSection. 2.1 Deliverables:

• Draft PMP

• Final PMP

2.1.5 Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder engagement shall encompass, at a minimum, host railroads, project sponsors, state Departments of Transportation (DOTs)’s, and FRA The stakeholder engagement activities shall include:

• Outreach for materials.

• Host four (4) stakeholder engagement meetings.

• Present findings via webinar.

• Solicit, review, implement feedback and comments.

Stakeholder engagement meetings should occur at strategic points within the study and will be determined through consultation with the FRA PM.

SubSection 2.2 Deliverables:

• Host four (4) stakeholder engagement meetings (in person/or virtual) webinar

2.2 Establish Methodological Guidelines

2.2.1 Concept of Operations

The objective of this task is to provide transportation practitioners and researchers with a consistent methodology for the evaluation of the quality of service/capacity of the network on the rail network.

The development of this task should follow the Concept of Operations Systems Engineering Process.

The contractor shall follow the concept of operations template to ensure that the description of the system is clear and presented from the viewpoints of the various stakeholders. The Contractor shall also develop a Rail Capacity Manual (RCM) which should at a minimum include a logical set of methods for assessing capacity, travel time, on-time performance, delay, throughput, rate of capacity utilization, etc. The RCM should also include identification of factors that affect the performance metrics investigated.

2.2.2 Measures of Effectiveness

The Contractor is required to research and identify relevant Measures of Effectiveness (MOE) including at a minimum:

a. Capacity Measure:

• Identification of rail bottlenecks.

• Base Train Equivalents (BTE).

• Yard, terminal capacity, and interactions with the mainline.

• Constraints of yards and terminals at either end or along the line segment under study.

b. Operational Measures:

• Throughput.

• Delay.

2.2.3 Thresholds

The contractor shall review suitable measures of, and thresholds for, maximum allowable train delay or comparable level-of-service standard that will be used to determine the corresponding maximum traffic volume in trains per day that can operate on the mainline corridor.

2.2.4 Identified MOEs

The identified MOEs shall be reported as a reference to support decision-making for publication. The https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/seits/sections/section6/6_4.html

Contractor shall work with FRA to establish a peer review of the findings for comments (refer to Task 7).

2.2.5 Parametric Railway Line Capacity

The Contractor shall deliver a draft Parametric Railway Line Capacity (PRLC) Concept of Operations within180 days after contract award and a draft Parametric Railway Line Capacity (PRLC) Model Manual within 390 days after contract award to FRA for review and comment. The Contractor shall deliver a final Concept of Operations and a final Parametric Railway Line Capacity (PRLC) Model Manual after addressing FRA comments within three weeks of receiving FRA comments.

SubSection 2.3 Deliverables:

• Parametric Railway Line Capacity (PRLC) Model Concept of Operations.

• Parametric Railway Line Capacity (PRLC) Model Manual.

2.4 Data Collection and Management

2.4.1 Inventory

The contractor will create an inventory of the existing tools, models, reports, data, and information available to FRA related to parametric railway line capacity models. The contractor will identify all coordination efforts with third party data providers, ata sources, and data types necessary to develop, validate, and calibrate a newly developed parametric railway line capacity model.

The data management plan prepared under this task will identify and characterize data sources potentially used for applicability to parametric model development which may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Grade Crossing Inventory System.

• Waybill Sample

• Commodity Flow Survey

• Freight Analysis Framework (FAF).

• On Time Performance Data/AMTRAK Performance Database (AMPD)

• North American Rail Network (NARN)

• BTS multimodal networks.

The review will consider the role of each data element across project lifecycle stages: For example, how the attribute helps support model estimation, calibration, testing and validation and application. The assessment should also address steps required to access, manage and transform or translate data for use in model development activities.

Additionally, as part of this task, The Contractor shall prepare and provide FRA with a formal plan for Data and Code Documentation for the parametric model, Management, and Implementation (the Data Management Plan) which addresses the management and documentation of all input data, output data, and code including data and code maintenance, storage, security, access, sharing, automation, commenting, reproducibility, quality control, and supporting information and metadata collected and generated in completing the tasks of this contract. The Contractor shall store all relevant code and documents on FRA’s Git Hub following all policies and procedures. Additionally, the Contractor shall store all data in a secure database.

2.4.2 Data and Code Documentation, Management, and Implementation Plan

The Contractor shall prepare and provide FRA with a comprehensive Data Management Plan (DMP).

This plan will address the management and documentation of all input data, output data, and code. The

Contractor must ensure that the DMP complies with all relevant Agency policies and standards. The DMP must include detailed procedures for the following aspects:

• Data and Code Maintenance: Strategies for regular updates and maintenance of data and code.

• Sharing: Guidelines for sharing data and code within FRA and with external stakeholders, if applicable.

• Commenting: Standards for commenting on code to enhance readability and maintainability.

• Reproducibility: Ensuring that data and code can be reliably reproduced by others.

The deliverable shall consist of a parametric model accompanied by reproducible and thoroughly commented code, along with comprehensive README documentation for guidance.

The code must be provided as scripts in either R or Python programming languages.

Please be aware that scripts written in Visual Basic will not meet the requirements of this statement of work.

• Quality Control: Procedures for verifying the accuracy and quality of data and code.

• Supporting Information and Metadata: Documentation of all relevant metadata and supporting information collected and generated during the contract.

Data element dictionary Excel file.

Reproducible and well-commented Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) code with supporting README documents.

Information to support usability when relevant including keywords for topic queries, cautions in using the data, and additional helpful data information such as alternative data sources, definitional changes, etc.

• Document Control:

Data versioning and lineage tracking procedures. Mathematical model (i.e.

documentation of the regression equation etc.)

2.4.3 Data Management

The contractor shall, in consultation with the FRA PM and appropriate IT staff, coordinate with the FRA, Office of Information Technology to establish an approved cloud environment to support the data repository, and hosting of other tools to share complex (high volume, velocity, or variety) transportation datasets with project staff and FRA technical leads. The framework should enable authorized access to users through a data use agreement with revocable access terms to protect the sensitivity of the data and scalable data storage and analysis and user access protocol via cloud-based platforms. The platform should also ensure that sensitive data are protected through adherence to FRA (and USDOT's security standards) for information technology and comply with all required agreements regarding disclosure that are relevant to specific data sources.

Additional Data management Requirements

Data proposed to be used shall be reviewed and approved by FRA. Geospatial Data Act (GDA) requirements must be sufficiently addressed, including GeoPlatform, prior to expenditure of funds for geospatial data collection. All work must be conducted within approved environments, and the contractor is obligated to ensure that all data is securely deleted upon the termination of the contract. Access to data is strictly limited to the duration of the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) which is in effect for the current contractual year only.

Compliance with these conditions is mandatory for the protection of sensitive information and adherence to agency protocols.

The contractor shall also comply with the following requirements:

Data Handling and Storage:

• The Contractor is strictly prohibited from downloading or storing any data on any external systems or devices.

• All work must be conducted within FRA’s secure environment. No production data should be transferred outside this environment under any circumstances.

• At the conclusion of the contract, the Contractor must ensure that all data is permanently deleted from any temporary storage or working directories within the Agency's environment.

Data Access:

• The Contractor will have access to certain FRA-supplied data only during the term of the contract and while under the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).

• Access to the data will be strictly controlled and monitored to ensure compliance with the NDA and FRA/DOT policies.

• Data Certification at Contract Termination - Upon termination or completion of the contract, the Contractor must certify that all data has been deleted and that no copies have been retained.

2.4.4 Delivery

The Contractor shall deliver all draft materials 210 days after contract award to FRA for review and comment. The Contractor shall deliver all final materials after addressing FRA comments within three weeks of receiving FRA comments.

SubSection 2.4 Deliverables:

• Data Management Plan

2.5 FRA Parametric Model Development

2.5.1 The PRLC Model

The contractor will develop a Parametric Railway Line Capacity (PRCL) Model which shall be made available freely to the public and document the methodology, capabilities, processing, and coordination for potential development of an on-line tool. The contractor shall work with the FRA Office of Information Technology (RAD-20) to ensure compliance with FRA IT Standards.

2.5.2 Additional Design and Operation Considerations

The contractor will develop and evaluate the additional design and operation considerations for the parametric railway model, this includes:

• Train heterogeneity: power-to-weight ratio, priority, and level of service.

• Effects of higher-speed passenger trains (79–110 mph) and interaction across speed ranges and track configuration.

• Long trains that exceed the length of most passing sidings on a route.

• Number of long sidings that can facilitate meets between over-length trains, and sidings equipped with mid-siding crossovers to facilitate meets between shorter trains.

• Schedule flexibility to account for variation in train departure time.

• Operating strategies such as train fleeting that can increase capacity of bottlenecks.

• New control systems using moving blocks and different densities of virtual blocks.

• Incremental capacity of additional double and triple track.

• The use/incorporation of optimization models/technologies to aid in the development of conflict free train paths to minimize delays/emissions/fuel burn.

• Increased time requirements for on-track maintenance.

2.5.3 Methodological Development Approach

The methodological development approach should incorporate and consider the following:

• Documentation and description of the algorithm (e.g. purpose, description of model, inputs, outputs, assumptions, flow chart, instructions for use by State and Local agencies).

• Use of contemporary railroad operations simulation software allows for the more precise control of variables affecting capacity, and the ability to efficiently organize and process the large number of simulation runs necessary to support the development of a parametric model. The contractor will identify suitable commercially available software to use and in consultation with the FRA Project Team. .

• Statistical/regression methodologies that are more advanced and robust than previous methods in 1975, including those beyond traditional regression techniques. The contractor will coordinate with FRA on selection and possible procurement of a suitable statistical software package and programming language(s). FRA currently utilize SAS and python. The Contractor may propose additional tools which would be subject to FRA approval. If SAS is the language that is approved, FRA will furnish the necessary licenses.

• The ability to use standardized railroad data formats (both propriety formats, and open standards) for both the initial estimation of the parametric model and its subsequent application.

• Ability to establish continuous relationships between capacity and parameters previously addressed solely as discrete variables.

• Procedures for analyzing multiple modifications to the parameters.

• Capabilities for evaluating how increased on-track maintenance time requirements vary as function of higher traffic volumes.

• Expression of line capacity in terms of Base Train Equivalents (BTE).

• The ability to accurately estimate capacity under scenarios with heterogeneous traffic.

mixture, such as those with different relative volumes of freight and passenger traffic.

• The use of empirical data to supplement (or replace) the use of simulation-derived synthetic data in the regression analysis that establishes the relationship between certain parameters and capacity.

• Software implementation of the mathematical equations that comprise the parametric model, to allow for its user-friendly application for desktop use and coordination for a potential on-line tool.

• Scalability in the detail of input data required for the model’s application, to allow for its use where detailed infrastructure and traffic data may not be available. Additionally, the ability for FRA to rerun the parametric model to help enable its continued used in the event new railroad technologies or operating practices emerge in future years. Operation of the parametric model shall be flexible and automated to allow for future analysis.

• The ability to vary operational thresholds to evaluate the impacts and needs for high-reliability operation (or where different traffic types may have differing requirements for operational reliability).

2.5.4 User’s Guide

The contractor shall develop a user’s-guide in addition to the Algorithm Description Document and document steps and sources for the above parametric model. The contractor will establish a peer assessment with the stakeholder group to review and evaluate the methodological guidelines and the parametric model based on (i) suitability of the model structure and validation of model sensitivities parameters for a range of application scenarios; (ii) model functionality transferability, and quality/usefulness of results.

SubSection 2.5 Deliverables:

• Parametric Model (including training for FRA on utilization of Parametric model)

• Algorithm Description Document

• User’s Guide

• Deliver a final briefing to FRA and stakeholders

• Deliver relevant code/information on FRA’s GitHub

2.6 PRLC Model Validation and Calibration

2.6.1 Beta Testing

The contractor will develop and document beta testing scenarios to validate and calibrate the functionality and outputs associated with the developed parametric railway line capacity model. Testing should include an assessment of the model results compared to other models as well as coordinating and assessing results using real-world data inputs.

The dataset for developing the parametric multiple regression PRLC model should be segmented into development, test, and validation datasets. Each data component should be verified and reviewed for consistency and accuracy. . If after validation model performance is not at an acceptable level, the contractor may acquire additional (synthetic) training, testing, and validation data and further refine the model.

The Contractor shall perform verification (does the model do what we think it does?), validation (does the model reproduce independently collected data), and acceptance (does the model generate useful results for my purpose). The Contractor shall provide documentation for each step of the validation process, including assessment of model accuracy, validity, and degree of statistical confidence.

2.6.2 Additional Concerns

The contractor shall also address the following in a model development and validation plan:

• Integration of the parametric model parameters and specification with the North American Rail Network line files, to enable assignment of passenger and freight volumes in a TransCAD or similar (e.g. customized ESRI) software environment. Resulting assigned freight and passenger flows of should be demonstrated to be reasonably validated to observed freight flows and passenger observed data sources (identified earlier in the scope).

This would include the integration of available travel/freight forecasts to perform assignments. Other requirements would include analytical outputs such as data summaries and descriptive maps.

• Large discrepancies (or gaps in data) should be documented in technical memorandum for further consideration.

• Re-routing trains around a line segment closed due to a hypothetical derailment.

• The addition of unit cost data associated with changes to various parameters to allow for the estimation and evaluation of different approaches to capacity improvement on a cost basis.

• Additionally required data analyses to support validation and implementation of the parametric model.

2.6.3 Draft Materials

The Contractor shall deliver all draft materials result 510 days after contract award to FRA for review and comment. Conditional acceptance is achieved when the validated testing results are fulfilled and accepted by FRA in accordance with the Approved Test Plan, except for up to 9 minor corrections remaining on the punch list for complete of the PRLC model. Conditional acceptance cannot be achieved if any essential elements of the model have not been tested, validated, and accepted by FRA.

All documentation deliverables required in the PWS must be submitted by the Contractor, reviewed by FRA, comments addressed by the Contractor, and accepted by FRA before Conditional Acceptance is achieved. The Contractor shall deliver all final materials after addressing FRA comments within21 days of receiving FRA comments.

SubSection 2.6 Deliverables:

• Model development/results plan

• Model Development/Testing Scenarios

• Model Results

2.7 Coordination Support for Public Parametric Model and Tool Development

2.7.1 Coordination Support

The Parametric Railway Line Capacity Model Contractor in coordination with FRA Planning and Engineering (RRD-22) shall support coordination activities with RAD-20 and the RAD-20 Contractor responsible for developing the IT solution. These coordination support activities include and are not limited to:

• Facilitate and coordinate meetings· Document and disseminate meeting minutes

• Communicate and document issues and risks

• Support RRD-22 staff to ensure Public Parametric Model business requirements are accurately reflected in IT solution developed by the RAD-20 IT Contractor (E.g.: Participate in User Acceptance Testing Sessions (UATS)

SubSection 2.7 Deliverables:

• The code must be provided as commented scripts in programming languages and read me files that are approved by FRA after contract award.

• Technology Transfer Plan per Transportation Acquisition Regulations (TAR) 1252.235- 71 Technology Transfer (NOV 2022)

3 Publication and Documentation Requirements

3.1.1 Requirements for Implementing Sec. 508 Standards

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220) requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use information and communication technology (ICT), it shall be accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public who have disabilities must have access to, and use of, information and data that is comparable to people without disabilities. Products, platforms and services delivered as part of the performance work statement that are ICT, or contain ICT, must conform to the Revised 508 Standards, which are located at 36 C.F.R. § 1194.1 & Apps. A, C & D, and available at https://www.access- board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final- rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines

3.2 Software and Data Deliverables Requirements

3.1.2 Source Code for Software

Delivery of all source code for software developed under this contract shall be in an electronic format.

3.1.3 Open Data License – Creative Commons Zero

The Contractor shall deliver the dataset(s) and corresponding documentation identified herein to the Government as deliverables under terms of use that support open data principles (e.g., the Creative Commons Zero (CC0 1.0 Universal) defined at https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode). The Contractor shall submit these deliverables for the Government’s planned dissemination in an open source environment (e.g., https://data.transportation.gov/). The Contractor agrees that the Government has permission to share the dataset(s) and corresponding documentation with the general public for use without restrictions.

The Government intends to make the dataset(s) and corresponding documentation available to researchers and applications developers under terms of use that support open data principles (e.g., the Creative Commons Zero (CC0 1.0 Universal) defined at https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode).

3.1.4 Public Access to Data

The Contractor agrees that the Final Publishable Datasets (as determined by FRA) and resulting documentation submitted to the FRA under this contract can be posted online for public access and shared by FRA with other interested parties. FRA anticipates the documents cited herein may be posted on a FRA website (https://data.transportation.gov/) or another appropriate website.

4 OPTIONS

4.1 Annual Maintenance and Support Options

The contractor shall provide maintenance and support for all technical deliverables listed above and monitor the accuracy of the model to provide updates. Operations and maintenance support would include:

• Bug fixes,

• Vulnerability patching,

• Data cleaning,

• Calibration testing

The following Option CLINs cover each year of maintenance and support, if exercised.

• Option CLIN 0002: Following acceptance of CLIN 0001, an additional twelve months of maintenance and support for all final technical deliverables.

• Option CLIN 0003: Following completion of CLIN 0002, an additional twelve months of maintenance and support for all contract technical deliverables.

• Option CLIN 0004: Following completion of CLIN 0003, an additional twelve months of maintenance and support for all contract technical deliverables.

https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode https://data.transportation.gov/ https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode https://data.transportation.gov/

4.2 Options for Additional Model Re-Development and Enhancements If further model re-development and enhancements are required due to changes in datasets, inputs, variables, etc., the Contractor shall provide services to perform this work on a combination of a fixed price for program management CLIN and CLINs for iterations of agile technical work to be performed on time and materials basis at labor rates established in the contract. Separate options for such services will be established for each of the maintenance and support option periods.

5 DELIVERABLES

Deliverables by Contract

Section(s) Due Date for Initial

Submission Review/Acceptance of Final Documents Sec. 2.1 Project Management Plan

30 days after contract award

Contractor to deliver all final materials after addressing 100% of FRA comments within 3 weeks of receiving FRA comments.

Sec. 2.1 Monthly progress reports

Monthly after contract award

FRA acknowledges receipt

Sec. 2.1 Webinar Materials 1 week prior to meeting FRA acknowledges receipt Sec. 2.2 Technology Transfer Plan per TAR 1252.235-71 Technology Transfer (Nov 2022)

120 days after contract award

Contractor to deliver all final materials after addressing 100% of FRA comments within 3 weeks of receiving FRA comments

Sec. 2.2 Stakeholder Engagement Meetings (in person/virtual)

390 days after contract award

Contractor to deliver all final materials after addressing 100% of FRA comments within 3 weeks of receiving FRA comments

Sec. 2.3 Concept of Operations 180 days after contract award

Contractor to deliver all final materials after addressing 100% of FRA comments within 3 weeks of receiving FRA comments

Sec. 2.3 Rail Capacity Manual 390 days after contract award

Contractor to deliver all final materials after addressing 100% of FRA comments within 3 weeks of receiving FRA comments

Sec. 2.4 Data Management Plan

210 days after contract award

Contractor to deliver all final materials after addressing 100% of FRA comments within 3 weeks of receiving FRA comments

Sec. 2.5 FRA Parametric Model, Algorithm Description Document, User's Guide, Publication of Final Report, briefing to FRA/Stakeholders and delivery of code/information on FRA GitHub

390 days after contract award

Contractor to deliver all final materials after addressing 100% of FRA comments within 3 weeks of receiving FRA comments

Sec. 2.6 Model Development Results Plan, Test Scenarios and Results

450 days after contract award

Contractor to deliver all final materials after addressing 100% of FRA comments within 3 weeks of receiving FRA comments

Sec. 2.7 Coordination Support for Public Parametric Tool Development - deliver code per FRA requirements

510 days after contract award

Contractor to deliver all final materials after addressing 100% of FRA comments within 3 weeks of receiving FRA comments

Deliverables by Contract Section(s)

Due Date for Initial Submission Review/Acceptance of Final Documents

Sec. 3.0 508 Compliance 540 days after contract award

Final review

Sec. 4.0 Optional Maintenance and Support

Following completion of CLIN0001

Need a metric of some sort here.

6 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SURVEILLANCE PLAN

The Contractor’s performance of the requirements of the contract shall be subject to the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) outlined in the table below.

PWS

Requirement

Performance Standards

Accepta ble

Quality Levels

Method(s) of Surveillance

Sec. 2.1 Monthly progress reports

5 COR corrections per 12 months

NA

File review

Sec. 2.1 Webinar Materials

Delivered materials 98% File review

Sec. 2.2 Technology Transfer Plan per TAR 1252.235-71 Technology Transfer (Nov 2022)

Delivery of materials 98% File review

Sec. 2.2 Stakeholder Engagement Meetings (in person/virtual)

Documentation of stakeholder events (agenda/meetings/comme nt)

98% Attend meetings/comment resolution

Sec. 2.3 Concept of Operations

Compliance with specifications

98% File review, ensure alignment with final deliverables

Sec. 2.3 Rail Capacity Manual

Compliance with specifications

98% File reviews, stakeholder meetings, comment/resolution

Sec. 2.4 Data Management Plan

Compliance with specifications

98% File review/comment resolution

PWS

Requirement

Performance Standards

Accepta ble

Quality Levels

Method(s) of Surveillance

Sec. 2.5 FRA Parametric Model, Algorithm Description Document, User's Guide, Publication of Final Report, briefing to FRA/Stakeholders and delivery of code/information on FRA GitHub

Consensus from internal FRA advisory group on deliverables

98% File review/meetings/comment resolution/delivery of materials

Sec. 2.6 Model Development Results Plan, Test Scenarios and Results

Consensus from internal FRA advisory group on deliverables

98% File review/meetings/comment resolution/delivery of materials

Sec. 2.7 Coordination Support for Public Parametric Tool Development - deliver code per FRA requirements

Compliance with specifications

98% Accepted delivery of code

Sec. 3.0 508 Compliance Compliance with specifications

98% Approval/review of submitted deliverables

Sec. 4.0 Optional Maintenance and Support

Consensus from internal FRA advisory group on deliverables

NA File review/meetings/execution of contracts