DRAFT Work Statement 08.19.2024.pdf

U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Work Statement August 19, 2024

1. GENERAL: This Work Statement is for non-personal services to provide support to the U.S.

Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Office of Research, Development and Technology (RD&T) to provide Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) technical assistance supporting basic and applied research in the areas of Rolling Stock, Track, Train Control and Communications, and Human Factors. Such contract service providers shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn is responsible to the Government.

1.1 Description of Services/Introduction: The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items identified in Paragraph 4 necessary to provide professional services in support of RDT&E as defined in this Work Statement except for those items specified as Government furnished property and services in Paragraph 3.

1.2 Background: FRA RD&T conducts research, development, testing and evaluation to support FRA’s RD&T Strategic Goals, Objectives and Strategies. These research activities provide a rational and effective basis for safety regulations and standards and/or revisions thereof; and promote general safety improvements in the rail industry. Within FRA RD&T, the Track Division’s efforts focus on track and structures research and the interaction of rolling stock and track. The Rolling Stock Division’s efforts are directed towards improving the safety of rolling stock equipment, including hazardous material transport. The Train Control and Communications Division’s efforts are directed towards signaling and train control activities, including PTC, and improving collision avoidance both on the track and at grade crossings. The Division collaborates with the Human Factor Division on Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention research. The Human Factors Division seeks to optimize human performance in railroad operations and to understand the causal factors of human error, including fatigue and distraction.

1.3 Objectives: FRA is seeking resources to execute its mission to support identified topic research areas. Topic research areas will be aligned with the research program area priorities as listed below:

Rolling Stock:

• Railroad Vehicles; Non‐electric Motive Power and Components;

• Hazardous Materials Transportation by Railroad;

• Railroad Operating Practices;

• Safety Management Systems;

• Track‐Train Interaction;

• Passenger and Freight Operations;

https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2020-07/Strategic%20Plan%202020-2024-A.pdf

• Advanced Rail Systems Technology, including Positive Train Control;

• TEDS software and associated training for new user requests, and continue maintenance and technical support to the existing TEDS users;

• Train Occupant Protection, and

• Electric Traction Power systems.

Track:

Track Structures & Components Research Areas:

• Bridge Integrity

• Bridge Transitions

• Track Buckling

• Track Substructure

• Track Panel Shift

• Track Degradation

• Rail Integrity

• Weld Integrity

• Joint Integrity

• Special Trackwork

• Ties/Fasteners Integrity

• Inspection Optimization

Track/Train Interaction Safety Research Areas:

• Vehicle Qualification

• Vehicle Performance Deterioration

• Ride Safety

• Derailment Mechanism and Prevention

• Wheel/Rail Interface

• Vehicle & Track Modeling/Simulations

• Safe Track Geometry Limits

Operation & Facilities Management Research Areas:

• FRA Research Assets

• Transportation Technology Center Facility

Human Factors:

• Railroad Technology, Automation, and Systems Design

• Railroad Organizational Culture and Safety Performance

• Railroad Worker and Operator Performance

• Maintenance worker performance and safety

• Highway-Railroad Grade Crossing Safety, Railroad Trespass, and Suicide Prevention

Train Control and Communication:

• Positive Train Control (PTC) system development, enhancement, and testing

• Advanced train control and signaling system research

• Rail automation systems research

• Broken rail detection technologies for moving block train control architectures

• High accuracy train positioning system research

• Connected grade crossing and highway-rail communication systems research

• Grade Crossing technologies

• Grade crossing data analysis

• Grade Crossing outreach and education

• Trespass prevention and countermeasures

• Pedestrian Treatments at grade crossings

As research requirements are defined, individual orders will be established under this contract to address specific research needs. Individual orders may involve one or more of the above areas.

1.5 Ordering Period: The Award shall have an ordering period of a single five (5) year period.

1.6 Quality:

1.6.1 Quality Control: The Contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program to ensure services are performed in accordance with this Work Statement. The Contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The Contractor’s quality control program is the means by which the Contractor assures that work complies with the requirement of the contract. The Government shall rely on the Contractor’s quality assurance systems; however, the Government reserves the right to perform inspections on services provided to the extent deemed necessary to protect the Government’s interests. The Contractor must control the quality of the services and deliverables provided in support of this requirement and maintain substantiating evidence that services conform to quality requirements and furnish such information to the Government, whenever requested.

1.7 Work Schedule:

1.7.1 Hours of Operation: To be determined at the Order level.

1.7.2 Staffing Requirements/Federal Holidays and Other Closures:

The Federal Government observes holidays established by Federal Law (5 U.S.C. 6103).

These holidays are listed at Federal Holidays (opm.gov).

Any other day designated by Federal statute. Any other day designated by Executive Order.

Any other day designated by Presidential proclamation.

When any such day falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is observed; when any such day falls on Sunday, the following Monday is observed.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/

Contractor personnel are not eligible for administrative leave granted to FRA Federal employees. If administrative leave is granted to Contractor personnel as a result of inclement weather, as a result of potentially hazardous conditions, or as a result of other special circumstances, it may be with loss to the Contractor depending on the Order Type.

The Contractor shall have the personnel, organization, and administrative control necessary to ensure that the services performed meet all terms and conditions of the award and subsequent Orders. The work history of the Contractor’s proposed employees shall contain appropriate experience directly related to the functions to be assigned within industry standards, the RDT&E Labor Category Position Descriptions Qualifications.

The Contractor shall ensure that personnel used in performance of this award shall exhibit professional behavior, possess strong interpersonal skills in both oral and written communications, and employ a good understanding of customer satisfaction through quality service. If personnel are not able to maintain a professional, acceptable relationship with FRA staff, or it is determined by FRA that personnel do not possess the experience needed for a project, the Contractor will be expected to remove and replace personnel within 10 business days. Customer service must be maintained at all times.

1.7.3 Telework:

1.7.3.1 Telework and Remote Work:

Telework and Remote Work may be authorized at the Order level.

1.7.3.2 Surge or Overtime Requirements:

Surge or Overtime may be authorized at the Order level.

If constraints are present that are requiring that Contractor personnel to work significantly beyond a 40-hour work week, the COR shall be notified. No overtime is foreseen. However, if overtime is necessary, this will be addressed at the Order level by the Ordering Contracting Officer (OCO). The Contractor must provide adequate support to ensure available resources for all activities. No overtime premiums or funds will be provided. If any labor category is considered non-exempt (i.e., the Service Contract Labor Standards apply), the CO must negotiate and fund overtime rates in advance of any overtime being worked.

1.8 Place of Performance & Period of Performance: The work to be performed under this award shall be performed at various site locations within the United States and its territories and shall be identified at the Order level. If the Contractor does not provide nationwide coverage (coverage within all states and territories), the Contractor must provide a list of all locations where the Contractor does not provide coverage in their response. A Contractor may be receive an award without having nationwide coverage.

1.9 Type of Contract: This Award allows any subsequent Orders to be established for Services, Travel and Other Direct Costs (ODCs).

Services may be Firm Fixed Price (FFP), Labor Hour (LH), Time and Material (T&M) or a hybrid of FFP, LH & T&M. The Order type shall be determined by the OCO.

Travel in support of RDT&E may be established in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) and reimbursed on a cost reimbursement basis. The total obligation and Not-to-Exceed (NTE) amounts shall be identified at the Order level.

ODCs in support of SDT&E may be established on a cost reimbursement basis. The total obligation and NTE amounts shall be identified at the Order level.

1.10 Security Requirements:

1.10.1 Physical Security: The Contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all Government equipment, information and property provided for Contractor use.

1.10.2 Key Control: Not applicable.

1.10.3 Information Security Requirements: Access to Sensitive Information. Work under the award may involve access to sensitive information* which shall not be disclosed by the Contractor unless authorized by the CO. To protect sensitive information, the Contractor shall provide training to any Contractor employee authorized access to sensitive information and, upon request of the Government, provide information as to an individual’s suitability to have such authorization. Contractor employees found by the Government to be unsuitable or whose employment is deemed contrary to the public interest or inconsistent with the best interest of national security may be prevented from performing work under the particular award when requested by the CO. At the discretion of FRA, a formal Non-disclosure Agreement for each staff member accessing sensitive information may be required.

The Contractor shall ensure that Contractor employees engaged with sensitive information are: (1) citizens of the United States of America or an alien who has been lawfully admitted for permanent residence or employment (indicated by immigration status) as evidenced by Immigration and Naturalization Service documentation; and (2) have background investigations in accordance with DOT Order 1632.2B, Personnel Security Management.

DOT Order 1632.2B The Contractor shall ensure that contractor employees are: (1) citizens of the United States of America or an alien who has been lawfully admitted for permanent residence or employment (indicated by immigration status) as evidenced by Immigration and

Naturalization Service documentation; and (2) have background investigations in accordance with DOT Order 1632.2B, Personnel Security Management.

The Contractor shall include the above requirements in any subcontract awarded involving access to Government facilities, sensitive information, and/or resources.

* Sensitive information is proprietary data or other information that, if subject to unauthorized access, modification, loss, or misuse could adversely affect national interest, conduct of Federal programs, or privacy of individuals specified in the Privacy Act, but has not been specifically authorized to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy under an Executive Order or Act of Congress.

In addition to the work requirements specified in the award, Contractors shall ensure that all electronic documents that they prepare will meet the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The act requires that all electronic products prepared for the Federal Government be accessible to persons with disabilities, including those with vision, hearing, cognitive, and mobility impairments.

1.11 Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings: The Contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration office in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 42.5. The CO, COR, and other Government personnel, as appropriate, may meet periodically with the Contractor to review the Contractor's performance. At these meetings the CO or COR will apprise the Contractor of how the Government views the Contractor's performance and the Contractor will apprise the Government of problems, if any, being experienced. Aside from the periodic meetings, the CO/COR must be notified of any situation needing immediate attention as soon as practicable.

1.12 Contracting Officer Representative (COR): The Contracting Officer is the only individual authorized to enter into or terminate this contract, modify any term or condition of this contract, waive any requirement of this contract, or accept nonconforming work delivered under this contract.

(a) The COR’s responsibilities shall include technical monitoring of the Contractor’s performance and inspecting and accepting deliveries under the award. The COR shall be appointed in writing, at which time all of the responsibilities of the COR shall be detailed, and a copy of the appointment memorandum shall be furnished to the Contractor. Any changes to the COR delegation shall be made in writing, either by changes to the existing memorandum, or by issuance of a new appointment memorandum. Copies of any changes shall be provided to the Contractor.

(b) The COR is not authorized to perform, formally or informally, any of the following actions:

(1) Promise, award, agree to award, or execute any contract, contract modification, or notice of intent that changes or may change this contract;

(2) Waive or agree to any modification of the delivery schedule;

(3) Make any final decision on any contract matter subject to the Disputes Clause;

(4) Terminate, for any reason, the Contractor’s right to proceed, or issue any order causing the Contractor to stop work;

(5) Obligate in any way, the payment of money by the Government.

(c) The Contractor shall comply with the written or oral direction of the Contracting Officer or authorized representative(s) acting within the scope and authority of the appointment memorandum. The Contractor need not proceed with direction that it considers having been issued without proper authority. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing, with as much detail as possible, when the COR has taken an action or has issued direction (written or oral) that the Contractor considers exceeding the COR’s appointment, within 3 days of the occurrence. Unless otherwise provided in this award, the Contractor assumes all costs, risks, liabilities, and consequences of performing any work it is directed to perform that falls within any of the categories defined in paragraph

(c) prior to receipt of the Contracting Officer’s response issued under paragraph (e) of this clause.

(d) The Contracting Officer shall respond in writing within 30 days to any notice made under paragraph (d) of this clause. A failure of the parties to agree upon the nature of a direction, or upon the contract action to be taken with respect thereto, shall be subject to the provisions of the disputes clause of this contract.

(e) The Contractor shall provide copies of all correspondence to the Contracting Officer and the COR.

(f) Any action(s) taken by the Contractor, in response to any direction given by any person acting on behalf of the Government or any Government official other than the Contracting Officer or the COR acting within their appointment, shall be at the Contractor’s risk.

1.13 Contractor Personnel:

1.13.1 Program Manager (PM): The Contractor shall provide a Program Manager who shall be responsible for the performance of the work. The name of this person and an alternate who shall act for the Contractor when the PM is absent shall be designated in writing to the COR and the CO.

1.13.2 Essential Personnel:

Key Personnel may be identified at the Order level and shall be in accordance with Transportation Acquisition Regulation (TAR) clause 1252.237-73, Key Personnel.

1.13.3 Special Qualifications:

The Contractor is responsible for ensuring all employees possess and maintain any professional certifications that may be required during the execution of any subsequent Orders.

1.13.4 Stability of Contractor Workforce:

Experienced, professional and/or technical personnel are essential for successful accomplishment of the work to be performed under this contract. The Contractor agrees that such personnel shall not be removed from the contract work or replaced without compliance with the following:

1) If one or more of the personnel, for any reason other than time off approved under Contractor’s leave policy, becomes, or is expected to become unavailable for work under this contract for a continuous period exceeding 30 workdays, or is expected to devote substantially less effort to the work than indicated in the proposal or initially anticipated, the Contractor shall promptly replace personnel with personnel of equal or exceeding ability and qualifications.

2) If the Contracting Officer determines that suitable and timely replacement of personnel who have been reassigned, terminated, or have otherwise become unavailable for the contract work is not reasonably forthcoming or that the resultant reduction of productive effort would be so substantial as to impair successful completion of the contract, the Contracting Officer may apply any remedy available under the contract for non-performance.

3) Contractor agrees to take no action or execute any employment agreements that would impede a successor Contractor's ability to recruit and retain incumbent personnel.

1.13.5 Identification of Contractor Employees: IT systems, and/or fingerprints shall be in accordance with Transportation Acquisition Regulation (TAR) 1252.204-70, Contractor Personnel Security and Agency Access.

1.14 Other Direct Costs:

1.14.1 Travel: Travel may be identified at the Order level. Prior to commencing travel, the Contractor shall obtain a pre-approval, in writing via a Travel Authorization Request (TAR), from the designated Order COR. Under no circumstances will travel without COR pre-approval be reimbursed. If travel is required, the Contractor will be reimbursed for non-local transportation costs (greater than 75 miles from the individual’s physical work location) and travel allowances for Contractor employees in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) governing the travel performed directly referable to the Order(s). Such transportation costs will not be reimbursed in an amount greater than the cost of, and time required for a refundable coach class commercially scheduled air or ground travel by the most expeditious route. If coach air or ground transportation is not available, the Contractor must certify this fact in the voucher or other documents retained as a part of Order(s) records used to support claims or post-audit, the COR is required to pre-approve the travel in these situations. However, justification will be needed to describe why travel could not be rescheduled to meet transportation cost requirements.

The Contractor will schedule travel in advance to avoid falling outside of applicable travel cost. The Contractor shall use government city-pair contract airlines and fares where available. All travel documentation with required receipts, including the Order COR’s pre-approval, must be included with the invoice. The GSA Per Diem Rates must be reviewed to ensure compliance for all fiscal years and location of travel:

https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates. The COR will have final approval of travel costs when reviewing the monthly invoices and travel costs, if applicable.

1.15 Other Direct Costs (ODCs): Any Other Direct Costs may be identified at the Order level. If ODCs are applicable, all expenditures must be pre-authorized by the COR and are subject to the limitation of funds specified in the Order.

1.16 Data Rights: The Government has unlimited rights to all documents/material produced under this contract. All documents and materials, to include the source codes of any software, produced under this contract shall be Government owned and are the property of the Government with all rights and privileges of ownership/copyright belonging exclusively to the Government. These documents and materials may not be used or sold by the Contractor without written permission from the CO. All materials supplied to the Government shall be the sole property of the Government and may not be used for any other purpose. This right does not abrogate any other Government rights.

1.17 Disclosure of Conflict of Interest: The Contractor shall provide a brief statement in the quotation that describes in a concise manner all past, present or planned organizational, contractual, or other interest(s), which may affect the Contractor’s ability to perform the proposed award in an impartial and objective manner. The Contracting Officer will review the statement submitted and may require additional relevant information from the Offerors.

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 9.5 and Transportation Acquisition Regulation (TAR) 1252.209-70. All such information, and any other relevant information known to the Government, will be used to determine whether an award to the Contractor may create an actual or potential conflict of interest. If any such conflict of interest is found to exist, the Contracting Officer may (1) disqualify the Contractor, or (2) determine that it is otherwise in the best interest of the Government to contract with the Contractor and include appropriate provisions to mitigate or avoid such conflict in the award.

Additional Conflicts of Interest shall also be identified at the Order level.

Additionally, if a potential conflict of interest arises after the Order is awarded, the contractor shall notify the COR of the situation and the surrounding circumstances along with a proposed mitigation strategy. After appropriate investigation and consideration, the COR will notify the Contractor if additional steps will be necessary to address the conflict or if they may proceed with providing support.

1.18 Section 504 and 508 Standards: In addition to the work requirements specified in this Performance Work Statement, the Contractor must ensure that all electronic documents that https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates they prepare will meet the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The act requires that all electronic products prepared for the Federal Government be accessible to persons with disabilities, including those with vision, hearing, cognitive, and mobility impairments. The Contractor can view Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (http://www.access-board.gov/508.htm) and the Federal IT Accessibility Initiative (Home Page) (http://section508.gov/) for detailed information.

Applicable Standards:

The following standards have been determined to be applicable to this award:

X 1194.21 Software applications and operating systems.

X 1194.22 Web-based intranet and Internet information and applications.

X 1194.23 Telecommunications products.

X 1194.24 Video and multimedia products.

X 1194.25 Self-contained, closed products.

X 1194.26 Desktop and portable computers

The standards are available at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htm. The standards do not require the installation of specific accessibility-related software or the attachment of an assistive technology device, but merely require that the Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) be compatible with such software and devices so that it can be made accessible, if so, required by the agency, in the future.

The following paragraphs summarize the requirements for preparing FRA reports in conformance with Section 508 for eventual posting by FRA to an FRA-sponsored website. If there are further questions, please contact FRA Contracting Officer’s Representative listed in this statement of work.

The Contractor will provide a text equivalent for every non-text element in all publications prepared in electronic format. Use descriptions (such as, "alt" and "longdesc") for all non-text images or place them in element content. For all documents prepared, the Contractor must prepare one standard HTML format (as described in this statement of work) and one text format that includes descriptions for all non-text images. “Text equivalent” means text sufficient to reasonably describe the image. For example, an image that is merely decorative requires only a very brief “text equivalent” description. However, if the image conveys information that is important to the content of the report, then text sufficient to reasonably describe that image and its purpose within the context of the report must be provided.

http://www.access-board.gov/508.htm http://section508.gov/ http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htm

When preparing tables that are heavily designed, the Contractor will provide adequate alternate information so that assistive technologies can read them out. the Contractor will identify row and column headers for data tables and provide the information in a non-linear form. Markup shall be used to associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers.

When electronic forms are designed to be completed online, the form shall allow people using assistive technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues.

While Section 508 addresses accessibility issues relative to electronic media, such as Web posting, Web sites, computer simulations, and videos, Section 504 of the Act deals with accessibility for all participants in Government training classes. Section 504 specifically addresses classroom settings, course materials and accommodations for special needs.

It has been determined that some of the deliverables to be developed under this contract are subject to the requirements of Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. Unless otherwise indicated, by submission of their proposal and acceptance of award, the Contractor represents that all required 504 and 508 compliance requirements will be met.

Contractors shall provide documentation of testing of all electronic materials and submit proof of compliance testing (results, reports, etc.). This documentation shall accompany the submitted final deliverables. The Government is not responsible for providing Section 508 guidance and training.

All electronic and information technology (EIT) procured through this contract must meet the applicable accessibility standards at 36 CFR 1194, unless an agency exception to this requirement exists. 36 CFR 1194 implements Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. EIT is defined as any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the creation, conversion, or duplication of data or information, or used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information. EIT includes, but is not limited to, telecommunications products (such as telephones), information kiosks and transaction machines, World Wide Web sites, multimedia, office equipment such as copiers and fax machines. It includes computers, ancillary equipment, software, firmware and similar procedures, services (including support services), and related resources.

The Contractors must ensure that all EIT that they provide either (1) meets the technical provisions of the Section 508 Access Board Standards applicable to a given procurement (see below) or (2) uses designs or technologies as alternatives to those prescribed in the specified technical provisions, provided they result in substantially equivalent or greater access to and use of a product for people with disabilities.

1.19 Funding: Funding shall be addressed in the subsequent Orders.

1.20 Restrictions and Standards of Conduct: The Contractor and all contractor employees shall conduct only business covered by the Orders during the periods paid for by the Government and shall not conduct any other business on Government premises. Contractor personnel shall abide by all rules and regulations applicable to Government premises, including any applicable safety and security regulations.

1.21 Contractor Performance Evaluations: Evaluations shall be conducted in accordance with the Local Clause found in the CPARS Attachment, named Post Award Evaluation of Contractor Performance. Any additional reference information can be accessed at Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (cpars.gov)

1.22 Administrative Information

ANNUAL REVIEWS

The Contracting Officer shall review the award at least once a year in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations.

1.23 Non-Disclosure Agreement: It is understood that as part of the official duties under the Orders with FRA, that the Contractor may come in contact with sensitive information including Personally Identifiable Information (PII), security sensitive information, Government procurement sensitive information, or proprietary business information from other contractors (e.g., cost data). The Contractor, as a government contractor employee, will certify that they will not disclose, publish, divulge, release, or make known, in any manner or to any extent, to any individual other than an appropriate or authorized Government employee, the content of any sensitive information provided during the course of their employment and herein after. The Contractor understands that for the purpose of this agreement, sensitive information includes all Personally Identifiable Information (PII), security sensitive information, proprietary business information, procurement data, contract information, plans, strategies, or other information not of a publicly released and available nature through appropriate sources.

The Contractor will further certify that they will use sensitive information only for official purposes in the performance of RDT&E Orders and will disclose such information only to those individuals who have a specific need to know in the performance of FRA activities.

The Contractor specifically will not disclose any such information to employees of their company or any other contractor employees who have not signed an applicable non-disclosure agreement. The Contractor will take all reasonable precautions to protect against unauthorized disclosure and use of such information and prevent compromise or access by unauthorized persons that could reasonably be expected to cause damage to FRA.

These provisions are consistent with and do not supersede, conflict with, or otherwise alter the employee obligations, rights, or liabilities created by existing statute or Executive order relating to (a) classified information, (b) communications to Congress, (c) the reporting to an Inspector General of a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or mismanagement, a gross https://cpars.gov/ waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, or (d) any other whistleblower protection.

The Contractor will certify that they have read the non-disclosure agreement described and are familiar with the directives and policies governing the disclosure of sensitive information. The Contractor will fully and completely observe these directives and will not disclose such information to any unauthorized person, or use any information obtained for private use or gain at any time. Attachment 5, Non-Disclosure Agreement shall be provided to the COR and CO for each employee at the Award and the Order level.

1.24 Printing Restrictions: All printing funded by this agreement must be done in conformance with Joint Committee on Printing regulations as prescribed in Title 44, United States Code, and Section 308 of Public Law 101-163, and all applicable Government Printing Office and Department of Transportation regulations.

1.25 Federal Acquisition Regulations Clauses and Provision: The FAR Clauses included in the Offeror’s Award flow down to the Orders. Additional FAR and TAR clauses and provisions may be incorporated as applicable at the Order level.

2. DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS:

2.1. Definitions: Reserved

2.2. Acronyms:

AQL Acceptable Quality Level CO Contracting Officer COR Contracting Officer Representative CPARS Contractor Performance Assessment Report System FFP Firm-Fixed Price FTR Federal Travel Regulations LH Labor Hour OCI Organizational Conflicts of Interest OCO Ordering Contracting Officer ODC Other Direct Costs T&M Time-and-Materials TM Task Monitor

3. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES:

3.1 Services (If applicable): shall be identified at the Order level.

3.2 Facilities (If applicable): shall be identified at the Order level.

3.3 Utilities (If applicable): shall be identified at the Order level.

3.4 Equipment (If applicable): shall be identified at the Order level.

3.5 Materials (If applicable): shall be identified at the Order level.

4. CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The Contractor shall furnish all services, facilities, equipment, and materials required to perform work under this Award that are not listed under Section 3 of the Work Statement. Additional Contractor furnished items and responsibilities shall be identified at the Order level.

5. SPECIFIC TASKS: Services performed under this Award will be initiated by a Request for Proposal in accordance with the Award Ordering Procedures and may result in an Order. Orders shall be made by the Contracting Officer (CO) and will constitute approval to proceed with the assigned work as described in the RFP. Tasks may require studies of existing or improved conventional railroad systems, investigation of high-speed rail systems, as well as new and emerging rail technologies. Specific investigations may include measurement and analysis of tracks, guideways, vehicles, and related systems. Additional activities will include engineering, data analysis, literature reviews, and dynamic modeling support in response to FRA Office of Safety (RRS) requests for assistance.

The contractor shall provide research support and engineering services to design, fabricate, operate, maintain, and analyze the results from specialized instrumentation, including GFE, which will be become part of the GFE inventory of this program. The Contractor shall also support FRA’s RD&T by providing engineering analysis, modeling, and technical support to joint efforts conducted by FRA with other organizations, such as the Association of American Railroads (AAR), the American Engineering and Maintenance of-way Association (AREMA), state organizations, Amtrak or other individual railroad companies, and academic research institutions, including the Transportation Research Board (TRB). The contractor will perform these services in accordance with the Order.

The contractor shall also coordinate and support activities with the FRA RRS Automated Track Inspection Program (ATIP), associated contractors, and other program areas to acquire data for analysis and modeling, and to deploy and evaluate new track inspection and other railroad safety assessment systems. Many data sources may be utilized to support research goals, including data collected with FRA-owned assets.

Order(s) may require Contractor services in one or more of the following areas:

5.1 Design and Fabrication of Instrumentation in Support of Research Tasks

This work area involves providing instrumentation to acquire data relevant to railroad research in both conventional railroad systems and advanced or innovative train systems or components.

Such instrumentation may be applied to track, guideway, and vehicle, operating control system or components of those systems. The contractor will receive guidance as to the issues to be addressed. The contractor must determine the specific variables which need to be measured, the available methods for measuring them, and design and acquire instrumentation to collect field data to accomplish RD&T research goals. This area requires state-of-the-art knowledge of instrumentation technology, particularly automated data acquisition as applied to the extremely harsh railroad environment. Instrumentation required must generally operate in the field and must provide sensitive measurements yet be durable to survive the rigors of railroad service.

5.2 Design, Acquisition, and Programming of Data Acquisition Systems

This work area involves the recording and processing of data produced from field or laboratory instrumentation. The contractor will also develop and apply systems for new applications and as replacements or upgrades for equipment. The contractor must have facilities and personnel to evaluate, select, and implement such systems, relying on state-of-the-art knowledge of computer hardware and software capabilities. This will involve interfacing such systems with field instrumentation and/or to other data processing systems;

designing, writing, and implementing software; and operating the systems in the laboratory or in the field.

5.3 Test Planning and Operations

This work area involves arranging, coordinating, and conducting data acquisition activities in the laboratory or in the field, as necessary to accomplish RD&T research requirements. The contractor must assemble, transport, and coordinate test instrumentation, support equipment, data collection systems, and appropriate manpower resources to accomplish test objectives in accordance with the Order.

5.4 Engineering Analyses, Modeling, Testing, and Evaluation

This work area involves providing engineering analysis to interpret data gathered pursuant to tasks under this contract or acquired from other sources. Activities may include formulating problem statements, planning data acquisition and analysis strategies, obtaining data from or furnishing data to other organizations, overseeing data processing to obtain useful information, analyzing and interpreting the results, and preparing the results and interpretations thereof for presentation in understandable form. Work tasks may involve the following activities:

5.4.1 Perform tests and evaluations on materials or hardware, including ra i l road vehicles, involving stress, strain, strength, puncture resistance, deterioration, wear characteristics, flaw growth and fatigue under static and/or dynamic conditions with, where appropriate, the consideration of the influence of temperature changes and/or extremes;

5.4.2 Design, instrument, and monitor tests to be performed by others;

5.4.3 Design, instrument, monitor or conduct tests to determine the operating envelope limits of railroad vehicles with regard to speed, curving, tipping, truck hunting, rail climb, load, vibration, consist configuration, terrain, track conditions, train handling and other operating environment characteristics which may be relevant;

5.4.4 Design and/or conduct tests of the performance and safety implications of devices which may be installed or proposed for installation in or on a train to include such considerations as reliability, life expectancy (of the device), visibility, placement, equipment/equipment interface, human/equipment interface, and functional value;

5.4.5 Evaluate track and equipment maintenance practices as they may affect the performance of the components serviced;

5.4.6 Design, fabricate, test or calibrate equipment intended to perform non-destructive evaluations of flaws or flaw growth in track and track components, vehicles and vehicle components and joiners such as welds, rivets, bolts;

5.4.7 Investigate, characterize, and define the performance and safety implications of the dynamic interaction of trains and individual rail cars with track and track structures;

5.4.8 Conduct fuel consumption studies and optimize fuel saving strategies that may be deployed;

5.4.9 Conduct evaluations in revenue service on advanced railroad components that improve safety;

5.4.10 Conduct railroad network and traffic assignment analyses which will likely consider routings, travel times, layover times, crew change points, costs train consists, and train control issues including dispatching and signaling;

5.4.11 Develop and/or use computer models which may simulate a variety of railroad operating situations including traffic flows, vehicle or vehicle sub-system performance, signal and communication system functions. Work areas may include vehicle and track interaction analysis, wheel/rail interface research, rolling stock equipment modeling analysis, hazardous material modeling, etc.;

5.4.12 Perform statistical analyses of data developed by the contractor or provided by other sources;

5.4.13 Prepare experimental designs to efficiently test experimental hypotheses and determine the statistical reliability of results;

5.4.14 Conduct tests of signal system components in laboratory and/or field environments, and provide engineering analysis leading to component safety applicability, usefulness and/or improvement in existing and/or emerging systems;

5.4.15 Conduct analyses, experiments and equipment tests of advanced and traditional train control systems;

5.4.16 Identify, evaluate, and determine hazard control methods for proposed types of electrical propulsion schemes for high-speed guided ground transportation

5.4.17 Conduct analyses, experiments, and operational tests of dynamic performance of current collection apparatus for high-speed guided ground transportation

5.4.18 Develop system concepts, requirements, architectures, standards, and/or specifications with rail industry stakeholder input and support;

5.4.19 Develop frameworks to assess how safety risks change as both new inspection methods are introduced or are combined with existing methods and inspection frequencies vary;

5.4.20 Review published FRA technical reports and provide synopses for both FRA inspectors and field railroad personnel and identify themes or areas for future research initiatives;

5.4.21 Apply human factors methodologies to prototype new locomotive cab controls and displays;

5.4.22 Apply human factors methodologies to test and evaluate control and display design effects on human performance;

5.4.23 Conduct human-in-the-loop studies of human performance using the FRA’s Cab

Technology Integration Laboratory (CTIL);

5.4.24 Conduct real-time simulations of railroad operations in support of experiments to determine the effect of PTC technology on human performance and error in various railroad jobs;

5.4.25 Conduct analyses, case studies, and evaluations of safety culture, crew resource management, training curriculum, scenario-based training, needs assessment;

5.4.26 Conduct technology policy analysis and technology transfer for innovative human factors research technical outcomes;

5.4.27 Identify and conduct research as needed to support decision-making by FRA working groups (e.g., RSAC); summarize research findings and make recommendations to assist these working groups;

5.4.28 Research and test intrusion detection systems in shared use highway-rail with particular focus on true high speed railway lines and interstate highways; and

5.4.29 Conduct modeling and simulations using grade crossing inventory data, grade crossing incident data, among others.

5.5 Equipment Maintenance and Storage in Support of Research Tasks

This work area involves providing support to store and maintain FRA-owned equipment at a level necessary to meet the requirements of the Award and subsequent Orders. This area includes the routine maintenance and/or calibration of data collection systems, instrumented wheelsets, and smaller equipment such as transducers, bracketing, cabling, fixtures, and portable instrumentation and measurement equipment.

5.6 Data Processing and Software Maintenance

This work area involves data processing support to accomplish the objectives of the Award and subsequent Orders. Work under the contract involves handling large volumes of digital data acquired from specialized data acquisition systems. The contractor must maintain the hardware, software, and personnel resources to handle such data effectively. Support requirements include programming, debugging and documentation of specialized software, data formatting, storage, and quality assurance, and data processing system maintenance and upgrading to maintain efficient and adequate data processing capabilities. Compatibility between field data-acquisition and processing systems must be maintained.

5.7 Management and Administration

May be identified at the Order level.

APPENDIX A

Deliverable Schedule

MASTER AWARD

Related Task Required Deliverable

Brief Description of

Deliverable

Deliver To

Due Date or Frequency

Order Summary Report

Order Summary

Report COR Monthly, in conjunction with invoice as applicable.

Off Boarding

Report COR Within 5 business days prior to the departure.

Listing of Personnel

Report COR Monthly, in conjunction with invoice(s) as applicable.

ORDER

Related Task Required

Deliverable Brief

Description of Deliverable

Deliver To

Due Date or Frequency

Order Employee Nondisclosure Agreements

Order: Non- Disclosure Agreement (at the discretion of FRA)

Non-Disclosure Agreement (template:

Attachment)

COR / CO Prior to commencement of any work specified in the Order

Order Invoice Detail Spreadsheet

Order: Invoice Detail Spreadsheet

Received with invoice 100% of the time with no more than 3 content discrepancies.

COR / CO

Monthly, within 15 days of last business day of each month.

T&M/LH only.

Order Cost and Status Reports

Order: Cost Detail Spreadsheet, Progress Detail Word Document

Received with invoice 100% of the time with no more than 3

COR / CO

Monthly, within 15 days of last business day of each month.

Order Travel Authorization Request (TAR)

Contractor shall meet the required federal travel

Identification of and request for travel.

COR / CO Submit 5 or more business https://codeclimate.com/ regulations; TAR shall be completed properly and require little to no correction.

days before travel.

Order ODC Detail Report

Order ODC Detail Report

ODC Summary Report

COR / CO Monthly, within 15 days of last business day of each month, as required.

Order Task Related Reports (Shall be identified at the Order level)

Shall be identified at the Order level

Shall be identified at the Order level.

COR Shall be identified at the Order level

APPENDIX B

Performance Requirements Summary Required

Service/Task Performance

Standard Acceptable

Quality Level Method of

Surveillance

Incentives or Disincentives

Submit to COR within 5 business days prior to the departure.

Received on time, and all elements addressed 100% of the time with no more than 3

CO/COR review for completeness, correctness, and detail

Replace or correct;

Government replace or correct; or no cost replace or correct as specified in FAR 52.212-4 Alt I

(a) (4), (5) and (6), respectively.

Submit to COR by 5:00 PM ET on last business day of each month.

Received on time, and all elements addressed 100% of the time with no more than 3 completeness, detail

Contractor replace or correct;

Government replace or correct; or no cost replace or correct as specified in FAR 52.212-4 Alt I

Non- Disclosure Agreements

Submit personnel Non-Disclosure Agreements to the COR prior to commencement of any work specified in the Order (at the discretion of FRA)

Submitted prior to commencement of any work 100% of the time.

completeness, detail.

Contractor replace or correct;

Government replace or correct; or no cost replace or correct as specified in FAR 52.212-4 Alt I