Section C-SOW Synopsis Posted 10-6-2011.docx

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATION/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 INTRODUCTION

The Federal Highway Administration is a major agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), a cabinet-level organization of the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government. FHWA is charged with the broad responsibility of ensuring that America’s roads and highways continue to be the safest and most technologically up-to-date. Although State, local, and tribal governments own most of the Nation’s highways, FHWA provides financial and technical support to them for constructing, improving, and preserving America’s highway system.

The FHWA's Office of Operation’s initiative to reduce highway congestion through better operation of the highway network builds on the thought that we can do more to operate the transportation system so that it performs better to meet customer expectations regardless of the demands placed on it. As improving operations becomes a strategy and more fully applied to transportation, it will require rethinking of how services are delivered to those who depend on the transportation system. Effectively addressing the congestion problem will hinge on the ability to reshape traditional transportation organizations into "21st century operations agencies using 21st century technologies”.

The program areas within the Office of Operations are helping to change the mindset of traditional transportation organizations by developing and implementing programs, training, and tools to support meeting this goal.

C.2 Additional Background Material

BACKGROUND

The work required under this project is designed to provide the FHWA Office of Operations with a mechanism to continuously support and assist HOTO and HOTM. Typical support activities provided under this project could include special studies on policy and technical matters, research and evaluations related to and in support of operations, issue papers, briefing materials and case studies on the state-of-the-practice, seminars, technical assistance networks, specialty conferences/workshops/symposia, focus group meeting on special issues, and the preparation of a newsletter and/or articles. Similar support activities provided under this project may also be initiated by FHWA field offices.

Additional information for the programs within the Office of Operations can be found at http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/program_areas/programareas.htm

C.3 – INCUMBENT CONTRACTS

The subject work is being performed under the following active IDIQ contracts.

· DTFH61-06-D-00004 awarded to Cambridge Systematics, Inc. (ends on 12/31/2011)

· DTFH61-06-D-00005 awarded to SAIC (ends on 01/30/2012)

· DTFH61-06-D-00006 awarded to Booz Allen Hamilton (ends on 12/31/2011)

· DTFH61-06-D-00007 awarded to Battelle (ends on 01/30/2012)

C.4 CONTRACT OBJECTIVES

1. To support FHWA Office of Operations activities related to the office’s strategies through a continuous contractor(s)-supported program of technical assistance, technical studies, and technology transfer.

2. To develop and refine the tools, evaluations, and information needed to formulate FHWA's policy and/or legislative position on operations programs.

3. To investigate, evaluate, summarize, organize, and disseminate information as appropriate to support the technology transfer, technical assistance, and policy development efforts of FHWA’s Office of Operations.

4. To develop and deliver workshops, seminars, and other educational mechanisms that utilize interactive computer-aided instructional tools to demonstrate the application and effectiveness of Operation’s Strategies.

5. To provide market research, evaluation, assessment and measurement, and information sharing.

C.5 SCOPE OF WORK

The contractor will provide support to Operations staff in the development of policy, programs, and projects that advance operations; for communications activities that raise awareness, understanding, and the application of the operations concepts; for the development and use of technical tools including models and computer-aided instructional (CAI) projects; for technology transfer and technical assistance programs to state and local transportation professionals; and for program assessment including project evaluation, performance measurement, and process improvement

This contract provides for technical and program support for a number of activities that will assist the Office of Operations in particular and FHWA in general with coordination and development.

The Office of Operations consists of three Offices, HOTO, HOTM and HOFM. This procurement action focuses on HOTO and HOTM. Within the Office of HOTO and HOTM there are 17 program areas that will be part of this procurement. These 17 program areas are grouped into 3 Program Groups. The correlation of the 17 Program Area to the program groups is shown below in Table 1.

The Offerors Proposals shall address each Operations Program Group or combination of groups for which the Offeror is proposing, from the list below.

Table 1 Operations Program Area Operations Program Group

· Arterial Management

· Corridor Traffic Management

· Freeway Management

· Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)

· Performance Measurement

· Planning for Operations

· Real Time Traveler Information

· Road Weather Management

· Tolling and Pricing Program

· Traffic Analysis Tools

· Travel Demand Management

· Work Zone Management

1. Transportation Management and Operations

· Facilitating Integrated ITS Deployment

· ITS JPO Research Program.

2. Operations and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

· Traffic Incident Management (TIM)

· Emergency Transportation Operations

· Planned Special Events

3. Incident & Emergency Management

Below are brief descriptions’ of the 17 Program Areas identified in Table 1.

Transportation Management and Operations

· Arterial Management – The Arterial Management Program promotes and supports the advancement of traffic signal management and operations by supporting, promoting and developing research, technology, tools, guidance, training and outreach that improve practice, build professional capacity and foster collaboration among agencies responsible for operation and maintenance of traffic signals.

· Corridor Traffic Management - When congested traffic conditions occur on one roadway, traffic on adjoining roadways or freeway interchanges in the corridor, are also impacted. Typically, as congestion occurs on one roadway, travelers respond in a variety of ways: finding an alternate route, selecting a different roadway (freeway versus surface street), adjusting their trip to another time of day, or remaining on their current route and enduring the significant delays. These disruptions range in scale, frequency, predictability, duration, and have the potential to impact a number of facilities or modes. A number of promising approaches may enhance how we currently operate the surface transportation system. The proactive use of managed lane strategies, alternate routing of traffic, and proactively managing and controlling traffic within freeway corridors offer are a few useful approaches to operating the transportation system. These strategies have the potential to achieve significantly greater levels of utilization of the existing roadway capacity, improve travel times, enhance safety, and reliability of travel.

Localized (Bottleneck) Congestion – This program is directed solely at recurring congestion. In this era of economic challenges it is even more imperative to make the most efficient use of that which already exists. The transportation profession has gradually come to realize that it is often the subordinate parts of a highway facility that need tweaking, and not necessarily a knee-jerk reaction to “add more” infrastructure to fix recurring congestion. An agency that does not have a stand-alone “localized” congestion program (e.g., similar to a stand-alone safety-spot program) is missing an opportunity to address a specific subset of overall congestion.

· Freeway Management – The Freeway Management Program supports and promotes the use of integrated and coordinated freeway systems and proactive freeway management to mitigate the impacts of congestion and improve the safety, mobility, productivity and reliability of travel on the nation's freeway facilities.

· Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) – The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) establishes the standards that must be used by road managers nationwide to design and use traffic control devices on all public streets, highways, bikeways, and private roads open to public travel. The MUTCD is published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under 23 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 655, Subpart F. The MUTCD program includes but is not limited to development of proposed revisions and updates of the MUTCD, adopting such revisions using the formal Federal rulemaking process, development of MUTCD text, graphics, ancillary documents and publications, and providing outreach and technical assistance to MUTCD users.

· Performance Measurement – Performance measurement is the use of evidence to determine progress toward specific defined organizational objectives. This includes both quantitative evidence (such as the measurement of customer travel times) and qualitative evidence (such as the measurement of customer satisfaction and customer perceptions).

Operations performance measurement, therefore, measures progress toward meeting the objectives of transportation system management and operations. Although the specific objectives of management and operations activities vary among organizations, most relate to the overall goals of transportation mobility, reliability, and productivity.

· Planning for Operations – Planning for Operations is a joint effort between the FHWA Office of Operations, Office of Planning and FTA's Office of Planning, and was developed to promote multimodal planning practices that support 21st century transportation system management and operations. In order to link 21st Century operational services into the transportation planning and programming process, transportation planners and operators should have a common understanding of the mobility, safety, and efficiency benefits of linking planning and operations.

Linking planning and operations is vital to improving transportation decision making and the overall effectiveness of transportation systems. Coordination between planners and operators helps ensure that regional transportation investment decisions reflect full consideration of all available strategies and approaches to meet regional goals and objectives.

· Real Time Traveler Information – The Real-Time Traveler Information program focuses on information for all sorts of travel on our surface transportation networks - how the information is collected, how it's processed, how it's provided to consumers, and how it may be used by transportation system operators to improve travel for everyone.

· Road Weather Management - Adverse weather conditions have a major impact on the safety and operation of our Nation's roads, from signalized arterials to Interstate highways. Weather affects driver behavior, vehicle performance, pavement friction, and roadway infrastructure. Weather events and their impacts on roads can be viewed as predictable, non-recurring incidents that affect safety, mobility and productivity. Weather affects roadway safety through increased crash risk, as well as exposure to weather-related hazards. Weather impacts roadway mobility by increasing travel time delay, reducing traffic volumes and speeds, increasing speed variance (i.e., a measure of speed uniformity), and decreasing roadway capacity (i.e., maximum rate at which vehicles can travel). Weather events influence productivity by disrupting access to road networks, and increasing road operating and maintenance costs. Combining ITS and weather forecasting with transportation management strategies will lead to a safer and more efficient transportation system.

· Tolling and Pricing Program - The Office of Operations works closely with Innovative Program Delivery which is responsible for coordinating the Tolling and Pricing team activities. The Tolling and Pricing team is responsible for guiding individual States and jurisdictions that submit an Expression of Interest to the appropriate Federal tolling authority and to the appropriate technical approach to implement transportation pricing projects within the FHWA. The Value Pricing Pilot (VPP) program has been in operation for over ten years, and has successfully implemented a handful of innovative pricing project. The Tolling and Pricing Team was formed to:

· Coordinate the different tolling and pricing programs and provisions within FHWA, and

· Direct public authorities to the most appropriate program or provision among the many options available to meet their goals.

The Team serves as a clearinghouse to coordinate all tolling and pricing requests, but does not act to approve any requests. All approvals and program oversight rest with the Office of the Secretary of Transportation.

· Traffic Analysis Tools - The Traffic Analysis Tools Program was formulated by FHWA in an attempt to strike a balance between efforts to develop new, improved tools in support of traffic operations analysis and efforts to facilitate the deployment and use of existing tools. FHWA has established two tracks under the Traffic Analysis Tools Program: the deployment track and the development track.

· Travel Demand Management – Managing both the "growth of" and periodic "shifts in" traffic demand are necessary elements of managing traffic congestion. If traffic demand is not managed, the performance of the transportation system will be adversely affected. Managing traffic demand today is about providing travelers, regardless of whether they drive alone, with travel choices, such as work location, route, time, and mode.

· Work Zone Management - In 1999, FHWA established the Work Zone Mobility and Safety Program. Our goal is to "make work zones work better" by providing transportation practitioners with high-quality products, tools, and information that can be used to help improve work zone management, and ultimately reduce congestion and crashes in and around work zones. The program promotes consideration of work zone impacts throughout project delivery and the use and assessment of effective practices to mitigate those impacts.

Operations and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

· Facilitating Integrated ITS Deployment – The Facilitating Integrated ITS Deployment program is responsible for developing, and supporting implementation of, Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), policies, and programs aimed at increasing the level of integrated ITS deployment throughout the country. Technical support includes facilitating deployment of ITS standards through the development of tools, training, and technical deployment support.

· The Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Research Program - The Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO) is charged with the planning and execution of the ITS Program as authorized by Congress in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, P.L. 109-59). This program encompasses a broad range of technologies that are applied to the surface transportation system. The ITS JPO coordinates with and executes the program in cooperation with the surface modal administrations within the Department of Transportation, such as: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), et al.

The ITS JPO ITS Research and Development includes related supporting activities. The contractor’s and subcontractors’ expertise must span the breadth of ITS to encompass the current needs of deploying agencies, while also providing targeted expertise to address the emerging needs of the Department of Transportation in its research efforts. The breadth of ITS is depicted through the National ITS Architecture, version 6.1, and can be described according to user needs:

· Travel and Traffic Management Pre-trip Travel Information En-route Driver Information Route Guidance Ride Matching and Reservation Traveler Services Information Traffic Control Incident Management Travel Demand Management Emissions Testing and Mitigation Highway Rail Intersection

· Public Transportation Management Public Transportation Management En-route Transit Information Personalized Public Transit Public Travel Security

· Electronic Payment Electronic Payment Services

· Commercial Vehicle Operations Commercial Vehicle Electronic Clearance Automated Roadside Safety Inspection On-board Safety and Security Monitoring Commercial Vehicle Administrative Processes Hazardous Materials Security and Incident Response Freight Mobility

· Emergency Management Emergency Notification and Personal Security Emergency Vehicle Management Disaster Response and Evacuation

· Advanced Vehicle Safety Systems Longitudinal Collision Avoidance Lateral Collision Avoidance Intersection Collision Avoidance Vision Enhancement for Crash Avoidance Safety Readiness Pre-crash Restraint Deployment Automated Vehicle Operation

· Information Management Archived Data

· Maintenance and Construction Management Maintenance and Construction Operations

Support IntelliDriveSM Research Program. This includes facilitating involvement of public sector participation in stakeholder groups and forums related to IntelliDriveSM and assisting USDOT in managing related meetings and activities. Provide input on stakeholder needs and facilitate stakeholder reviews of program documents and activities. Support appropriate outreach activities and exchange among public sector members to promote implementation of research results. Support research activities related to implementation strategies and guidance and applications development.

Provide support in other ITS research areas, including safety, mobility and environmental program areas. Provide support to USDOT in stakeholder involvement activities, meeting support, needs definition, policy research, implementation guidance, outreach and technology transfer activities related to these research programs.

Incident & Emergency Management

· Emergency Transportation Operations - FHWA, through the ETO programs, provides tools, guidance, capacity building and good practices that aid local and State DOTs and their partners in their efforts to improve transportation network efficiency and public/responder safety when a non-recurring event either interrupts or overwhelms transportation operations. Non-recurring events may range from traffic incidents to traffic planning for Planned Special Events (PSE) to disaster or emergency transportation operations (Disaster ETO). Work in ETO program areas focuses on using highway operational tools to enhance mobility and motorist and responder safety. Partnerships in ETO program areas involve non-traditional transportation stakeholders since ETO programs involve transportation, public safety (fire, rescue, emergency medical service [EMS]), law enforcement) and emergency management communities. ETO, as a discipline, spans a full range of activities: from transportation-centric (fender benders) to those where transportation is a critical response component (e.g., hurricane evacuations). Planned Special Events, which is the platform for community preparedness and response readiness for events that range from parades through town and subsequent street closings and a focus on traffic management to events that might attract malevolent acts that cause a potential emergency response—for example the Super Bowl. Though these programs have distinct characteristics, the interrelationships among these are also very evident. From an institutional perspective, one of the similarities these three share is that they all depend on good regional relationships. The partners involved in the planning, response and recovery are often the same.

The Government’s estimated labor categories, duties, and recommended experience and education are listed below. Education and years of experience are estimated and recommended but are not required or mandatory. If an Offeror departs from the education and years of experience proposed below, the Offeror must provide adequate explanation to justify the departure from the recommended qualifications.

Program Manager (Key Personnel): The Program Manager (PM) shall be responsible for overall management of the contract, including quality assurance for all products delivered to the government and availability of resources to complete all task orders.

Senior Professional/Technical Staff Each SP/T shall have at minimum a Masters degree in transportation operations, transportation systems, or advanced transportation technology, and a minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience. This experience shall include technical leadership of significant work on transportation activities.

Upper Mid-level Professional/Technical Staff The Upper Mid-Level Professional / Technical Staff Members (UMP/T) shall participate in the performance of task orders requiring their “Technical Skills”, under the Program Areas assigned to them. Each proposed UMP/T individual shall possess a bachelor’s or advanced degree in any field, related to this Operations support project, and shall possess eight - ten years of work experience directly related to the particular “Technical Skill” or “Technical Skills” that the individual is being proposed to contribute to this Operations support project.

Mid-level Professional/Technical Staff The Mid-Level Professional / Technical Staff Members (MP/T) shall participate in the performance of task orders requiring their “Technical Skills”, under the Program Areas assigned to them. Each proposed MP/T individual shall possess a bachelor’s degree in any field, whether related to this Operations support project or not, and shall possess five – eight years of work experience directly related to the particular “Technical Skill” or “Technical Skills” that the individual is being proposed to contribute to this Operations support project.

Lower Mid-level Professional/Technical Staff The Lower Mid-Level Professional / Technical Staff Members (LMP/T) shall participate in the performance of task orders requiring their “Technical Skills”, under the Program Areas assigned to them. Each proposed LMP/T individual shall possess a bachelor’s degree in any field, whether related to this Operations support project or not, and shall possess three – four years of work experience directly related to the particular “Technical Skill” or “Technical Skills” that the individual is being proposed to contribute to this Operations support project.

Junior Level Professional/Technical Staff The Junior-Level Staff Members (JP/T) shall participate in the performance of task orders requiring their “Technical Skills”, under the Delivery Strategies assigned to them. Each individual proposed JP/T shall have the ability to perform intelligently and efficiently a specified technical task under an assigned task order at the direction of the contractor’s technical staff. Each individual proposed as a JP/T shall be competent in basic research and in analysis, and shall possess results-documentation skills. The JP/T shall collectively possess a mix of the “Technical Skills” Each proposed JLSM individual shall, at a minimum, possess an associate’s degree in any field, whether related to this Operations support project or not, and shall possess two years of work experience directly related to the particular “Technical Skill” or “Technical Skills” that the individual is being proposed to contribute to this Operations support project.

Researcher/Technical Writer The Researchers / Technical Writers (R/TW) shall participate in the performance of task orders requiring their skills, under the Delivery Strategies assigned to them. Each individual proposed as an R/TW shall have the ability to interpret results of technical research or projects, and the ability to present such results in written material in a way that concisely and clearly conveys the results to a variety of readers including those generally familiar with the subject and those unfamiliar with it. Each proposed R/TW shall possess at least one year of work experience in researching / technical writing, but such experience need not necessarily be in a transportation-related field. Each proposed RTW individual shall, at a minimum, possess an associate’s degree in any field, whether related to this Operations support project or not.

Computer Support(s) The Computer Support Staff persons (CS) shall participate in the performance of task orders requiring their skills, under the Delivery Strategies assigned to them. Each individual proposed as a CS shall have the ability to use a wide variety of commercial software products for analysis and documentation, including: use of software for standard word processing desktop publishing, website creation, spreadsheets, statistical analysis, graphical presentations, databases (including GIS), e-mail, and collaboration-support. CS staff persons collectively shall possess the ability to use computer tools appropriate to the engineering and planning skills mentioned in this Solicitation. A given individual may be proposed to serve as CS for one, or for more than one, Delivery Strategy; but in its initial proposal each offeror shall explicitly designate the Delivery Strategy or Delivery Strategies over which each separate named CS staff person would have responsibility. Each proposed CS staff person shall possess at least one year of work experience in rendering computer support, but such experience need not necessarily be in a transportation-related field. Each proposed CS individual shall, at a minimum, possess an associate’s degree in any field, whether related to this Operations support project or not.

General Support Staff The General Support Staff persons (GS) shall participate in the performance of task orders requiring their skills, under the Delivery Strategies assigned to them. Each individual proposed as GS staff person shall have skills in word processing, graphical illustration, desktop publishing and mailing list software, and shall have the ability to turn products of technical staff into documents and presentations of specified formats and of high quality, including camera-ready copy for publications, and the ability to distribute such materials promptly to mailing lists of reviewers and participants. Each proposed General Support staff member (GS) shall possess at least one year of work experience in rendering general office support, but such experience need not necessarily be in a transportation-related field. Each proposed GS individual shall, at a minimum, possess an associate’s degree in any field, whether related to this Operations support project or not.

C.6 DELINEATION OF TASK AREAS

· TASK AREA A: CONTRACT AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT

· TASK AREA B - SUPPORT TO STAFF IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLICY, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS THAT ADVANCE OPERATIONS

· TASK AREA C - SUPPORT TO STAFF FOR COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING MARKETING AND OUTREACH THAT RAISE AWARENESS, UNDERSTANDING, AND THE APPLICATION OF THE OPERATIONS CONCEPTS

· TASK AREA D - SUPPORT TO STAFF FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF TECHNICAL TOOLS INCLUDING MODELS AND COMPUTER-AIDED INSTRUCTIONAL (CAI) PROJECTS

· TASK AREA E - SUPPORT TO STAFF FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS TO STATE AND LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROFESSIONALS.

· TASK AREA F - SUPPORT TO STAFF FOR PROGRAM ASSESSMENT INCLUDING PROJECT EVALUATION, PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT, AND PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

NOTE: Offerors’ proposals must demonstrate their team’s experience and capabilities to perform Task Orders under all Task Areas (Task Areas A through F) listed above. The offeror must propose based on the Operations Program Groups listed in Table 1, section C.5 ”Scope of Work”, The offer can proposes any combination of the Operations Program Groups listed in Table 1.

The Government intends to award multiple contracts which will require that the Contractor team (inclusive of subcontractors) have the capability to provide services for tasks proposed.

The Government is seeking contractors that can provide support in any combination of Program Areas. A source may propose on a single Program Group listed above.

C.7 TASK AREA WORK DESCRIPTIONS

TASK AREA A: CONTRACT AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The Contractor shall effectively manage the collection of Task Orders issued under this contract. This Task Area A is intended to provide a Task Area for the overarching Project Management activities that cross numerous or all task orders and cannot be directly attributed to one task order. Immediately after award, the FHWA intends to initiate and execute a Task Order for Project Management.

NOTE: This contract does not include a separate administrative Task Order to cover the costs of proposal preparation costs for bidding on Task Orders. Contractors are to handle such Task Order bid and proposal costs in accordance with their disclosure statements/cost accounting system. This Task Area A, entitled Project Management, does NOT include Task Order bid and proposal costs. Task Order bid and proposal costs are expressly unallowable as direct costs under this contract.

Management steps shall include, but are not limited to the following.

a) Attend administrative meeting(s) requested by the Government, including initial or “kick-off.”

b) Meet with the COTR and Office of Operations Staff annually to review best practices from the previous year, discuss reporting process and invoices with staff. COTR will initiate meetings.

c) Implement, and refine as necessary, a task order process and procedure.

d) Negotiate and award subcontracts.

e) Coordinate and negotiate work by others, such as partners in the task.

f) Develop and maintain a work plan for each task order issued, as specified below.

g) Inform the COTR, as soon as possible, of any problems encountered or anticipated that might affect the successful completion of a deliverable or task order.

h) Deliver monthly progress reports, as described in Section G2.

i) Deliver monthly invoices electronically, as described in Section G2.

j) Deliver other program status reports and briefings, as required by the Government.

k) Ensure that necessary facilities, equipment and management tools needed to carry out the contract and task orders are on-hand.

l) Develop and maintain a project schedule, work plan, travel budget, and timetable for all deliverables. Respond as required to inquiries under approved task orders, and ensure adequate technical staffing and work schedules to successfully complete project tasks.

The Office of Operations IDIQ contractor will be responsible for developing and communicating a complete project management plan for each task that is assigned. The project management plan will follow the PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) standard ANSI/PMI 99-001-2004.

The level of project management and management plans initiated shall be commensurate with the level of effort. When called for, in individual task orders, a detailed project management plan containing the following components will be required.

Project Management Plan Deliverables

· Milestone and Activity Lists

· Activity Duration Estimates

· Sequencing of all activities

· Project Schedule Network Diagram

· Project Schedule Baseline

· Project Schedule Critical Path identified in Network Diagram

· Project Communications Plan

· Risk Management Plan

· Risk Register

· Human Resource Plan with Roles and Responsibilities, Project Organizational Charts, and Staffing Management Plan

· Cost Estimates by deliverable identified in Project Schedule 3 months

- Project Management Plan

- Risk Management Plan

- Project Communications Plan

- Human Resource Plan

- Cost Management Plan Ongoing throughout the period of performance of the task order

Monitoring & Controlling

· Updates to Project Management Plan

· Updates to Project Schedule

· Updates to Scope Management Plan

· Cost Tracking Matrix (Exhibit I) tracking actual costs against proposal estimated cost by deliverable. The creation of cost accounting charge numbers by deliverable will be required to support tracking costs.

· Status Reports, Progress Reports, and Cost Tracking Matrix by deliverable.

· Reports. Reports distributed per Communications Plan

· Updates to Risk Management Plan and Risk Register Ongoing throughout the period of performance of the task order

The following are explanations of the components in the project management plan, as per PMBOK standard.

1) Scope Statement – Plan to ensure that the project includes all the work required and only the work required, to complete the project successfully

2) Communications Plan – A plan ensuring timely and appropriate generation, collection, distribution, storage, retrieval, and ultimate disposition of project information.

3) Work Breakdown Structure – Subdividing the major project deliverables and project work into small, more manageable components. Budget dollars and planned duration time can be assigned to each component.

4) Critical Path – it is the longest duration path through a network diagram and it determines the shortest time to complete the project.

5) Develop a Project Schedule using a Gantt Chart – A project schedule developed based upon activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints. The project schedule must include planned start and finish dates, activity sequences, activity durations, planned milestones and the identification of the critical path.

6) Risk Management Plan – A plan ensuring a structured process that conducts risk identification (entered into a risk register) analysis for risk mitigation, and developed responses and actions to planned mitigation of risks.

7) Monitoring and Control Project Work – A plan that identifies how the project- work will be tracked, reviewed, and regulated to meet the performance objectives of the project management plan. The contractor will execute the monitoring and control plan to ensure the project is meeting the deliverables outlined in the Statement of Work.

8) Project Closeout Plan – A plan to ensure that all project work is complete and that the project has met its objectives.

The deliverables from this task area may include, but not be limited to, monthly status reports, quarterly status briefings on critical tasks, meeting reports, and liaison activities as directed by the COTR.

TASK AREA B - SUPPORT TO STAFF IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLICY, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS THAT ADVANCE OPERATIONS

Under the overall management of the Government, the contractor shall provide monitoring support; economic and policy analyses; engineering, operational, and systems design assistance to FHWA staff as needed in administrative, legislative, and technical matters relating to identified program. This assistance includes preparing white papers, collecting, managing, and analyzing data, conducting special studies, or analyzing issues, on an as-needed basis, in the development of policy, programs, and projects that advance operations. In addition, the contractor shall provide support to the work of FHWA cross-cutting teams for coordinating and facilitating policy, program, and project activities in operations. Specific activities under this task also may include:

1. Seminars, meetings, etc: Provide support to FHWA Headquarters and field staff in holding meetings, seminars, and focus groups as necessary to define needed actions to enhance Office of Operations program delivery strategies. The audience would include staff from DOT Operating Agencies, States, and local areas. The effort would include, facilitating group and/or team discussions, hosting, arranging, issuing invitations, providing logistical and technical support, providing informational packages to participants, assisting with the running of the forum, taking notes, and preparing a summary report for FHWA. The work may also include development of brochures and informational materials. For pricing purposes a group or team meeting will be 20 to 30 people for 1-2 days and a seminar or workshop will be 50 to 100 people for 2-3 days. Food and beverage costs are not allowable items for reimbursement.

2. Status reports and case studies: Prepare status reports on the state of practice for selected Operations program areas. The status reports would synthesize the current experiences and developments. Based on the current practices, prepare case studies that describe and analyze specific exemplary or innovative measures. For example, status reports may be requested on work zone safety, service patrols for incident management activities in the United States. Case studies may be prepared to describe and assess selected weather and emergency management or freight management programs identified in a Status Report. The length of the status report will typically not exceed 25 pages.

3. Policy/Legislative/economic analysis: Analyze the cost, benefits, impacts, etc. of proposals made to support legislative and policy initiatives. The effort may include conducting small-scale research on legislative proposals to gather information and identify impacts. The analysis could also be associated with operational aspects of the National Highway System or questions raised by Congress as part of the Department of Transportation annual budget appropriation hearings. The results of any analysis will be contained in a technical memorandum (or white paper) and are typically no longer than 15 pages in length. The analyses will also be designed to provide technical assistance with the implementation of the current and future re-authorizations of transportation related legislation.

4. Special Studies: Conduct special studies on topics related to the support of the Operations program areas. Special studies or topics may be related to financial, technical, institutional, or administrative aspects of the Operations program delivery strategies. The special studies may also include market research to understand the acceptability or impact of traffic management and traveler information systems. In addition, this effort may be used to conduct evaluations of the performance of innovative traffic management and traveler information plans, programs, technologies, and systems funded with Federal-aid funds. The special studies may also include an analysis of supply chain operations with the intent to work with the freight industry to help optimize the overall performance of the supply chain.

5. On-site Administrative and Technical Support: Provide on-site administrative and technical support as needed to the staff of the Office of Operations in order to facilitate program management activities. The individual(s) used for the on-site work will be knowledgeable in a variety of aspects in the programs administered by the Office of Operations. The aspects may include operations, administration, maintenance, enforcement, human factors, planning, and implementation of procedures for data analysis, data management, market research, and communications. Projects may include, logistical support for operations scans and field reviews, or support for workshop development. Individuals must have the ability to efficiently analyze data, run state-of-the-art computer models, and disseminate products to the public. The government shall provide suitable work space, desk, file space, identification cards allowing access to the Government facility, work stations, computers, telephone, local area network (LAN) access for word processing, electronic mail, database, spreadsheet, and graphics development.

TASK AREA C - SUPPORT TO STAFF FOR COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING MARKETING AND OUTREACH THAT RAISE AWARENESS, UNDERSTANDING, AND THE APPLICATION OF THE OPERATIONS CONCEPTS

Under the overall management of the Government, the contractor shall provide technical, logistical, administrative, and management support to FHWA in order to ensure effective and coordinated communications programs. This will be especially important to advance all aspects of the current National Transportation Operations Coalition (NTOC) currently underway by FHWA and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE).

These support activities are designed to promote the application of operations strategies in general and Operations program areas in particular. Specific activities may include:

1. Communications: Provide support and assistance in the planning and implementation of a coordinated communications program to the Office of Operations and its program areas. This may include preparing materials that promote the application of delivery strategies and program areas to State and local transportation professionals. The materials could include brochures, pamphlets ("trifolds”), videos, non-technical reports, CD-ROM, and other innovative formats. Topics could relate to aspects of these program areas, such as freight management, high occupancy vehicle lanes, incident management, freeway management, traveler information centers, value pricing, electronic payment services, travel demand management, work zones, the MUTCD, and ITS-Public Safety deployment. The materials may also be prepared to promote legislative and policy aspects of operations projects and programs. Topics may include flexible funding for traffic management under existing legislation, innovative procurement policies for operations, and Federal funding options related to public-private partnerships. Finally, the work in this area may involve assisting staff in preparing materials for display at conferences, workshops, and a variety of other venues.

2. Symposiums, seminars, focus groups: Provide management, logistical, and technical support to FHWA in preparing a range of seminars, exercisers/simulations workshops, and focus groups to facilitate and promote the application of program areas, measures, and technologies. Proceedings for all sessions will be prepared as part of this effort. Some examples of work to be done under this task is to conduct a 1-day symposium; a regional conference on emergency management during hurricanes or other natural disasters; a series of focus groups to FHWA customers (including the general public) in order to help develop the operations needs ranging from the National Transportation Operations Coalition (NTOC), Traveler Information, to future traffic management systems. Seminars on skills development, and operations and maintenance needs for ITS deployments may also be developed as part of this work. The audience for these activities may be state and local transportation professionals and decision-makers or private sector users of the transportation system. Food and beverage costs are not allowable items for reimbursement.

3. Conferences: Provide management, logistical, technical, and administrative support to FHWA in developing and conducting major National or Regional conferences. Preparing proceedings for such conferences will be included as part of this effort. Such a national conference could include a 1/2-day session for State DOT CEO's, City/County Managers, and/or elected officials to share thinking about institutional arrangements and advancements in technologies. Food and beverage costs are not allowable items for reimbursement.

TASK AREA D - SUPPORT TO STAFF FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF TECHNICAL TOOLS INCLUDING MODELS AND COMPUTER-AIDED INSTRUCTIONAL (CAI) PROJECTS

Under the overall management of the Government, the contractor shall provide technical, logistical, and managerial services to design, develop, test, and/or present a range of technical tools including models and interactive computer-aided instructional (CAI) projects that will be used to analyze and advance various aspects of the Office of Operations programs.

The types of models relevant to this task may include manual tools (e.g. look-up tables), sketch planning tools, computer-aided impact/forecasting/evaluation tools, to micro, meso, macro traffic simulation tools, and benefit/cost tools that can be used in the analyses and assessment of operations and operational improvements. Examples of models that may be needed include, the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM), Corridor Simulation (CORSIM), Network Simulation (NETSIM), and Travel Demand Forecasting (TDM), and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Deployment Analysis System (IDAS). Expertise in a broad range analyses, that use modeling techniques, may be needed for predicting, evaluating, and assessing the impacts of operations programs. Modeling tools may be needed in the development of guidance manuals and tables, such as the Characteristics of Urban Transportation for Demand, Supply, and Freight.

Computer-aided instruction is an umbrella term that can include the following technologies:

· animation;

· cd-i & cd-rom;

· collaborative planning systems;

· visualization;

· data compression;

· digitizing photos & other digital technology;

· dynamic interaction simulation;

· geographic information systems;

· graphical interfaces;

· hyper-media;

· interactive modeling techniques; and

· video logging.

It is expected that some or all of these models or computer-aided instructional tools will be commercially available, off-the-shelf, packages that may be needed as part of this project activity. In addition, it is expected that computer simulation tools would be used to create the necessary quantitative information on impacts and performance when there is a lack of any empirical evidence.

TASK AREA E - SUPPORT TO STAFF FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS TO STATE AND LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROFESSIONALS.

Under the overall management of the Government, the contractor shall provide logistical, administrative, and technical support to FHWA staff in designing, developing, implementing, and managing technology transfer and technical assistance activities to facilitate the application of innovative programs for the Office of Operations to support and coordinate activities

Activities may also include providing support to FHWA staff in compiling and packaging, for printing and dissemination, numerous reports, evaluations, and technical materials that have been prepared for FHWA on various aspects of Operations strategies and programs. This information needs to be compiled and packaged for printing and dissemination to State and local agencies. The FHWA would be responsible for the printing, posting and dissemination of the packaged material(s). The materials for packaging would be selected by FHWA based on appropriateness and timeliness.

TASK AREA F - SUPPORT TO STAFF FOR PROGRAM ASSESSMENT INCLUDING PROJECT EVALUATION, PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT, AND PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

Under the overall management of the Government, the contractor shall provide staff support for assessing operations programs and projects. This support includes activities for evaluations of programs and projects, developing performance measures, assessing benefits, collecting successful practices and lessons learned, preparing guidance for operations programs and improvements, and supporting process improvements related to operations program areas. The results of this work may be preparing white papers, conducting special studies, or analyzing programs or projects, on an as-needed basis, in the development of products that advance operations In addition, provide support to the work of FHWA cross-cutting teams for evaluations, assessments, and improvements related to activities in operations. Specific activities under this task may include:

1. Evaluations and Benefits Assessments: Provide support to FHWA Headquarters and field staff in developing, conducting, analyzing, and reporting evaluations of operations programs. The results of the evaluations and assessments activities may be packaged and reported as case examples, evidence, benefits reports, lessons learned, and cross-cutting studies. These evaluations may be needed for programs or projects such as those innovative operational improvements implemented in specific metropolitan and rural areas.

2. Performance Measures: Provide support to FHWA headquarters and field staff in developing, applying, and assessing performance measures that are relevant to operations programs and projects. The results of the work activity for performance measures may be packaged and reported as case examples, evidence, handbooks, implementation guidance, seminars, workshops, Computer-aided Instruction, or other delivery options.

3. Process Improvement: Provide support to FHWA headquarters and field staff in developing, applying, and monitoring process improvement programs. The results of the work activity for process improvement may be packaged as a process assessment report with recommendations, guidance on a better way of doing business based on recommendations, or a continuing monitoring and reporting activity.

C.8 REQUIREMENTS FOR IMPLEMENTING SECTION 508 STANDARDS

Deliverables will be defined in each individual Task Order and may take the form of hard copy publications, electronic media, and/or presentation materials. In addition, they may be published by one of several FHWA and/or other US DOT offices/modal administrations. Special requirements will be delineated in each Task Order.