RFP STOL 4-26a.pdf

SOLICITATION, OFFER AND AWARD 1. THIS CONTRACT IS A RATED ORDER

UNDER DPAS (15 CFR 7900)

RATING PAGE OF PAGES

2. CONTRACT NUMBER 3. SOLICITATION NUMBER 4. TYPE OF SOLICITATION 5. DATE ISSUED 6. REQUISITION/PURCHASE NUMBER

CODE7. ISSUED BY 8. ADDRESS OFFER TO (If other than item 7)

NOTE: In sealed bid solicitations "offer" and "offeror" mean "bid" and "bidder".

SOLICITATION

9. Sealed offers in original and copies for furnishings the supplies or services in the Schedule will be received at the place specified in item 8, or if hand carried, in the depository located in until local time

CAUTION - LATE Submissions, Modifications, and Withdrawals: See Section L, Provision No. 52.214-7 or 52.215-1. All offers are subject to all terms and conditions contained in this solicitation.

10. FOR

INFORMATION

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AREA CODE NUMBER EXT.

C. E-MAIL ADDRESS

11. TABLE OF CONTENTS

(X) SEC. DESCRIPTION PAGE(S) (X) SEC. PAGE(S)DESCRIPTION

A B C D E F G H

I

J

K

L

M EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

INSTRS., CONDS., AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER

STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

PART III - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACH.

CONTRACT CLAUSESSOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

DESCRIPTION/SPECS./WORK STATEMENT

PACKAGING AND MARKING

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

NOTE: Item 12 does not apply if the solicitation includes the provisions at 52.214-16, Minimum Bid Acceptance Period.

OFFER (Must be fully completed by offeror)

12. In compliance with the above, the undersigned agrees, if this offer is accepted within calendar days (60 calendar days unless a different period is inserted by the offeror) from the date for receipt of offers specified above, to furnish any or all items upon which prices are offered at the set opposite each item, delivered at the designated point(s), within the time specified in the schedule.

13. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

(See Section I, Clause No. 52.232-8)

14. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS

(The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the SOLICITATION for offerors and related documents numbered and dated):

10 CALENDAR DAYS (%) 20 CALENDAR DAYS (%) 30 CALENDAR DAYS (%) CALENDAR DAYS(%)

DATEAMENDMENT NO.AMENDMENT NO. DATE

15A. NAME AND

ADDRESS

OF OFFER-

OR

CODE FACILITY 16. NAME AND THE TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN OFFER

(Type or print)

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22. AUTHORITY FOR USING OTHER THAN FULL OPEN COMPETITION:

10 U.S.C. 2304 (c) 41 U.S.C. 253 (c)

24. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 7)

26. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

IMPORTANT - Award will be made on this Form, or on Standard Form 26, or by other authorized official written notice.

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

Previous edition is unusable

23. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN

(4 copies unless otherwise specified)

25. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

27. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

28. AWARD DATE

CODE

ITEM

STANDARD FORM 33 (REV,. 9-97)

Prescribed by GSA - Far (48 CFR) 53.214 (c)

SEALED BID (IFB)

NEGOTIATED (RFP)

(Hour) (Date)

PART I - THE SCHEDULE PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSES

1 106

43-20-12001

Federal Highway Administration, Office of Acquisition Management 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Room: E65-101 – Mail Code: HAAM-20C

HAAM-20C

Federal Highway Administration Office of Acquisition Management

DTFH61-12-R-00022

E65-101 3:00 PM

Daniel Confer daniel.confer@dot.gov

50 104

05/29/2012

202 3660730

G.15

DTFH61-12-R-00022

PART I

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

The Contractor shall furnish all necessary materials and personnel, and shall perform technical non-personal services and support necessary for the operation and maintenance of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory (STOL), and in support of related research activities under this contract entitled: “Technical Support and Tasks for the Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory.”

The maximum potential value for all work performed under this hybrid contract consisting of a combination of four cost-plus-fixed-fee (CPFF) line items (CLINs) and one Indefinite Delivery/ Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) CLIN is $_______________, as shown in the table below. The minimum guaranteed amount for CLIN 0002 is $25,000.

CLIN

No.

Task No.

Supplies/Services Pricing Total Amount

0001 1 Operate and Maintain the STOL Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee Estimated Cost

Fixed Fee

Total Amount

2 Introduction of Cooperative Vehicle-Highway Systems to Improve Speed Harmonization

3 Vehicle Instrumentation

4 Virtual Data Access

Technical Support

Indefinite Delivery /

Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee or Firm-Fixed-Price

Task Orders

Minimum $25,000

Maximum

NOTE: No work shall be performed under CLIN 0002 until the Contractor receives a task order signed by the Contracting Officer. Work under CLIN 0001 begins on the effective date of the contract.

All travel shall be reimbursed at cost in accordance with the Travel and Per Diem clause (reference Section G). The total of travel and per diem under CLIN 0001 shall not exceed $111,000.

All equipment purchases over $5,000 shall be approved in writing by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) prior to purchase.

NOTE: Under the ID/IQ CLIN 0002, the Government anticipates awarding cost-plus-fixed-fee and/or firm-fixed-price task orders depending on the nature of the requirement, and in accordance with FAR 16.5. It is anticipated that cost-plus-fixed-fee work under CLIN 0001 may be incrementally funded. Cost-plus-fixed-task task orders issued under CLIN 0002 may also be incrementally funded.

NOTE: Please see Section L.10 for the Government level of effort and cost estimates for each

CLIN.

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK STATEMENT

C.1 BACKGROUND

The Office of Operations Research and Development (R&D) at Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC), McLean, Virginia, has the need for technical support to conduct research, development, test, and evaluation activities that meet the growing demands for smoother running transportation systems. Transportation operations research is in increasing demand due, in large part, to the ever increasing amounts of congestion in the United States (US) and demand for better services to support the growth of the US economy. Operations R&D uses electronics, information processing, and communications technologies to improve the efficiency and sustain the existing surface transportation system. It leads to increasing the effective handling capacity of the existing roadway system without the expense of building and maintaining new roads. Examples of the outcomes of successful operations R&D are: reduced travel times due to higher capacity and better utilization of existing roadways, greater reliability of the transportation system evidenced by more on-time arrivals; increased safety evidenced by reduced crashes, injuries, and fatalities (including crashes, injuries, and fatalities possibly caused by congestion); reduced stress evidenced by fewer customer complaints and improved customer satisfaction; and, reduced carbon footprints evidenced by more eco-friendly transportation solutions.

A major part of FHWA’s mission is to improve transportation systems management and operations. FHWA has transportation operations research staff and facilities at TFHRC in McLean, Virginia, dedicated to implementing key transportation operations, intelligent transportation systems, and connected vehicles initiatives. Researchers at TFHRC have developed innovative transportation systems, including various traffic control systems and transportation models such as the CORSIM family of microscopic traffic simulation tools, and DynaSmart. The former Traffic Research Laboratory (TReL) supported many of these efforts and housed hardware-in-the-loop technology and simulation models that were used to develop new traffic control systems and to assess them prior to field testing, ensuring that the new systems were sufficiently robust and mature. Researchers at TFHRC have a long legacy in the development of technologies, such as vehicle sensors and vehicle-highway communications, which enable new solutions to solving congestion problems. This includes foundational research needed to develop technologies including Dedicated Short Range Communication Systems (DSRC) and research and development of services such as intersection collision avoidance that can be supported through new cooperative vehicle-highway communication technologies.

FHWA’s Office of Operations Research and Development performs exploratory advanced research that contributes to FHWA’s knowledge, experience, and technology base. It performs nearer-term applied research, development, and evaluation of products and services required by FHWA’s Office of Operations and other Department Of Transportation modal and departmental partners. It also manages and fosters Small Business Innovative Research projects that are focused on deployment.

Of particular note are TFHRC’s efforts in leading and supporting the Research and Innovative Technology Administration’s Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO) in their connected vehicles program. The connected vehicles program is a multimodal initiative that generally leverages the potentially transformative capabilities of wireless technology to make surface transportation safer, smarter, and greener. More specifically, it aims to enable safe, interoperable, networked, wireless communications among vehicles (light vehicles, transit, and freight), the infrastructure, and passengers’ and pedestrians’ personal communications devices.

As part of the connected vehicles technology research effort, the DOT ITS-JPO formulated several new initiatives, including: Real-Time Data Capture and Management, Dynamic Mobility Applications, AERIS (Applications for the Environment: Real-Time Information Synthesis), Vehicle-Vehicle Communications for Safety, Vehicle-Infrastructure Communications for Safety, and Active Transportation and Demand Management. These initiatives are expected to develop and test services that can be deployed in the relatively near future. TFHRC, in partnership with the Research and Innovative Technologies Administration (RITA), is playing a major role in conducting each of these initiatives.

In its commitment to excellence in pioneering technology-based solutions for supporting the United States as a world-wide economic competitor, TFHRC has built the state-of-the art, Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory (STOL) to investigate ways of converting our roadways into an electronically integrated surface transportation system that integrates people (e.g., pedestrians, drivers, and passengers), vehicles (e.g., bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses), and a freshly envisioned infrastructure. This new vision of transportation infrastructure includes not only the classic ingredients (e.g., roadways, bus ways, railways), but the more progressive inclusion of roadway, air, rail, and marine terminals for both passenger and freight movement, as well as going a step further to include wired and wireless pathways that connect people, vehicles, and transportation infrastructure to information.

Vision for the Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory (STOL)

The STOL is a new national asset at the TFHRC in McLean, Virginia. The STOL will serve not only as a laboratory, but as a gateway where Federal, contractor, and faculty and student researchers will experience a synergy of ideas and experiences. The STOL will also be a pipeline where students will, upon graduation, emerge into a transportation work force that is receptive to the skills and experiences they bring. Initial operational capabilities are already in place.

The STOL at FHWA’s TFHRC is comprised of three testbeds: a Data Resources Testbed, a Concepts and Analysis Testbed, and a Cooperative Vehicle-Highway Testbed.

Vision of the Data Resource Testbed

The Data Resources Testbed will provide researchers access to live and archived multi-source data to support transportation system performance measurement and transportation system management applications. These multi-source data include data from: traditional roadway sensors, vehicle probes including connected vehicles, personal mobile devices, transit and freight operators, as well as any other relevant sources. The testbed will have the capability to access, host, assemble and archive traffic application data, analyze operations and performance, and provide advanced visualization tools to improve situational awareness and operations decision making. The testbed will access/host real world and simulated data from a variety of sources to support research and development in transportation system performance measurement and transportation system management. In addition, the Data Resources Testbed will also provide data management services for the two other STOL testbeds. The testbed will have the capability to act as the long term steward for large DOT or FHWA owned data sets to support future research activities. The testbed should also have the capabilities to design, develop, operate and maintain a weather-related data environment that supports the research, development, and testing of connected vehicle applications that rely on weather-related information. The weather data environment would need to be designed and operated in a manner consistent with the broader ITS connected vehicle data environments and the connected vehicle Research Data Exchange. Activities would include a needs assessment, review of Clarus and other existing systems, identification of existing gaps, development of requirements, and the design, development and operation of a weather data environment. In addition, the Data Resources Testbed will also provide data management services for the two other STOL testbeds below.

Vision of the Concepts and Analysis Testbed

The Concepts and Analysis Testbed will incorporate a repository of transportation models at the macroscopic, mesoscopic, and microscopic levels to enable traffic simulation and visualizations of representative traffic networks. This testbed will consist of a suite of traffic analysis tools to support fundamental transportation research and experimental strategies to improve performance, including measures of mobility, environmental performance, and safety. The tools include Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software products, software development tools, customized COTS products, products of research from National ITS, FHWA’s Exploratory Advanced Research Program, or Connected vehicles technology projects, internal research products, datasets, and illustrative demonstration data. The testbed will provide a repository of authoritative and representative model datasets that will enable technical and performance measures to be compared in realistic scenarios and across projects, regardless of partner and model platform, so that valid assessments can be made. The testbed will allow FHWA research staff to refine the experimental strategies through direct interaction with the models and to determine the strategies’ potential value to various stakeholders. The results of simulation and analyses should provide an authoritative basis to conduct benefit/cost analyses of experimental strategies. The testbed and its resources can be used by consultants supporting FHWA research projects, and other onsite or external researchers, to improve the consistency, quality, efficiency, transparency, and availability of research results and government deliverables.

Vision of the Cooperative Vehicle-Highway Testbed

The Cooperative Vehicle-Highway Testbed (CVHT) will enable FHWA to explore technologies that enable connected traveler-vehicles-infrastructure communications and applications, and to assess the potential of new transportation services based upon cooperative communication. The CVHT will leverage previous investments by the DOT in FHWA’s Intelligent Intersection, here at TFHRC, and can encourage additional investments in Research, Development, Test, Evaluation (RDT&E) and Technology Transfer by FHWA’s and other DOT and non-DOT Program Offices. The facilities, equipment, staff support, and other resources of the CVHT will enable FHWA researchers to develop prototypes, install systems in the infrastructure and on vehicles, and conduct tests directed to investigate and answer key research questions needed to further RDT&E and Technology Transfer efforts. The CVHT will initially use existing facilities at the TFHRC, including service roads that allow access to the Intelligent Intersection; but the need to conduct more extensive tests, including service concepts involving various stages of vehicle control and automation, will likely require additional specialized test track facilities at TFHRC. To further expand the capabilities of the CVHT, partnerships with state and local agencies and others will allow testing on public roads, embodying the concept of Living Laboratories.

The term Living Laboratory (LL) is an important feature to be developed as part of TFHRC’s Operations R&D mission and consequently, a feature of some present and future tasks included in this requirement. An LL is a roadway, roadway network, corridor, or regional transportation network that is instrumented for measurement of transportation system operations performance.

The LL includes one or more of the following: arterial streets, freeways, toll roads, connectors, fleets, and terminals. By its nature, an LL is intended for one or more of the following activities:

research, development, test and evaluation, and technology transfer into model and/or sustainable institutional deployments.

For the intent of FHWA’s Office of Operations R&D, it is expected that this procurement will engender at least one relationship with an LL owner-operator-maintainer. In general, Living Laboratories can exist anywhere within the USA. It is desirable that FHWA will be able to post the identity of those LL sites on a public web site, providing that it and the LL owners jointly deem this as mutually agreeable. As such, the LL owner can make the site available on a case-by-case basis for the purpose of improving national R&D and economic competitiveness.

NOTE: For the intent of this procurement, the term Living Laboratory includes the owner-operator-maintainer.

Vision of STOL Program

The three testbeds in the STOL should work together seamlessly. Collectively, these testbeds reside in an integrated environment that supports essential capacities in online/offline analysis, visualization, data collection/processing, and field and mobile devices monitoring and controls.

The STOL is an integrated environment linking field devices, equipped vehicles, databases, data intelligence/engine, data sources, and a suite of advanced analysis/development tools.

C.2 OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this contract are:

1. To provide the STOL with conventional transportation research services related primarily to conventional transportation operations issues, and to intelligent transportation systems (ITS) topics.

2. To support FHWA Office of Operations and Research and Development, other FHWA program offices, and RITA’s ITS Joint Program Office’s activities related to the offices’ strategies through a continuous contractor(s)-supported program of technical assistance, technical studies, and laboratory and field experiments.

3. To develop, design, and integrate systems in which vehicles, users, and the infrastructure interact with each other seamlessly to support enhanced mobility, safety, environmental sustainability, productivity and economic competitiveness, and overall customer satisfaction and livability.

C.3 SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor shall provide technical support for the conduct of transportation operations research and development projects and tasks for the FHWA Office of Operations R&D at TFHRC. This support includes operating and maintaining the laboratory facility and performing research projects and tasks using the newly developed STOL capacity. Operating and maintaining the STOL includes operating, maintaining, and conducting research in the three test-beds, also described in the “Background” section of this RFP: Data Resources Testbed, Concepts and Analysis Testbed, and a Cooperative Vehicle-Highway Testbed that contains an instrumented intersection and vehicles with installed connected vehicle or communication technologies. The testbeds are intended to provide FHWA researchers, other onsite researchers, and external customers with reliable, comprehensive, and accessible resources so that high-quality research can be conducted in a robust and cost-effective manner with close monitoring by FHWA staff and project managers.

NOTE: The majority of the research activities shall be performed onsite at the STOL unless a written request by the Contractor is approved by the COR in advance or otherwise directed by task orders issued under Task 5. Work at Living Laboratories is an exception. The STOL facility accommodates up to 20 staff members.

C.4 TASK AREAS

In order to meet the objectives of this contract the Contractor shall perform at a minimum the following work tasks:

Task 1: Operate and Maintain the STOL

The Contractor shall support operations of the STOL and provide non-personal technical support under the technical guidance of the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The scope of work shall include the following:

1.1 General support

a. In coordination with the COR, the Contractor shall set-up a kick-off meeting to cover all tasks at the TFHRC in McLean, VA, no later than two weeks after the effective date of the contract. During the kick-off meeting, the Contractor shall conduct a walk-through of the planned activities for this project.

b. The Contractor shall coordinate with and provide technical support to FHWA researchers, FHWA contractors, and others (such as visiting students and researchers) to enable their use of the Laboratory and its resources. The content of the support and coordination will be directed by the COR, through the Contractor’s Program Manager.

c. The Contractor shall prepare reports on progress, schedule, issues, budget, and results and present at management meetings. Included in these reports are the monthly progress reports in accordance with Section G.17. The Contractor shall prepare management meeting summaries, which shall, at a minimum, track the status of action items.

d. The Contractor shall provide STOL technical services following a ticket tracking process that will document the type of service provided, the provider, the recipient, date provided, and approximate level of effort required and expended. The service tickets shall be summarized in a spreadsheet (or other format approved by the COR), and provided to the COR for technical analysis purposes and use in estimating resource requirements to operate the lab.

1.2 Operations and Research

The Contractor shall provide technical services in STOL operations and research activities to include the following.

a. Operate the STOL to support FHWA research, studies, and other activities as directed by the COR.

b. Use the STOL to conduct research, as directed by the COR, or according to the STOL Research Program Plan. Research priorities and timelines shall be determined by the COR. For each research project, the Contractor shall submit a formal research proposal and work plan to complete the research activities in a timely manner which will be reviewed and approved in writing by the COR.

c. Conduct general STOL operations and research activities such as:

i. Data set development, data collection, and data analysis and presentation/visualization.

ii. Traffic Simulation analysis, including sophisticated hardware-in-the-loop, script development, and interface with Application Programming Interface (API), as needed.

iii. Scientific research using STOL tools.

iv. Development of STOL research reports, white papers, research papers.

v. Development of STOL web materials.

vi. Test and evaluation technologies using STOL tools.

d. Conduct specialized studies needed for the development of new operational or safety concepts and technologies.

e. Plan and acquire laboratory resources, equipment, software (including updates and license maintenance), hardware, and instruments to support research studies in any of the three testbeds. Secure approval of individual testbed requests from the COR.

f. Assist in the development of necessary data analysis or testing activities to support TFHRC research using the specialized expertise, STOL tools, data sources, and equipment.

g. Collaborate with other contractors as directed by the COR to support the TFHRC research using the STOL expertise and resources.

h. Prepare work plans; test and analysis reports; and briefing materials, including photographic and video documentation of new lab and equipment configurations, as directed by the COR and submit them to the COR for approval.

1.3 Software and Systems Integration

The Contractor, if requested by the COR, shall develop software code or tools to advance the STOL capabilities in data processing, interfaces/integration, data acquisition, visualization, and tests or demonstration.

NOTE: Refer to Section H.15 Source Code for Software.

1.4 Testbed Maintenance

The Contractor shall provide the following maintenance services:

a. Maintain the STOL testbeds and the associated equipment to ensure normal operating conditions. The STOL elements include both field and lab devices as well as the network and communication support artifacts.

b. Maintain sufficient materials and equipment to ensure normal STOL operations, including spare parts.

c. Maintain the integrity and operability of external interfaces and connections to data sources, connected vehicles technology service delivery node (SDN), web connections, and wireless network connections. Connectivity to the connected vehicles technology SDN shall be coordinated with the connected vehicles technology testbed contractor.

d. Maintain equipped vehicles and the associated equipment to ensure operational conditions, which shall be available for demonstrations within two days notice. The Contractor shall collaborate with the connected vehicles technology testbed contractor, as necessary, for the vehicle and equipment upgrades and maintenance.

e. The Contractor shall closely coordinate with the COR for the maintenance schedule so that the vehicles are available when needed for research, development, and demonstrations.

f. The Contractor shall assist in disposing old/obsolete equipment and materials by coordinating with the COR and the TFHRC facility staff in accordance with Government Property Regulations.

g. The Contractor shall provide graduate researchers to be located at the STOL for part- or full-time assignments.

1.5 STOL Demonstration Support

The Contractor shall provide STOL demonstration services as approved by the COR in writing to include the following:

a. Provide STOL demonstration support, communication and outreach through tours, presentations, and publications.

b. Develop STOL demonstration plans, ideas, scenarios, data sets, presentations, multimedia videos, instructions, and reports.

c. Implement, set up, test and perform STOL demonstrations.

d. Train TFHRC staff to give STOL demonstrations.

e. Develop and present workshops (10-20), presentations (40-50), briefings (40-50), papers (10-25), articles (10-25), reports (1-5), brochures (25-50), and electronic media such as computer usable products, videos (5-25), and distance learning technologies that demonstrate and deliver the products, technologies and guidance information.

Task 2: Introduction of Cooperative Vehicle-Highway Systems to Improve Speed Harmonization

The major hypothesis to be tested in this task is that, compared to a baseline condition of no speed harmonization, speed harmonization by means of driver-vehicle-infrastructure cooperation will provide a better traveler experience by creating a more dependable, less distracted, and safer environment. Being able to compare this concept relative to speed harmonization provided by changeable speed limits via changeable message signs is desirable but not mandatory.

Task 2 Background The goal of cooperative vehicle-highway systems is to increase system performance and sustainability (e.g., road safety, mobility, emissions impacts, fuel savings, customer satisfaction, etc.) by planning and using communications and sensor infrastructure seamlessly in order to improve the overall performance of the driver/traveler-vehicle-roadway system. Speed harmonization is one of the strategies within cooperative vehicle-highway systems, but as presently implemented with the use of variable speed limit signs, it has limited effectiveness because it depends upon unpredictable and uncoordinated behavior of drivers in response to these signs. Further, speed harmonization systems that are currently deployed are costly to install as they may require gantries and signs to provide the advice. Recent research sponsored by FHWA has found that new traffic flow optimization methods can significantly improve traffic flow and performance through speed harmonization (1).

This project will implement speed harmonization by developing and testing traffic flow optimization models and algorithms to establish target speeds by highway section and then continuously (or nearly continuously) communicating speed guidance directly into the vehicles with minimal distraction of the driver, but with the driver maintaining supervisory control at all times. This project will be executed in the STOL at TFHRC and associated LLs. LLs include open road facilities where testing with live traffic can be done within acceptable safety limits and with permission of roadway owners. Such an LL would have to be equipped with data collection capabilities to support research, and not just be used for demonstration.

Instrumentation will be deployed and tested at the STOL and then deployed in multiple operational roadway locations in keeping with the LL paradigm. The work proposed here will prepare and test roadside infrastructure as well as variously automated vehicles in the STOL local setting, and then deploy the actual STOL LL research effort to selected freeways and/or arterials.

(1) Freeway Traffic Control Using Variable Speed Limits, X. Lu, C. Nowakowski, D. Su, S.E. Shladover, PATH, June 2011, Report under Cooperative Agreement DTHFH61-07-H-00038.

Task 2 Scope The Contractor shall develop and demonstrate the use of optimized variable speed targets to reduce congestion. The variable speed recommendations, in coordination with technology deployed in operating vehicles, are designed to provide travelers the benefit of improved highway performance. The speed recommendations originate in a traffic management center (or, for purposes of this study, a surrogate for a Traffic Management Center (TMC) communicating to roadside equipment is acceptable). The TMC will have calculated the best speed to create traffic flow that will be safe, while maximizing vehicle throughput and therefore the overall benefit to the traveling public. The TMC will transmit the speed information to “connected vehicles” that contain communications and timing technologies combined with cooperative adaptive cruise control to implement the system. Drivers of the “connected vehicles” can opt-in to the speed harmonization system provided, and the TMC will update the information sent to the vehicles to maintain the improved performance. Initial engineering development and testing shall be performed at TFHRC’s STOL, followed by tests on the LL. As appropriate, FHWA will perform outreach and marketing of the test results to stakeholders such as technologists and the general public.

Task 2 and Task 3 (Vehicle Instrumentation) shall occur concurrently and shall be closely coordinated. Efforts in both tasks must be undertaken in collaboration; these include identifying vehicle requirements and developing equipment design and specifications. The Contractor shall manage and coordinate all activities for design and instrumentation of vehicles in Tasks 2 and 3.

The Contractor shall develop, implement, and test the effectiveness of traffic management centers cooperating with drivers and vehicles by means of a special feature added to vehicle cruise controls. This feature, when turned on by the driver, will adapt the on-board speed setting of the cruise control based on traffic conditions. If successful, this feature and supporting capabilities will reduce the speed variability among drivers/vehicles and provide travelers the benefit of improved highway performance.

Simulation of cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) equipped vehicles that receive real-time information about roadway performance shall be performed by the Contractor at TFHRC in preparation for development and testing on live vehicles. Initial engineering development and testing will be performed by the Contractor at TFHRC’s STOL, followed by tests on selected local agency highway(s) by the Contractor. FHWA will perform appropriate outreach and marketing of the concept and test results to stakeholders, such as technologists and the general public.

NOTE: The selected LL site shall be located within a 30 mile radius of the TFHRC to better conduct and monitor field testing.

NOTE: Cooperation and partnership with selected highway agency(s) is desirable to include instrumentation and installation of equipment and other collaborative efforts necessary for field testing. After award, the Contractor shall coordinate with the Government to select the states and local agencies that it will enter into partnerships and collaborations with, and not enter into such without the written approval of the COR.

Task 2 Capabilities Needed

Control Algorithm Design and Implementation Electronics Design and Vehicle Construction Highway Instrumentation for Data Collection Vehicle Instrumentation for Control and Data Collection Data Collection and Management Data Analysis Traffic Simulation and Traffic Flow Theory Traffic Flow Optimization Models and Algorithms Communication Simulation Wireless Connectivity Site Evaluation Software Development for Real Time Applications in Vehicles Software Development for Communication V2V, V2I Image/Radar Processing

Excellent Verbal and Writing Skills Knowledge of Highway Data Acquisition Equipment

Task 2.1: Develop Overall Work Plan and Site Selection in Collaboration with TFHRC STOL and Partner Agency The Contractor shall prepare a work plan describing the proposed work and how it will be addressed and managed, such as overall sequence, schedule, methodologies, interactions, and task priorities. The Contractor shall also prepare a bar chart summarizing the schedule of tasks and deliverables, and another showing planned budgets and expenditures by time.

A. The Contractor shall submit and present the work plan at the kick-off meeting (see Task 1.1a). The COR will provide comments and the Contractor shall submit the revised work plan no later than one week after comments are received.

B. The Contractor shall work in coordination with COR and selected highway agency(s) to develop criteria for site selection. The criteria shall be documented in a brief report submitted to the COR within two months of the effective date of the contract.

C. The Contractor shall work in coordination with the COR and selected highway agency(s) to identify suitable sites for project implementation. The identified sites shall be illustrated using Geographic Information System (GIS), animation from simulation, and imagery. The illustration of sites selected shall be documented and submitted to the COR within three months of the effective date of the contract.

D. The Contractor shall perform an engineering study for locating roadside units to ensure optimal “line of sight” capability for vehicle/roadside communication when the 5.9 GHz Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) band is to be used. The study shall be documented and submitted to the COR within five months of the effective date of the contract.

E. The Contractor shall perform an engineering study to verify availability of bidirectional wireless data communication over the selected Living Laboratories (e.g. 3G/4G/LTE cell data service). The study shall be documented and submitted to the COR within five months of the effective date of the contract.

NOTE: After award, the Contractor shall coordinate with the Government to select the states and local agencies that it will enter into partnerships and collaborations with, and not enter into such without the written approval of the COR.

Task 2.2: Development of Communication Message Sets for Multivehicle-Infrastructure Communication and Control to Implement Speed Harmonization Using Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) on Test Vehicles

A. The Contractor shall critically review the existing communication message sets suitable to implement for the project. The review shall be documented as a brief report and submitted to the COR within three months of the effective date of the contract.

NOTE: Reference the Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control: Testing Drivers’ Choices of Following Distances, Report. UCB-ITS-PRR-2010-39 http://www.path.berkeley.edu/PATH/Publications/PDF/PRR/2010/PRR-2010-39.pdf

B. The Contractor shall identify message sets in coordination with the COR, within four months of the effective date of the contract.

Task 2.3: Develop Simulation of Traffic Stream with Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), and Unequipped Vehicles to Test CACC Algorithms for Speed Harmonization in Mixed Traffic Scenarios

A. Contractor shall review the state of the art (SOA) in combined traffic and communications simulation and create a brief report. Contractor shall submit the SOA Report to the COR within three months of the effective date of the contract.

B. The Contractor shall, in coordination with the COR, identify simulation methodology to be used and submit brief report to the COR within four months of the effective date of the contract.

C. The Contractor shall implement the simulation on selected sites and vicinity. Simulation shall be documented and operational within eight months of the effective date of the contract.

Task 2.4: Deployment and Testing of Vehicular Equipment and Software for Multi-Vehicle- Infrastructure Testing in TFHRC STOL Campus Environment; Analysis of Multi-Vehicle CACC and Infrastructure System Operations and Potential in STOL Campus Environment

A. The Contractor shall develop requirements for testing and deployment at the TFHRC STOL. The requirements are to be documented in a brief report to be submitted four months after the effective date of the contract, and must be approved in writing by the COR. The COR will review and give comments to the Contractor within two weeks of submission. The Contractor shall revise accordingly and re-submit within two weeks of receiving comments.

B. The Contractor shall design the instrumentation for the vehicles and infrastructure and document the design. The requirements are to be documented in a brief report submitted to the COR within six months of the start of the contract. The COR will review the requirements and provide comments to the Contractor within one month of submission.

The COR will review and give comments to the Contractor within two weeks of submission. The Contractor shall revise accordingly and resubmit within two weeks of receiving comments.

C. The Contractor shall equip the three test vehicles from Task 3.4, instrument infrastructure, and verify correct operation of the instrumentation within 10 months of the effective date of the contract. The COR will inspect the instrumentation and provide comments throughout the process.

D. The Contractor shall develop a video, suitable for streaming on the Internet that displays vehicle instrumentation within 14 months of the effective date of the contract. The COR will review and give comments to Contractor within two weeks of submission. The Contractor shall revise accordingly and resubmit within four weeks of receiving comments.

Task 2.5: Develop and Implement Real Time Traffic Algorithm to Produce Speed Advisory to Optimize Roadway Throughput for Speed Harmonization Based on Current Traffic Conditions.

A. The Contractor shall review SOA in real-time traffic simulation that provides optimal speed advisories to maximize throughput and create a brief report documenting the optimization techniques. The Contractor shall submit the SOA Report to the COR within six months of the effective date of the contract.

B. The Contractor shall, in coordination with the COR, identify methodology to be used and submit a brief report within eight months of the effective date of the contract.

C. Archived and real-time data from the selected Living Laboratory site shall be acquired by the Contractor and the methodology for speed advisories shall be implemented, calibrated, documented, and made operational by the Contractor within 13 months of the effective date of the contract. The COR will review and give comments to the Contractor within one month of submission. The Contractor shall revise accordingly within four weeks of receiving comments.

D. The Contractor shall develop and submit to the COR a video, suitable for streaming on the Internet that displays the speed harmonization simulation within 15 months of the effective date of the contract.

Task 2.6: Development and Deployment of Advanced Infrastructure Equipment for the Living Laboratory Roadside Environment

NOTE: It is essential that Task 2.6 be performed with close coordination with the owner, operator, and maintainer of the LL.

A. The Contractor shall develop requirements for testing and deployment at the site or sites selected. The requirements are to be documented in a brief report to be submitted six months after the effective date of the contract. The report must be approved in writing by the COR.

B. The Contractor shall design the instrumentation for the infrastructure and document the design. The design is to be documented in a brief report and submitted within eight months of the effective date of the contract. The COR will review and give comments to the Contractor within two weeks of submission and the Contractor shall revise accordingly and resubmit within two weeks of receiving comments.

C. The Contractor shall support the infrastructure instrumentation in partnership with the owner, operator, and maintainer of the LL (identified and established by the COR only) and verify correct operation of the instrumentation within 15 months of the effective date of the contract.

D. The Contractor shall develop and submit to the COR a video, suitable for streaming on the Internet that displays vehicle and infrastructure instrumentation within 15 months of the effective date of the contract.

Task 2.7: Deployment and Evaluation of Vehicular and Infrastructure Equipment at Selected Sites

A. The plan and deployment operation with the owner, operator, and maintainer of the LL must be approved by the COR before the Contractor proceeds with vehicle and infrastructure deployment. The design shall be documented by the Contractor in a brief report submitted to the COR within 16 months of the effective date of the contract.

B. The Contractor shall test vehicle and infrastructure instrumentation and real-time simulation/optimization at the LL and document the correct functioning of instrumentation. The Contractor shall correct any malfunctions and conduct other tests until the results meet expectations of the COR. To be completed within 18 months of the effective date of the contract.

NOTE: The Living Laboratory operator shall be notified and FHWA shall receive the operator’s acknowledgement before any deployment or testing of field equipment begins.

Task 2.8: Conduct the Living Laboratory Experiment The Contractor shall test the hypothesis that Speed Harmonization by means of V2V (CACC) and I2V communications with vehicles can provide a mechanism to increase throughput, maintain or enhance safety, improve or guarantee travel time, and generally improve traveler experience. This phase will perform the actual LL experiment to test the improved throughput with improved safety. It is expected that the experimental plan may need to be reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to undertaking the aspects of the project that involve human participants. Vehicles will be primarily operated by federal employees during the course of the LL experiment.

The Contractor shall examine the behavior of the entrained platoon of vehicles in varying traffic conditions and varying levels of automation measuring Localized Density (Throughput), String Stability (Safety/Comfort), and Speed Harmonization/Control including Shockwave Mitigation, Improved Throughput, and Ramp Merge Facilitation.

A. The Contractor shall develop the experimental plan, in cooperation with TFHRC STOL, to evaluate platoon behavior and speed harmonization. This plan shall be documented in a report that shall be submitted within 13 months of the effective date of the contract and approved in writing by the COR.

B. The Contractor shall conduct the experiment in a roadway environment and document the operation and outcomes of the experiment. To be completed within 23 months of the effective date of the contract.

Task 2.9: Create Documentation for Future Guidance in Developing, Deploying and Evaluating Collaborative Vehicle Infrastructure Systems for Optimizing Transportation System Performance, and Develop a Brief Final Video, Suitable for Streaming on the Internet.

The Contractor shall provide materials to distribute the results of the research effort internally to DOT, at public and professional meetings, to legislative personnel, as well as externally to the traveling public. The Contractor shall prepare a draft final report describing all work within Task 2 and submit to the COR no later than 25 months after the effective date of the contract. The COR will provide comments to the Contractor within four weeks of receipt. The Contractor shall revise and return the final report to the COR within 2 weeks of receiving comments.

Task 3: Vehicle Instrumentation

Task 3 Background The STOL will provide resources at TFHRC to allow the development of mobility and safety concepts, testing of critical technology or operations concepts, testing of speed harmonization by communicating guidance directly into the vehicles, and assessment of performance through laboratory tests and simulation analyses of various kinds. The STOL incorporates an intelligent intersection with Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) transceivers that allow communication with vehicles, representative roadway sensors to record vehicle passages, high-speed cameras to record results, and vehicles with core connected vehicle communication technologies to enable cooperative vehicle-vehicle and vehicle-highway testing. Currently, the STOL includes two test vehicles. This task provides for the expansion of the test fleet to include three additional vehicles with the basic core-connected vehicle equipment, but supplemented with specialized equipment needed to allow partial vehicle control functions to be tested.

Task 3 Scope The Contractor shall acquire and support the instrumentation of three new vehicles that would enable FHWA research staff, and other STOL users, to conduct vehicle performance and system testing at TFHRC. The new vehicles shall have electronic throttle and braking subsystem controls and shall provide the experimenter with the ability to “dial in” car following algorithms and levels of gap following to tenth-of-a-second accuracy. They shall provide experimenters access to key vehicle data from the communication bus, capability to incorporate different positioning systems, capability to communicate with the on-board vehicle systems, other vehicles, and the infrastructure via DSRC or other communication methods, flexible data acquisition software needed to support experiments, and the general capability to operate based upon software instructions and prototype applications developed by the research staff.

Task 2 and Task 3 shall occur concurrently and shall be closely coordinated. Efforts in both tasks must be undertaken in collaboration; these include identifying vehicle requirements and developing equipment design and specifications. The Contractor shall manage and coordinate all activities for design and instrumentation of vehicles in Tasks 2 and 3.

The advanced mobility and safety services to be explored in the STOL will follow a concept of operations where drivers share control with a semi-automated system that includes pervasive vehicle-vehicle and vehicle-infrastructure communications. The concept presumes that the vehicle itself is guided through a specialized section of roadway such as a “managed lane” section of an urban freeway, based upon data provided from the infrastructure such as target speed, target following distance and target acceleration/deceleration rates. The infrastructure would establish these targets by monitoring traffic flow and factors such as incidents, recognizing potentially hazardous situations, tracking individual vehicles through the section, predicting future traffic conditions, and attempting to optimize performance through use of traffic management models and systems (A recent Exploratory Advanced Research project confirmed the basic feasibility and driver acceptance of this general concept that has resulted in several publications (2)(3)(4)).