Attachment_1.doc

ATTACHMENT 1

Statement of Work for Instructional Design Guide for Inspecting Electric & Hybrid-Electric Commercial Vehicles Section 1: Purpose

The purpose of this effort is to develop an instructional design guide for inspecting the high-voltage electrical system in electric and hybrid-electric commercial motor vehicles.

Section 2: Background

Because of the growing availability of electric and hybrid-electric commercial motor vehicles across the country and the zero or near-zero emissions from such vehicles, the number of truck fleet and bus owner/operators who are procuring new commercial motor vehicles powered by electric or hybrid-electric propulsion systems is burgeoning. The primary difference between the electrical system of a conventional fossil fuel commercial motor vehicle and the electrical system of an electric or hybrid-electric commercial motor vehicle is the former uses low voltage [12 or 24 volts direct current (VDC)] while the latter uses high voltage [hundreds of volts alternating current (VAC)]. High voltages (i.e., greater than 60 VDC or greater than 30 VDC) are very hazardous in that they can cause death or serious injury. High voltage is a serious safety concern that accompanies the use of electric and hybrid-electric commercial motor vehicles.

In recognition of this serious safety concern, FMCSA began a study of the issues in September 2013. In April 2014, the FMCSA Chief Safety Officer and Assistant Administrator was briefed on the preliminary findings of the study, and he called for some kind of training for field inspectors to familiarize them with imminent hazard of exposure to high voltage. In August 2013, FMCSA produced a draft final report recommending changes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, North American Standard inspection procedures, and the Out-Of-Service criteria. In September 2014, FMCSA briefed the Vehicle Committee of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) on these recommendations; the committee also recognized that the high voltage electrical system on electric and hybrid-electric commercial motor vehicles is an imminent hazard and supported FMCSA’s proposal to develop a training course for inspectors based on these recommendations. This statement of work addresses FMCSA’s proposal for that training.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is willing to partner with FMCSA on the development of such training. FMCSA’s Technology Division will partner with CVSA as well as with FMCSA’s National Training Center as consultants on this project.

FMCSA is authorized to undertake this project under 49 USC 31108 [Section 4111 of SAFETEA-LU (P.L. 109-59)], “Motor Carrier Research and Technology Programs.” Under 49 USC 31108, paragraph (a)(3)(C), FMCSA may fund research, development, and technology projects that improve the safety and efficiency of commercial motor vehicles through technological innovation and improvement.

The anticipated customer for this project is CVSA Training and Vehicle Committees.

FMCSA will summarize the instructional course design guide to CVSA. CVSA will provide feedback, and FMCSA will make the necessary changes to address comments received from CVSA. In an informational meeting, FMCSA will present the final course to CVSA.

Section 3: Tasks

The following are the tasks in this effort: (1) Project Plan, (2), Analysis of Training Needs, (3) Design of Training (Development of Instructional Design Guide), (4) Development of the Training, (5) Implementation, (6) Evaluation, and (7) Monthly Progress Reports. These tasks are discussed in detail below.

Task 1: Project Plan

The Contractor shall finalize the Project Plan (draft Project Plan was submitted during the bid proposal) with a milestone schedule showing deliverables (each of the tasks below will have at least one deliverable) and due dates (using the contract award date as the reference point). The draft Project Plan should be consistent with the Schedule of Deliverables shown in Section 4. The Contractor shall travel to DOT Headquarters to present and discuss the Project Plan within 10 days of contract award for review and approval by the FMCSA Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The Contractor shall address any issues or comments on the Project Plan within one calendar week of receiving issues or comments from the FMCSA COR and submit the revised Project Plan to the FMCSA COR for approval.

Task 2:

Analysis

The Contractor shall follow the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation (ADDIE) Instructional Systems Design process for the training by first compiling an analysis of the training needs. The analysis shall be in accordance with the guidance provided on p.28 of the FMCSA “Standard for the Development, Delivery, and Evaluation of Instructor-Led Training,” dated May 4, 2009. The analysis shall be no longer than 20 pages, conform to the format prescribed in Section 8, and address the following:

1. Overview of the Course Goals and the Rationale for the Course

2. Target Audience (e.g., characteristics of target learners, educational background, technology skills and abilities versus skills and knowledge pre-requisites for the training)

3. Course Objectives (including any attitudinal and behavioral objectives)

4. Recommended media for training implementation (web-based, on-line)

Post award:

Note 1: The Contractor shall consult with the COR on target audience because the target audience for the training will be the same as the target audience for North American Standard vehicle inspections for which the FMCSA NTC has conducted an analysis of training needs.

Note 2: The Contractor may infer a course agenda and an instructional strategy or approach consistent with the content that must be covered in Task 3 if the Contractor has no suggested changes. If the Contractor has suggested major changes, the Contractor shall propose a new course agenda and instructional strategy.

The Contractor shall submit the analysis to the COR for review and approval by the due date in the Project Plan. The Contractor shall address any issues or comments within one calendar week of receiving issues or comments from FMCSA Task 3: Design of Course (Development of Instructional Design Guide) The Contractor shall compile the detailed content for a one-hour web-based, on-line training course (no more than one hour) for inspecting an electric or hybrid-electric commercial vehicle. The content shall be applicable to both trucks and buses. The Contractor shall develop an instructional course design guide in accordance with pp. 30 and 45 of the FMCSA “Standard for the Development, Delivery, and Evaluation of Instructor-Led Training,” dated May 4, 2009. The Contractor shall keep the total number of PowerPoint slides to 45 or less (not including backup slides) and shall cover the following topics (changes may be made with the concurrence of the COR):

1. Introduction

a. purpose for training

b. intended audience

c. NAS Inspection Procedures (show overview and where this training fits in)

d. definition of high voltage

e. dangers of high voltage

2. How to recognize an electric or hybrid-electric commercial motor vehicle

a. Types of vehicles [i.e., battery electric vehicle (BEV), hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV), plug-in electric vehicles (PEV), plug-in hybrid-electric (PHEV), fuel cell electric (FCEV)]

b. indicators (noted by SAE J2910) – the Contractor may purchase this standard for use on this project but shall deliver any such purchased standard to FMCSA at the end of the period of performance)

c. other indicators (such as branding, badging, and “zero-emissions” marking)

3. Overview of the electrical system (low-voltage and high voltage) on a commercial motor vehicle

a. low-voltage electrical system

i. batteries (storage)

ii. alternator (re-charging)

iii. fuse/circuit breaker

iv. “hotel” loads

b. high-voltage electrical system

i. re-chargeable energy storage system

ii. voltage regulator

iii. fuse/circuit breaker

iv. fault detector and fault circuit interrupter

v. inverter (DC to AC)

vi. rectifier (AC to DC)

vii. motor (all-electric)

viii. motor/generator (hybrid-electric)

c. relationship between low-voltage and high-voltage electrical systems

i. DC/DC converters

ii. operation of relays

iii. disconnect and ignition on/off

4. Locations of high-voltage electrical equipment

a. forbidden in passenger compartment except when protected by non-removable barrier

b. cables must be orange-colored

c. high-voltage equipment cabinets must be labeled

5. Imminent hazards of high-voltage electrical system

a. Exposed wiring (due to chafed or scraped insulation)

b. Exposed equipment and components (due to removed enclosure or barriers)

c. Exposed re-chargeable energy storage systems (due to openings which are larger than finger-size)

d. Loss of electrical isolation

6. What to do when a high-voltage hazard exists

a. Currently not within scope of Out-Of-Service criteria

b. Invoke 49 CFR 396.7, “Unsafe Operation Forbidden” The Contractor shall submit the draft instructional course design guide to the COR by the due date prescribed in the final Project Plan. The Contractor shall prepare a presentation of the instructional course design guide and travel to make the presentation at FMCSA Headquarters and also to a CVSA Workshop or Conference. The COR will advise and suggest to the contractor what materials to use an or to bring for the presentation [Note that the Contractor’s instructional system designer and subject matter expert shall be required to attend two of the following: CVSA September 2015 Annual Conference in Boise, ID; and or the CVSA April 2016 Annual Workshop in Chicago, IL.] The Contractor shall address any issues or comments within two calendar weeks of receiving issues or comments from FMCSA or CVSA (whichever is later) and submit the revised course design guide to FMCSA and CVSA for approval.

Task 4:

Development of On-Line Instruction

The Contractor shall use the instructional course design guide from Task 3 to develop an one-hour, on-line training course, including a knowledge assessment and an evaluation form for the training. At the 100 percent completion of the draft training, the Contractor shall conduct a Technical Walk-Through of the draft course. The Technical Walk-Through shall take place at FMCSA and also at one of the CVSA Workshops or Conferences listed in Task 3. The Technical Walk-Through may include others who may be identified by the COR to evaluate the effectiveness of the course material. The Contractor shall address any issues or comments within two calendar weeks of receiving issues or comments from FMCSA. The Contractor shall submit the above final instructional materials to the COR by the due date prescribed in the final Project Plan. The final on-line instruction must be compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (i.e., made accessible to people with disabilities). In order for the FMCSA Section 508-Compliance Coordinator to verify compliance, the Contractor shall make the entire on-line instruction available in HTML5 format. The entire on-line instruction shall also be available in MS Word or MS PowerPoint format.

Task 5: Implementation

The Contractor shall conduct an information session at CVSA using the instructional materials from Task 5. For the information session, the Contractor shall furnish and ship instructional materials and shall provide a subject matter expert who is able to travel to conduct a one-hour information session at one of the CVSA Workshops or Conferences listed in Task 3. The time, date, and location of the pilot class are to be determined in cooperation with CVSA. At the end of the information session, the Contractor shall also distribute evaluation forms, have the student complete the forms, and collect the completed forms.

Task 6: Evaluation

The Contractor shall use the student feedback from evaluation forms completed by the students in the pilot class as the basis for compiling an evaluation report on the training. The evaluation report shall tabulate and summarize the collective student evaluation of the pilot training and identify areas for improvement. The evaluation report shall conform to requirements in Section 8. The Contractor shall submit the evaluation report to the COR by the due date in the final Project Plan. The Contractor shall address review comments from the COR, make the necessary revisions to the on-line instruction, and submit the revised evaluation report no later than the last day of the period of performance. The COR shall be responsible for getting FMCSA’s National Training Center to post the on-line instruction after all revisions are made and the content is made 508-compliant.

Section 4: Schedule of Deliverables Reference

Section 3, Task 1

Section 3, Task 2

Section 3, Task 3

Section 3, Task 4

Section 3, Task 5

Section 3, Task 6

Section 3, Tasks 2

Section 5: Period of Performance

The period of performance is eighteen (18) months from date of award.

Section 6: Monthly Progress Reports

The Contractor shall submit, to the COR, a progress report due on the 15th of the month after the first calendar month being reported on, and on the 15th of every month thereafter until the end of the period of performance. The Contractor shall prepare a progress report advising of the work completed during the performance period, the work forecasted for the following period, and the names, titles and number of hours expended for each of the Contractor’s professional personnel assigned to the contract, including officials of the Contractor. The first report shall include any details of any issues or problems that need to be resolved. The report shall also include any additional information--including findings and recommendations -- that may assist the Government in evaluating progress under this contract.

Section 7: Payment of Invoices

Payment of invoices shall be based on submission of the monthly progress reports (see above) and receipt of deliverables by the COR in accordance with the schedule in Section 4. Payment of an invoice may be delayed until a delayed deliverable is received.

Section 8: Acceptance Criteria for Reports

The analysis and evaluation reports submitted as deliverables in the aforementioned tasks shall conform to the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Communication Reference Guide of May 2004, FHWA-RD-03-074 available at the following web address http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/general/03074/index.cfm Section 9: Restrictions Against Disclosure

The Contractor shall not disclose the information obtained during the performance of this Statement of Work to the public without prior written authorization from COR. The Contractor also agrees not to publish or otherwise divulge such information in whole or in part, in any manner or form, nor to authorize or permit others to do so, taking such reasonable measures as are necessary to restrict access to such information while in the Contractor’s possession, to those employees needing such information to perform the work provided herein, i.e., on a “need to know” basis. The Contractor agrees to immediately notify the COR in writing in the event that the Contractor determines or has reason to suspect a breach of this requirement.

The Contractor agrees to insert the substance of this above clause in any consultant agreement or subcontract hereunder.