MTAC_SOW_Final_Draft.docx

MTAC - DRAFT STATEMENT OF WORK

STATEMENT OF WORK

Volpe National Transportation Systems Center Monitoring and Technical Assistance Support to FRA

1. Introduction

The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) is a Federal fee-for-service organization within the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT). The Volpe Center’s mission is to improve the nation’s transportation systems. In partnership with sponsoring agencies, the Volpe Center provides technical research and analysis services to the USDOT, other Federal agencies, state agencies, and other organizations in connection with the transportation-related components of their missions. The Volpe Center’s focus is research and innovation in all areas of transportation to improve the transportation system for the future. The Volpe Center is an active partner with several agencies in defining and implementing the future transportation system. For example, the Volpe Center is supporting is the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in the area of High Speed Rail (HSR) and also monitoring and technical assistance for FRA’s grant and loan programs.

2. Background

FRA has engaged the Volpe Center to enhance FRA’s existing monitoring and technical assistance program by using Volpe’s expert resources and contractor resources in a manner similar to other Department of Transportation (DOT) agencies. FRA administers grant and loan programs to assist State and other eligible entities (Grantees or Borrowers) in financing the planning, acquisition, design, construction, financing, and/or improvement of freight rail and intercity passenger rail infrastructure, facilities, and equipment, as well as rail service operating support for Amtrak. FRA has the authority to administer such grants and loans through Federal statutes and appropriations acts. The grant and loan programs administered by FRA have grown exponentially in both the number of awarded projects and amount of funds available over the last several years. FRA currently has a grant and loan portfolio comprised of over $18 billion worth of investments through over 325 active grants and loans distributed across multiple programs. These grants and loans are for projects located throughout the entire United States. These projects are also in various stages of development including, planning, environmental review, preliminary design, final design, construction, and operation. To administer its grants and loans, FRA has organized its staff into multi-disciplinary teams that are responsible for nine geographically based portfolios. FRA has tasked Volpe with developing operating procedures and managing this monitoring and technical assistance program for specific programs that will support the efforts of FRA’s Regional Teams.

FRA includes three components in its monitoring program: compliance; programmatic performance; and financial monitoring. The compliance monitoring components measure how well Grantees or Borrowers (also referred to as funding recipients) are following the terms of the grant or loan agreement and applicable rules, regulations, or statutes. Programmatic monitoring assesses the substantive portions of projects such as the scope, schedule, and budget that are described in the agreement’s statement of work, as well as applicable regulations and program requirements. This component also includes a review of targeted technical matters, such as engineering, environmental, and financial analysis and identifies opportunities where technical assistance can be offered to Grantees or Borrowers. Finally, FRA examines the potential for fraud, waste and abuse by reviewing a Grantee or Borrower’s accounting and financial policies and procedures, previous audit findings, and drawdown activity.

The FRA is committed to supporting Grantees and Borrowers across all programs to achieve their project goals, while balancing its responsibility to conduct oversight and protect its investment of taxpayer funds. In pursuit of this mission, the monitoring and technical assistance effort seeks to establish partnerships between FRA, Grantees and Borrowers that support program success. Monitoring evaluates adherence to FRA agreements, identifies areas for improvement, and provides opportunities for training and technical assistance.

3. Objective

The Volpe Center, through an Intra-Agency Agreement (IAA) with FRA, is providing support to enhance FRA’s monitoring and technical assistance program for High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant program. Support services to monitor additional FRA administered programs may be added in the future depending on the availability of funding. The monitoring and technical assistance contractor (MTAC) will work with the Volpe Center to execute the monitoring and technical assistance under this contract. This Statement of Work describes the monitoring and technical assistance (MTA) services the Contractor shall provide for selected programs that will be issued by the Volpe Center via Task Orders under this contract. Task Orders will have both long term assignments and short term immediate tasks. The Task Orders will be structured to provide a flexible approach to monitoring and technical assistance to ensure consistent monitoring and technical assistance activities throughout the country, while at the same time demonstrating the ability to respond quickly and effectively to specific issues that may arise.

MTAC support under this contract includes: compliance and programmatic monitoring support; deliverable review and technical assistance; and training support at the Grantee or Borrower and/or programmatic level. Volpe will assist the FRA in the continued monitoring program design and operating procedures, training, and technical assistance operating design. The MTAC will assist in the execution of the program, including producing reports, memorandums, presentations, and training materials in accordance with the MTAC operating procedures.

4. TASKS / REQUIREMENTS

The following work may be assigned to the MTAC under the respective contract line item number (CLIN), and described further below.

CLIN 0001Monitoring and Technical Assistance Support

Task Area 1 - Contract and Program Support

1.1 Monitoring Plan Support

1.2 Implementation and Transition Plans

1.3 Monthly Status Report

1.4 Meeting and Teleconference Support

1.5 Ancillary Support

1.6 MTAC Training

Task Area 2 – Project Monitoring and Monitoring Support

2.1 Compliance Monitoring Support

2.2 Performance Monitoring Support

2.3 Financial Monitoring Support

Task Area 3 – Deliverable Review and Technical Assistance

3.1 Deliverable Reviews

3.2 Technical Assistance

3.3 Technical Studies and Papers

CLIN 0002 – Training Support [Reserved for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses]

The MTAC shall only perform tasks, produce deliverables, and deliver services in accordance with approved task orders. Task orders may include all or some of the tasks, deliverables or services described in this Statement of Work.

The following are tasks that Volpe may assign to the MTAC in whole or part via Task Orders.

5. Task Area 1 – Contract and Program Support

5.1. Monitoring Plan Support

The FRA and Volpe is currently developing an overall program plan for providing monitoring and technical assistance to the grant and loan programs. The MTAC shall assist with the refinement and improvement of the monitoring plan throughout the duration of the program, which includes providing input and enhancements to the Government’s plan. Utilizing lessons learned, MTAC shall enhance and improve the monitoring plan throughout the program.

5.2. Implementation and Transition Plans

The MTAC shall develop and submit Implementation and/or Transition Plans that describes how the MTAC will provide monitoring and technical assistance to on-going Grant projects.

If the MTAC is transitioning into an on-going project, the implementation plan should address the transition efforts to ensure continuity of monitoring and technical assistance with minimum disruption to the Grantee or Borrower. If the MTAC is transitioning out of a task order, they shall provide a transition plan that reports the status of the project and any unresolved issues and key issues that the new MTAC will need to immediately address.

5.3. Monthly Status Report

The MTAC shall develop and submit Monthly Status Reports that measure performance under the existing contract or task order, including: major completed tasks, significant issues encountered during the period, lessons learned, value of completed tasks against the plan, and offer a mitigation plan for deviations from the planned schedule and/or cost.

5.4. Meeting and Teleconference Support

The MTAC shall produce deliverables for, attend or present materials at meetings and teleconferences, as requested. Examples of such meetings may include annual meetings or conferences, quarterly teleconferences, or monthly meetings. The MTAC shall provide technical consultation to the Volpe Center prior to and during monthly and quarterly review meetings, in addition to preparing documentation for all Quarterly Progress Meetings, trips, reviews, and project status meetings.

5.5. Ancillary Support

The MTAC may be required to provide ancillary services or produce deliverables in support of unforeseen emergency activities or other tasks as directed by the Volpe Center. Ancillary support may also include Agency efforts to evaluate Grantee or Borrower projects for funding purposes. Such tasks will be issued through the normal task order process.

5.6. MTAC Training

The MTAC will need to have its team attend training on how to perform monitoring activities.

6. Task Area 2 – Project Monitoring and Monitoring Support

Monitoring support will be required for projects located throughout the entire United States. These projects are also in various stages of development including, planning, environmental review, preliminary design, final design, construction, and operation.

In support of all tasks, the MTAC shall review project documents and perform interviews in sufficient detail to become familiar with the aspects of the project pertaining to the specific task order requirements. Typical documents to be reviewed may include design criteria, plans, specifications, environmental reports, cost estimates, third party agreements, contract packages, organizational charts, project management plans, rolling stock fleet management plans, real estate acquisition plans, operations plans, maintenance plans, start up plans, safety and security plans, project performance, forecasting analysis, applications, grant/loan agreements, and various reports. Personnel to be interviewed shall typically include project personnel, project design and construction staff and consultants, suppliers, and FRA regional office and headquarter personnel. The MTAC shall also conduct site visits, as required, to verify and obtain information for monitoring reviews. Site visits will include Grantee or Borrower project offices, as well as active railway sites and construction sites.

There are two distinct types of monitoring activities included in the monitoring program: routine monitoring and scheduled monitoring. Routine monitoring includes periodic reviews applicable to every project as part of the management and administration of FRA’s grant and loan programs. Scheduled monitoring is an annual review of a select group of investments accomplished through formal desk reviews and/or site monitoring. Scheduled monitoring typically consists of either a desk review or a desk review combined with a site review for a select group of projects that follows the six steps listed below:

1. Select the monitoring population with the risk assessment model, portfolio balance and exception standards.

2. Schedule the review.

3. Prepare with the pre-review activities checklist.

4. Conduct the desk review or combined desk and site review.

5. Document the review with the post-review activities checklist and report templates.

6. Complete the review and follow up, as needed.

Monitoring by the MTAC helps FRA to accomplish its fundamental stewardship role, and provides Grantees or Borrowers with assistance and monitoring to identify and avoid problems, and mitigate risks. Through monitoring, the MTAC shall strive to ensure that the Grantee or Borrower successfully implements the project, fulfills the agreed requirements for program, capacity, and quality; adequately administers and manages the project; complies with agreement terms and conditions, statutes, codes, regulations; applies sound engineering and program/project management practices and safety standards; and maintains effective project controls.

MTAC services or products should not convey any real or apparent perception to the Grantee or Borrower that the Grantee or Borrower has been relieved of any component of its responsibilities and liabilities as the responsible party for carrying out the project under the terms of the agreement with FRA.

Monitoring activities include:

a) Reviewing project files to ensure compliance with terms and conditions of the agreement with FRA

b) Interactions with the Grantee or Borrower and affiliated entities (e.g. interviews, discussions, meetings, or other)

c) Assessing Grantees’ or Borrowers’ technical capacity and capability to manage the projects, to meet goals related to scope, schedule, budget, quality, and safety both during construction and in revenue operations;

d) Investigating project conditions and core documents; visiting project sites; reviewing pertinent documents; all in sufficient detail as to become familiar with the proposed project goals, site conditions, design criteria, operations plans, drawings and specifications, value engineering studies, peer and constructability reviews, schedules, cost estimates, risks, bid packages, and contracts, progress of construction, methodology for resolving changes and claims, and project closeout;

e) Discussing findings and conclusions, identifying problems and uncertainties, making recommendations, providing professional opinions, and proactively solving problems;

f) Providing supporting reports and presentations;

g) Presenting to other groups such as Grantees, Borrowers, project teams, public bodies, and governmental groups at all levels, and peer groups.

As an example, monitoring could include investigation, examination, and checking to determine if the project is on schedule, within budget, and proceeding in conformance with the Grantee’s or Borrower’s approved plans, specifications and agreement with FRA; further, that the project is being implemented efficiently, effectively, and safely, and that the Grantee or Borrower organization continues to demonstrate the required technical capacity to successfully complete the project.

The MTAC will, as a matter of course or routine, observe, assess, and provide recommendations on the Grantee’s or Borrower’s project management practices and monitor the Grantee’s or Borrower’s competence in the use of project controls tools related to schedule, cost, and risk. The MTAC will, on a more periodic basis, review the Grantee’s or Borrower’s project documents such as drawings, specifications, design criteria reports, construction communications, schedules, cost estimates, risk assessments, vehicle and equipment procurement and management plans. The reviews may include extended on-site discussions, meetings, and working sessions between the Grantee’s or Borrower’s team and the MTAC team. Intensive reviews will typically be required once or twice in a project phase with the intention of gaining a true up-to-date picture of the project status for scope, schedule, cost, risk, and technical capacity of the Grantee or Borrower to successfully manage the project. Below is a summary of typical reviews that will be conducted by the MTAC:

6.1 Compliance Monitoring

The MTAC shall provide monitoring to the extent needed to ensure compliance with the requirements prescribed by the agreement with FRA. With consideration of the laws, regulations, policies, circulars, guidance documents, and practices that apply to the Grantee’s or Borrower’s work, the MTAC shall review and analyze all pertinent information available for reasonableness within the scope and cost parameters; for completeness, adequacy, consistency, appropriateness of level of detail given the project phase (e.g., planning, design, construction, project completion and close out).

The MTAC is expected to transmit information to the Volpe Center and keep them informed of findings, project status, issues of concern, and recommendations for action. The reporting function of the MTAC allows for proper and timely decision making. The MTAC shall consult with the Volpe Center prior to and during all review meetings, in addition to preparing agendas, attachments, and meeting notes for all review meetings.

Reports and other documentation shall be distributed to Volpe Center, and the Grantee or Borrower when directed by the Volpe Center. Reports should be submitted to the Volpe Center within 15 days of a meeting, or as specified in Task Order and Technical Memorandum assignments. The form of the communication will also be specified in the Task Order.

6.2 Financial Monitoring

The MTAC shall provide monitoring to the extent needed to ensure compliance with the financial requirements prescribed by the agreements with FRA. The MTAC shall review and analyze all pertinent financial information available for reasonableness within the scope and cost parameters; for completeness, adequacy, consistency, and compliance with the financial requirements of the agreement with FRA.

7. Task Area 3 – Deliverable Review and Technical Assistance

Grantees and Borrowers are required to provide a variety of deliverables to FRA as part of the agreement with FRA. The MTAC will perform engineering reviews of these deliverables. The MTAC may also be required to provide Subject Matter Expertise (SME) and provide technical assistance to the Grantee, Borrower, contractors, FRA, and other government agencies for any of the following areas.

7.1 Deliverable Reviews

The MTAC will perform reviews of deliverables in the following areas.

7.1.1 Project Scope/Capacity Review

The MTAC shall perform scope reviews to assess and evaluate the Grantee’s or Borrower’s project using industry guidelines with respect to the capacity of its individual rail system/facility features or functions and to assess and evaluate the proposed level of service. The MTAC shall prepare a report to document the findings, professional opinions, and recommendations following the project scope/capacity review.

7.1.2 Capital Cost Estimate Review

The MTAC shall perform cost reviews to assess the consistency of such data provided by the Grantee or Borrower to understand its characteristics and descriptions, as well as the correlation between the quantity data in the estimates and the data established in the design deliverables, and review whether the Grantee or Borrower cost data is truly reflective of the scope indicated on the design drawings, i.e. correct estimate quantities. Also, the MTAC should review the Grantee’s or Borrower’s cost estimating methodology memo or report, developed as part of alternatives analysis work and updated with each subsequent estimating effort.

To accomplish this, the MTAC shall perform cost characterization of the Grantee or Borrower cost data inclusive of the project estimate. The MTAC shall also assess the integration and traceability of that estimate into the defined scope of the project for purposes of “baselining” the project estimate as the costs, scope issues, and project become more fully defined and developed through progression of project definition. The MTAC shall identify and separately list risks discovered in the cost review and evaluate the potential likelihood and impact of these risks on the cost, scope, and schedule.

7.1.3 Project Schedule Review

The MTAC shall perform schedule reviews and analyses to determine whether the Grantee’s or Borrower’s project schedule is sufficiently developed to establish the validity of the longest path of the project and that critical areas such as right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, wetland mitigation, and construction are sufficiently detailed to confirm if the schedule is reasonable and to estimate a probability of schedule slippage. The MTAC shall validate the usefulness of the schedule as a project management tool, identify problems, provide technical assistance, and actively solve schedule problems with the Grantee or Borrower. The MTAC shall prepare a report to document the findings, professional opinions, and recommendations following the schedule review.

7.1.4 Environmental Review

The MTAC shall review the Grantee’s or Borrower’s Environmental Document Mitigation Plan, including NEPA analysis requirements; mitigation principles; plan for management and implementation of mitigation actions.

7.1.5 Design Review

The MTAC shall review engineering designs and specifications, as required for accuracy and applicability. The MTAC shall evaluate the adequacy of the design requirements, to evaluate the capability of the design to meet these requirements, and to identify problems. The design review shall ensure that all system requirements have been allocated, the requirements are complete, and the proposed design is expected to meet the functional and performance requirements.

7.1.6 Fleet Management Plan Review

If applicable, the MTAC shall evaluate if the Grantee or Borrower has met the requirement to have a Fleet Management Plan, as well as the Grantee’s or Borrower’s ability to carry out the Plan. The MTAC shall provide professional opinions on whether the Plan is: (1) feasible, based on the resources immediately available to the Grantee or Borrower, (2) sustainable, based on the long term infrastructure and resources anticipated to be available to the Grantee or Borrower, and (3) comprehensive, based on consideration of the required factors to properly maintain and operate the new or refurbished vehicles contemplated.

The MTAC may be required to conduct on-site inspections of equipment, related facilities, data, documentation, or records to evaluate the Grantee's or Borrower’s effectiveness in implementing the Fleet Management Plan in conformance with the agreement with FRA, sound operating or engineering practices, or other statutory and administrative requirements. Inspection visits may be made, for example, to follow up on information received from the Grantee or Borrower about an event with significant impact on the project, or to determine whether the Grantee or Borrower has adequately implemented the Fleet Management Plan. The MTAC may also be required to review Grantee or Borrower documentation, perform its own technical review and physical inspections, characterize the Grantee’s or Borrower’s Fleet Management Plan and validate the plan and operating assumptions in conformance with these procedures.

7.1.7 Rail Vehicle Technical and Procurement Reviews

The MTAC shall assist in overseeing the Grantee’s or Borrower’s procurement of rail vehicles to help achieve economy in vehicle procurements. The MTAC shall report on the completeness and accuracy of Grantee’s or Borrower’s deliverables, including contractual deliverable documents to determine whether the documents will address all of the characteristics to be demonstrated throughout analysis and testing phases, design documentation, and quality control/quality assurance plans to ensure the supplier’s QA will be performed under adequate surveillance. The MTAC shall also identify when the Grantee’s or Borrower’s actual and stated needs are in conflict. The MTAC shall provide recommendations for corrective action and ensure timely intervention when there are indications that the vehicle will not satisfy the Grantee’s or Borrower’s actual needs.

7.1.8 Risk Assessments and Contingency Review

The MTAC shall implement and maintain a continuous risk planning and monitoring process. Risk assessments for a capital project shall include a base condition for scope, cost and time for known elements (e.g., design quantities, unit costs, duration); a risk condition for scope, cost, and time for unknown or uncertain elements; and a combined base and risk condition. Uncertain project elements shall be identified, and project targets, such as performance, cost, and schedule estimates, shall be expressed as a range that varies in value, reflecting the potentially large impacts of uncertain elements and unidentified risk. These uncertain elements and unidentified risks adjust the base cost to give an approximation of the total project cost that ranges in value, expressed as a probability distribution. The MTAC shall evaluate the risk assessment findings and provide professional opinions as to the reliability of the project scope, cost, and schedule of the project, and describe uncertainties.

7.1.9 Readiness Reviews

The following reviews may be required at different project development phases and will utilize previously developed guidance to the extent applicable, to complete the review.

· Readiness to Enter Final Design

The MTAC shall provide professional and well-reasoned findings and recommendations regarding the readiness of the Grantee or Borrower to enter and complete the final design phase. In general, the MTAC shall review and analyze the pertinent information available for completeness, adequacy, consistency, and appropriate level of detail given the phase of the work, identify all apparent discrepancies and deficiencies, and state findings in descending order of importance (most likely, largest consequences, least likely, moderate/minor consequences) and make recommendations for modifications or additional work by the Grantee or Borrower along with a time frame for the performance of the work.

· Readiness to Bid the Work for Construction

The MTAC shall review the Grantee’s or Borrower’s bid packages and supporting documentation to ensure compliance with Federal requirements, ensure it is complete, accurate, and consistent with project management plans, and to confirm that the Grantee or Borrower is prepared to successfully manage the procurement and construction processes. This shall include confirmation of the readiness for bidding of the complete bid package, including plans, specifications, and contract provisions, confirmation that the bid package is consistent with project management plans with respect to scope, schedule, and budget, and confirmation of the readiness of the sponsoring organization with respect to having in place the necessary qualified project staff; consistent project management plans, procurement and construction management procedures; needed interagency, third party, and real estate agreements; and required financial resources.

· Readiness for Revenue Service

The MTAC shall determine a Grantee’s or Borrower’s readiness for revenue operations by verifying that all systems, subsystems, components, equipment, and materials furnished and installed conform to the requirements of the contract documents, and verifying that the entire system, with all interfaces, operates as indicated in the contract documents as an integrated whole and is capable of functioning effectively to provide dependable service.

7.2 Technical Assistance

The MTAC may be required to provide technical assistance in any of the areas described above, particularly where the MTAC notes deficiencies or recommendations discovered through reviews. Technical assistance may be provided to the Grantee, Borrower, their contractors, FRA, and other governmental agencies. Assistance will need to be provided by subject matter experts in the field of railroad safety, railroad design, transportation planning, construction, operations, and others. This task is to assist in overcoming obstacles and problems that arise throughout the execution of the agreement with FRA.

Technical assistance activities include assessing Grantee or Borrowers activities (most likely informed by information collected performing monitoring activities); identifying strategies and measures to address project development challenges; and teaching, training, or tutoring of the Grantee, Borrower, or affiliated entities on topics, strategies and best practices related to the Grantee’s or Borrower’s project development and delivery. Technical assistance can cover a wide variety of topics; however it does not transfer any responsibility from the Grantee or Borrower to the Volpe Center, FRA, or its Contractors for the project or the aspect of the project for which the technical assistance was provided. The following are a few examples of the kind of topics on which the MTAC may be required to provide technical assistance under this contract:

a) Reviewing and commenting on Environmental Document Mitigation Plans;

b) Reviewing and commenting on right-of-way acquisition plans to ensure conformity with the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970;

c) Reviewing and commenting on utility relocation plans;

d) Reviewing and commenting on permitting plans;

e) Reviewing and commenting on engineering plans and documents, including value engineering proposals;

f) Reviewing and comment on financial plans;

g) Reviewing and commenting on operational modeling analysis and operating plans;

h) Reviewing and commenting on fleet management plans;

i) Reviewing and commenting on project management plans;

j) Reviewing the Grantee’s or Borrower’s approach to risk analysis and conducting risk assessments;

k) Analyzing project schedules to determine if assumptions are reasonable;

l) Analyzing project budgets to determine if assumptions are reasonable

m) Providing expert advisory support to FRA Headquarters or Regional Staff

n) Developing course content or supporting instruction of a course provided by the Training Contractor under CLIN 0002.

7.2.1 Performance Monitoring

The MTAC shall provide monitoring support to ensure that the Grantee or Borrower is meeting its requirements in the performance of planning, managing and executing the agreement with FRA. Performance reviews may include the following topics.

7.2.2 Project Management Review

The MTAC shall evaluate the Grantee’s or Borrower’s Project Management practices and Project Management Plan (PMP) for completeness and adequacy to ensure it contains the necessary elements to effectively manage the work for the given project phase. The Grantee’s or Borrower’s policies, practices, and procedures related to the management, planning, design, construction, testing, and revenue operations of the project. The project management practices of the Grantee or Borrower should reflect a risk-informed approach to project management, i.e., as time progresses and the project develops and risks diminish.

7.2.3 Technical Capacity and Capability Review

The MTAC shall review a Grantee’s or Borrower’s technical capability and capacity to efficiently and effectively implement proposed and current Federal projects. The MTAC shall evaluate the organizational structure of the Grantee or Borrower, qualifications of its personnel, as well as the Grantee’s or Borrower’s policies, procedures, and implementation methods. Particular attention needs to be given to the Grantee’s or Borrower’s abilities, resources, and organization of its own staff and third party consultants, to develop and implement project plans as well as to identify and manage project cost and schedule risks, real estate acquisition (as applicable), safety and security requirements, quality assurance and quality control, and other issues of Federal concern.

7.2.4 Quality Control/Quality Assurance Program Review

The MTAC shall review and verify that the Grantee’s or Borrower’s QA/QC program ensures project quality, staffing levels are appropriate, and that the Grantee or Borrower is adequately implementing its QA/QC program. As part of the verification process, the MTAC shall review the Grantee’s or Borrower’s QA/QC Plan and routinely monitor the Grantee’s or Borrower’s QA/QC activities. Monitoring shall include reviews of Grantee’s or Borrower’s implementation of its overall quality program including process, documentation and results. The MTAC shall also hold periodic interviews with individuals, such as the project's quality manager, resident engineers, project control engineer and design engineers, and review, on a random basis, the various documents maintained by these individuals related to the overall quality of the project. The review shall determine that the appropriate reports exist and that the data contained in the documents are indicative of an adequately implemented QA/QC program. Typical documents that may be reviewed include: design completion/coordination check list, quality audits, inspection reports, non-conformance logs, and compliance measures taken to correct deficiencies. Through observation and discussions with key individuals and reviews of key documents, the MTAC will be able to conclude whether or not the Grantee or Borrower is adequately implementing its QA/QC program.

7.2.5 Safety & Security Management Review

The MTAC shall review the Grantee’s or Borrower’s Safety and Security Management Plan (SSMP) and program to determine that the Grantee or Borrower is adequately performing required safety and security management activities. The MTAC shall verify that the Grantee or Borrower has documented its approach to performing the required safety and security management activities and verify that the Grantee or Borrower has the technical capacity to implement its SSMP, including adequate personnel, organization, budget and schedule. The SSMP review shall also determine whether the approach documented by the Grantee’s or Borrower’s SSMP is being implemented, as appropriate, for the project’s current stage.

7.2.6 Real Estate Acquisition and Management Review

On capital projects, the real property acquisition and relocation component represents substantial risk. The MTAC is required to include a specialized real estate expert with experience in early right-of-way planning and acquisition and have a working knowledge of appraisal, acquisition, relocation, and property management as described in the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, amended (Public Law 91-646; 42 U.S.C. 4601, et seq.) http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/realestate/row_legs.htm.

The real estate expert shall review the project real estate management, as directed, at particular phases of the project. The objective is to identify problems and solutions as early as possible in the project life. The real estate expert will provide monitoring to review and analyze pertinent information for reasonableness, completeness, adequacy, consistency, and appropriateness of level of detail given the phase and identify risks. The MTAC shall also characterize the Grantee’s or Borrower’s ability to meet the relevant laws and regulations, and determine the Grantee’s or Borrower’s level of compliance.

7.2.7 Construction Review

The MTAC shall review the Grantee’s or Borrower’s procedures for construction management and implementation, including administration, management, inspection; coordination with third parties; site logistics, phasing; shop drawing, request for information (RFI) processing; change order and claims procedures; standards for substantial completion and final completion.

In both routine and periodic monitoring, the MTAC is expected to proactively engage with the Grantee or Borrower, identify problems, provide technical assistance, offer alternative approaches, and actively solve problems with the Grantee or Borrower. The MTAC shall document its findings, professional opinions and recommendations in required reports, and reconcile these with the Grantee or Borrower. When the MTAC perceives the Grantee or Borrower to need technical assistance, the MTAC is required to communicate this need to the Volpe Center for authorization.

7.3 Technical Studies and Papers

The MTAC may be required to conduct technical studies, prepare professional papers, and present such papers or studies. This may include:

· research of industry trends

· development of concepts, issue papers

· analysis of project cost, schedule and other data

· analysis of technologies and the integration of technologies

· examination of agency histories or practices

8.0 CLIN 0002 – Training Support [SDVOSB set-aside]

The Training Contractor may be required to provide training to the Grantees or Borrowers, its contractors, and/or FRA staff in any of the areas described above, particularly where the MTAC noted deficiencies or recommendations discovered through reviews. The Training Contractor is not responsible for technical content development. Technical content will be provided by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from the Volpe Center, MTACs, or other government agencies. The Volpe Center will be responsible for coordinating the technical content and providing that information to the training contractor for inclusion in training materials.

The Training Contractor will be responsible for developing training delivery materials for and conducting a webinar or classroom course, annual conference for Grantees and Borrowers, or a peer exchange bringing best practices from one project or Grantee or Borrower to another. In addition the Training Contractor may be called upon to support the Volpe Center in developing and/or maintaining a competency building website for training and technical assistance guidance materials, events calendar, newsletters, lessons learned, and other relevant internet links.

8.1 Webinar and Classroom Training

The Volpe Center expects to conduct monthly webinars and up to 4 classroom trainings per year over the five year period of performance. Webinars are expected to be approximately 1-2 hours in length and will require gathering of information from technical experts and FRA relevant information developing PowerPoint and Word materials, providing logistic support, and conducting the training. The same type of support will be required for the classroom trainings which can vary from 1-3 days in length. Separate stand-alone guidance material may also be required such as training sheets and workbooks.

8.2 Annual Conference for Grantees and Borrowers

It is anticipated that there will be an annual conference for all rail Grantees and Borrowers that will provide training in requested topic areas, lessons learned, and program updates. It is expected that this conference could last from 2-4 days and require development and/or coordination of the agenda with FRA and the Volpe Center, coordination of the speakers, conference and hotel logistics, development and dissemination of the materials, and conference summaries.

8.3 Peer to Peer Exchange

When required, the Volpe Center will support FRA and their rail Grantees and Borrowers to have more topic specific regional or state peer-to-peer events which will require development and/or coordination of the agenda with FRA and the Volpe Center, coordination of the speakers, workshop logistics, development and dissemination of the materials, and conference summaries.

8.4 Competency Building Website

The FRA is developing a website where any of the Grantees, Borrowers, or FRA staff can access training and technical assistance materials and find out about upcoming training. The Training Contractor will support the Volpe Center to gather the relevant materials, help define the competency building blocks, and gather lessons learned from the current projects. In addition, the training contractor may be asked to update and enhance the website adding new material, such as white papers, guidance documents, best practices, as well as updating an event calendar.