Final_RFP_605_2600000172_2_SO_FORM.PDF

Document ID: RFP 605 2600000172 Page: 1

Commonwealth of Kentucky

SOLICITATION MODIFICATION

Modification: Yes Version #: 2

TITLE: Weather Forecasting Services FY 27-28 Addendum #1

Date Issued:

12/24/2025 Record Date:

12/19/2025

Solicitation Closes Date:

01/09/2026 Time:

14:00

Solicitation No:

RFP 605 2600000172

Reason for Modification

Addendum #1 December 19, 2025 This addendum is posted to answer vendor questions and update language regarding trial period timeline.

Online Bidding Prohibited: No For Information Call:

ALLAN COLDIRON

502-782-3981

Bid Receiving Location:

Bid Receiving

See Terms & Conditions for Bid Submission Instructions

Other KY

Vendor Customer Number:

Vendor Name:

Phone Number:

Fax Number:

Email Address:

Ordering

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Contact Name:

Contact Email:

Contact Phone Number:

Payment

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Contact Name:

Contact Email:

Contact Phone Number:

Ownership Type

__ Sole Proprietorship __ Partnership __ Corporation __ Other_________________________

SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED AGENT IS REQUIRED UNLESS RESPONSE

IS SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY. FAILURE TO SIGN SHALL RENDER

THE BID INVALID.

Signature X_________________________________________ FEIN#____________________ Date____________

All offers subject to all terms and conditions contained in this solicitation.

Document ID: RFP 605 2600000172 Page: 2

Line Items

Commodity Group: Default Commodity Group

Line CL Description Quantity UOM Unit Cost Line Total or Contract Amnt

1 Weather Forecasting Services FY27-28

Comm Code Comm Description Manufacturer Model # Manuf Part #

96188 Weather Forecasting Services

Extended Description Personal Service Contract to establish a contract for weather forecasting services to assist in maintenance decision making. This information is utilized to schedule crews and make maintenance activity decisions as per information received from the weather forecasting service provider. Specifications layout criteria and scoring weights.

Shipping Information Various Shipping

See Extended Description

Various KY

Billing Information KYTC Division of Maintenance

200 Mero Street 3rd Floor Frankfort KY 40622

Document ID: RFP 605 2600000172 Page: 3

Submission Checklist

The following items will be required to be submitted with bid:

Item Mandatory Requirement Vendor must provide 6 at least forecasts updates per day at the times specified above, displayed graphically and in tabular text form. Information shall be accessible via internet or web-based, and also shall be formatted suitably for smartphones and tablets. Information must be provided in modern data format. Training must be provided by Vendor.

Understanding of KY weather patterns Vendors must demonstrate an understanding of Kentucky weather, climatology, and meteorology as it relates to surface conditions and the roadway.

Vendors must be familiar with weather in the Midwest/Southeast areas of the United States. Vendors must demonstrate their knowledge of weather pattens and the small-scale variations in weather in the state of Kentucky.

Vendors must have the ability to provide means of live communication for maintenance personnel to ask questions of and discuss forecast. Vendors must be able to provide on-call assistance as needed to discuss severe weather forecasts and impacts. Provide details and examples of this service.

Vendors must have prior experience providing these or similar services to other state government transportation agencies. Provide details of this experience.

Online product ease of use Vendors must provide a link to the online and app version of their product that closely resembles what is proposed, along with username to be used during the testing period. Vendors must provide technical support if needed during the testing period. The Trial Period will be valid for 30 calendar days after the closing date of the RFP.

Value Added Components Vendors are encouraged to include other weather products available to the KYTC as Value Added Components. Examples of other services could be:

Cost

Addendum #1 – December 19, 2025 This addendum is posted to answer vendor questions and update language regarding trial period timeline.

1. Question: Access to RWIS data “Section B.3 states that the vendor will be required to pull RWIS/ASOS data ‘from supported web locations.’ Could KYTC please clarify how these data will be made available? Specifically:

A. What interfaces are currently provided (e.g. APIs, web services, SFTP, other)?

Answer: We typically host files on an open Google cloud storage bucket, which utilizes https protocol.

B. Question: In what formats are RWIS observations exposed (e.g. JSON, XML, CSV)?

Answer: We typically format data feeds using JSON or CSV. JSON is preferred, but CSV can be made available.

C. Question: What authentication or security mechanisms are required for automated access?”

Answer: We host the files on an open storage container.

2. Question: Meaning of “garage area” “In Section A.7.a the RFP refers to ‘a forecasted or imminent precipitation event for a garage area.’ Could KYTC please clarify what constitutes a ‘garage area’ for this contract? For example:

A. Does a garage area correspond to an individual maintenance depot, an operational route group, a district, or another geographic unit?

Answer: A garage area would encompass an entire county. Each county contains at least one maintenance facility (or garage) with a handful of counties containing more than one garage location (Floyd, Jefferson and Pike).

B. Question: Approximately how many distinct garage areas does KYTC anticipate configuring for alerts?”

Answer: There are 124 distinct garage locations throughout the state. There are also 12 highway districts that these counties roll up into

3. Question: Number of bridges for deck-temperature coverage “The Scope of Work requires forecasts and alerts for bridge deck temperatures and bridge frost. To size and configure our solution appropriately, could KYTC please indicate:

Answer: These locations would be defined regionally and not bridge-specific for the location. For example, the same geographic region as the garage.

A. Question: Approximately how many bridges (or bridge locations) are in scope for monitoring bridge deck temperature and frost risk; and.

Answer: See Answer above.

B. Question: Whether these locations are already associated with RWIS sensors, or will primarily be defined using geographic or route-based groupings rather than specific instrumented sites?”

Answer: See Answer above.

4. Question: Does KYTC still participate in the Pathfinder program and plan to during the term of the new contract?

Answer: Yes

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5. Question: Are you currently using any ESRI tools such as Velocity?

Answer: No. All streaming and real-time data is processed on Google Cloud using in-house developed algorithms.

6. Question: What are the details of the proposed testing period?

Answer: Vendor needs to provide a way for the online and app version to be tested by KYTC Proposal Evaluation Committee. This can be via link and/or username.

7. Question: When will the testing period start and end?

Answer: The testing period should start the day after the closing date of the solicitation (Currently 1/9/2026) and be available for 30 calendar days after the closing date of the solicitation. Therefore, the end date of the trial period would be 2/20/2026.

8. Question: Will the trial be paid? (A paid trial would determine whether the vendor invests time in creating client-specific deliverables or provides off-the-shelf products) Answer: No. The trial version does not need to be Kentucky specific.

9. Question: Will all features listed in the solicitation be required during the trial?

Answer: Vendors must provide a link to the online and app version of their product that closely resembles what is proposed, along with username to be used during the testing period. Vendors must provide technical support if needed during the testing period

10. Question: What is the exact term of the proposed contract?

Answer: The contract terms will be 07/01/2026-06/30/2028. There also 2 additional two-year renewals that can be utilized if all parties agree. So, the maximum expiration date of the contract can be 6/30/2032.

11. Question: Is the term two years beginning January 1, 2027?

Answer: See answer to question #10.

12. Question: Will KYTC provide access to RWIS station data?

Answer: Yes

13. Question: How will this data be delivered?

Answer: Via CSV File

14. Question: Should the six daily forecasts be issued per KYTC District only, or is county-level or garage-level resolution expected within each District forecast?

Answer: County-level.

15. Question: For forecasts tied to GPS points or polygons, does KYTC prefer county boundaries, District boundaries, RWIS-centric buffers, or roadway corridor polygons?

Answer: County boundaries.

16. Question: Section 2.00 A – General Forecast Product requirements lists hourly forecast data (2.00.A.4). What is the temporal period for this forecast (2, 3, or 5 days)?

Answer: 5 days would be preferrable.

Question: Is this data expected to be unique for each county in Kentucky, or will KYTC divide the DOH into regions? Please confirm the spatial resolution required.

Answer: Data should be unique to each county.

17. Question: For alerts (Section 2.00.A.7), what are the temporal and spatial requirements?

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Answer: As far as the temporal requirements, alerts should be given once available. For spatial requirement, they should be provided on a county/garage level basis.

18. Question: Should running totals represent event-based accumulations or calendar-day (00–24z) totals, particularly for multi-wave storms?

Answer: Calendar day totals with total accumulation for each entire event included as well.

19. Question: Does KYTC define specific temperature or pavement thresholds for rain vs.

freezing rain vs. snow classification, or should vendors apply their own meteorological standards?

Answer: Vendor may apply their own meteorological standards.

20. Question: Should forecasts explicitly reference specific RWIS stations, or synthesize RWIS data into area-wide modeled road temperatures?

Answer: RWIS data can be synthesized into area-wide modeling for road temps.

21. Question: In the event of RWIS or ASOS outages, does KYTC have a preferred hierarchy for substitute data sources or modeled replacements?

Answer: No

22. Question: Are there minimum or preferred lead times for advance warnings (e.g., frost, freezing precipitation, high wind), or should vendors propose best-practice thresholds?

Answer: Expectations are that advance warnings will be communicated as soon as possible, but there is no specific lead time noted. As soon as available. KYTC would be open to hear and discuss any best-practice thresholds the vendor may propose.

23. Question: Is KYTC more focused on high-confidence alerts only, or is there tolerance for earlier, lower-confidence heads-ups with later refinement?

Answer: There is tolerance for advance notification of alerts with medium-level confidence with later refinement. The level of confidence in forecast information/alerts should be noted in the communication

24. Question: Does KYTC prefer a standard briefing template (slides, map graphics, written summary), or should vendors propose their own format?

Answer: Briefings should include slides that contain both map graphics and written summaries. Any additional graphics that would be helpful in decision support are welcome as well.

25. Question: For short-notice briefings, are there defined service-level expectations for response time and forecaster availability?

Answer: If notice is given that a briefing is needed, response should be received within an hour providing either the information requested or a timeframe in which information can be provided. Forecaster should be available to respond as needed.

26. Question: Which forecast elements are expected to be eligible for public dissemination, versus internal-only decision support?

Answer: Forecast elements will not be publicly disseminated and will be utilized solely as internal-only decision support.

Revised May 2025

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

The vendor MUST include the following with the proposal submission.

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If the items highlighted below are not submitted with the proposal submission, the Commonwealth MUST deem the proposal non-responsive and

SHALL NOT consider for award.

All other items MUST be submitted prior to award.

_____ SIGNED AND COMPLETED SOLICITATION –Section(s) 8.00 and 8.10 of this RFP

(not required if submitting electronically)

_____ *PROPOSED SOLUTION (TECHNICAL) UNDER SEALED COVER AND BY

CLOSING DATE --Section(s) 8.00 and 8.10 of this RFP

_____ *PROPOSED SOLUTION (COST) UNDER SEALED COVER AND BY CLOSING

DATE -- Section(s) 8.00 and 8.10 of this RFP

_____ TRANSMITTAL LETTER – Section 8.20 of this RFP

_____ PROOF OF REGISTRATION WITH SECRETARY OF STATE BY A FOREIGN

ENTITY -- Section 8.00 of the Personal Service Contract Terms and Conditions of this

RFP

_____ REQUIRED AFFIDAVIT(S) – Section 8.20 of this RFP

*The Commonwealth defines SEALED as “a closure that must be broken to be opened and that thus reveals tampering” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/ dictionary/seal

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

FOR

PERSONAL SERVICE CONTRACT

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet / Department of Highways Weather Forecasting Services

RFP-605-2600000172

This document constitutes a Request for Proposals for a Personal Service Contract from qualified individuals and organizations to furnish those services as described herein for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC).

Offerors are advised that any personal service contract resulting from this RFP must comply with all applicable provisions of KRS 45A and KRS 12.210 prior to becoming effective.

A contract, based on this RFP, may or may not be awarded. Any contract award from this RFP is invalid until properly approved and executed by the Finance and Administration Cabinet and filed with the Legislative Research Commission, Government Contract Review Committee.

1.00 Purpose and Background

The KYTC is seeking weather support services for DOH maintenance and operations activities.

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Total Pages: 34 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seal https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seal

2.00 Scope of Work

A. General Forecast Product Requirements

1. Must provide at least six (6) forecasts per day for each District.

2. A forecast must be posted or updated on website daily at 12:00 AM, 4:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 12:00 noon, 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM. If the vendor agrees to provide greater forecast issuance frequency, a forecast must be issued at 12:00 PM noon, and all other forecasts should be evenly spaced throughout the next 24 hours.

3. Forecasts should be delivered by the required hour, and no sooner than 30 minutes before that hour. Each forecast will provide hourly values of each of the required weather items, out to 24 hours in advance.

4. All forecast values must be displayed graphically and in tabular text form. The tabular and graphical hourly winter forecast must include:

a) Air temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.

b) Dew point temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.

c) Probability of precipitation during the hour.

d) Predominant precipitation type (i.e., rain, snow, freezing rain, freezing drizzle/fog, etc.)

e) Precipitation rate in inches per hour.

f) Running total of expected snowfall or ice accumulation during the forecast period.

g) Wind direction and speed reported in half-octant form, i.e., NW, SSE, etc., where an octant is equal to 45 degrees. Proposer will provide wind speeds in miles per hour.

h) Wind gust speed

i) Probability of roadway frost during the hour.

j) Probability of bridge frost during the hour

k) Road surface temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.

l) Bridge temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.

5. All forecast material shall be made available on the Internet for KYTC personnel to access whether at work or home. The site will be password protected to limit access to KYTC personnel only. The site must have the capability to be accessed by up to 200 users simultaneously. The site must be compatible with multiple browser types, such as Edge, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

Provide forecast information as outlined in Item 4 above in a format that is optimized for use on smartphones and tablets.

6. Vendor should provide a means of communication so that maintenance personnel can discuss the current and forecast weather situation with the forecaster responsible for the KYTC's forecasts.

This access will also allow the KYTC to provide immediate feedback on the quality of important forecasts.

7. Should provide email and text message notification of forecast and observed weather conditions.

Advance warning notification could be needed for at least 120 supervisors and 36 district managers.

Alert type, recipient addresses, lead time (for forecast alerts), and location(s) of interest should be user- editable/selectable online. The following alert types are examples:

a) Advance warning of a forecasted or eminent precipitation event for a garage area if the pavement temperatures are also expected to be below 34 F.

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b) Advance warning of forecast bridge and road frost formation at user-specified RWIS stations in Kentucky and surrounding states.

c) Notification of observed bridge or road frost conditions.

d) High Wind warnings.

e) Low Visibility warnings.

f) Flash Flood warnings.

8. Future radar: Future precipitation events plotted on a statewide or regional map with looping capabilities (1-hour interval or less) to show expected precipitation, type and intensity in the next twenty-four hour period. Future radar should be updated on the same schedule as the regular forecast delivery.

B. Project Management and Customer Service To ensure all forecast requirements are met at the beginning of the season, and to ensure that issues are addressed throughout the contract period, the KYTC requires the following interaction with representatives of the vendor:

1. A lead forecaster should be assigned to conduct an implementation conference with KYTC representatives prior to the beginning of the forecast period to finalize the implementation of the forecast services and details regarding communication and expectations of the services.

Arrangements will be made at the implementation conference for a test of all services prior to the beginning of the forecast period to identify any issues in communication or format. Detailed written contact names, phone numbers, etc. will be supplied at this meeting for the vendor’s use.

All forecast products and services (e.g. toll free access, web page) must be present and operational by the beginning of the forecast period.

2. For high-impact storms, the KYTC holds pre-storm telework (i.e., Microsoft Teams, Skype, etc) or conference call briefings with KYTC management, field staff, state law enforcement, and other agencies as appropriate to coordinate the maintenance and safety needs expected for the storm. The vendor should be prepared to provide a short weather summary, an illustrative graphic detailing timing and impact that may be shared with other offices and agencies (i.e., Governor’s Office, State Police, Emergency Management, etc.), and answer questions about the upcoming storm in the event that their presence is requested by the briefing organizers. These briefings may be scheduled on short notice. Historically, there are approximately 0-10 such events each winter; usually for storms with significant travel safety impacts such as:

# Winter Storm Watch or Warning # Blizzard Watch or Warning # Ice Storm Watch or Warning # Snow Squall Event (with enough advance notice) # High end flood event that could be widespread and have potential impact on

KYTC roads # High Wind Warning # Severe Weather Events (with enough advance notice) # Other events defined by KYTC (i.e., weather forecasts during special events)

3. The vendor should use RWIS/ASOS data in making forecasts and have a system in place to proceed with forecasting in the event of outages or erroneous sensor readings. The vendor will be

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2600000172 Final Weather Forecasting Services FY 27-28 Addendum # required to pull the data from supported web locations for use in making forecasts. All costs of obtaining the data from site will be borne by the vendor.

C. Integration/interfaces

1. Vendors must provide forecasts using modern data formats (such as JSON, geoJSON, etc.).

The data source must contain forecasts for each county, date and time of issuance, GPS point or polygons for which the forecast is valid, hourly forecast information, the statewide discussion, and the district discussion. The data source will be read every 2 minutes by KYTC’s real-time system.

The data will be stored by KYTC’s real-time data system (hosted by Google Cloud) in addition to being processed against KYTC’s linear referencing system and published to ESRI’s ArcGIS Online as post-processed data .

2. GIS Web Service products that can be incorporated into our internal or KYTC-only vendor-hosted GIS applications. Vendor must provide the following required products:

a) Current radar loop/images out to 1 hour

b) Near-term forecast precipitation path maps, color coded for expected type (e.g., rain, snow, ice)

c) Near-term forecast precipitation accumulation maps

d) Current air, wind, and pavement temperatures

KYTC can work with products that conform to the Open Geospatial Consortium’s definition of Web Map Services or Web Feature Services and use only username/password or token-only authentication. Vendor must fully describe the format and authentication of the proposed web services. Web service forecast products must update at the same time as the other forecast products.

3. KYTC archives real-time data for various purposes. This real-time data includes numerous items such as crowdsourcing information, traffic speeds, weather data available to the public, etc. KYTC may archive enhanced radar and forecast data provided by the vendor. Detail any limitations, agreements or restrictions associated with archiving of the enhanced radar and forecast data to the KYTC cloud storage (Google Cloud or ESRI’s ArcGIS Online).

4. KYTC does share weather information to the public and other agencies via GoKY, located at www.goky.ky.gov, which is the Traveler Information Website.

D. Training The vendor must supply a qualified forecaster to provide on-site or virtual training sessions for KYTC personnel. Training will be geared toward understanding the forecast website and services and helpful weather information tips. These sessions should last approximately one hour.

3.00 Evaluation Criteria

The KYTC shall conduct a comprehensive, fair, and impartial evaluation of all proposals. The KYTC may reject any proposal that is incomplete or in which there are significant inconsistencies or inaccuracies. The KYTC reserves the right to reject all proposals.

The KYTC has established a Proposal Evaluation Committee to review, evaluate and verify information submitted by the offeror.

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2600000172 Final Weather Forecasting Services FY 27-28 Addendum # http://www.goky.ky.gov

Each vendor is responsible for submitting all relevant, factual and correct information with their offer to enable the evaluator(s) to afford each vendor the maximum score based on the available data submitted by the vendor.

The KYTC shall evaluate the proposals by assigning scores as indicated.

Technical Proposal Evaluation

Criteria Maximum Points Possible Vendor must provide 6 at least forecasts updates per day at the times specified above, displayed graphically and in tabular text form. Information shall be accessible via internet or web-based, and also shall be formatted suitably for smartphones and tablets. Information must be provided in modern data format. Training must be provided by Vendor.

Mandatory Requirement means a condition set out in the specifications or statement of work that must be met without exception.

PROPOSALS THAT DO NOT MEET

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WILL BE

DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND WILL

NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Pass/Fail

Understanding of KY weather patterns

Vendors must demonstrate an understanding of Kentucky weather, climatology, and meteorology as it relates to surface conditions and the roadway.

Vendors must be familiar with weather in the Midwest/Southeast areas of the United States.

Vendors must demonstrate their knowledge of weather pattens and the small-scale variations in weather in the state of Kentucky.

Communication

Vendors must have the ability to provide means of live communication for maintenance personnel to ask questions of and discuss forecast. Vendors must be able to provide on-call assistance as needed to discuss severe weather forecasts and impacts.

Provide details and examples of this service.

Experience with other state governments

Vendors must have prior experience providing these or similar services to other state government transportation agencies. Provide details of this experience.

Online product – ease of use 100

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Vendors must provide a link to the online and app version of their product that closely resembles what is proposed, along with username to be used during the testing period. Vendors must provide technical support if needed during the testing period. The Trial Period will be valid for 30 calendar days after the closing date of the RFP.

Value Added Components

Vendors are encouraged to include other weather products available to the KYTC as Value Added Components. Examples of other services could be:

a. More frequent forecasts

b. Maintenance activity forecasts

c. Additional weather alerts

d. Additional weather services

Maximum Points Possible 500

Cost Proposal Evaluation

The “Cost Proposal” should be submitted in accordance with the requirements given in Section 3.00.

There will be a maximum of 400 points possible for the Cost

Proposal. The Cost proposal form is provided as an attachment to the RFP.

Maximum Points Possible 400

Oral Demonstration/Presentation Evaluation, if required

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Oral Demonstration/Presentation

The Commonwealth reserves the right to require Oral Presentations/Demonstrations to verify or expand on the Technical or Cost Proposals. Oral Presentations/Demonstrations may be conducted through videoconferencing or by conference call, if it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to do so.

This is the opportunity for the vendor to present and demonstrate the solution and to answer questions or to clarify the understanding of the evaluation committee in accordance with the requirements of this RFP. The Commonwealth reserves the right to reject any or all proposals in whole or in part based on the oral presentations/demonstrations.

If required, the top 3 highest ranking vendors may be invited. Scheduling will be at the discretion of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth reserves the right not to require oral presentations/demonstrations

Maximum Points Possible 100

Total Proposal Evaluation

Technical Proposal 500

Cost Proposal 400

Oral Demonstrations/Presentations, if required 100

MAXIMUM POINTS POSSIBLE

4.00 Schedule of RFP Activities

The following schedule presents the major activities associated with the RFP distribution, written questions and proposal submission. The Commonwealth reserves the right at its sole discretion to change the Schedule of Activities, including the associated dates and times.

Release of RFP 12/08/2025

Written Questions due by: 4:00PM EST 12/15/2025

Anticipated Commonwealth Response to Written Questions 12/24/2025

Proposals Due by: 2:00PM EST 01/09/2026

*NOTE: ALL TIME REFERENCES ARE TO THE EASTERN TIME ZONE.

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5.00 Offeror’s Conference

Not Applicable

6.00 Point of Contact

The Agency Contact named below shall be the sole point of contact throughout the procurement process. All communications, oral and written (regular mail, express mail or electronic mail), concerning this procurement shall be addressed to:

Allan Coldiron, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, CPPB Purchasing Branch Manager

200 Mero Street 4th Floor East Frankfort, KY 40622 502-782-3981 Allan.Coldiron@ky.gov

From the issue date of this RFP until a Contractor(s) is selected and the selection is announced, Offerors shall not communicate with any other Commonwealth staff concerning this RFP.

7.00 Questions Regarding this RFP

Questions must be submitted in writing to the Agency Contact. The Commonwealth will respond to salient questions in writing by issuing an Addendum to the Solicitation. The Addendum shall be posted to the Commonwealth’s eProcurement page.

8.00 Proposal Submission

Electronic Proposals

Proposals shall be received by electronic submission in the eProcurement system, Kentucky Vendor Self Service System.

An electronic proposal shall be authorized by the proper agent of the firm by the act of submitting it electronically through the eProcurement system.

Proposal information MUST be completed online. Response must contain all required information for the Solicitation. All bidders MUST be registered in the Commonwealth eProcurement System via the Vendor Self Service System at https://vss.ky.gov .

Allow 24 – 48 hours to complete Vendor Registration. Vendors must be logged in to their Vendor Self Service (VSS) account in order to submit a response. Registrations completed the day of bid closing must be completed by the Vendor in the VSS portal. The Customer Resource Center is not able to complete registrations and activate accounts on the same day. Closing dates will not be extended for Vendors not registered by the date/time of the bid closing.

All bidders are cautioned to begin their electronic submission in sufficient time to complete before the closing date and time. Delays due to technical difficulties or document upload impediments shall not be justification for acceptance of a late bid or proposal. Vendor attention to this advisory is encouraged. Instructions “How to Submit an Online Response for a Business Opportunity” are posted to Kentucky’s Vendor Self Service, https://vss.ky.gov

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Total Pages: 34 https://vss.ky.gov

. If you need assistance, please contact the Customer Resource Center (CRC) by email at Finance.CRCGroup@ky.gov or phone 502-564-9641 or toll-free 877-973-HELP (4357).

Proposals shall be submitted in three (3) parts: The Technical Proposal, the Cost Proposal, and Proprietary Information. Each part shall consist of one document attachment. Do not submit multiple document attachments as Technical, Cost or Proprietary. All files shall be labeled accordingly. Attachments may not exceed 65,000 KB.

Proposals submitted online must be in an “Accepted” status and shall be assigned a date and time stamp from the eProcurement system at the time of final acceptance and formal submission by the vendor. The system will not allow submission of an online proposal after the published date and time for closing.

A proposal may be modified or withdrawn by electronic or written notice ONLY if received prior to the bid closing date and time. An electronic offer may be modified by applying the appropriate electronic signature and following the procedure in the state’s eProcurement signature.

8.10 Format of Response

Electronic Proposals

Proposals shall be submitted in three (3) parts: the Technical Proposal, the Cost Proposal, and Proprietary Information. Each part shall consist of one document. Do not submit multiple documents as Technical, Cost or Proprietary.

1. Proposals must be submitted electronically in the eProcurement System, Kentucky Vendor Self Service site.

a. The Technical Proposal shall be submitted on one (1) document marked Technical (in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel or PDF format ONLY). Do not include embedded documents, hyperlinks or hyperlinks to videos. The document should be named in the following manner: Technical – Name of offeror RFP number

b. The Cost Proposal shall be submitted on one (1) document marked Cost (in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel or PDF format ONLY). Do not include embedded documents, hyperlinks or hyperlinks to videos. The document should be named in the following manner: Cost – Name of offeror RFP number

c. Any Proprietary Information shall be submitted on one (1) document marked Proprietary (in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel or PDF format ONLY). Do not include embedded documents, hyperlinks or hyperlinks to videos. The document should be named in the following manner: Proprietary – Name of offeror RFP number

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2600000172 Final Weather Forecasting Services FY 27-28 Addendum # mailto:Finance.CRCGroup@ky.gov

All proposals must be received no later than 2:00PM EST January 9th, 2026.

Pricing shall only be provided in the Cost Proposal. DO NOT SUBMIT ANY PRICING

INFORMATION IN THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL.

All submitted Technical and Cost Proposals shall remain valid for a minimum of six (6) months after the proposal due date.

8.20 Format of Technical Proposal

The Technical Proposal must be arranged and labeled in the manner set forth below.

Transmittal Letter – a Transmittal letter shall be submitted on Offeror’s letterhead and signed by an agent authorized to bind the Offeror. The Transmittal letter shall include the following:

a. A statement that deviations are included, if applicable.

b. A statement that proprietary information is included, if applicable.

c. A statement that, if awarded a contract as a result of this Solicitation, the Offeror shall comply in full with all the requirements of the Kentucky Civil Rights Act, and shall submit all data required by KRS 45.560 to 45.640.

d. A sworn statement that, pursuant to KRS 11A.040, that Offeror has not knowingly violated any provisions of the Executive Branch Code of Ethics.

e. A statement certifying that the price in this proposal was arrived at independently without collusion, consultation, communication, or agreement as to any matter relating to such prices with any other Offeror or with any competitor.

f. A statement affirming that the Offeror is properly authorized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky to conduct business in this state and will remain in good standing with the Office of the Kentucky Secretary of State for the duration of any awarded contract resulting from this Solicitation.

g. The name, address, telephone number and email address and website address, if available, of the contract person to serve as a point of contact for day-to-day operations.

h. Subcontractor information to include the name of the company, address, telephone number and contact name, if applicable.

i. Foreign entity’s organization number issued by the Secretary of State in a certificate of authority or a statement of foreign qualification, if applicable.

Completed and Signed Solicitation and Addenda – An authorized representative MUST complete and sign the Solicitation form and include the following:

a. “Vendor” box and “Payment” box should be completed.

b. Vendor shall indicate ownership type.

c. Vendor shall provide “FEIN” if applicable.

d. Vendor shall provide date the form is completed and signed.

e. Signed face of the most recent Addenda, if applicable.

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Signed and Notarized Required Affidavit for Bidders or Offerors - available at the following link:

https://finance.ky.gov/office-of-the-secretary/Pages/finance-forms.aspx.

Signed and Notarized Required Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors and Contractors Claiming Resident Bidder Status – if applicable. Available at the following link:

https://finance.ky.gov/office-of-the-secretary/Pages/finance-forms.aspx.

*Offerors not claiming Resident Bidder Status need not submit this affidavit.

Signed and Notarized Required Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors and Contractors Claiming Qualified Bidder Status – if applicable. Available at the following link:

https://finance.ky.gov/office-of-the-secretary/Pages/finance-forms.aspx.

*Offerors not claiming Qualified Bidder Status need not submit this affidavit.

Response to the Technical Portion of the RFP – Please provide a detailed response to the technical requirements outlined in the Evaluation Criteria. No cost information shall be provided in the technical portion.

8.30 Format of Cost Proposal

The Cost Proposal must be submitted under separate cover from the Technical Proposal and must be arranged and labeled in the manner specified. The proposal with the lowest price receives the maximum score. The remaining proposals with the next lowest price receives points by dividing the lowest price by the next lowest price and multiplying that percentage by the available points.

8.40 Certification Regarding Debarment and Suspension

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.209-5, the Offeror shall certify, by signing the Solicitation, that to the best of its knowledge and belief, the Offeror and/or its Principals is (are) not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, or declared ineligible for the award of contracts by any state or federal agency.

For the purposes of this certification, “Principals”, means officers, directors, owners, partners, and persons having primary management or supervisory responsibilities within a business entity (e.g., general manager, plant manager, head of subsidiary, division, or business segment, and similar positions.

9.00 Rules of Procurement

To facilitate this procurement, various rules have been established. These are described in the following paragraphs.

Offerors should review and comply with the General Conditions and Instructions for Solicitation/ Contract listed under “Response to Solicitation” located on the eProcurement web page at https://finance.ky.gov/eProcurement/Pages/doing-business-with-the-commonwealth.aspx

The procurement process will provide for the evaluation of proposals and selection of the winning proposal in accordance with state law and regulations. KRS Chapter 45A of the Kentucky Model Procurement Code provides the regulatory framework for the procurement of services by state agencies.

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Total Pages: 34 https://finance.ky.gov/office-of-the-secretary/Pages/finance-forms.aspx https://finance.ky.gov/office-of-the-secretary/Pages/finance-forms.aspx https://finance.ky.gov/office-of-the-secretary/Pages/finance-forms.aspx https://finance.ky.gov/eProcurement/Pages/doing-business-with-the-commonwealth.aspx

9.10 Technical Proposal Evaluation

The KYTC will evaluate the proposal based on the technical portion of the Evaluation Criteria.

Each Offeror is responsible for submitting all relevant, factual and correct information with their offer to enable the evaluator(s) to afford each vendor the maximum score based on the available data submitted by the Offeror. Past Offeror Performance may be considered in the award of this Contract. Offerors with a record of poor performance in the last twelve (12) months may be found non-responsible and ineligible for award.

9.20 Cost Proposal Evaluation

The KYTC will evaluate the proposal based on the cost portion of the Evaluation Criteria.

Offeror shall only provide cost on the attached Cost Proposal Form; otherwise, the proposal may be deemed non-responsive.

9.30 Right to Reject/Waiver of Minor Irregularities

The Commonwealth reserves the right at its discretion to reject any and all offers. The Commonwealth also reserves the right at its discretion to waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received.

9.40 Clarification of Proposals

The Commonwealth reserves the right at its discretion to request additional information as may reasonably be required for selection and to reject any proposals for failure to provide additional information on a timely basis.

The Commonwealth reserves the right to conduct discussions with any Offeror who has submitted a proposal to determine the Offeror’s qualifications for further consideration. Such discussions shall not disclose any information derived from proposals submitted by other Offerors.

9.50 Best and Final Offers

The Commonwealth reserves the right at its discretion to request a Best and Final Offer (BAFO) for technical and/or cost proposals. Offerors are cautioned to propose their best possible offers at the outset of the process, as there is no guarantee that any Offeror will be allowed an opportunity to submit a Best and Final technical and/or cost offer.

9.60 Vendor Response and Public Inspection

This RFP specifies the format, required information and general content of proposals to be submitted in response to the RFP. The KYTC Division of Maintenance shall not disclose any portions of the proposals prior to contract award to anyone outside the KYTC Division of Maintenance, representatives of the agency for whose benefit the contract is proposed, representatives of the federal government, if required, and the members of the evaluation committee. After a contract is awarded in whole or in part, the Commonwealth shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose all proposal data submitted by Offerors in response to this RFP as a matter of public record.

Any and all documents submitted by an Offeror in response to the RP shall be available for public inspection after contract award pursuant to the Kentucky Open Records Act, KRS 61.870 to 61.884 (“the Act”). When responding to a request to inspect records submitted in response to this RFP, the Commonwealth will not redact or withhold any information or documents unless the records sought are exempt from disclosure pursuant to KRS 61.878 or other applicable law. Similarly, no such documents shall be exempt from public disclosure, regardless of the Offeror’s designation of the

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2600000172 Final Weather Forecasting Services FY 27-28 Addendum # information contained therein as “proprietary,” “confidential,” or otherwise, except in cases where the requested documents (or information contained therein) would be excluded from application of the Act under KRS 61.878(1)(c).

The Commonwealth of Kentucky shall have the right to use all system ideas, or adaptations of those ideas, contained in any proposal received in response to this RFP. Selection or rejections of the proposal will not affect this right.

9.70 Reciprocal Preference for Kentucky Resident Bidders and Preferences for a Qualified Bidder The scoring of bids/proposals is subject to the reciprocal preference for Kentucky resident bidders and preferences for a Qualified Bidder or the Department of Corrections, Division of Prison Industries (See KRS 45A.490(1), (2), 45A.492, 45A.494 and KAR 200 5:410).

Vendors not claiming resident bidder or qualified bidder status need not submit the corresponding affidavit.

Determining the residency of a bidder for purposes of applying a reciprocal preference

Any individual, partnership, association, corporation, or other business entity claiming resident bidder status shall submit the attached Required Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors and Contractors Claiming Resident Bidder Status as part of its response. The KYTC reserves the right to request documentation supporting a bidder’s claim of resident bidder status. Failure to provide such documentation upon request shall result in disqualification of the bidder or contract termination.

As part of its response, a nonresident bidder shall submit its certificate of authority to transact business in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Secretary of State. The location of the principal office identified therein shall be deemed the state of residency for that bidder. If the bidder is not required by law to obtain said certificate, the state of residency for that bidder shall be deemed to be that which is identified in its mailing address as provided in its bid.

Preferences for Qualified Bidder or the Department of Corrections, Division of Prison Industries (200 KAR 5:410)

Pursuant to KRS 45A.470 and 200 KAR 5:410, Kentucky Correctional Industries will receive a preference equal to twenty (20) percent of the maximum points awarded to a bidder in a solicitation. In addition, the following “qualified bidders” will receive a preference equal to fifteen

(15) percent of the maximum points awarded to a bidder in a solicitation. New Vision Industries, Inc., any nonprofit corporation that furthers the purposes of KRS Chapter 163 and any qualified nonprofit agencies for individuals with severe disabilities as defined in KRS 45A.465(3). Any bidder claiming “qualified bidder” status, other than New Vision Industries, Inc., shall submit a notarized affidavit affirming that it meets the requirements to be considered a qualified bidder as part of its response to the solicitation (affidavit form included as part of this RFP). If requested, failure to provide documentation proving qualified bidder status to a public agency, if requested, may result in disqualification of the bidder or contract termination.

9.80 Negotiation

After conducting the evaluation to determine the best proposal received, the KYTC reserves the right to negotiate a fair and reasonable compensation based on the pricing submitted in the Offeror’s

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2600000172 Final Weather Forecasting Services FY 27-28 Addendum # proposal. If the negotiations fail to reach an agreement on a fair and reasonable compensation rate, the KYTC reserves the right to proceed to the next highest ranked proposal. Other terms and conditions relating to the technical and/or cost proposals may be negotiated at the sole discretion of the Commonwealth.

9.85 Best Interests of the Commonwealth

The Commonwealth will rank all proposals in the manner set forth in the Evaluation Criteria.

However, the Commonwealth reserves the right to reject any or all proposals in whole or in part before, during, or after negotiation based on the best interests of the Commonwealth.

CONTRACT AWARD, TERMS, AND CONDITIONS

10.00 Notification of Award

To view the award of contract(s), including the contractor(s) receiving the award(s) for this solicitation, access the Kentucky Vendor Self Service Site at:

Offerors can search for the solicitation title or number in the keyword search field or filter their search for only awarded solicitations by clicking on “Advanced Search” and changing the status to “awarded.” The award(s) information can be accessed by clicking on the details button of the solicitation and clicking the “Notice of Award” tab. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to review this information in a timely fashion. No other notification of the results of an Award of Contract will be provided to unsuccessful Offerors.

10.10 Beginning of Work

This Contract is not effective and binding until approved by the Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet and filed with the Legislative Research Commission’s Government Contract Review Committee. The Contractor shall not commence any billable work until a valid Contract has been fully executed. This Contract, including the components referenced in Section 10.20, shall represent the entire agreement between the parties. Prior negotiations, representations, or agreements, either written or oral, between the parties hereto relating to the subject matter hereof shall be of no effect upon this Contract.

10.20 Contract Components and Order of Precedence

The Commonwealth’s acceptance of the Contractor’s offer in response to the Solicitation, indicated by the issuance of a Contract Award, shall create a valid contract between the Parties consisting of the following:

1. Procurement Statutes, Regulations and Policies

2. Any written Agreement between the Parties.

3. Any Addenda to the Solicitation.

4. The Solicitation and all attachments

5. Any Best and Final Offer.

6. Any clarifications concerning the Contractor’s proposal in response to the Solicitation.

7. The Contractor’s proposal in response to the Solicitation.

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2600000172 Final Weather Forecasting Services FY 27-28 Addendum #

In the event of any conflict between or among the provisions contained in the Contract, the order of precedence shall be as enumerated above.

10.30 Contract Term and Renewal Option

The initial term of the Contract is anticipated to be from 07/01/2026 through 06/30/2028.

This agreement is not effective until the Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet or his authorized designee has approved the Contract and until the Contract has been filed with the Legislative Research Commission, Government Contract Review Committee.

The Commonwealth reserves the right to renew this contract for up to two (2) additional two (2) year periods.

Renewal shall be subject to prior approval from the Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet, or this authorized designee, and the LRC Government Contract Review Committee in accordance with KRS 45A.695 and KRS 45A.705.

10.40 Changes and Modifications to the Contract

Pursuant to 200 KAR 5:311, no modification or change of any provision in the Contract shall be made, or construed to have been made, unless such modification is mutually agreed to in writing by the Contractor and the Commonwealth, and incorporated as a written amendment by the KYTC prior to the effective date of such…