MCTC Draft SOW.pdf

693JJ3-25-RFI-0001

Draft SOW

Mobile Concrete Technology Center (MCTC) Program

SECTION C - Description/Specifications/Statement of Work

C.1 BACKGROUND

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Preconstruction, Construction, and

Pavements (HICP-40) oversees the MCTC Program. The MCTC Program is essential in the development and deployment of new concrete pavement technologies, material test procedures, and mix design methods. To accomplish this, the Program requires continued refinement of new procedures and methods, and the demonstration and dissemination of information to government and industry personnel. In order to provide a long lasting, safe and efficient highway network, FHWA uses the MCTC Program to respond to stakeholder (State and local highway agencies, FHWA Division Offices, and industry) needs and refine and standardize innovations in the concrete pavement industry. The MCTC Program utilizes a series of initiatives and tools to gather and identify stakeholder input and needs; showcase, refine, and validate innovative concrete pavement materials and procedures; perform concrete material tests; monitor deployment trends in the concrete pavement industry; disseminate findings on a national scale;

provide concrete technical assistance to the practitioner community; and provide on-site guidance for concrete mixture production quality control. The Program is crucial to the effective implementation and adoption of these new and innovative procedures, materials, and evaluation technologies by both industry and agencies.

Concrete durability has long been recognized as a key performance parameter in highway pavement. FHWA’s Performance Engineered Mixtures (PEM) effort resulted in the development of AASHTO R101, Standard Practice for Developing Performance Engineered Concrete

Pavement Mixtures. PEM included a number of new and emerging tests that provide a more reliable method to attain and assess durable concrete. These tests have been incorporated into

AASHTO R101; the MCTC Program is promoting the widespread implementation of AASHTO

R101 by working with researchers to modify test procedures, assessing field- readiness of new technologies, demonstrating and training States and industry on the new technologies, and working with agencies to incorporate performance principles into specifications. Many of these technologies are being promoted for sustainability and low carbon benefits.

While the MCTC Program initially began primarily as a testing initiative, the Program has continued to evolve. The MCTC Program now includes assisting State agencies with Quality

Assurance1 (QA) initiatives by providing technical assistance, guidance, and training materials for improved State QA Programs and adoption of statistically valid acceptance Programs. It introduces new concepts for material testing and selection, new test protocols, new equipment, new design methods, new performance testing tools, and provides technical expertise to facilitate effective use of recycled materials in highway pavements. MCTC supports FHWA’s sustainability and low carbon materials initiatives by providing data and field experience to those program areas; it is expected these efforts will continue to evolve and expand.

C.2 SCOPE

This is a non-personal services contract to provide personnel, material, equipment, services, tools, supplies, engineering, transportation, facilities, and supervision to perform the MCTC

Program. Under this Contract, the Contractor shall perform all services necessary to support the

1 Quality Assurance includes the areas of quality control, acceptance, independent assurance, and risk analysis.

activities of the FHWA related to delivery, refinement, and improvement of the MCTC Program, including providing concrete mixture testing and inspection capabilities; providing engineering analysis and reporting; providing technical training and presentations; and developing technical papers and other technical guidance documents. The Government will not exercise any supervision or control over the service providers performing the services herein. Such service providers shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn is responsible to the

Government as defined in this Statement of Work (SOW). The Contractor shall perform to the standards in this Contract. The labor associated with the tasks in this SOW shall be performed on a fixed price basis, while the travel, per diem, equipment, and servicing of supplies shall be reimbursed, at cost, to the Contractor.

C.3 OBJECTIVE

The objective of this contract is to provide technical assistance to the concrete pavements community on various technologies, test procedures, and quality initiatives. The Program is to focus on assisting stakeholders with initiatives by providing technical assistance, guidance, equipment loans, and training materials to design, produce, and construct longer lasting concrete pavements. The MCTC Program also supports the implementation of PEM and AASHTO R101 by coordinating and sharing data with stakeholders, and facilitating the implementation of emerging test procedures. The MCTC supports FHWA’s Low Carbon Transportation Program by providing technical support and coordination of MCTC program activities.

C.4 DETAILED REQUIREMENT and PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

The Contractor shall provide all personnel, materials, equipment, services, tools, supplies, engineering, transportation, facilities, supervision, and other items necessary to support and perform the tasks associated with the MCTC Program. The Contractor shall perform the elements of the following four tasks:

• Task 1 – Field Visits and Testing,

• Task 2 – Equipment and Facilities,

• Task 3 – Technology Transfer, and

• Task 4 – Equipment Servicing of Supply Maintenance.

The Contractor shall develop, update, and execute the features of a Project Management Plan.

The Project Management Plan is the Contractor’s approach on how the Contractor plans to meet the objective for the services outlined in Section C.3.

The Contractor shall provide a Project Management Plan for acceptance no later than 14 days from the contract effective date. The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) will notify the

Contractor of acceptance or required modifications to the plan on or before 21 days after the contract effective date. The Contractor shall make appropriate modifications and obtain acceptance of the plan by the COR on or before 31 days after the contract effective date.

The plan shall include:

1. A description of the inspection system to cover all tasks listed in Section C.4. The description shall include specifics as to the areas to be inspected on both a scheduled and unscheduled basis, frequency of inspections, and the title and organizational placement of the inspectors. Additionally, control procedures for any Government-provided keys or lock combinations shall be included.

2. A description of the methods to be used for identifying and preventing defects in the quality of services performed.

3. A description of the records to be kept to document inspections and corrective or preventive actions taken.

The records of inspections shall be kept and made available to the Government, when requested, throughout the contract performance period.

4.1 Field Visits and Testing (TASK 1)

The Contractor shall perform all concrete pavement material related tests on active project sites throughout the United States as specified in the testing plan developed by the Contractor under

Task 4.1.3 and approved by the COR. Field work may be located in remote geographical locations and may require work during the night and/or weekends to coincide with project construction activities.

4.1.1 Project Coordination

The Contractor shall make all necessary arrangements, in a professional manner, with the requesting agency, FHWA Division Office, concrete supplier, State concrete paving association or equivalent entity, and field project prime contractor concerning schedule and activities. The

Contractor shall also maintain a log of all verbal and written communications with requesting agencies. The Contractor shall provide a detailed itinerary to the COR 14 days prior to departure of the MCTC for a project. The Contractor shall be aware that other contractors at the project location are engaged in similar work at the same time, requiring close cooperation and coordination with all parties involved. The Contractor shall cooperate with all other project contractors and adjust the work schedule to avoid conflicts with the other contractor’s performance and work schedules, while maintaining the testing schedule and test plan.

4.1.2 State Specification Review

In advance of a field visit, the Contractor shall obtain and review the requesting agency’s concrete materials and paving specifications. This review shall include conversations with the requesting agency’s FHWA Division Office to help identify needs in the requesting agency’s state-of-the-practice. The Contractor shall then compile recommendations to improve the specifications, with an emphasis being placed on the materials and quality assurance elements of the specification. This review will require the Contractor to have a broad understanding of concrete specifications in the United States, as well as more localized review of neighboring states on a per project basis. Preliminary recommendations shall be outlined in the closing presentation. Final recommendations shall be outlined in the field report.

Preliminary recommendations from this task must be submitted to the COR prior to the on-site closeout meeting. The COR will review the final recommendations as part of the field report.

The Contractor shall have COR approval before presenting any recommendations resulting from this task.

Note: The COR may task the Contractor with state specification review, or other technical assistance effort, without a related field visit. These requests would come to the COR from a requesting agency and would be assigned to the Contractor for completion as established by the

COR.

4.1.3 Test Plan

The Contractor shall develop a work and test plan based on the testing needs of the COR and the requesting agency where the field work is to be performed. The Contractor shall submit a draft plan to the COR 10 days prior to the assigned project start date. The details of the testing plan will require the Contractor to discuss and coordinate the specific testing needs over the telephone, via email, and may require a visit to the requesting agency’s place of business. Upon written approval of the test plan by the COR, the Contractor shall ensure that all equipment required in the test plan is calibrated, in working order, and available for use. The scheduled start of field work shall be mutually agreed upon by the COR and requesting agency. As a minimum, each test plan shall include the following routine concrete tests:

• Unit weight

• Making and curing compressive and flexural strength specimens in the laboratory and field

• Compressive strength of cylinders

• Slump

• Box Test and V-Kelly Test

• Surface Resistivity and Rapid Chloride Permeability

• Air content, both Type B pressure pot and Super Air Meter

• Coefficient of Thermal Expansion

• Calorimetry

• Maturity

• Fresh water content (Phoenix)

• Time of initial and final set (job dependent)

• Split tensile strength (job dependent)

• Flexural strength of concrete beams (job dependent)

• Pavement thickness (job dependent)

• Dowel bar alignment (job dependent)

After receipt of the draft plan from the Contractor, the COR will review the draft plan and provide written comments back to the Contractor within 10 days. The Contractor shall revise the draft plan to incorporate or address the COR’s comments and submit as a final plan for acceptance by the COR. The final plan shall be submitted to the COR no later than 7 days after receipt of the COR written comments.

4.1.4 Transport of MCTC to/from Project

The Contractor shall prepare and transport the MCTC using the tractor truck provided by FHWA to the field projects. Field projects may be located in remote geographic areas throughout the

United States and its territories. The MCTC is a tractor trailer-configured mobile laboratory and office with trailer dimensions of 53-foot length x 9-foot width x 13.5-foot height and a GVWR of 65,000 pounds. The Contractor shall obtain all necessary permits and adhere to all Federal and State regulations concerning the transport of the MCTC. All drivers must have a valid

Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) applicable to provide legal and safe transport of the

MCTC.

4.1.5 Field Project Kickoff Presentations

The Contractor shall make all necessary arrangements with the requesting agency, field project prime contractor, the requesting agency’s FHWA Division Office, concrete supplier, and State concrete pavement association to schedule and provide kickoff presentations.

Either the Senior Engineer (SE) or the Project Manager (PM), in coordination with the COR or designated FHWA staff liaison, shall develop, attend, and deliver the kickoff meeting held for each project. The Contractor shall develop a presentation for use at the kickoff meeting. The presentation (MS PowerPoint or equivalent) shall provide an overview of the Program goals, and the specifics of the individual project, including overview of tests to be performed and equipment to be used. This presentation shall receive pertinent reviews from FHWA’s Offices of

Chief Counsel and Public Affairs, which shall be coordinated by the COR. The presentation shall be submitted for approval by the COR within 14 days of the targeted delivery date. The COR will submit comments and the Contractor shall address all comments within 5 days of receipt.

The Contractor shall not deliver the kickoff presentation without COR approval.

4.1.6 Testing and Evaluation

The Contractor shall coordinate its activities with all parties involved with the project and perform all testing included in the approved testing plan. Field testing and evaluation may require night and weekend work in order to coordinate with project activities. The Contractor shall perform all concrete tests in accordance with applicable American Association of State

Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) or ASTM International (ASTM) procedures and standards. Neither the Contractor nor its employees shall release information obtained during the testing without prior approval from the COR. The Contractor shall demonstrate and explain any test procedure conducted during the project to the requesting agency and/or contractor/supplier on an as needed basis or as requested basis. Any data collected or generated by the MCTC shall be entered into the database for the Program and be stored in multiple locations according to the Contract requirements. The Contractor shall complete all sampling in the testing plan before departure from the field project site. Any testing not completed during the field project visit, and testing intended to be completed at a later date, shall be completed at the

MCTC duty station.

The Contractor shall also conduct testing and evaluation in support of FHWA’s stakeholders to address forensic issues, test procedure refinement issues, or to better understand emerging materials and practices. These efforts may or may not require MCTC mobilization from the official duty station. When located at the duty station, the MCTC will support the testing being done by the FHWA TFHRC. The COR may assign testing duties to the MCTC when requested by TFHRC personnel.

4.1.7 Open House Sessions

The Contractor shall plan and execute an Open House session of the MCTC for each field project, unless otherwise expressed in writing by the COR. The Open House will feature hands-on demonstration of testing equipment on the MCTC. The Contractor shall make all necessary arrangements with the requesting agency, field project prime contractor, the requesting agency’s

FHWA Division Office, concrete supplier, and State concrete pavement association to promote the event.

4.1.8 Field Reports

The Contractor shall submit a draft report to the COR no later than 30 days after the completion of final testing. Each report shall contain as a minimum the following information:

a. The requesting agency and location where the field work was conducted;

b. List of personnel and contact information from participating agency directly involved with field work;

c. Overview and scope of project;

d. Dates and time spent at the location and resources utilized;

e. Problems encountered during the project assignment and how they were resolved and recommended solutions to prevent future problems from occurring;

f. Work conducted, tests performed and results obtained;

g. Evaluation of test results;

h. Recommendations to improve the state-of-the-practice in the requesting agency’s jurisdiction;

i. Graphical plots representing test results and discussion of data analysis;

j. Conclusions; and

k. Appendix including the concrete mix design, raw test data, and detailed calculations or computations.

After receipt of the draft report from the Contractor, the COR will review the draft report and provide written comments back to the Contractor within 14 days. The Contractor shall revise the draft report to incorporate or address the COR’s comments and submit as a final report for acceptance by the COR. The final report shall be submitted to the COR no later than 10 days after receipt of the COR written comments.

4.1.9 Closing Presentations and Final Project Meeting

The Contractor shall make all necessary arrangements with the requesting agency, field project prime contractor, the requesting agency’s FHWA Division Office, concrete supplier, and State concrete pavement association to schedule and provide closing presentations and final project meetings.

Closing Presentation (all projects): Either the Senior Engineer (SE) or the Project Manager (PM), in coordination with the COR or designated FHWA staff liaison, shall develop, attend, and deliver the closing presentation held for each project. The Contractor shall develop a closing presentation (MS PowerPoint or equivalent) which provides preliminary project results, data analysis, interpretation, and recommendations.

Final Project Meeting (as needed/requested): At the completion of the Quality in the Concrete

Paving Process Workshop, if the State agency requests an additional meeting to discuss the report, the Contractor shall coordinate with the State to arrange the meeting. The COR, or designated FHWA representative, must be included in all final site visit meetings. The

Contractor shall conduct the meeting, present the final project results, data analysis, interpretation, and recommendations.

4.1.10 Follow Up Meeting Participation and Program Impact Tracking

As part of FHWA’s effort to monitor the impact of each MCTC visit, follow-up meetings will be scheduled with the requesting agency approximately 12 months after the MCTC departs the field project site. FHWA will lead these meetings, but the Contractor shall attend and provide support in the form of data, expertise, and recommendations from the MCTC testing plan and field reports.

The contractor shall implement a tracking tool to capture and document the impact of MCTC program activities. The tool must be approved by the COR. The information shall be updated monthly.

4.2 Equipment and Facilities (TASK 2)

4.2.1 Mobile Concrete Technology Center (MCTC)

The Contractor shall operate the MCTC with contractor staff at the Government-provided tractor trailer mobile laboratory/office space with Government-furnished equipment. As provided in

Section H.10 Government Furnished Property and Facilities, the testing equipment, computers, printers, office supplies, etc. required to operate the equipment and document and maintain the test data, and populate and maintain the test database system will be provided for this option.

Other direct costs authorized in Section 4.5 Other Direct Costs are reimbursed at cost.

The MCTC shall be housed at the duty station when not in travel status, which would include transport to/from a field project, training, or conference location, as well as the time it is present at the field project, training, or conference location. FHWA shall provide the duty station location with electrical, water, and sanitary capabilities which meet the requirements of the

MCTC. The official duty station is:

Federal Highway Administration

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center

6300 Georgetown Pike McLean, Virginia 22101

The Contractor shall not request travel or per diem reimbursement when the MCTC is located within 75 miles of the duty station.

4.2.2 Care and Maintenance

The Contractor shall ensure all vehicles, equipment, and systems are clean, maintained, calibrated, and operating; this is to include MCTC and MATC storage facilities adjacent to where the trailers are parked at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center.

4.2.3 Laboratory Accreditation and Test Validation

Laboratory accreditation of the MCTC is not currently required. If the COR determines that accreditation is needed in the future, the Contractor shall obtain and maintain the accreditation as determined by the COR.

Upon direction of the COR, the Contractor shall participate in round robin testing Programs or other efforts, including assisting the research community, aimed at advancing new testing technologies. This includes but is not limited to: (1) Assisting TFHRC; (2) Universities or other researchers; (3) Individual state initiatives; (4) Coordinating and performing field trials with emerging technologies, as approved by the COR.

4.2.4 Equipment Inventory

The Contractor shall maintain all equipment and material furnished by the Government. The

Contractor shall update equipment inventory lists every six (6) months. The Contractor shall provide an electronic copy of the updated inventory list to the COR after every update.

The Contractor shall maintain a list of expendable supplies available (for example: plastic concrete cylinders, shop towels, buckets, printer ink cartridges, core bits, epoxy, grease, solvents, etc.). Supply lists shall be updated every quarter. The Contractor shall maintain an electronic copy of the updated supply list and provide it to the COR when the inventory list is updated.

The Contractor shall identify parts and materials needed during the performance of this contract.

When service or materials are required, the Contractor shall provide part numbers, a description of the service or materials required, and the estimated cost from at least three vendors.

4.2.5 Preventive Maintenance

The Contractor shall establish and implement a comprehensive preventive maintenance plan covering all laboratory operations, equipment and vehicles (including the MCTC trailer, the tractor truck used to transport the MCTC, and the generator attached to the tractor). The preventive maintenance Program consists primarily of inspection, cleaning, lubrication, adjustment, calibration, and minor parts and component replacement (e.g., filters, o-rings, belts, cables, fluids, oil, electrical connections, grease, etc.). The preventive maintenance Program is required to minimize malfunction, breakdown, and deterioration of equipment and ensure continuous operation. The preventive maintenance Program shall also document in writing all repairs required to bring the equipment up to the manufacturer’s recommended operating standards and provide a copy of the documentation to the COR.

The preventive maintenance Program shall include at a minimum, equipment priority, frequency, description of the maintenance to be performed, and an annual schedule for all equipment and vehicles included in the Program. The preventive maintenance performed must be as recommended by the original equipment manufacturer as a minimum.

The Contractor shall submit its proposed preventive maintenance Program to the COR for approval within 60 calendar days of the contract start date, and annually thereafter. The

Contractor shall update this Program as necessary to reflect the addition, replacement or removal of equipment and furnish a copy of the updates to the COR.

Submit written details (including costs) to the COR within 3 working days after the Contractor detects that any Government equipment or component being maintained under the contract is in need of reconditioning, repair, replacement, or disposal. Upon notification to the COR, the

Contractor may begin steps to rectify the equipment issue if the costs are less than $2,000.

If the costs to recondition, repair, replace, or dispose of any Government equipment or component exceeds $2,000, the Contractor shall first submit written documentation, justification, and presentation of quotes from three qualified vendors to the COR for approval. Upon COR approval, the Contractor shall proceed.

Repairs and maintenance purchases under $2,000 do not require COR approval and documentation before the purchase can be made. Instead, the Contractor shall notify the COR of the incident within 3 working days of when the need for repairs and maintenance arose. When the Contractor submits reimbursement requests to FHWA, it is expected that rationale and documentation will be provided with the Contractor’s invoice.

4.2.6 Cleanliness

The MCTC, tractor truck, and generator interiors and exteriors shall be cleaned on a regular basis paying particular attention to when units are on display at conferences, tradeshows, meetings, seminars, training, or other public events. The interior and exteriors shall be kept in a clean and safe condition at all times. The Contractor shall have the MCTC professionally washed 24 hours in advance of any conference, tradeshow, or other public event.

The Contractor shall clean rusted and corroded areas on the MCTC, tractor truck, and generator as required. Remove the rust, prime the cleaned surfaces, and paint using a high-quality primer and paint suitable for the surface being painted. Paint colors shall match the original colors.

Equipment identification data, bar codes, inventory data, manufacturer plates, serial numbers, calibration data, etc. shall not be obscured or covered. The contractor shall perform similar activities for the MCTC/MATC on-site storage facilities.

4.3 Technology Transfer (TASK 3)

The Contractor shall be responsible for assisting in the technology transfer, training, demonstration, technical review, and technical assistance activities, as identified by the FHWA, to the concrete pavement community.

4.3.1 Demonstration

In order to advance innovative technologies, it is beneficial for FHWA to demonstrate equipment and practices to stakeholders. The Contractor shall possess the expertise to utilize, produce and analyze data, and demonstrate to stakeholders any practice or piece of equipment used by the

MCTC Program, at the direction of the COR. Demonstrations may be held at field project visits, conferences, trade shows, open houses, and other invited training sessions.

4.3.2 Deployment Feedback

The Contractor shall determine deployment needs, technical training needs, equipment demonstration needs, and other technical issues associated with concrete materials, testing equipment, standards, technologies, etc. These should be determined with an emphasis on State

Highway Agency (SHA) and FHWA Division Office (DO) needs and priorities related to concrete pavements. The Contractor shall also provide technical feedback to the FHWA, FHWA expert task groups and technical working groups, the National Concrete Consortium, and the

AASHTO Committee on Materials and Pavements and Committee on Construction upon request by the COR. This feedback shall summarize the type and extent of questions and their resolutions received from SHAs and DOs requesting assistance. The Contractor shall document the deployment, training, equipment, technical and other feedback for each six (6) month period in a report and submit it to the COR.

4.3.3 Equipment Loan Program

The MCTC Program operates an Equipment Loan Program for interested parties to evaluate new and innovative technologies. The Contractor shall deliver the equipment to the borrower and maintain a record of all vital information concerning any equipment loans, including names, addresses, telephone numbers and email address of borrowers, date of loan, and approximate return date.

Upon return of the equipment, the Contractor shall interview the borrower and detail in a report the borrower’s intent in obtaining the equipment, experiences, and potential for future implementation. The information shall be submitted to the COR no later than 30 days upon return of the loaned equipment. Approximately 12 months after the return of the equipment, the

Contractor shall contact the party that borrowed the equipment and update the original information to include whether the party has obtained the equipment on their own, frequency of use, and any related specification or policy changes related to the equipment that was borrowed.

4.3.4 Identify, Distribute, and Analyze Project Information and Data

The Contractor shall work directly with the FHWA to identify and collect concrete materials and pavement test results and previous MCTC Program project data generated as a result of the

Program. The data shall be entered and stored in a database Program and via internet cloud services. Complete sets of MCTC Program data shall be stored in multiple locations and be backed up every month. The Contractor will provide data and respond to requests from

FHWA’s InfoMaterials database staff.

The Contractor shall modify, update, correct, or improve the database functions, reports, data fields, query, display, etc. to accommodate data collection, mining, analysis, and storage from projects assigned. The goal of this task is to identify and aggregate the data generated on these projects; analyze the results and data in order to develop and report recommendations on how the test results and data can be used to benefit the concrete pavement community. The Contractor shall provide data to our stakeholders on an as-requested basis, within 7 calendar days of receipt of the request.

4.3.5 Technical Assistance

At the direction of the COR, the Contractor shall provide technical assistance to FHWA and its stakeholders pertaining to issues and matters related to concrete pavements and concrete materials. These requests require the Contractor to possess a broad knowledge of the subject matter.

Technical assistance can range from answering questions thru email and phone calls to detailed literature review, engineering analysis, on-site troubleshooting, and forensics. It is possible that certain technical assistance requests will require MCTC mobilization.

A new aspect of the MCTC program is the anticipated assistance to be provided in the area of low carbon concrete.

4.3.6 Technical Presentations

At the request of the COR, the Contractor shall develop and deliver professional presentations at seminars, conferences, workshops and/or meetings. The Contractor will be provided a minimum of 45 days advance notice.

The Contractor shall provide the COR a copy of the presentation for review and approval a minimum of 30 days prior to the submittal or scheduled date of the presentation. The Contractor, through the COR, shall obtain any FHWA-directed approvals from the Office of Chief Counsel and/or the Office of Public Affairs. Within 15 days after each presentation, the Contractor shall forward to the COR a brief written report of the event. Each report shall include as a minimum the date and duration of the event, the purpose and location of the presentation, and a brief summary of activities and any recommendations and/or observations.

4.3.7 Technical Publications

The Contractor shall write technical, professional quality, articles or papers suitable for publications, newsletters, briefing papers, brochures, and other promotional materials on an as-needed basis. The Contractor shall provide the COR a copy of the publication for review a minimum of 14 days prior to the submittal of the publication.

It is anticipated that these article(s) will address the MCTC Program, concrete durability issues, implementation activities, and other concrete-related activities.

4.3.8 Technical Review

At the direction of the COR, the Contractor shall provide technical review of documents which further the mission of the MCTC Program. These documents may include, but are not limited to:

presentations, technical briefs, AASHTO/ASTM standards and specifications, promotional materials, software (from an end user perspective), and brochures. The Contractor shall identify conflicts and provide recommendations for improvement, changes, additions, modifications, clarifications, etc. to the COR on an as-needed basis.

4.3.9 Training

A key element to the MCTC Program is to educate stakeholders on the latest emerging technologies in the field of concrete technology. Oftentimes, this requires hands-on and classroom training sessions. The Contractor, at the direction of the COR, shall develop and deliver workshop/training sessions for use in a hands-on laboratory, classroom, or distance learning application. The development and delivery shall be coordinated with the COR, requesting agency, State concrete paving association or equivalent, and other stakeholders. The training deliveries may require mobilization of the MCTC. Potential topics include but are not limited to: basics of concrete materials and mix design, construction, quality assurance, performance-engineered mixture design, nondestructive and innovative test procedures, and development of specifications.

Additionally, the SE and PM shall serve as instructors for the FHWA Quality in the Concrete

Paving Process Workshop. This workshop shall be presented to each state having a MCTC site visit to a construction project. The Contractor shall create a customized training module of approximately one hour in length for each Workshop; this module will consist of the test data from the site visit along with observations and recommendations. The Contractor shall work with the COR to update the Workshop materials as determined by the COR.

FHWA may periodically assign agency personnel to accompany the MCTC to a project visit.

The purpose is for agency personnel to learn about the new technologies and get hands-on testing experience and familiarity with the technology to help facilitate implementation in their home state. The Contractor shall work with the COR to develop and implement a meaningful training assignment to support that goal.

4.3.9.1 Technology Tours and University Days

As directed by the COR, the contractor shall schedule MCTC Technology Tours and University

Days. These Tours introduce concrete technology and program initiatives to an entire state. A

Tour consists of a series of half-day workshops conducted by MCTC staff across an entire state over the period of one to two weeks. Each session is approximately 2 hours in the classroom and

2 hours of live demonstrations of MCTC technologies. The contractor shall make all arrangements and coordinate logistics, develop the agenda, and conduct the Tour. All concrete used in demos shall be kept on a tarp and the on-site cleanup required kept to a minimum.

University Days are similar to Technology Tours with the event held for a single day on campus and the agenda tailored for student and other local needs and preferences.

4.3.10 Quarterly and Year in Review Reports

At the conclusion of each contract year, the Contractor shall submit a “Year in Review” report to the COR. This report shall provide descriptions of each project executed by the MCTC Program staff, including the scope, objectives, dates, locations, key stakeholders, and the assessed impact of the project to the concrete pavement community. The report shall also detail key deployment activities of the concrete pavement community and how the MCTC Program is aiding in the advancement of these technologies. The report shall be submitted to the COR no later than 30 days from the contract year end date. The COR will provide review comments and the Contractor shall submit a finalized version which addresses all review comments to the COR for approval within 10 days of receipt of the review comments.

4.4 Contract Periodic Progress Meetings

The Contractor shall establish, coordinate, conduct, and attend progress meetings requested by the COR. The CO, COR, and other Government personnel, as appropriate, may meet periodically with the Contractor to review the Contractor's performance. At these meetings, the CO will apprise the Contractor of how the government views the Contractor's performance and the

Contractor will apprise the Government of problems, if any, being experienced. Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues.

4.5 Other Direct Costs (TASK 4)

The Contractor shall be responsible for arranging and procuring supplies, parts, equipment, materials, services, or other direct costs related to operations, equipment, vehicle, and trailer maintenance or replacement. Direct costs related to equipment-related purchases exceeding

$2,000 shall be authorized in advance by the COR.

When authorized in advance by the COR, parts, maintenance, equipment repair, equipment replacement, expendable items, personal protection devices, supplies, and materials, are reimbursed at cost only. Additional processing fees or costs imposed on FHWA by the

Contractor for costs in excess of the actual costs is considered an unallowable and shall not be reimbursable under this contract.

4.5.1 Subject Matter Expertise

At the direction of the COR, the Contractor shall enlist services of subject matter experts (SMEs) to address specialized projects that will advance the mission of the MCTC Program. Typically, this could be needed for forensic studies, specialized concrete topics, and also for marketing functions. The Contractor shall provide the COR with the name, resume, and a time-and-cost estimate for any SMEs. The Contractor shall not proceed with the SME until COR approval is obtained.

C.5 QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORTS

The Contractor shall submit progress reports to the COR and the Contract Specialist (CS).

These reports shall be submitted on a quarterly basis by the 15th of the month following the quarter being reported. The reports shall include the following items as a minimum:

(a) A description of the work performed under each Task during the reporting period.

(b) A description of the work to be accomplished under each Task during the next reporting period.

(c) A description of any problem encountered or anticipated that will affect the completion of any work within the timeframe set, together with recommended solutions to such problems; or a statement that no problems were encountered.

(d) A financial summary of costs incurred, for both the reporting period and cumulative, compared to the budgeted amount for the reporting period and cumulative. The financial summary shall include a delineation of cost elements such as labor, travel, subcontractor costs, and indirect costs as applicable.

C.6 ANNUAL REPORT

The contractor shall furnish 1 electronic copy (in Microsoft Office 2016 or equivalent) of a letter-type annual report to the Contracting Officer and to the Contracting Officer’s

Representative on or before 30 calendar days before the end of each contract year. The annual report shall contain the following:

(a) a brief narrative commenting on performance during the reporting period for each of the following areas:

(1) Quality of Product/Service

(2) Schedule

(3) Cost Control

(4) Business Relations

(5) Management of Key Personnel

(6) Utilization of Small Businesses

(7) Other

The annual report will be used by the COR as part of the annual performance review.

(End of Section C)