Request For Information.pdf

SAP

State of South Carolina

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Solicitation:

Date Issued:

Procurement Officer:

Phone:

E-Mail Address:

Mailing Address:

5400028167 03/26/2025

JEFFERY SCHWALK

1-803-737-1018 SchwalkJC@scdot.org SCDOT Procurement Office PO Box 191 Columbia SC 29202-0191

DESCRIPTION: FREIGHT MOVEMENT/COMMODITY FLOW DATA SOURCE RFI

USING GOVERNMENTAL UNIT: DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE VIA EMAIL TO SchwalkJC@scdot.org

SUBMIT OFFER BY (Opening Date/Time 04/25/2025 14:30:00 (See "Deadline For Submission Of Offer" provision) mailto:SchwalkJC@scdot.org

Table of Contents

SAP

SECTION I: SCOPE OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

SECTION II: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION – RESPONSE CONTENT

SECTION III: DISCLAIMER & CONFIDENTIALITY

SECTION IV: RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

I. SCOPE OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) Division of Intermodal and Freight and Programs is requesting information on available sources of freight movement and commodity flow data necessary for completion of various federally required statewide freight planning documents.

SCDOT is issuing this Request for Information to obtain market research from contractors specializing in various applicable data sources and related services.

Information should be received no later than 04/25/2024.

Background:

SCDOT is tasked with planning and coordinating a comprehensive intermodal transportation program for the movement of goods across South Carolina’s freight transportation network. Historically, a portion of freight planning activities have consisted of looking at freight movement and commodity flow throughout South Carolina. The data related to freight movement and commodity flow has included

Year

• A base year

• Two interval years

• A forecast year

Direction: Four directions of commodity flows

• Inbound

• Outbound

• Intra (Within)

• Through

Mode

• Truck

• Rail

• Water

• Air

• Pipe

Commodity Type

• The various types of commodities carried by mode

• Based on 2 digit Standard Transportation Commodity Code

Origin and Destination Pairs

• By mode; US State and County where commodities originated

• By mode; US State and County where commodities terminated

• By mode; Canadian Provinces where commodities originated and terminated

• By mode; Mexican States where commodities originated and terminated

Tonnage

• The total short tonnage of commodities by mode

Value

• The total value of commodities by mode

Units

• The number of truck and rail units used to carry various commodities

Scope:

In order to insure data consistency across all previous and current work products, SCDOT is seeking information about the availability of sources of freight movement and commodity flow data, which offer the following:

• Year: The data source will ideally have a base year of 2023 or later. The data source should also have a forecasting ability out to 2031, 2045 and 2056.

• Direction: The data source should enable SCDOT to look at commodity flows coming into South Carolina, leaving South Carolina, circulating within South Carolina and passing through South Carolina.

• Mode: The data source should enable SCDOT to look at commodity flows by various modes, especially truck, rail, air and water.

• Tons: The data source should provide SCDOT with information about the short tonnage of the commodities going across the transportation network.

• Units: The data source should provide SCDOT with information about the number of truck and rail units transporting commodities going across the transportation network.

• Value: The data source should provide SCDOT with information about the value of the commodities going across the transportation network.

• Commodity Type: The data source should provide SCDOT with information about the type of the commodities going across the transportation network.

• Origin and Destination: The data source should provide SCDOT with information about the US states and counties where commodity shipments originate as well as information about the US states and counties where commodity shipment end. The data should also include origin and destination information for commodity flows to and from Canada and Mexico.

• Corridor Identification: The data source should provide SCDOT with information about the interstate and non-intestate corridors across which freight is being moved. Similarly, the data source should provide SCDOT with information about rail corridors across which freight is being moved.

• Impediments to Freight Movement: The data source should provide SCDOT with information about the locations of impediments to freight movement along the road and rail corridors. This could include congestion, bottlenecks or other types of impediments

• Flexible delivery: Delivery of the data source by the vendor should be flexible, in a web-based interface or in another format as determined by the vendor and SCDOT.

• GIS Mapping Function: The data should be able to be integrated with GIS tools and SCDOT’s existing mapping applications to create maps that illustrate the data.

• Use by Third Party Groups: The vendor should make licensing available to South Carolina Councils of

Government and the Metropolitan Planning Organizations.

• Training: The vendor should be willing to conduct an introductory session to overview and unveil the application, ensuring that all stakeholders are familiar with its features and functionality.

• Microsoft Compatible: The data source should be able to connect to and utilize Microsoft applications.

• Costs: SCDOT requests a cost estimate to initially acquire the data source as well as cost information on available upgrades.

II. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION – RESPONSE CONTENT

SCDOT is seeking detailed information on available sources which meet the outlined requirements.

The insights gained from this RFI will inform our subsequent issuance of a Request for Proposal (RFP) related to Freight Movement and Commodity Flow data sources and related services.

• A cover letter including company name, point of contact name, e-mail address, and telephone number

• Provide a brief overview regarding your company, including its history, expertise, and relevant experience in providing electronic forms and workflow solutions to government agencies and other organizations of similar scope and size.

Market Research Questions:

Data Related Questions

• What base year is currently available?

• Is it possible to undertake data forecasting by mode and commodity?

• What interval years are available?

• As of this RFI, to what horizon year can the data be forecasted?

• Can the data show freight movement by direction (intra, inbound, outbound, through)

• Which of the following transportation modes are available with the data source?

o Truck What truck type is available

• Truckload

• LTL

• Private truck

• Other o Rail What rail type is available

• Carload

• Intermodal

• Other o Air Cargo o Waterborne

Container Other o Pipe o All o Are other modes are available beyond what is already listed?

o If available, please identify

• Is data available on commodity tonnage, units and value?

• How is commodity data categorized?

• Can commodity data be categorized to the 2-digit STCC?

• Is the data source capable of origin-destination analysis?

• Can the data source identify the corridors (interstate as well as non-interstate) that freight is moving on across the state?

• Will the data source be able to help identify highway corridors (interstate as well as non-interstate) which have freight mobility issues such as bottlenecks, congestion or other impediments to freight movement in the state?

• Can the data source identify the rail corridors that freight is moving on across the state?

• Will the data source be able to help identify rail corridors that have freight mobility issues such as bottlenecks, congestion or other impediments to freight movement in the state?

• How is the data source unique in the market?

• Would the data be able to provide information about cargo flows to and from warehouses and distribution centers?

• Provide an overview of the sources from which the data is derived.

• How often is the data updated?

• Is the data considered proprietary?

• What level of geographic granularity is available through the data source (State, MSA, County, etc.)?

• Can the data be disaggregated as needed?

• What are the limitations of the data being provided?

Technical Related Questions

• What interface options are available to clients (web-based, Excel, Access, other)?

• For web-based interfaces, list all internet browsers upon which such interfaces able to run.

• What interface is most utilized by clients?

• Is a GIS functionality available with the data? Please discuss the functionality if available.

• What support does the vendor offer to insure that clients are utilizing the data correctly?

• Is the data source able to connect and utilize Microsoft products?

• Are there specific technical requirements for clients to utilize the data?

• Please provide any additional IT requirements and licensing provisions that should be considered.

Vendor Overview

• A cover letter including company name, point of contact name, e-mail address and telephone number.

• Provide a brief overview regarding your company, including its history, expertise, and relevant experience in providing freight data.

• It is requested that the vendor provide a list of 3-5 organizations that utilize the data provided.

• As part of the RFI process, would the vendor be willing to give SCDOT a demonstration of the product?

• Please share any additional information or insights that are relevant to the data source that have not been addressed by previous questions.

• What are other services provided by your company that could be pertinent to the mission of SCDOT?

Pricing

SCDOT is seeking pricing information regarding the data source-

• What is the pricing model for the data source? Is it subscription based, per user licensing, or another structure?

• Are there any additional cost or fees associated with implementing, training, or on-going support that potential clients should be aware?

• Are there different pricing tiers or packages?

• Please elaborate on cost and availability of any renewal options

III. DISCLAIMER & CONFIDENTIALITY

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation for future business, an offer for procurement, or any other type of current or future procurement or contractual action and is only intended to gather input. SCDOT will not award a contract based on this RFI, nor will it pay for the information it receives. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by SCDOT to form a binding contract.

No party is bound by the information provided in response to this RFI.

Respondents may provide market-based pricing structures and describe potential services or solutions for planning purposes only.

Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. SCDOT is not liable for any costs or fees incurred by the respondent in preparing its responses.

Confidentiality

If any of the information in the vendor response is considered confidential, proprietary, or a trade secret, it must be clearly indicated on the appropriate page of the vendor response. Release of such materials is governed by the South Carolina Freedom of Information Law, which in pertinent part requires the requester to provide specific justification as to why disclosure of particular information in the response would cause substantial injury to the competitive position of the vendor. It is incumbent upon the vendor to specify company-specific trade secrets in need of protection where public disclosure of said trade secrets would harm the company.

Public Access to Procurement Information in South Carolina: -http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t11c035.php

SECTION 11-35-410. Public access to procurement information.

A) Procurement information must be a public record to the extent required by Chapter 4, Title 30 (The Freedom of Information Act), except as otherwise provided by this code, and with the exception that commercial or financial information obtained in response to a request for proposals or any type of bid solicitation that is privileged and confidential need not be disclosed.

(B) Privileged and confidential information is information in specific detail not customarily released to the general public, the release of which might cause harm to the competitive position of the party supplying the information.

Examples of this type of information include:

(1) customer lists;

(2) design recommendations and identification of prospective problem areas under an RFP;

(3) design concepts, including methods and procedures;

(4) biographical data on key employees of the bidder.

(C) The board shall promulgate regulations directing the public availability and disposition of documents submitted in response or with regard to a solicitation or other request where no award is made.

(D) For all documents submitted in response or with regard to any solicitation or other request, the person submitting the documents shall comply with instructions provided in the solicitation for marking information exempt from public disclosure. Information not marked as required by the applicable instructions may be disclosed to the public.

(E) A governmental body, with the approval of the appropriate chief procurement officer, may keep portions of a solicitation confidential and release the information to prospective offerors only upon execution of a nondisclosure agreement, provided the information is otherwise exempted from disclosure by law.

https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scstatehouse.gov%2Fcode%2Ft11c035.php&data=04%7C01%7Crbarr%40mmo.sc.gov%7Cb92adb2fc5204485367c08d8a773c67d%7Ce9f8d01480d84f27b0d6c3d6c085fcdd%7C1%7C0%7C637443462983805989%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=JsByBsFozCBbQRYrxxocn8nSKEtILo7wVbqhxuMQ%2Bic%3D&reserved=0

(F) If requested in writing before a final award by an actual bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor with regard to a specific intended award or award of a contract, the procurement officer shall, within five days of the receipt of any such request, make documents directly connected to the procurement activity and not otherwise exempt from disclosure available for inspection at an office of the responsible procurement officer. Without otherwise limiting any other exemptions granted by law, and except as provided herein, documents of and documents incidental to proposed contractual arrangements, including those used for contract negotiations, are not exempt from disclosure after the date notice of intent to award is posted, unless the notice is subsequently canceled.

IV. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

The sole point of contact for this RFI is:

Jeffery C. Schwalk Procurement Manager South Carolina Department of Transportation 955 Park Street, Room 101 Columbia, SC 29201

(803) 737-1018 SchwalkJC@SCDOT.org

Respondents shall make no contact with other SCDOT personnel, except as permitted by the point of contact, concerning this RFI.

RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

Respondents should provide their responses in native Microsoft Office formatted documents (e.g., Microsoft Word or PowerPoint) via email to the point of contact listed above.

The emailed response must be received by email on or before the date and time of the RFI Response Due listed on the cover page. Please adhere to the following convention for subject lines in emailed RFI Responses:

[Company Name] – RFI #5400028167 Response

Where [Company Name] is a recognizable short-name or acronym for the respondent’s company.

Each submission shall be limited to a maximum of thirty-five (35) single-sided 8" x 11 ½" pages, excluding the title page, cover letter, and table of contents. Respondents are encouraged to focus their responses on specific elements instead of including generalized or marketing statements and collateral unnecessarily.

In order to facilitate the review of the responses content, please provide the information in exact order as listed in Section II of this document.

NOTE: If you believe we missed any categories or capabilities, please include them in your Response along with any other information you feel would be relevant.

mailto:SchwalkJC@SCDOT.org

RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS