Response to Offeror Questions document.pdf
PDF 103 KB Posted
- Attached to
- South Dakota State Freight Plan Update
- Solicitation number
- 26RFP19574
- Issued by
- Harding County, South Dakota
About this file
This is a Response to Offeror Questions document for the South Dakota Department of Transportation's (SDDOT) State Freight Plan Update procurement. The document clarifies submission requirements and project parameters for consultants responding to RFP #26RFP19574. The primary deliverable is a comprehensive, data-driven multimodal freight plan that inventories freight assets, analyzes freight flows, and prioritizes investments aligned with state economic priorities. The consultant must conduct a minimum of seven Study Advisory Team meetings with 15-20 state personnel throughout the 12-month project period, with an anticipated start date of June 1, 2026, and completion by June 26, 2027. The inquiry deadline was April 7, 2026, with State responses provided by April 10, 2026. Proposals are due by 5:00 PM CT on April 22, 2026, and an award decision is anticipated by May 5, 2026. All proposals must be submitted as one hard copy of the technical proposal plus a sealed separate cost proposal and a flash drive containing the electronic copy of the technical proposal, deliverable via FedEx, UPS, or US Mail to Pierre, South Dakota.
The cost proposal must itemize all expenses by state fiscal year with separate identification of out-of-state travel and indirect costs substantiated in accordance with AASHTO standards. Because the project is federally funded, SDDOT cannot select the consultant based on cost; instead, costs will not be considered in ranking qualified consultants, which is why the cost proposal is sealed separately. The selected consultant and any subconsultants must be registered to do business in South Dakota prior to the notice to proceed, though registration is not required at the time of proposal submission. The consultant must provide information on at least three previous similar contracts with client references and work descriptions. The contract is subject to South Dakota law and includes termination provisions allowing either party to terminate with 30 days' written notice or immediately for default. The State reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and will negotiate contract terms with the highest-ranked offeror; negotiations may proceed to the next-ranked offeror if initial negotiations fail.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| RFP Document.doc | DOC document | |
| Addendum 1-RFP Document.doc | DOC document | |
| RFP Document.doc | DOC document |
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Answers to Questions Received SD State Freight Plan Update
Last Updated 10:00 am, April 8, 2026
Questions are listed in order received.
Q1. Please clarify the proposal submission format and requirements? Specifically:
a. Are two hard copies of the technical proposal (one original, one copy) required to be transmitted via US mail?
A1: No, only one hard copy of technical proposal is required. The copy mentioned is the electronic copy. Proposal package (containing the technical proposal, the cost proposal (sealed separately), and the flash drive (or equivalent) containing the electronic copy of the technical proposal) can be sent in one package via FedEx, UPS, US Mail, or any other delivery service capable of delivering to Pierre, SD by the deadline (April 22nd).
Q2.b. Is only one cost proposal hard copy required to be transmitted via US mail?
A2: Yes, only one sealed cost proposal is required. Proposal package (containing the technical proposal, the cost proposal (sealed separately), and the flash drive (or equivalent) containing the electronic copy of the technical proposal) can be sent in one package via FedEx, UPS, US Mail, or any other delivery service capable of delivering to Pierre, SD by the deadline (April 22nd).
Q3.c. Is an electronic copy of each of the technical proposal and cost proposal required to be submitted via US mail on a physical storage device (e.g., USB/flash drive)?
A3: Only the technical proposal is required to provide an electronic copy. An electronic copy of the cost proposal will only be requested from the selected consulting team. Proposal package (containing the technical proposal, the cost proposal (sealed separately), and the flash drive (or equivalent) containing the electronic copy of the technical proposal) can be sent in one package via FedEx, UPS, US Mail, or any other delivery service capable of delivering to Pierre, SD by the deadline (April 22nd).
Q4.d.Is an electronic copy of each of the technical proposal and cost proposal required to be transmitted via email? Please clarify the directions in Section 5.1.1: In addition, the offeror should email their entire proposal, including all attachments, in Microsoft Word or PDF electronic format (flash drive, USB drive, etc.) Offerors may not send the electronically formatted copy of their proposal via email.
A4: Section 5.1.1 should be reworded to:
“In addition, the electronic copy of the technical proposal should include all attachments and be in Microsoft Word or PDF electronic format provided via flash drive, USB drive, etc. in the proposal package. Offerors may send the electronic copy of their technical proposal via email, but the email timestamp will not be used as the submittal timestamp for deadline compliance.”
Q5.Would you consider revising the submittal requirements to be fully electronic, with both the technical proposal and cost proposal (password protected) being transmitted solely via email?
Last Updated 10:00 am, April 8, 2026
A5: No.
Q6. Do the prime consultant and any subconsultants need to be registered to do business in the State of South Dakota at the time of the proposal submission?
A6. No. This required registration is applicable to all members of the selected consultant team and they must be registered prior to SDDOT issuing the notice to proceed.
Q7. For developing the budget by Fiscal Year, can you confirm or adjust our assumptions? Expected start date – June 1, 2026 (1 month in FY26); Expected end date – June 26, 2027 (up to 12 months in FY27)
A7. Confirmed.
Q8. The RFP states that consultants are able to submit multiple cost proposals. Is cost a consultant selection factor? How will the cost options be evaluated during selection?
A8. As this will be federally funded, SDDOT cannot select based on costs. Costs will not be used for consideration for ranking the qualified consultant(s). This is the driving reason for a separated sealed cost proposal in the submittals and why a hard copy of the proposal package is required.
Q9. Please clarify whether exceptions to the contract are allowed and whether they can be included in the proposal document.
A9. Exceptions must be clearly justified and quantified to be considered.
Q10. RFP Section “5.1 An original and 1 copy shall be submitted”, 5.1.1 state to “email their entire proposal, including all attachments, in Microsoft Word or PDF electronic format” then states “Offerors may not send the electronically formatted copy of their proposal via email”.
Please clarify. Is email submission required or is it hardcopy packaged (sealed and labeled envelope) and sent as indicated in Section 1.4 Submitting Your Proposal, and further implied by the signature in ink requirement?
A10. Section 5.1.1 should be reworded to:
“In addition, the electronic copy of the technical proposal should include all attachments and be in Microsoft Word or PDF electronic format provided via flash drive, USB drive, etc. in the proposal package. Offerors may send the electronic copy of their technical proposal via email, but the email timestamp will not be used as the submittal timestamp for deadline compliance.”
Q11. RFP Section 1.10 states that “all inquiries and the State’s response will be posted” on “SDDOT’s webpage” and gives a link. That linked webpage currently states under Request for Proposals “State Freight Plan – Coming Soon” and “State Freight Plan Inquiries – Coming Soon”. Since the current RFP is not currently linked there, please confirm that the Q&A responses as well as any future modifications/addenda will be posted at the webpage linked (https://dot.sd.gov/projects-studies/studies/special-studies/#RFP).
https://dot.sd.gov/projects-studies/studies/special-studies/
Last Updated 10:00 am, April 8, 2026
A11. The SDDOT Webpage was updated April 7 and will be continually updated as responses are generated; the current RFP published at the State’s Central Bid Exchange has also been updated with the RFP’s revised Section 5.1.1 as an addendum to reflect the revision to Section 5.1.1 shown in A10. The Central Bid Exchange will be updated with all responses to inquiries by 5:00 pm CT on April 10. We encourage you to check the SDDOT webpage as updates may occur prior to the deadline for responses.
Q12. Is there a time associated with the April 22, 2026 Proposal Submission due date? If so, please clarify.
A12. Yes, 5:00 CT.
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