Response to Offeror Questions document.pdf

HPMS Reporting Tool Questions and Responses Page 1 of 5

South Dakota Department of Transportation 700 E. Broadway Ave.

Pierre, SD 57501

Highway Performance Monitoring System Reporting Tool Request for Proposals

Vendor Questions and DOT Responses

PROPOSALS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN February 13, 5:00pm CST

RFP #: 24RFP11610 STATE POC: Jeff Brosz EMAIL: SDDOT_HPMS_RFP@state.sd.us

Below are all the questions submitted by vendors and our response. Similar questions are grouped and answered together.

Does South Dakota DOT have existing tools or automated validation processes for verifying data connections with SDDOT systems, or is the offeror expected to provide those as part of the solution?

Should the test plan include end-to-end integration tests for each connected system, or will component-level verification be sufficient? Are there any latency or performance requirements for data connections that should be validated during testing?

What data connectors are used to connect to the data sources of SDDOT Roadway Information System (RIS), Non-State Trunk Road Inventory (NSTRI), Sample Section Database, dTims pavement management software, and BrM bridge inventory?

Requirements spreadsheet - Requirement 3.2.1.5 states the offeror system will provide an on-demand API connection to the SDDOT data sources. Are you stating that the offeror system must provide an on-demand API to the SDDOT systems that can be used by SDDOT? Or do you mean the offeror system must have the ability to pull data from the SDDOT systems using an API or other type of connection?

Do the APIs exist for Roadway Information System (RIS) Non-State Trunk Road Inventory (NSTRI) Sample Section Database dTims pavement management software (Deighton) BrM bridge inventory (AASHTOWare) or do they need to be purchased from the system provider or developed in-house?

SD DOT realizes that we were not clear on the issue of connecting to data.

1) We will provide APIs and REST services as needed.

2) Other data will be provided as archived SQL tables or text files from the respective data sources to be imported into the vendor solution.

Are all the data sources that contain relevant HPMS data (RIS, Non-State Trunk, NSTRI, etc.) spatial in nature? I.e., are these data sources registered with an ArcGIS Server instance, or do they contain record level geometries?

Some are spatial in nature and registered. Others are tables with references to our LRS and can be routed.

mailto:SDDOT_HPMS_RFP@state.sd.us

HPMS Reporting Tool Questions and Responses Page 2 of 5

If South Dakota DOT is using ESRI ArcGIS Enterprise, what is the current installed version, what version will be in production next year, and is there a preferred version the Contractor should plan on using during the implementation?

We are using Enterprise 11.1 now, with a planned upgrade to 11.3 in the next month. We prefer that the vendor plan on using 11.3 unless otherwise notified.

Will the State share the anticipated budget range for this project?

No. We will share the budget with the firm whose proposal is selected.

Is South Dakota DOT an Esri Roads and Highways state? If not, are there any imminent plans to transition to Esri’s Roads and Highways Linear Referencing System?

We are not an Esri Roads and Highways state. We have it and are exploring moving our LRS, and we plan to move our events in the future, but plans are not imminent.

Is South Dakota DOT intending to use this system to fulfill FHWA’s Model Inventory of Roadway Elements (MIRE) requirements?

While not a requirement for this project, it would be a plus if the new system would have the future capability.

Are all South Dakota DOT routes stored in a single route network? Or are the routes stored in multiple route networks?

We create a single route network for HPMS.

Are all the data sources that contain relevant HPMS data (RIS, Non-State Trunk, NSTRI, etc.) spatial in nature? I.e., are these data sources registered with an ArcGIS Server instance, or do they contain record level geometries?

Some are spatial in nature and registered. Others are tables with references to our LRS and can be routed.

Does South Dakota DOT use ArcGIS Server Authentication?

Yes.

If South Dakota DOT uses ESRI Roads and Highways, will you provide all necessary Route Network and event data using ESRI Web Services and will those services be available to our hosted solution hosted in AWS Gov Cloud?

We will provide the HPMS route, and we will create route events.

If South Dakota DOT is using ESRI ArcGIS Enterprise, what is the current installed version, what version will be in production next year, and is there a preferred version the Contractor should plan on using during the implementation?

We are using Enterprise 11.1 now, with a planned upgrade to 11.3 in the next month. We prefer that the vendor plan on using 11.3 unless otherwise notified.

If South Dakota DOT is using ESRI ArcGIS Enterprise, are the map services Authentication

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Controlled?

Yes, we use ArcGIS Enterprise, and yes, if the vendor requires HPMS services, they will be authentication controlled.

Would Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 24 hours be acceptable? RPO is usually done with a fully system daily backup. RTO is at the time (24hrs) that is required to restore the data and app is necessary within the time.

24 hours is acceptable.

Does South Dakota DOT have existing tools or automated validation processes for verifying data connections with SDDOT systems, or is the offeror expected to provide those as part of the solution?

Should the test plan include end-to-end integration tests for each connected system, or will component-level verification be sufficient? Are there any latency or performance requirements for data connections that should be validated during testing?

Data sources will be archived copies of our live databases. These are text files that will be imported into your solution. We are not expecting connections to our live data sources.

Should the test plan include a comprehensive set of both manual and automated test scripts, or can automated scripts for repeatable test cases replace detailed manual scripts? Are there specific categories of tests (e.g., functional, performance, security) for which SDDOT expects detailed test scripts?

Automated tests are acceptable. Functional is the main category.

No third-party security scans have been done at the end of the four referenced projects. How does the State recommend the bidder address this in their response?

Simply state that no scans have been done. This does not automatically prejudice your response.

Does South Dakota DOT have a test management tool in place that the offeror should use for creating and tracking test scripts? Is there a preferred format or template for test scripts (e.g., step-by-step instructions, expected results, and post-test validations)?

We do not have a test management tool.

Does South Dakota DOT have a preference for the frequency of formal review meetings during the testing phase, and should these include progress reports or test results presentations?

We would like weekly progress reports with in-person virtual meetings every other week.

Is there a specific approval process after each phase of testing (e.g., system integration testing, user acceptance testing) that requires formal consultation or sign-off?

No, we do not have a formal approval process.

Are there specific system performance benchmarks (e.g., uptime, data accuracy, processing speed) that must be validated and documented during testing to achieve acceptance? In addition to KPIs, are there any qualitative factors (e.g., user satisfaction, ease of use) that will be considered for final acceptance?

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Importing our data and processing it into the required HPMS data format is the important benchmark as well as meeting the desired goals and objectives listed in the RFP.

We do not have measured benchmarks such as time to upload 10 megabytes or time to generate a report.

How is the FHWA's portal accessed now and how is data uploaded to their HPMS?

Data is uploaded in the required file format using the current FHWA HPMS Software which is accessed online through the FHWA Information System – UPACS Login portal.

What HPMS software are you using now?

We are currently using software developed in-house by our IT Division.

Do you currently use any ERP or workflow management software that aids in this process?

We do not.

Will there be a Project Manager on the SDDOT team who will ensure deliverables are met and on time?

Yes, the Project Manager will be from the SDDOT Office of Inventory Management & Research who is responsible for the annual HPMS submittal.

Will there be any independent verifications and validation teams for requirements compliance?

No, verifications and validations will be done by the SDDOT HPMS RFP Project Team.

Are there any existing data analytics, ETL, or Cloud database tools within SDDOT?

No

Does SDDOT use hosted IAM or Azure AD authentication methods and do they integrate with other hosted SaaS or PaaS solutions?

Yes, please refer to RFP Section 3.4 Single Sign-On Requirements.

RFP Section 4.2 lists Project Staffing Roles. Other than the Project Security Lead, these roles all appear to be South Dakota agency personnel. Other than identifying our Project Security Lead, is there anything else that we need to address in this section? OR do we need to address anything at all here in that our Project Security Lead would be identified in 4.1 Team Organization of our proposal?

A Development Team Security Lead can be a vendor employee, Project Steering Team would include a representative from your company.

RFP Section 6.2 Corporate Qualifications Letter P. Has your firm ever done business with other governmental agencies? If so, please provide references. The references we will provide in the Project Experience section will be governmental agencies. Are you looking for additional references outside of these project references?

We are looking for any references for who you have done work with HPMS data, including any

HPMS Reporting Tool Questions and Responses Page 5 of 5 governmental agencies.

RFP Appendix A Section I is requiring cyber liability insurance but does not list an amount of coverage required. Please advise so that we can confirm coverage.

Typically, with applications that have possible PII, we ask for $3,000,000. However, this is negotiable and can be addressed during the contract phase.

Requirements spreadsheet Requirement 3.2.1.4 - Please confirm what reports you are referring to in Requirement 3.2.1.4. Are you referring to the files that need to go to the FHWA referenced in 3.2.1.1- 3?

Yes, we are requiring reports to support 3.2.1.1-3

Requirements spreadsheet - Requirement 3.2.4.1 - If our system data is located in an SDDOT database, are we responsible for SDDOT database backups?

No, you will not be responsible for database backups.

In the SDDOT_HPMS_Data_specifications_24RFP11610.xlsx document, on the Field List tab, there is some information with strike through. What does the strike through text mean?

The strike through is data that at one time was a HPMS data item but is currently not required to be reported in HPMS.

Requirements spreadsheet - Requirement 3.2.2.1 seems to be listed under both 3.2.1.7 (lines 34-37) and 3.2.2 (lines 40-43). Is that an intentional duplicate entry?

1. There appears to be an error in rows 34-43. Section 3.2.2.1 is duplicated and section 3.2.2.2, including subsections, is missing.

2. Section 3.4 appears to be missing subsections 3.4.2 and 3.4.3.

These issues have all been fixed. Please download an updated version of the spreadsheet.