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Georgia Department of Transportation

Request for Proposals

To Provide

Road Weather Forecasting Services

RFP 484-081121

RFP Closing Date: August 11, 2021

Georgia Department of Transportation One Georgia Center

600 Peachtree Street, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30308

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I. Background and Purpose

Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT or the Department) issues this Request for Proposals (RFP) to seek statewide atmospheric, road pavement, and bridge deck weather forecasting services. These services will allow the Department to make decisions on roadway and bridge closures, roadway treatment plans, and other operations.

For this reason, it is imperative that the services provide near real-time data and forecasting.

GDOT currently uses the Vaisala Road DSS Navigator SaaS to provide these services. The service consumes GDOT in-pavement roadway weather sensor and nearby traffic camera live video feeds/snapshots for visual confirmation of roadway condition.

GDOT uses this system to support the mobilization of the GDOT field maintenance workforce and contractors to respond to severe weather and its impact to the transportation system. GDOT uses forecasting to predict where flooding, snow/ice, high winds, or wildfires may occur. GDOT dispatches staff and equipment to protect the travelling public and restore travel. This may include preventative activities such as clearing storm drains, staging materials, or moving equipment. During weather events, GDOT removes debris, applies treatments such as brine/salt, uses equipment such as plows or portable dams, or implements detours/closures as needed. GDOT supervisors use mobile applications on-the-ground. At least 50 users receive email and in system alerts to notify them of weather crossing thresholds which would require a GDOT response. Once resources are in place, bridges are inspected/opened, roadways are made passable, and traffic signalization/sensors restored. GDOT uses weather information to make decisions on where and how many resources to deploy, dispatch resources, and assist in their safe return. GDOT uses historical data to review weather events and create after-action reports to identify areas where the agency can improve.

Offerors must be able to complete GDOT acceptance and user access no later than December 31, 2021.

In this RFP, GDOT is looking for innovative proposals to advance and improve the GDOT response to weather impacts. This may include increasing the accuracy or precision of weather information, providing advanced weather data/reporting/analytics, roadway specific forecasting, or furthering operational awareness.

All respondents to this RFP are subject to instructions communicated in this document and are cautioned to completely review the entire RFP and follow instructions carefully. This RFP, along with its Exhibits, comprises the Request for Proposals (RFP) for this project. GDOT reserves the right to amend the RFP by addendum at any time before the final proposal submittal deadline. GDOT reserves the right to modify existing provisions or include additional provisions, which are not addressed herein. GDOT reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, and to waive technicalities and informalities at its discretion.

II. Definitions

ESS - Environmental Sensor Station - The collection component of the Road Weather Information System (RWIS) site. The ESS is composed of cameras and three categories of environmental sensors: atmospheric, surface/sub-surface, and water level/snow depth. Deployed sensors may include: air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation occurrence, precipitation type, precipitation intensity, precipitation accumulation, visibility, visibility situation, station atmospheric pressure, snow depth, water level, solar radiation, pavement temperature, pavement grip (friction), pavement contaminant depth, and soil temperature (single sensor and multi-sensor probe).

RPU - Remote Processing Unit: Remote Processing Unit (RPU) is the collection and processing component of the Road Weather Information System (RWIS) site. The RPU collects data from each of the RWIS sensors and provides the observation when the central server initiates a polling request. The RPU may process camera images, sum sensor data for the observation, or perform algorithm calculations for proprietary equipment.

RWDM – Road Weather Data Management. Management of overall system and associated data.

III. IMPORTANT- A RESTRICTION OF COMMUNICATION IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS PROJECT. From the advertisement date of this solicitation until a firm is selected and the award is made official and announced, firms are not allowed to communicate about this solicitation or scope with any staff of GDOT including the Commissioner and GDOT Board Members, except for the submission of questions as instructed in the RFP, or with the contact designated in RFP Section XI., or as provided by any existing work agreement(s). For violation of this provision, GDOT reserves the right to reject the submittal of the offending respondent.

https://www.vaisala.com/en/roaddss https://www.vaisala.com/en/roaddss

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IV. GENERAL PROJECT INFORMATION

The Department currently utilizes Road Weather Data Management (RWDM) software to monitor the safety of the roadway network for the benefit of the traveling public. This system allows the Department to make decisions on roadway and bridge closures, roadway treatment plans, and other operations. For this reason, it is imperative that the RWDM provide near real-time data and forecasting.

To provide data to the RWDM, the Department operates a statewide system of Environmental Sensor Stations (ESS). The ESS can monitor air, surface, and sub-surface temperature; relative humidity; wind speed and direction;

barometric pressure; precipitation type, rate, and accumulation; visibility; and surface status, condition, and grip.

The Department currently outsources the RWDM. The services include monitoring, recording, forecasting, and displaying pavement atmospheric conditions. The Department intends to resolicit the RWDM for a period of five (5) years to a qualified offeror.

V. Contract Term and Type

GDOT anticipates awarding up to one (1), three (3) year contract with two, one (1) year options to renew, utilized on an "as needed" basis. The contract will be Open Agency Contract, with no guarantee on the minimum or maximum to be spent. Work will be issued via Purchase Orders and a Notice to Proceed issued for each Purchase Order before services may commence. Purchase orders will be paid on a firm-fixed price basis in accordance with specific rates of compensation as bid via the awarded consultant’s cost proposal.

VI. Contract Amount

The Open Agency Contract will not have a minimum or maximum amount guaranteed. The compensation to the Consultant shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the agreement. Such payment shall be full compensation for work performed or services rendered and for all labor, materials, supplies, and equipment necessary to complete the work specified in EXHIBIT I, SCOPE OF SERVICES and within each Purchase Order. The cost of such services shall be paid in accordance with the Consultant(s) cost proposal and in accordance with the terms of each Purchase Order.

VII. General Business Insurance Requirements

This section contains general business insurance requirements. By submitting a response, the Bidder is certifying its agreement to comply with all the identified requirements of this section and that all costs for complying with these general business requirements are included in the Bidder’s submitted pricing.

A. Required Insurance Coverages:

From insurers rated at least A– by Best’s and registered to do business in the State of Georgia, the Consultant shall provide the following kinds of insurance in the minimum amount of coverage set forth below, to cover all loss and liability for damages on account of bodily injury, including death therefrom, and injury to or destruction of property caused by or arising from any and all operations carried on and any and all work performed by the Consultant under this Agreement. Within ten (10) calendar days after execution of the Agreement and during the entire period of the Consultant's responsibility under the Agreement, the Consultant shall maintain liability insurance as follows:

1. Workers' Compensation and Employer's Liability - Statutory coverage shall be maintained for Worker’s

Compensation as required by the laws of the State of Georgia.

2. Commercial General Liability Insurance - Commercial General Liability Insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence $3,000,000 aggregate, including Automobile Comprehensive Liability Coverage with bodily injury in the minimum amount of $1,000,000 combined single limits each occurrence; to cover vehicles, owned, leased or rented by the Consultant. The Consultant shall require its sub-consultants to maintain Commercial General Liability insurance with business automobile liability coverage with companies and

4 | P a g e limits as stated above. The Department shall be named as an additional insured and a copy of the policy endorsement shall be provided with the insurance certificate.

3. Professional Liability (Errors and Omissions) Insurance - Limits shall not be less than the following:

a. For Professionals – $1,000,000 per claim and $1,000,000 in aggregate coverage;

a. For Sub-consultant Engineers and Architects – $1,000,000 per claim and $1,000,000 in aggregate coverage;

b. For Other Consultants – $1,000,000 per claim and $1,000,000 in aggregate coverage.

The Consultant shall maintain professional liability insurance that shall be either a practice policy or project-specific coverage. Professional liability insurance shall contain prior acts coverage for services performed by the Consultant for this Project. If project-specific coverage is used, these requirements shall be continued in effect for two (2) years following issuance of the Certificate of Final Completion

4. Information Technology Cyber Breach Insurance - Limits shall not be less than $12,500,000

Required Certificate Holder/Additional Insured Language: The vendor must add the following language in the Insurance Certificate Holder Box: “State of Georgia, its officers, employees and agents and The Georgia Department of Transportation, 600 W Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30308” as the additional insured under the commercial general, automobile and umbrella liability policies.

The Contractor must require any sub-contractors to maintain Commercial General Liability insurance with business automobile liability coverage and with limits as stated above. GDOT must be named as an additional insured and a copy of the policy endorsement must be provided with the insurance certificate.

The foregoing policies must contain a provision that coverage afforded under the policies will not be canceled, or not renewed or allowed to lapse for any reason until at least thirty (30) days prior written notice has been given to the Department. Certificates of Insurance showing such coverage are to be in force and must be filed with the Department prior to commencement of any work under the contract. The foregoing policies must be obtained from insurance companies licensed to do business in Georgia and must be with companies acceptable to the Department, which must have a minimum A.M. Best rating of A-. All such coverage must remain in full force and effect during the term and any renewal or extension thereof.

Upon notification of award, the awarded Bidder must procure the required insurance and provide the Department with a Certificate of Insurance. Certificates must be provided to the Department directly by the insurer or the issuing Agent. Certificate must reference the contract number. The Bidder’s submitted pricing must include the cost of the required insurance. No contract performance must occur unless and until the required insurance certificates are provided.

VIII. SCOPE OF SERVICES

Proposers shall provide Road Weather Forecasting Services to GDOT as defined in EXHIBIT I, SCOPE OF

SERVICES.

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IX. SCHEDULE OF RFP EVENTS

The Schedule of Events represents the Department’s best estimate of the schedule that will be followed. All times indicated are Eastern Time zone. The Department reserves the right to adjust the schedule as deemed necessary.

X. SELECTION CRITERIA AND PROPOSAL FORMAT

A. Minimum Requirements - Pass/Fail Requirements

The requirements in this section will be used to determine if Proposers are responsive (meaning all of the minimum requirements have been met). Awarded Contractor must meet minimum pass/fail requirements described below in section XII. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING TECHNICAL PROPOSALS subsection A.

below.

B. Experience and Qualifications 11%

C. Program Management 6%

D. Information Technology 3%

E. Implementation Plan 5%

F. Operate and Maintain: Licensing and Maintenance 9%

G. Operate and Maintain: On-Call Meteorologist(s) Services 7%

H. Training Plan 6%

I. Current and Forecasted Weather Information and Alerts 12%

J. Demonstrations 11%

K. Cost Evaluation

Cost Proposals (Attachment 2) will be opened only upon completion of the final scoring of proposals by the Selection Committee. A Cost Evaluation will ensue, and the resulting Cost Score will comprise 30% of the evaluation of the finalist firms.

L. Final Evaluation

1. Technical Score Adjustment: Scores for the proposals will be adjusted to maintain the (70% / 30%) balance between the technical and cost phases. The proposal with the highest technical score will be adjusted up to 700 points. All other proposals will receive a prorated technical score calculated using the following formula:

Request for Proposals Date Time

a. Department issues RFP 7-9-2021

b. Deadline for submission of written questions and requests for clarification

7-23-21 2:00 PM

c. Answers to questions posted 7-30-21

d. Deadline for RFP responses to be received by GDOT 8-11-2021 2:00 PM

e. Demonstrations To Be Determined

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A/B x 700 = C

Where: A = Technical score of the proposal being adjusted.

B = Original technical score of the highest-ranking technical proposal.

C = Assigned points for proposal being adjusted.

2. Cost Score Adjustment: The cost proposal with the lowest total cost for term of the agreement will be awarded

300 points. All other cost proposals deemed to be acceptable will receive a prorated score calculated using the following formula:

L/R x 300 = Z

Where: L = (Grand Total) Total of the four Extended Prices with Lowest Cost

R = (Grand Total) Total of the four Extended Prices being scored.

Z = Assigned points for the fee proposal being scored.

M. Basis for Award

The resulting Fee proposal scores will be added to the corresponding adjusted technical proposal scores to identify the apparent successful offeror(s). Apparent awardee will be determined based on the sum of adjusted total scores from the technical evaluation and the fee evaluation. The Department may enter into negotiations with the apparent awardee, may ask the apparent awardee to provide a best and final offer or may conduct interviews if deemed advantageous to the Department. If an agreement cannot be reached with the apparent awardee, the next highest-scoring firm will be invited to either enter into negotiations, provide a best and final offer or interview with the Department as deemed advantageous to the Department.

XI. SUBMITTAL OF QUESTIONS AND REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION, AND EXTENSIONS

It is the responsibility of each Proposer to examine the entire RFP, seek clarification in writing, and review its submittals for accuracy before submitting. Once the submission deadline has passed, all submissions will be final. The Department will not request clarification from any single individual Proposer regarding their submission, but reserves the right to ask, collectively, all parties that have submitted proposals for additional information. Questions about any aspect of the RFP, or the service, shall be submitted in writing (via e-mail) to:

Trina Williams, Special Projects Procurement Manager

E-mail: TrWilliams@dot.ga.gov

The deadline for submission of questions relating to the RFP is the time and date shown in the Schedule of Event, Section III – Schedule of RFP Events. All relevant and significant questions that have been submitted in writing prior to the deadline will be compiled and answered in writing and issued to all Proposers via posting to the Georgia Procurement Registry (GPR). Any Proposer exceptions to the RFP requirements or requests for deadline extensions must also be communicated to the Department via email to TrWilliams@dot.ga.gov by the deadline to be properly considered. Any requests for proposal deadline extensions must include the reason(s) for such a request. The Department reserves the right to approve or reject such requests as the Department deems necessary.

XII. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING TECHNICAL PROPOSALS

Submittals must be typed on standard (8½” x 11”) paper. The pages of the submittals must be numbered. Responses are limited to the page counts indicated using a minimum of size 11 font. Page counts will be determined by pages with print on them, not by the physical piece of paper. Each Proposal shall be prepared simply and economically. Colored displays, and promotional materials are not desired. Emphasis must be on completeness, relevance, and clarity of content.

A table of contents must be included to identify each major section. Responses are limited to forty-eight (48) pages, excluding the cover page, table of contents, administrative requirements, and organization chart using a minimum of an 11-point font. Any, exhibits, affidavits, or other enclosure information called for may be included in an appendix and will mailto:TrWilliams@dot.ga.gov mailto:TrWilliams@dot.ga.gov mailto:TrWilliams@dot.ga.gov mailto:TrWilliams@dot.ga.gov

7 | P a g e not count toward the page limit. Submittals that include proposals of more than one firm shall not exceed the page limit.

Such submittals shall be prepared with careful consideration to the limit.

Technical Proposals shall not include any fee proposal information. Proposer’s who include fee proposal information in their technical proposal will be disqualified from further consideration.

To expedite the review of submittals, it is essential that Proposers follow the format and instructions outlined below. The content of all Technical Proposals must be organized, categorized using the same headings (in red), and numbered and lettered exactly as outlined below, and must be responsive to all requested information.

Technical Proposals MUST be limited to a maximum of forty-eight (48) pages, excluding the Cover Page, Administrative Requirements, and Organization Chart. Technical Proposal which exceed the maximum thirty

(30) page limit will be disqualified from further consideration.

A. Minimum Requirements – Pass/Fail Requirements

The Offeror must provide a statement which affirms that each of the below are met in their technical proposal (meaning all of the minimum requirements have been met):

1. Implementation plan to deliver and rollout of the commercial-off-the-shelf Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud based high-availability architecture solution described in the Scope of work.

2. Training plan that meets the technical requirements of the RFP described in the Scope of Work.

3. Ability to provide a meteorologist on staff to meet the requirements described in the Scope of Work.

4. Able to provide an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM)

5. Have a web-based platform already in use.

6. The offeror’s ability to commit an on staff meteorologists that will provide coverage for twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week as described in the Scope of Work.

7. Offeror’s proposal is based on a web-based platform already in use.

8. Offeror has the ability to break down and provide visual forecasted services on hourly increments for the next

72 hours and on 6-hour increments for up to 8 days beyond the 72 hours for items outlined in “Current and Forecasted Weather Information and Alerts”.

9. Offeror can provide method for graphical representation of data.

10. Offeror can receive and provide visualization of National Weather Services (NWS) alerts through the platform.

11. Offer can meet or exceed Information Technology Requirements described in Exhibit 3.

12. Offeror agrees to providing support services and comply with the Service Level Agreement described in the

Scope of Work.

13. The name and signature of the person authorized to obligate the proposer, and the location of the proposer’s principal office. If activities are to be shared among companies and offices at different locations, indicate where each office is located and what activities are to be performed in each office. GDOT will not accept proposals from joint ventures or from partnerships or corporations formed for the sole purpose of submitting a proposal in response to this RFP. If more than one company or other entity will be performing the services required in this RFP, the entities that will work together should designate one of them as the prime contractor and enter into subcontractor arrangements with the prime.

14. Documentation of the proposer’s ability to satisfy the insurance requirements set forth in Exhibit E.

15. Completion of the required Certification Form (Attachment 1), including disclosure/explanation of any items which the Proposer is unable to initial.

B. EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

1. Cover letter, which must include the following information:

a. Introduce the firm and summarize its qualifications.

b. A summary description of the work to be performed by each subcontracting company proposed for the project, if any.

c. E-mail address, phone and fax numbers for the proposer’s representative to which correspondence can be sent. If any of these methods of contact is not available, indicate accordingly in the cover letter.

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2. Organization chart including all participants in the proposal, showing the proposed relationships between the prime proposer and all subcontractors (if any), and between and among the key personnel and support staff within the prime proposer’s organization, showing which work function each entity or individual will be responsible for performing, and detailing the responsibilities of each position with each entity, including description of the parent company of the proposer, if any, including a copy of the latest annual report for parent company.

3. References for the proposer’s experience with similar forecasting services. Must be within the last five years for an area similar to the size of the State of Georgia. This would also include similar impacts that are encountered across the state. Each reference should include the contact’s name, title, address, phone number and e-mail address, along with an explanation of the services provided, and the years in which such services were provided. GDOT requests a maximum of three (3) references.

4. Qualifications/Experience of Lead Meteorologist - Provide qualifications and experience, in narrative form of Lead Meteorologist including customary information, such as education, experience, relevant projects (including client names, service location, services provided, etc.). Describe why the individual proposed is the best fit to ensure successful delivery of Weather Forecasting Services required to deliver this contract and how the qualifications are relevant to this contract.

5. Qualifications/Experience of Support Meteorologist(s) - Provide qualifications and experience, in narrative form of Support Meteorologist(s) who will be available for on -call services and serving GDOT, including customary information, such as education, experience, relevant projects (including client names, service location, services provided, etc.). Describe why the individual proposed is the best fit to ensure successful delivery of Weather Forecasting Services required to deliver this contract and how the qualifications are relevant to this contract.

6. List the directly-related experience of the prime contractor submitting this proposal. Include city/state, program roles and dates of service. Only include programs of similar in size and scope.

This information is limited to six (6) pages maximum (not including resumes)

C. Program Management

Provide a mobilization plan for the start-up of weather forecasting services upon issuance of a notice to proceed to the Offeror, including:

1. Describe how Offeror intends to meet the schedule as described in the scope of work.

2. Details of how the proposer will conduct the transition.

3. Describe any foreseeable issues with meeting the schedule described in the scope of work.

This information is limited to four (4) pages maximum

D. Information Technology

1. Provide copies of any applicable agreement pertaining to the use of the SaaS and services including:

a. End User License Agreement (EULA)

b. High-level systems architecture diagram demonstrating Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery and general locations of data centers

c. License or service agreements

d. Supplier staffing, strategic business partners, and subcontractors in which GDOT data would be shared

e. Support procedures for issue tracking, monitoring, and response

f. System Update Cycle and End of Life Deprecation Cycle"

2. Describe how Offeror's SaaS addresses and/or exceeds all mandatory requirements.

3. Offeror agrees to all Information Technology Requirements in Exhibit A – Information Technology

Requirements or notes exceptions of conformance and provides the following documentation:

a. Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)

b. Overview of security enforced within the SaaS and any security designations/certifications, audits performed, and vulnerability scanning results

c. Identification of any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) stored within the SaaS

d. Details on Cyber Breach insurance policy coverage levels

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4. Exhibit 2. Business Needs, Section F lists additional value-added features the Department would like to see already included in Offerors software. Describe innovation or which GDOT Value Added features that are included in Offeror's SaaS Solution.

This information is limited to four (4) pages maximum (not included supporting documents).

E. Implementation Plan

1. Describe the Offeror's approach to configuring a commercial-off-the-shelf Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud based high-availability architecture solution that provides current and forecasted weather alerts to meet the Department business needs described in Exhibit 2.

This information is limited to two (2) pages maximum

F. Operate and Maintain: Licensing and Maintenance

1. Describe your approach to monitoring the impact of the deployment on a set of key performance measures and/or targets and reporting on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

2. Describe how the Offeror will meet or exceed the support services described in section J. of the Scope of work.

G. Operate and Maintain: On-call Meteorologist Plan

The Offeror shall provide an on-call meteorological staffing plan, including:

1. Customer service strategy outline, which will ensure customer satisfaction both during the start-up phase and in the long term, including procedures for handling service complaints.

2. Offeror’s commitment and plan to ensure a maximum allowable wait time for the Department or Department’s designated users shall not exceed ten (10) minutes and current average wait times.

3. Offeror’s commitment to directly employing meteorologists and not outsourcing any meteorological personnel to third party suppliers.

4. Information regarding how the Offeror will measure accuracy of forecast provided to the Department and the margin of error.

H. Training Plan

Describe your experience providing training on a contract of similar size and scope.

Provide a sample training plan of weather forecasting services, including:

1. Training Schedule

2. Sample training materials including:

a. Weather forecasting terminology.

b. Software / system usage and functions (if applicable).

c. Explanation of all system commands, their function and usage (if applicable).

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I. Current and Forecasted Weather Information and Alerts The Offeror shall provide at a minimum, explanations and visualizations of its weather information alert capabilities, including:

1. A means to view

a. GDOT Qualified Products List Approved Stationary GDOT ESS assets

b. GDOT Qualified Products List Approved Mobile GDOT ESS assets

c. National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol (NTCIP) compliant RPUs in the field

d. Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingestion System (MADIS)

2. A means to view current and forecasted information

a. Location

b. Surface temperature

c. Air temperature

d. Surface condition

e. Wind speed

f. Maximum gust

g. Relative humidity

h. Barometric pressure

i. Precipitation type

j. Precipitation rate

k. Precipitation accumulation

l. Visibility

m. Pavement grip

n. Adjacent CCTV snapshot and/or video

3. A method for grouping data from assets and locations to include at a minimum:

a. GDOT District

b. County

c. Proximity

d. Corridor

e. User defined filter

4. A method for graphical representation of data.

5. The ability to receive and visualize NWS alerts.

6. The ability to view pavement and bridge deck temperatures across Georgia for every hour during the 48-hour period prior to any forecast inclement weather event.

7. A method for creating and delivering alerts with at least three (3) parameters

This information is limited to twenty (20) pages maximum

J. Demonstrations

Offeror(s) shall describe and demonstrate the business capabilities through “out-of-the-box” configurations and how they meet the Department’s needs. The Department will evaluate based on the Offeror’s description and demonstration of the solutions capabilities. The Department will evaluate demonstrations in the following elements:

1. Meets business needs

2. Demonstration of innovation or GDOT Value Added features included in Offeror's SaaS Solution.

3. Layout/Dashboard

4. Accuracy and timeliness

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VI. SUBMITTAL OF TECHNICAL AND COST PROPOSALS

A. Technical Proposal – Electronic Proposal Submittal

There is one (1) electronic proposal submittal required. Proposal must include all completed and signed exhibits in their entirety and all completed and signed addenda, if applicable. The completed and signed proposal documents must be legible. Proposals must be submitted in a PDF document attached to an e-mail.

PDF document must follow the naming convention for electronic records as follows: the proposing firm’s full legal name, RFP#, and RFP Title. To submit your proposal click the following Links:

mailto:tsp_soq_tech_submittal@dot.ga.gov?subject=RFP%20484-08112021%20Technical%20Proposal

Upon successful receipt of the electronic submittal, the system will send a receipt confirmation e-mail to the sender. Proposals must be received by GDOT prior to the deadline indicated in the Schedule of Events (Section III of RFP).

No Proposal submittals will be accepted after the time and date set for receipt.

All expenses for preparing and submitting responses are the sole cost of the proposer submitting the response.

GDOT is not obligated to any party to reimburse such expenses. All submittals upon receipt become the property of GDOT. Labeling information provided in submittals “proprietary” or “confidential”, or any other designation of restricted use will not protect the information from public view. Subject to the provisions of the Open Records Act, the details of the proposal documents will remain confidential until final award. GDOT reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to waive any technicalities associated with this submittal if deemed in the best interest of the State.

B. Cost Proposal – Electronic Proposal Submittal

There is one (1) electronic submittal required for the cost proposal. The Cost Proposal includes the contact information and proposed cost for each menu item. The completed Cost Proposal should be signed, and should include all applicable certifications and additional information, and scanned and submitted separately.

The Cost Proposal document must adhere to the naming convention for electronic records as follows: ‘Cost Proposal’ followed by the proposing firm’s full legal name, RFP#, and RFP Title. To submit your proposal response click the following Links:

mailto:tsp_soq_tech_submittal@dot.ga.gov?subject=RFP%20484-08112021%20Fee%20Proposal

Upon successful receipt of the electronic cost proposal submittal, the system will send a receipt confirmation e-mail to the sender. Cost Proposals must be received by GDOT prior to the deadline indicated in the Schedule of Events (Section III of RFP).

No Cost Proposal submittals will be accepted after the time and date set for receipt.

All expenses for preparing and submitting cost proposals are the sole cost of the proposer submitting the response. GDOT is not obligated to any party to reimburse such expenses. All submittals upon receipt become the property of GDOT. Labeling information provided in submittals “proprietary” or “confidential”, or any other designation of restricted use will not protect the information from public view. Subject to the provisions of the Open Records Act, the details of the proposal documents will remain confidential until final award. GDOT reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to waive any technicalities associated with this submittal if deemed in the best interest of the State.

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IX. ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

A. Statement of Agreement

With the submission of a Proposal Response, the respondent agrees that he/she has carefully examined the Request for Proposal and agrees that it is the respondent’s responsibility to request clarification on any issues in any section of the Request for Qualifications with which the respondent disagrees or needs clarified. The respondent also understands that failure to mention these items during the question period or in the Proposal Response will be interpreted to mean that the respondent is in full agreement with the terms, conditions, specifications and requirements in the therein. With submission of a Proposal Response, the respondent hereby certifies: (a) that this Proposal Response is genuine and is not made in the interest or on behalf of any undisclosed person, firm, or corporation; (b) that respondent has not directly or indirectly included or solicited any other respondent to put in a false or insincere Proposal Response; (c) that respondent has not solicited or induced any person, firm, or corporation to refrain from sending a Proposal Response.

Furthermore, Consultants are required to provide a detailed statement of any disagreements or exceptions with the Department’s Terms and Conditions in the contract provided herein; see Exhibit 5, Sample Contract and/or any disagreements or exceptions with the Scope of Services, Section V. Such disagreements or exceptions are to be provided on a separate page(s) entitled “Exceptions” in the Proposal Response.

The Department, if in its sole determination, believes that such disagreements or exceptions makes it unable of reaching a successful contract award that is in the best interest of the State, reserves the right to terminate discussions with the low bidder and move to discussions with the next lowest bidder until a successful conclusion is reached.

B. Joint-Venture Proposals, Sub-Consultants, and Vendors

GDOT does not generally desire to enter into “joint-venture” agreements with multiple firms. In the event two or more firms desire to “joint-venture”, it is strongly recommended that one incorporated firm propose and maintain status as the Program Management firm with the remaining firms participating as major firms. Any joint-venture, proposed and established as a separate business entity, should have its own set of books and supporting documentation sufficient for an audit trail. Transactions should be recorded consistent with the joint-venture agreement, and care must be taken to ensure that the joint-venture bears its equitable share of the costs. Therefore, “unpopulated joint-ventures” would not have an adequate accounting system suitable for cost reimbursement contracts.

However more traditional “populated joint-ventures” are welcomed. A populated joint-venture is where an alliance is brought to life by infusing it with working capital, employees, and control systems. The alliance implements all necessary business systems, including payroll processing, purchasing, property control, etc.

The alliance will develop its own indirect rate structure and calculates its own indirect cost rates, based on the direct and indirect costs it incurs.

Sub-Consultants shall generally be considered any team member which is performing any service which typically requires prequalification, which is subject to the Audit and Accounting System Requirements, and whose services are billed as costs. Sub-Consultant Team Members must be written into the resulting Agreement and are subject to all terms and conditions in the Agreement. Vendors shall be considered any team member which is performing any service which typically does not require prequalification, which is not subject to the Audit and Accounting System Requirements, and whose services are billed as direct expenses. Vendors may not be written into the resulting Agreement and may not be subject to all terms and conditions in the Agreement.

C. Non-Discrimination

The Georgia Department of Transportation in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 78 Stat. 252, 42 USC 2000d--42 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, part 21, Nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all proposers that it will affirmatively ensure that any

13 | P a g e contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, minority business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, sex, or national origin in consideration for an award.

D. Submittal Costs and Confidentiality

All expenses for preparing and submitting responses are the sole cost of the respondent submitting the response. The Department is not obligated to any respondent to reimburse such expenses. All submittals upon receipt become the property of the Department. Labeling information provided in submittals as “proprietary” or “confidential”, or any other designation of restricted use will not protect the information from public view. Subject to the provisions of the Open Records Act, the details of the proposal documents will remain confidential until a final award.

E. Award Conditions

This request is not an offer to contract or a solicitation of bids. This request and any proposal submitted in response, regardless of whether the proposal is determined to be the best proposal, is not binding upon the Department and does not obligate the Department to procure or contract for any services. Neither the Department nor any respondent submitting a response will be bound unless and until a written contract mutually accepted by both parties is negotiated as to its terms and conditions and is signed by the Department and a respondent containing such terms and conditions as are negotiated between those parties. The Department reserves the right to waive non-compliance with any requirements of this Request for Qualifications and to reject any or all proposals submitted in responses. Upon review of responses, the Department will determine the respondent(s) proposal that in the sole judgment of the Department is in the best interest of the Department (if any is so determined), with respect to the evaluation criteria stated herein. The Department then intends to conduct negotiations with such respondent(s) to determine if an acceptable contract may be reached.

F. Right to Cancel or Change RFP

GDOT reserves the right to cancel any and all solicitations where it is determined to be in the best interest of the Department to do so. GDOT reserves the right to increase, reduce, add or delete any item in this solicitation as deemed necessary.

It is the responsibility of all firms interested in submitting Proposal Responses for this advertisement to routinely check the posting on the Georgia Procurement Registry for any revisions to this RFP.

G. Substitutions, Alternates, Exceptions, and Extensions

No substitutions or alternates will be accepted for this solicitation. Any respondent submitting substitutions or alternates will be considered non-responsive and will not be considered for award.

Furthermore, Consultants are required to provide a detailed statement of any disagreements or exceptions with the Department’s Terms and Conditions in the contract provided herein; see Exhibit 5, Sample Contract and/or any disagreements or exceptions with the Scope of Services, Section V. Such disagreements or exceptions are to be provided on a separate page(s) entitled “Exceptions” in the Proposal Response.

The Department, if in its sole determination, believes that such disagreements or exceptions makes it unable to reach a successful contract award that is in the best interest of the State, the Department reserves the right to terminate discussions with the low bidder and move to discussions with the next lowest bidder until a successful conclusion is reached.

GDOT reserves the right to reject as non-responsive any proposals that do not contain all items listed above, do not contain the required number of copies, do not have correct labeling, are submitted after the deadline, are submitted to the wrong location, or otherwise fail to comply with the requirements set forth in this RFP. In its sole discretion, GDOT may elect to waive any requirement of this RFP.

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H. Modification or Withdrawal of Submittals

Any proposal received prior to the date and time specified above for submission may be withdrawn or modified by written request of the proposer. Any modified proposal must be received by the time and date specified above.

I. Rights in Submitted Proposals

Proposers should mark any sensitive commercial information in their submissions as “Confidential”, and GDOT will treat such information as confidential to the extent permitted by law, including the Georgia Open Records Act at O.G.C.A. Sec. 50-18-70, et seq. Any proposal received within the prescribed deadline will become the property of GDOT and all rights to the contents therein become those of GDOT.

J. Price Escalation I De-escalation Clause

Awarded Supplier(s) may request a price increase for software after the twelfth month from the effective date and on an annual basis thereafter. The price increase will not exceed the percentage increase shown in the Producer Price Index (PPI) for the previous twelve (12) month period for the following Series ID's noted below. The State must be notified at least sixty (60) days in advance prior to any price change, and the

Awarded Supplier(s) must have the State's approval before such change may be implemented. In the event of a price change between the date of order and the date of delivery, the Supplier shall charge the price that was effective on the date of order of product not on the date of delivery. Inquiries must be received no later than sixty (60) days before the quarter ends. If renewal options are exercised, the following Series ID's will be used to adjust price increases for the following categories:

Producer Price Index Industry Data: Software

Series ld: PCU51121051121050201

Series Title: PPI industry data for Software publishers not seasonally adjusted

Industry: Software Publishers

Product: Desktop and portable device application software publishing

Base Date: 200606

Producer Price Index Industry Data: Software

Series ld: PCU51121051121050202

Series Title: PPI industry data for Software Publishers-Other application software publishing, not seasonally adjusted

Industry: Software Publishers

Product: Other application software publishing

Base Date: 200606

The request may be submitted at any time after the end of the first twelve (12) month period. However, only one (1) increase in a twelve (12) month period will be allowed. Any change in price granted by GDOT will become effective within sixty (60) days of approval. GDOT expects any market reductions to be passed along to the Agency should the previously referenced PPIs reflect a decrease of two percent (2%) or greater for the previous twelve (12) months of activity, prices will be reduced accordingly, and the supplier(s) will be notified no less than (30) days in advance. If the previously cited index changes are discontinued, the State will select the next appropriate index (indices), for the previously cited index, for the above categories.

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N. EXHIBITS

The following Exhibits and Attachments are attached and are part of this RFP:

EXHIBITS

Exhibit 1: Scope of Work Exhibit 2: Business Needs Exhibit 3: Information Technology Requirements Exhibit 4: GDOT Insurance Requirements

Attachment 1: Cost Proposal Attachment 2: Certification Form Attachment 3: Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act Affidavit

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EXHIBIT I

SCOPE OF SERVICES

A. Objective

This Scope of Services is for professional Meteorologist services and commercial-off-the-shelf Software as a Service (SaaS) that will enhance the Departments response to severe weather and natural disasters in accordance with the requirements and scope of services described herein. The Offeror shall be responsible for providing substantial value to the Department in the form of technical and professional services by providing an On-call Meteorologist, commercial-off-the-shelf Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud based high-availability architecture solution that provides current and forecasted weather alerts, reporting, and training. The effort includes ensuring that the COS SaaS software provided and all future upgrades are fully compatible, integrated and fully functional in relation to existing operating environments and Department objectives.

B. Offeror Responsibilities

The offeror will be responsible for:

1. Maintaining a necessary level of staff that can produce the effective implementation of the system within a project schedule agreed by GDOT

2. Communicating to the GDOT Project Manager any operational requirements necessary for the successful installation, implementation, training, and support of the project

3. Providing SaaS licenses, configuration, training, and maintenance/support

4. Provide Dashboard that provides the Department continuous view current and forecasted information related to

Department assets

5. Complete GDOT acceptance and user access by 12-31-2021.

6. To enable GDOT staff to self-administer/configure the system and provide user access.

7. Monitoring all GDOT RWIS stations across the entire state

8. Resolving all mutually agreed errors found prior to go-live

9. Obtaining GDOT acceptance of configuration

C. GDOT Responsibilities

The GDOT will be responsible for:

1. Assigning a GDOT Project manager as the main point of contact to coordinate with GDOT stakeholders and manage

GDOT interactions on the implementation

2. Providing the lists of roadway weather sensor assets and protocols upon request if needed

3. Providing GDOT IT resources as needed to complete the implementation

4. Providing offeror with access to GDOT stakeholders to validate requirements and confirm testing/acceptance of the solution

5. Providing data access to GDOT roadway weather sensors and cameras

6. Specifying users for assignment to roles

7. Providing written acceptance of SaaS configuration

D. Location of Work

During the extent of COVID-19, all work shall be conducted remotely. Offeror shall have suitable internet connection and environment to support remote work. Upon the resumption of normal work operations, Offeror will be expected to perform on-site activities as required by the project plan/schedule.

E. Period of Performance

The term of the contract will be for 3 years with 2 optional annual renewals for a term of up to a total of 5 years.

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F. Assumptions

The following assumptions are being made by GDOT:

1. No legacy data will be migrated into the new solution

2. GDOT will be given time to test the system and provide feedback throughout the setup/configuration process

3. GDOT will review and provide comments to deliverables based on the approved schedule to keep the implementation project on-schedule and within budget

4. GDOT users will verify access to the system

G. Project Management

The Project Management shall begin on the date indicated on the Notice to Proceed and shall continue until completion of user acceptance of the SaaS solution. Activities include but are not limited to:

1. Conducting a Kick-off Meeting

2. Establishing and maintain a GDOT approved schedule for system implementation and rollout

3. Managing project scope, schedule, budget, and elevate any issues/risks

4. Conducting project communications and reporting

5. Overseeing Quality Control/Quality Assurance (QC/QA)

6. Conducting In-progress Reviews

7. Facilitating user acceptance and testing

8. Conducting routine status meetings as needed to guide the success of the project

9. Initiating contract amendments as needed

Any project management activity cost to be included in initial purchase and implementation.

G.1. Kick-Off Meeting:

A kick-off meeting shall occur no later than five (5) business days after contract effective date. The Offeror shall attend a kick-off meeting to be held virtually via Microsoft Teams with the Department Project Manager (DPM), DOT representatives, and others to ensure that all parties have a common understanding of the contract requirements and Department expectations. The Offeror shall bring its key personnel (meteorologist, relevant key team leads) to this meeting.