RFP Document.pdf

Request for Proposal Page 1 Development of Crushed Quarry

Aggregate Surfacing Specifications

South Dakota Department of Transportation Request for Proposal

Project SD2024-04

Title: Development of Crushed Quarry Aggregate Surfacing Specifications

Problem Description: South Dakota’s transportation system includes over 83,000 miles of roads of which about ten percent are state-controlled, and three percent are federal routes. The remaining 72,000 miles are mostly low-volume roads (LVR). A LVR is defined as a road that carries less than 400 vehicles per day.

Typically, these roads fall under the jurisdiction of counties, townships, and municipalities. LVRs play an important role in the State’s economy by providing essential links not only between rural areas but also between rural and urban areas. A significant portion of LVRs in South Dakota are gravel. While South Dakota local governments are not bound by the State’s gravel surfacing specification, survey results from the SD2009-

08 study entitled Gravel Surfacing Guidelines for South Dakota, revealed the majority of local government respondents use the State Gravel Surfacing specification. For some areas of the state, there is a shortage of

“natural” gravel that will meet the Gravel Surfacing specification as per the 2015 SDDOT Standard

Specifications for Roads and Bridges. This is due to the drying up of the state's “natural” gravel pits, which will only get worse over time. In addition to gravel supply concerns, rising costs and tightening budgets have encouraged local governments to consider and construct roads with alternate aggregate materials under a range of specifications. These include SDDOT Base Course specifications, local specifications, or no specifications at all. Local governments, in areas having nearby quarries, have installed aggregate surfacing using crushed quarry aggregate, which is defined as crushed limestone, quartzite, or granite. According to the local owners and SD Local Transportation Assistance Program (LTAP) personnel, several of these surfaces perform similarly to “natural” gravel surfacing. The fines in the material appear to have a binding quality that creates a firm roadway surface. Unfortunately, the criteria for defining a well-performing crushed quarry aggregate surfacing and the specifications associated with that performance have never been established. Currently, the only way to duplicate a well-performing crushed quarry aggregate surfacing is through trial and error. Through the development of criteria defining a well-performing aggregate surface and the establishment of the associated specific requirements for crushed quarry material, owners would be provided an alternative option to “natural” gravel surfacing that is readily duplicated and available.

Importance: Providing local governments with another viable option for well-performing aggregate surfacing material would reduce gravel supply concerns. Local governments would be given an alternative to gravel surfacing without compromising quality. Furthermore, producers of crushed quarry aggregate surfacing would then be able to compete with producers of gravel surfacing thereby increasing the number of potential bidders and decreasing costs.

Research Objectives:

1. Develop criteria to rate the performance of aggregate roadway surfacing.

2. Evaluate county roads in SD with crushed quarry aggregate surfacing and determine a range of specific requirements for well-performing crushed quarry aggregate surfacing.

3. Recommend specifications for crushed quarry aggregate surfacing.

Research Tasks:

1. Meet with the technical panel to review the project scope and work plan.

2. Perform an extensive literature review of aggregate surfacing attributes that are used to determine surfacing performance. Attributes shall include but are not limited to float test, DCP test, stability, rutting, gradation, loose material, and corrugations.

3. Based on the results of Task 2, develop criteria to rate the performance of aggregate surfacing.

Request for Proposal Page 2 Development of Crushed Quarry

4. Upon approval by the technical panel, distribute a survey to SD County Highway Superintendents. The survey shall identify SD counties where crushed quarry aggregate surfacing has been installed in the past or is currently being used.

5. Upon approval by the technical panel, conduct virtual interviews with SD County Highway

Superintendents identified in the survey as having experience with crushed quarry aggregate surfacing.

Interview questions shall include the crushed quarry aggregate surfacing segment location(s), construction installation practices (if known), site geometric characteristics, vegetation along the roadway, traffic volumes, maintenance records, material gradation and PI (if known), and the performance over time.

6. Submit and present to the technical panel a technical memorandum summarizing the results of Tasks 2-

5.

7. Develop a plan to perform laboratory and field evaluations of the roadway segments identified in Task 5.

The laboratory evaluation shall use a minimum of 3 samples from each segment to determine the specific requirements of the surfacing material. The field evaluations shall use the criteria developed in Task 3 to rate the performance of the surfacing. The field evaluations shall be performed with the change of seasons, approximately 3-4 times over one year. Coordination with the County Highway Superintendent will be needed prior to each field evaluation to determine the maintenance activities recently performed.

8. Upon approval by the technical panel, conduct the laboratory and field evaluation plan developed in Task

7 and recommend a range of specific requirements for a well-performing crushed quarry aggregate surfacing.

9. Submit and present to the technical panel a technical memorandum summarizing the results of Tasks 7 &

8.

10. Recommend specifications for crushed quarry aggregate surfacing.

11. Prepare a final report and executive summary of the literature review, research methodology, findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

12. Make an executive presentation to the SDDOT Research Review Board at the conclusion of the project.

Potential Implementation: If successful, this research project will result in crushed quarry aggregate becoming a trusted and commonly used alternative to gravel for roadway surfacing. Thereby addressing gravel shortages and providing a competitive cost environment for aggregate roadway surfacing.

SDDOT Involvement: The SDDOT Office Of Research will coordinate interviews with SD County Highway

Superintendents. The SDDOT Office of Research will also coordinate the reporting of recently performed maintenance activities prior to each field evaluation. The project technical panel will select the crushed quarry aggregate surfacing segments for laboratory and field evaluations.

Available Funding: $130,000 Anticipated Start Date: January 15, 2025 Duration: 24 Months

Terms of Payment: Payment for study services will be made upon SDDOT’s acceptance of key project deliverables. For this study, percentages of total project cost will be paid upon satisfactory completion of the following tasks:

Task % of Total Cost

6 40% 9 30%

All Tasks 30% Total 100%

General Information: The South Dakota Department of Transportation solicits proposals from colleges, universities, research institutes, foundations, consultants, federal, state, and local agencies, and others with demonstrated capability and experience in the subject area.

Request for Proposal Page 3 Development of Crushed Quarry

The South Dakota Department of Transportation gives public notice of its policy to uphold and assure full compliance with the non-discrimination requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related

Nondiscrimination authorities. Title VI and related Nondiscrimination authorities stipulate that no person in the United States of America shall on the grounds of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, income level or Limited English Proficiency be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Any person who has questions concerning this policy or wishes to file a discrimination complaint should contact the Department’s Civil Rights Office at 605-773-3540.

Proposals must remain valid for at least 120 days after the submission deadline. All submitted proposals become the property of the South Dakota Department of Transportation. SDDOT has the right to use all information presented in any proposal unless it is specifically annotated as being proprietary. SDDOT considers all information contained in proposals to be privileged and reserves the right to maintain its confidentiality.

South Dakota state statute requires the winning proposal, with proprietary information redacted, to be posted online along with the corresponding contractual agreement.

SDDOT reserves the right to reject any proposals submitted. SDDOT may negotiate with a selected proposer to address specific weaknesses in the selected proposal prior to contract award.

SDDOT is not responsible for any costs, including proposal preparation, incurred by researchers prior to the execution of a contract.

Certification Relating to Prohibited Entity: For contractors, vendors, suppliers, or subcontractors who enter into a contract with the State of South Dakota by submitting a response to this solicitation or agreeing to contract with the State, the bidder or offeror certifies and agrees that the following information is correct:

The bidder or offeror, in preparing its response or offer or in considering proposals submitted from qualified, potential vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors, or in the solicitation, selection, or commercial treatment of any vendor, supplier, or subcontractor, is not an entity, regardless of its principal place of business, that is ultimately owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by a foreign national, a foreign parent entity, or foreign government from China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Cuba, or Venezuela, as defined by

South Dakota Executive Order 2023-02. It is understood and agreed that, if this certification is false, such false certification will constitute grounds for the State to reject the bid or response submitted by the bidder or offeror on this project and terminate any contract awarded based on the bid or response. The successful bidder or offeror further agrees to provide immediate written notice to the contracting executive branch agency if during the term of the contract it no longer complies with this certification and agrees such noncompliance may be grounds for contract termination.

Restriction of Boycott of Israel: For contractors, vendors, suppliers, or subcontractors with five (5) or more employees who enter into a contract with the State of South Dakota that involves the expenditure of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or more, by submitting a response to this solicitation or agreeing to contract with the State, the bidder or offeror certifies and agrees that the following information is correct:

The bidder or offeror, in preparing its response or offer or in considering proposals submitted from qualified, potential vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors, or in the solicitation, selection, or commercial treatment of any vendor, supplier, or subcontractor, has not refused to transact business activities, has not terminated business activities, and has not taken other similar actions intended to limit its commercial relations, related to the subject matter of the bid or offer, with a person or entity on the basis of Israeli national origin, or residence or incorporation in Israel or its territories, with the specific intent to accomplish a boycott or divestment of Israel in a discriminatory manner. It is understood and agreed that, if this certification is false, such false certification will constitute grounds for the State to reject the bid or response submitted by the bidder or offeror on this project and terminate any contract awarded based on the bid or response. The successful bidder or offeror further agrees to provide immediate written notice to the

Request for Proposal Page 4 Development of Crushed Quarry contracting executive branch agency if during the term of the contract it no longer complies with this certification and agrees such noncompliance may be grounds for contract termination.

Certification of No State Legislator Interest: Offeror (i) understands neither a state legislator nor a business in which a state legislator has an ownership interest may be directly or indirectly interested in any contract with the State that was authorized by any law passed during the term for which that legislator was elected, or within one year thereafter, and (ii) has read South Dakota Constitution Article 3, Section 12 and has had the opportunity to seek independent legal advice on the applicability of that provision to any

Agreement entered into as a result of this RFP. By signing an Agreement pursuant to this RFP, Offeror hereby certifies that the Agreement is not made in violation of the South Dakota Constitution Article 3, Section 12.

Proposal Deadline: Proposals are due to the SDDOT by 5:00 pm CDT on Friday, September 20, 2024.

This deadline is firm. Extensions will not be granted.

Proposals must be submitted as an e-mail attachment in Portable Document Format (PDF) not exceeding

14MB. The email must be addressed to andy.vandel@state.sd.us and margo.mcdowell@state.sd.us.

Proposers should send the e-mail using “Delivery Receipt” and “Read Receipt” options to verify successful delivery.

Proposal Guidelines: Proposals must fulfill the requirements listed in the document entitled RESEARCH

PROPOSAL PREPARATION, SUBMISSION, AND EVALUATION and dated October 28, 2022.

Proposal Evaluation: Proposals will be evaluated by a technical panel knowledgeable in the problem area.

Selection will be made in consideration of criteria listed in RESEARCH PROPOSAL PREPARATION, SUBMISSION, AND EVALUATION.

Project Management: Margo McDowell is responsible for the management of this project and can be reached at margo.mcdowell@state.sd.us to answer inquiries.

mailto:andy.vandel@state.sd.us mailto:margo.mcdowell@state.sd.us mailto:andy.vandel@state.sd.us