Volpe MassDOT PWS V1.pdf

PR – V3422113

Volpe MassDOT Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Support

1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION AND BACKGROUND

The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) is an innovative, Federal, fee-for service organization within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)/Office of the Secretary of Transportation, whose mission is to improve the Nation's transportation system. The Volpe Center’s programmatic requirements cut across all modes of transportation, both national and international, for the DOT and non-DOT organizations, including state and local governments. The Volpe Center's eight Technical Centers (TC) focus on transportation, research, education, innovation, and other multimodal issues. Each of the Volpe Center’s TCs applies its technical capabilities to the DOT strategic goals and national and international transportation priorities. The TCs expand the DOT's multimodal horizons and demonstrate how innovation can arise from creative and collaborative use of internal and external assets.

The Volpe Center utilizes a combination of Federal and Contractor personnel to maximize the broad range and quantity of skills needed to perform sponsoring organizations’ projects. This will augment the Volpe Center’s resources by providing high-technology capabilities and skills targeted to the Volpe Center’s technical requirements with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Aeronautical portfolio.

USDOT/Volpe Center is currently tasked to support Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to promote and develop state-wide Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), Counter UAS (CUAS), Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), Airspace Situational Awareness (ASA), and Training, Test, and Evaluation (TTE) capabilities as part of MassDOT’s Commonwealth UAS Integration Program (CUIP).

Volpe is required to support the MassDOT mission of developing a plan to foster the development of a commercial UAS and AAM ecosystem within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the region, and to ensure a reliable state transportation infrastructure that is safe from evolving UAS threats.

Volpe is asked to support MassDOT in defining options and collaboration opportunities to address both capability and need by leveraging pathways, partnerships, policies, and cost-effective solutions. The effort will involve supporting future federal and/or commercial initiatives to engage Massachusetts in a pilot program to bring together federal, state, local, and commercial partners to develop public and commercial capabilities and to use the lessons learned as a blueprint to leverage future Commonwealth efforts.

The Volpe Center has been requested by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Aeronautics Division to expand and update the strategic roadmap of the of the MassDOT CUIP program previously developed and to document the status of current goals, objectives, and standard working processes. To achieve this, Volpe requires specialized support in the areas of Massachusetts Drone Program operations, Massachusetts Highway infrastructure and administration, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Administration (MBTA) infrastructure and administration, and Commonwealth strategic planning and financial management models.

The Volpe Center requires a contractor that has the existing domain knowledge as well as specialized conceptual expertise and awareness of the MassDOT CUIP to allow for support of and contribution to the end products. The contractor will have the capability to engineer the documentation that defines current state and future state of the MassDOT CUIP.

2.0 SCOPE OF WORK

The contractor will provide the Volpe Center knowledge and expertise to support the following:

Task 1: Commonwealth UAS Integration Program (CUIP) Support The Contractor shall assist the Volpe Center with developing, managing, and contributing to the emerging CUIP tasks to meet MassDOT’s overall CUIP objectives and near-term priorities.

• Continued implementation and refinement of Massachusetts Commonwealth UAS Integration Program (CUIP) goals including:

o Advanced Air Mobility, Enabling UAS, Counter UAS, Test & Training Facilities o Map current capabilities and ongoing efforts to the MassDOT CUIP framework and identify gaps, barriers, and opportunities across the MassDOT CUIP initiatives o Safety and Operations procedure refinement for Drone Operations throughout the

Commonwealth o Continue to impartially administer the Massachusetts Advanced Air Mobility

Integrated Task Force (AAM ITF)

• Continued support of MassDOT Drone Team Operations across the Commonwealth

Task 2: Advanced Air Mobility Support Volpe is supporting the MassDOT Aeronautics Division in realizing the potential of AAM to support the future growth of UAS operations across the Commonwealth. The contractor shall support Volpe in the following:

• Continued development and advancement of AAM operations including radar/sensor systems to expand current operations from rail line inspection to Commonwealth wide operations

• Support of AAM operations throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts including BVLOS and CUAS operations

• Support the development of an AAM market study that will help define how AAM operations can be incentivized for quicker adoption across the Commonwealth.

Task 3: Safety and Risk Management (SRM) Safety planning and risk management are essential to ongoing and future UAS/AAM operations. The Contractor shall assist the Volpe Center and MassDOT in developing, assessing, and updating safety artifacts and:

• Support the development, assessment, and evolution of safety and risk management documentation to expand operational capabilities across the Commonwealth

Task 4: cUAS Center of Excellence Development and Operations MassDOT and Volpe have agreed to participate in the founding of a National CounterUAS Center of Excellence as a means to better leverage work being done across jurisdictions and in academia. The National Center is intended, for example, to provide states across the nation with a source of independent and unbiased research, as well as to convene national stakeholders working on similar issues for purposes of collaboration and sharing. The Contractor shall provide professional services to assist Volpe and MassDOT Aeronautics in laying the foundation for this National Center of Excellence for Counter-UAS.

• Support the development and operation of a National Center of Excellence for Counter UAS o Bridging gaps between different operational groups and academia for better coordination of groups to increase safety and response to CUAS situations

• Support implantation of UAS pilot programs such as rail inspection and emergency medical deliveries

Task 5: Future UAS/AAM Technology Development Support Volpe is tasked to support and provide professional services to assist MassDOT in building and operating growing UAS programs such as a pilot program of delivery flights to Martha’s Vineyard and other island communities, as well as expanding current operations to include emerging technologies. The Contractor shall support Volpe with the following:

• Evaluation of future technologies and how new technologies could support existing work or facilitated with efforts underway with existing MassDOT priorities.

• Future work may include:

o Pilot UAS Delivery Demonstrations o Remote Sensor operations

3.0 DELIVERABLES

Task Deliverable/Milestone/Activity Estimated Completion Date

All Project Management Plan January 15, 2023

All Cost and Project Status Reports 15th of Each Month

1 AAM ITF Summary Report of Activities and Plans for Future Meetings. 2 weeks after each meeting

2 MassDOT Drone Team Operations Report Every 6 months 2 AAM Draft Shortfalls Analysis June 30, 2023 2 Final AAM Shortfalls and Requirements Report October 31, 2023 3 Safety Risk Management Meetings 20th of Month, Bi-monthly 3 Draft SRM Shortfalls Report April 30, 2023 3 Final SRM Shortfalls Report September 30, 2023 4 Draft CUAS CoE Methodology for Implementation May 30, 2023 4 Final CUAS CoE Methodology for Implementation August 30, 2023 5 Draft Future UAS/AAM Technology Study November 30, 2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The project’s POP is 12 months from the date of execution. A 1-year Option Year may be exercised at the end of the base year POP as well as a 6-month Option following the first Option Year.

4.0 ASSUMPTIONS AND CONSTRAINTS

No security requirements are envisioned.

No Government Furnished Equipment is expected to be provided.

All deliverables will be reviewed, and comments or questions will be returned to the Contractor within 10 days of receipt.

Location of work will be within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Some work may be required in partnership with other UAS/DOT agencies.

MassDOT, as the project sponsor, shall have access to data and documents developed under this work.

Travel is not expected but limited travel may arise

4.0 ASSUMPTIONS AND CONSTRAINTS