Effective Use of Geospatial Tools in Highway Construction

Added: Apr 07, 2015 2:33 pm This is a Pre-Solicitation notice (synopsis) for a full and open competition. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has a requirement to investigate the current use geospatial technologies such as unpiloted aerial vehicles (UAV), LIDAR and photogrammetry in the highway construction context, from both contractor and owner perspectives. The study should document the return on investment (ROI) in using this technology in respect to the type of data collected and used for highway construction. It is also of interest to look at current technological, regulatory/legal and financial challenges and opportunities of their use. The study should be both national and international in reach, and include case studies representative of the different regions of the US. Information collected should describe the equipment, operation and maintenance schemes. Focus should be made on the accuracy of equipment, resultant data set, end use required, and cost information. The study shall also address the level of detail needed during highway construction in various scenarios and contexts as well as how this data is incorporated into digital as-builts for use in operations and maintenance. Finally, the study should research and document the legal issues involved with operating UAVs for construction. The study should focus on, but not be limited to, the highway construction sector, from the consultant, contractor, and owner/DOT perspectives. Other sectors that use UAVs and LIDAR should be considered in the analysis as well, particularly those that are considered to have a high level of maturity in this field.

Expertise in the following areas is anticipated to be needed: geospatial tools and techniques (including UAV's, LIDAR, and photogrammetry) as related to the construction industry; UAV equipment state-of-the-art, operation, and regulatory status; heavy transportation construction planning, methods and management, from both owner and contractor perspectives; cost-benefit and return-on-investment analyses; and scholarly research and publication-quality report preparation.

The NAICS code for this requirement is 541330. The RFP will be released and available electronically at www.fbo.gov. Interested parties may register at the aforementioned site to receive a variety of procurement announcements/notifications. It is the responsibility of interested parties to monitor the FedBizOpps website for any amendments to the RFP package. NO OTHER PROCUREMENT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.