Improvements in Flagger Safety, Operations, Effectiveness & Training
Open State & local contract opportunity Posted
- Solicitation number
- 26RFP-SD2025-04
- State
- South Dakota
- Responses due
Opportunity facts
- NIGP codes
- UNSPSC codes
- 46201000 Public safety training equipment
- 46211502 Workplace safety training video
- 93141808 Occupational health or safety services
- 46211700 Work area safety and protective equipment
- 46200000 Defense and law enforcement and security and safety training equipment
- 46210000 Workplace safety equipment and supplies and training materials
- 46211500 Workplace safety training aids and materials
- 46201001 Rescue mannequin
- 46201002 Disaster management training simulation system
- 46211501 Workplace safety training kit
Opportunity details come from postingboard.esmsolutions.com. Updated .
About this opportunity
The South Dakota Department of Transportation is soliciting research proposals on flagger safety, operations, effectiveness, and training in work zones under project SD2025-04, with proposals due 5:00 p.m. CST on December 17, 2026. The solicitation is open to colleges, universities, research institutes, foundations, consultants, and federal, state, and local agencies with demonstrated capability in the subject area. The Israel boycott certification applies to entities with five or more employees on contracts exceeding $100,000, and contractors must certify compliance with South Dakota Executive Order 2023-02 on foreign ownership.
The research must identify factors contributing to flagger injuries and fatalities, evaluate current training effectiveness, review other states' practices, and assess emerging technologies, including Automated Flagger Assistance Devices (AFADs), rumble strips, and wearable visibility devices. Deliverables include literature reviews, technical memoranda, field observations at two active SDDOT work zones (one urban, one rural) during the 2027 construction season, stakeholder interviews with state DOTs, SDDOT field staff, contractors, and flaggers, and a final guidance document with implementation recommendations. All deliverables must meet Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 Level AA, supported by Accessibility Conformance Reports using VPAT or Adobe Acrobat formats. Proposals must also disclose all AI tools used in preparation and project execution.
Total available funding is $130,000 over an 18-month term with an anticipated start of April 15, 2027. Payment is tied to deliverables: 25% on the literature review technical memorandum, 20% on training recommendations, 25% on the technology and driver behavior memoranda, and 30% on completion of all tasks. Budgets must break out costs by state fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), with line items for salaries, fringe, indirect costs, travel, equipment, supplies, and subcontracts. Indirect costs must be substantiated before contract execution under the AASHTO Uniform Audit and Accounting Guide format. Equipment purchases over $10,000 become SDDOT property.
Evaluation considers problem statement understanding, research plan clarity, products definition, staffing qualifications, facilities availability, quality and data management procedures, budget completeness, and past performance. Proposals must remain valid for 120 days after submission and may not exceed 18MB in PDF format. SDDOT may reject any proposal and may negotiate with a selected proposer to address specific weaknesses. State statute requires the winning proposal, with proprietary material redacted, to be posted publicly along with the contract.
Opportunity text
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.
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.
All proposals must meet accessibility requirements from Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and are required to follow Department of Justice guidelines.
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.
Proposal Deadline: Proposals are due to the SDDOT by 5:00 pm CST on Thursday, December 17, 2026. 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 18MB. The email must be addressed to andy.vandel@state.sd.us and michael.border@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 April 27, 2026.
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: Andy Vandel is responsible for the management of this project and can be reached at andy.vandel@state.sd.us to answer inquiries.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Research_Proposal_Preparation_Submission_and_Evaluation_4_27_26_508.pdf | ||
| RFP Document.pdf |
On GovTribe
Work this opportunity
- Track it in your pipeline
- Similar opportunities
- Ask GovTribe AI about this opportunity