South Dakota Statewide Rural Wildlife Crossing Study

The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT), in collaboration with the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks (SDGFP), Department of Public Safety (SDDPS), and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is seeking proposals for a Statewide Rural Wildlife Crossing Study through RFP #24RFP11667. The comprehensive study aims to identify and mitigate high-risk Wildlife-Vehicle Collision (WVC) locations across South Dakota's 7,794 miles of state highways. Key objectives include analyzing collision and wildlife movement data, identifying critical habitats and wildlife corridors, developing evaluation methods for mitigation strategies, and creating preliminary engineering solutions for the top 100 collision locations. The project will be completed in two phases, with the first phase focusing on establishing existing conditions and identifying significant WVC locations, and the second phase evaluating feasible mitigation solutions. Proposals are due January 30, 2025, at 12:00 PM CST, with an anticipated award date of January 30, 2025. Evaluation criteria will include specialized expertise, technical competence, available resources, past performance, project locale familiarity, and project management techniques. The project requires one physical and one electronic proposal submission, with inquiries to be directed to Katrina Burckhard at katrina.burckhard@state.sd.us.

The contract has a firm maximum budget of $500,000, with the prime consultant required to be responsible for 51% of the work by cost. No specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises are explicitly mentioned in the documentation. Required insurance coverage includes $1,000,000 in Commercial General Liability Insurance, $1,000,000 in Professional Liability Insurance, $1,000,000 in Business Automobile Liability Insurance, and Worker's Compensation Insurance as required by South Dakota law. The contract term is 12-14 months from the Notice to Proceed, with work expected to commence on February 3, 2025, and conclude on March 30, 2026. The project will involve two virtual public meetings and a minimum of five Study Advisory Team meetings, which will include representatives from SDDOT, SDGFP, SDDPS, Sioux Falls MPO, Rapid City MPO, and FHWA. The study is funded through the FHWA Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program and will result in a comprehensive report with implementation guidance for wildlife-vehicle collision mitigation strategies across the state.