Weather Forecasting Services

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is seeking a contractor to provide comprehensive weather forecasting services through an Invitation for Bid (IFB) with solicitation number IFB605CO22000074. The primary deliverable is a website and smartphone application that will generate 72-hour winter precipitation forecasts and 48-hour pavement and bridge temperature, frost, and winter precipitation accumulation forecasts for all Missouri counties. The service must be available 24/7 from the contract award date through April 15, 2024, with an annual service period running from October 15 to April 15. Required services include routine weather advisory emails (twice daily on weekdays, once daily on weekends/holidays), emergency weather advisories for winter storms, and an automated alerting system. The contract will be awarded based on a 100-point evaluation scale: 30 points for experience, 30 points for demonstration of the forecast website and smartphone application, and 40 points for price. Vendors must have a minimum of four qualified, full-time meteorologists on staff, and bids are due by July 29, 2021 at 2:00 PM CDT.

The solicitation encourages Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women Business Enterprise (WBE) participation, with specific goals of 10% MBE and 5% WBE. No incumbent contractors were identified in the documentation. The contract includes two optional one-year renewal periods, with vendors required to submit monthly pricing for the service period from October through April and proposed percentage increases for potential renewal periods. Pricing must also include an hourly rate for additional service requests. Contractors must maintain commercial general liability insurance of $500,000 per occurrence with a $3,000,000 aggregate, comparable automobile liability coverage, and workers' compensation insurance. While a specific contract value was not explicitly stated, the documentation suggests the contract will be funded through state transportation budgeting mechanisms. MoDOT reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to make award decisions based on the best overall value to the agency.