Request for Proposals
July 26, 2024
Proposals due August 30, 2024 by 4:00 pm
PPACG 15 South 7th Street, Colorado Springs CO 80905
(719) 471-7080 Main / (719) 471-1226 Fax
www.ppacg.org / wmast@ppacg.org
I. Summary
The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) is requesting proposals from traffic data service companies to provide a solution for PPACG and local government staff to acquire, analyze, and visualize a variety of traffic data metrics, including traffic counts, average speed, origin-destination, average trip times, congestion metrics, and commercial vehicle metrics. The data will be used by PPACG staff and contracted consultants to help update and validate the regional travel demand model (TDM) and will also be used by PPACG and member government staff to help guide transportation planning decisions and project selection. The selected data service will be secured using a maximum amount of $290,000 from Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) program funds, with the local match requirement jointly provided by the City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County, and will be contracted on an annual basis for up to three years if PPACG decides to renew the following two years.
The Project Schedule is:
- RFP Issued: July 26, 2024
- Cutoff for Requests for Information: August 23, 2024
- Consultant Proposals Due: August 30, 2024
- Consultant Selection: September 20, 2024
- Notice to Proceed (estimate): Before Jan 1, 2025
- Contract Begin Date: Jan 1, 2025
- Contract End Date (if not renewed): December 31, 2025
Proposals are due in the PPACG offices by 4:00 pm Friday, August 30, 2024. If any of the submission requirements are not met, the proposal may not be considered.
Questions regarding this RFP should be directed to William Mast, GIS Administrator and Modeling Lead, PPACG at (719) 471-7080 x109, or wmast@ppacg.org. PPACG will maintain a list of questions and answers on the PPACG transportation website (www.ppacg.org) for consultant information. Questions will be accepted until August 23, 2024 to ensure all parties have adequate time to review the answers before the submission deadline. Additionally, there are no circumstances that would allow proposals received after the deadline to be accepted.
All correspondence should be sent to:
William Mast: wmast@ppacg.org
or
Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments
c/o William Mast
15 South 7th Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
Submissions should be marked in the subject line or on the envelope: “Request for Proposal: PPACG Regional Traffic Data Service”. Proposals submitted by e-mail or mail are not to be considered received until a confirmation has been sent by PPACG transportation staff.
II. PPACG Background
The Pikes Peak Region
The Colorado Springs Urbanized Area is the second largest metropolitan area within the state of Colorado. Located 60 miles south of Denver, the Colorado Springs metropolitan planning area is composed of the Cities of Colorado Springs, Fountain, Manitou Springs, and Woodland Park; the Towns of Green Mountain Falls, Monument, and Palmer Lake; and El Paso and Teller Counties (Figure 1). The Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area has an estimated population of 755,105 (2020) and is projected to exceed one million people by 2050.
The MPO
The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Colorado Springs Urbanized Area. Formed in 1967 under Colorado law, the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) is a voluntary organization of municipal and county governments serving a regional community. Since inception, PPACG has worked to ensure that all communities—big and small—have a forum to discuss issues that cross their political boundaries, identify shared opportunities and challenges, and develop collaborative strategies for action. PPACG’s Board of Directors, representing 16 local and county governments, governs the MPO.
Figure 1 – Colorado Springs Metropolitan Planning Organization Boundary
III. Scope of Work
Introduction
Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) has multiple roles for planning in the region. Specifically, as the metropolitan planning organization (MPO), PPACG is required to conduct a federally compliant, performance-based planning process for the development of a regional long-range transportation plan (LRTP) as well as a regional Transportation Improvement Program.
Regional traffic data is widely incorporated into PPACG’s Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) supported tasks (Work Element 611 text below*), such as congestion forecasting, Title VI analysis, safety and crash data analysis, and performance metrics.
PPACG requires a traffic data service for the MPO area and the rest of El Paso and Teller counties. Coverage for neighboring Park County is expected, but not required. The service should allow both PPACG and local member government staff to access the data for their own respective transportation planning project needs.
The traffic data service must have the ability to incorporate related GIS data maintained by PPACG staff, such as the regional travel demand model’s Transportation Analysis Zones (TAZs) and roadway network links, in addition to GIS data maintained by member governments, such as their street centerlines or subdivision polygons. The service should have all the required specifications and functionality outlined in the Required Abilities and Requested Services sections below to ensure that data, documents, plans, and studies produced by PPACG and member governments are as accurate as possible, and be consistent with all federal, state, and regional privacy requirements.
Required Abilities
The preferred service will have the following abilities:
- Employ custom, user-supplied zones and/or roadway segments for analysis
- Provide recent and historical Average Annual Daily Traffic Counts (AADT)
- Conduct Origin-Destination analysis between zones, and identify the routes used for travel
- Provide turning-movement counts
- Calculate vehicle miles traveled and vehicle hours traveled from the data for a given route or zone
- Provide congestion metrics, such as vehicle hours of delay along a route for a given period of time
- Incorporate related demographics data along with the trip data to help with Title VI analysis
- Distinguish commercial truck traffic from car traffic
- Provide data down to 15 minute increments throughout the day
Requested Services
PPACG requires a firm with the technical capabilities to provide the following:
- Online, web-based software as a service (SaaS) that requires no local installation to access, analyze, and download the available traffic data and analysis products
- Separate accounts/logins for staff from PPACG and all 16 regional member governments
- A service that stores and categorizes the unique zones and analysis results for all the different users
- Support for consultants and contractors hired by PPACG or member governments to use the service on their behalf
- A written report of the data acquisition and verification methods that speaks to the security and reliability of the data provided
- Training to PPACG and local government staff to effectively use the service
Timeframe
The minimum contract timeframe is one year from Jan 1, 2025 until Dec 31, 2025, and should have an option for PPACG to renew for up to two additional years if it chooses, for a maximum contract timeframe of three years from Jan 1, 2025 to Dec 31, 2027.
* Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Work Element 611 – Data Development and Information Management:
Work Element 611 maintains and expands the Transportation Planning Geographic Information System (GIS), which includes transportation, socioeconomic, environmental, and land-use data. The database is designed to support statistical analysis for a wide variety of transportation planning-related activities. Work Element 611 also provides for the development and maintenance of the MPO regional models. The travel demand model is an essential planning tool used by the MPO to develop and test various transportation system alternatives and impacts. The model is also used to evaluate the effect of the proposed transportation system on regional air quality. The regional land use forecasting and analysis process results in the socioeconomic inputs to the travel demand model.
IV. Proposal Requirements
All consultants or consultant teams are required to prepare a proposal as part of this submission. The cost of proposal preparation is not a reimbursable cost. Proposal preparation costs are at the applicant’s expense and are the applicant’s total responsibility. The total written proposal should be no more than twenty-five (25) pages in length. One page is defined as one face of an 8½” x 11” sheet; we recommend double siding, with a minimum font size 12. The Project Schedule may appear as 11” x 17” and count as a single page.
We strongly recommend clear, concise, and complete information about each firm emphasizing unique qualifications and ability to provide the highest quality services. In order to be considered responsive to this RFP, each proposal must conform to the following requirements. PPACG prefers digital copies of the proposal requirements, however, printed copies will be accepted. The prospective consultant shall:
- Submit one (1) digital copy of the Technical Proposal with all pages numbered consecutively OR one (1) printed copy.
- Clearly indicate the name and address of the prime consultant in either the email or on the sealed package.
The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, and to waive any formality in proposals received, to accept or reject any or all of the items in the proposal, and award contracts in the best interest of the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments.
Requirements
The proposal should demonstrate that the proposer understands the intent and scope of the work, the character of the deliverables, the services required for their delivery, and the specific tasks that must be performed to supply these services. In addition, the proposer must demonstrate qualifications to supply the required services.
The proposer shall prepare a detailed Scope of Services for the project, featuring each of the items listed below. The proposer is encouraged to include additional scope of service tasks that it feels should be included. PPACG is interested in different cost-effective approaches to completing the project items and the final Scope of Services will be subject to negotiation. The selected consultant will be responsible for actively managing the project and for providing all services listed under the scope of work.
Guidelines
The Proposal should contain the following information in the order listed:
- Statement of Qualifications and Experience
- References
- Scope of Services (Project Approach)
- Project Costs
- Insurance Coverage
Required Detail
- Statement of Qualifications and Experience: Proposers shall describe recent relevant experience with items outlined in the scope of work. Particular emphasis should be placed on projects completed by the personnel assigned to this project. Include an organization chart for the proposed project team and how the team will interact.
- References: Provide a minimum of 1 reference, with current contact name(s) and phone number(s), for whom the consultant has performed work for in the past five (5) years. PPACG staff may contact reference(s) as part of the selection process.
- Scope of Services: This section should include a detailed description of the proposed approach to the project. Each of the considerations listed in the scope of work must be addressed. This section shall include a description of tasks and products, with reference to the schedule.
The scope of services will ultimately become part of the contract, incorporated in whole or by reference. It should describe in a specific and straightforward manner both the proposer’s understanding of the project and the proposed approach to achieving the objectives and accomplishing the tasks described in this Request for Proposal. - Project Costs: The prospective consultant shall provide a proposed budget for completion of the work. The Cost Proposal should include all costs for which the prospective consultant expects to be paid and shall include a total figure for all work to be performed including any supplies, equipment, transportation, or other services necessary to perform the proposed services. The cost proposal shall include the total cost for continued technical support for PPACG staff.
- Insurance Coverage: The prospective consultant shall provide a summary of the firm’s insurance coverage for comprehensive, general liability, professional liability, automotive liability and worker’s compensation insurance. Indicate the limits of coverage on each policy. The PPACG requires a minimum of $1 million of general liability coverage during the contract period.
V. Consultant Selection Procedure
Review of Proposals
The proposal and the proposer’s team will be evaluated and ranked based on the following factors:
| Scoring Factor | Available Points |
|---|---|
| Understanding of PPACG’s desires for the service and demonstrated ability to satisfy the stated requirements and scope of work | 40 |
| Qualifications of the proposer’s staff assigned to this project | 10 |
| Proposer’s experience with similar projects comparable in type, size, and complexity | 20 |
| Demonstrated ability of the proposer’s team to work effectively together and with governmental agency staff and responsibly manage public funds | 10 |
| Project Costs | 20 |
| Total Points | 100 |
Proposals will be evaluated by a selection committee consisting of the PPACG project manager, other PPACG staff, and member government staff (as available). PPACG reserves the right to seek clarification of any proposal submitted and to select the proposal considered to best promote the public interest. The selection committee will determine whether an interview from a “short list” of proposers is necessary.
Interviews
If deemed necessary, a short list of the highest scoring proposers may be selected for interviews. Interviews will be made with the selection committee described above. Each interview shall last no longer than one hour. PPACG will provide all interviewees with the same information and question responses for equal scoring opportunity.
If interviews are conducted, they will also be scored. The selection committee may request revisions to the proposal from each of the proposers at the conclusion of the interviews. However, if it is deemed necessary to seek revisions to the proposals at the conclusion of the interviews, then all interviewed applicants will be requested to submit revisions; and the revisions will be scored accordingly.
Interviews will be evaluated by:
- Responses to provided questions/clarifications
- Ability to respond to general questions
- Requested revisions (if applicable)
Award of Contract
This solicitation of proposals in no way obligates PPACG to award a contract. PPACG reserves the right to award this contract not necessarily to the proposer with the most advantageous price, but to the firm that demonstrates the best ability to fulfill the requirements of this Request for Proposal. PPACG will select the most qualified firm that was proven to understand the needs and scope of the study. Aside from announcing the top ranked proposal, the scoring and ranking will be kept confidential.
A contract prepared by PPACG will be negotiated with the selected consultant. In the event that a contract cannot be negotiated with the top ranked firm, PPACG may enter into negotiations with the second highest ranked firm or decide to call for new proposals. Immediately after the notice of award, the contractor will begin planning in conjunction with PPACG staff to guarantee fulfillment of all obligations. PPACG reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received as a result of this solicitation, to negotiate with any qualified source, to waive any formality and any technicalities or to cancel the RFP in part or in its entirety if it is in the best interest of PPACG.