[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 223 (Friday, November 19, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70966-70969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-29176]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Transit Asset Management (TAM) Pilot Program
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, United States Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Request for Proposals (RFP).
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is soliciting
proposals from public transportation providers, state Departments of
Transportation (DOT), and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO)--
individually or in partnership--to demonstrate effective Transit Asset
Management (TAM) systems and ``best practices'', which can be
replicated to improve transportation asset management at the nation's
rail and bus public transportation agencies. Public sector applicants
may partner with asset management system suppliers; however the
official proposer must be a public agency. The TAM pilot program is
intended to address several public transportation asset management
challenges identified in previous research by FTA.\1\ FTA contemplates
making multiple cooperative agreement awards for TAM pilot projects to
varied teams.
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\1\ National State of Good Repair Assessment, June 2010 and
Transit Asset Management Practices--A National and International
Review, July 2010.
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The total available funding for the TAM pilot program is $3
million. FTA will award cooperative agreements, up to $1 million each,
to successful proposers for pilot projects that will demonstrate
certain aspects of TAM systems. Successful TAM pilot projects will
promote the use of advanced tools and practices throughout the public
transportation industry. FTA is looking for innovative approaches to
asset management using proven technology that will enhance the ability
of public transportation providers, MPOs, and state DOTs to maintain
their assets in a state of good repair and/or make more informed
resource allocation decisions. Proposed solutions must be scalable and
transferable such that they can be adapted by public transportation
agencies and organizations of various sizes and modes. Additionally,
FTA seeks to provide technical assistance to public transportation
agencies through written reports and technical knowledge to be provided
under the cooperative agreements.
DATES: Proposals must be submitted electronically by January 18, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Proposals shall be submitted electronically to
http:[sol][sol]www.grants.gov. The Web site allows organizations to
find and apply for funding opportunities electronically from all
Federal grant-making agencies and is the single access point for over
1,000 cooperative agreement programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-
making agencies.
Mail and fax submissions will not be accepted (excluding
supplemental information which cannot be sent electronically).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Aaron C. James, Director,
Office of Engineering, (202) 493-0107, [email protected] for
proposal-specific information and issues.
I. Funding Authority
The FY 2010 DOT-HUD appropriations bill provides significant
resources to FTA to encourage improved management of the condition and
recapitalization of the Nation's transit infrastructure. Specifically,
the bill states:
``Asset Management--The conference agreement includes $5,000,000
to develop asset management plans, technical assistance, data
collection and a pilot program as proposed by the Senate. The House
did not include similar language. The conferees expect the pilot
program to include transit agencies that vary in size and direct FTA
to report findings to the House and Senate Committees on
appropriations within 18 months of enactment.''
FTA is using a portion of this research funding, authorized by 49
U.S.C. 5312, to support research in asset management practices and
condition assessment methodologies, as well as new data collection and
analysis activities. $3 million has been reserved for the pilot
projects being solicited in this RFP.
II. Background and Objectives
FTA is one of eleven agencies in the Department of Transportation
(DOT) and has the primary responsibility of carrying out the Federal
mandate of promoting and improving the nation's public transportation
system. As part of its role, FTA provides over $10 billion annually in
financial assistance to transit agencies and states for building and
maintaining public transportation systems. There is growing concern
that a significant portion of the nation's public transportation assets
are in need of capital reinvestment due to the historically inadequate
level of financial resources available for maintenance and asset
replacement activities and/or an inability by agencies to set
appropriate recapitalization priorities due to a lack of effective and
easily adopted asset condition assessment tools and systems.
The National State of Good Repair Assessment, published by FTA in
June 2010, indicated that roughly one-third of the nation's public
transit assets (weighted by replacement value) are in marginal or poor
condition and that almost $80 billion is needed to bring them into a
``state of good repair.'' It has been widely acknowledged that asset
management practices in the public transportation sector have not
received the same level of technical advancement or attention as have
those used for the nation's highways and public utilities. FTA
commissioned a review of ``Transit Asset Management Practices--National
and International'' and posted this report to its Web site in July
2010. The review found that while several transit agencies are
utilizing TAM systems of one form or another, there are many transit
agencies without a system in place for managing the condition of their
capital assets in a holistic manner. Effective TAM systems use quality
data
[[Page 70967]]
and well-defined objectives as part of a systematic process to
strategically maintain, and improve, capital assets, resulting in the
optimal allocation and utilization of available funding.
To help increase the number of transit agencies with complete and
up-to-date capital asset inventories and improve the level of asset
management in the public transportation industry as a whole, FTA is
looking to partner with transit agencies, state DOTs, MPOs, and asset
management system suppliers to demonstrate innovative approaches for
managing transportation assets from the initial capital asset
acquisition planning phase to the asset recapitalization phase.
Referring to the diagram below, this TAM pilot program is aimed at
demonstrating solutions to asset management challenges in each of the
four phases of the asset management cycle, as well as improvements to
the overall asset management flow and approach.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN19NO10.000
FTA intends to disseminate innovative and/or improved asset
management methods developed as part of this pilot program to the
industry-at-large so that public transportation agencies, state DOTs
and MPOs can prioritize their transit asset repair, recapitalization
and replacement needs, and develop reasonable cost/schedule estimates
for achieving a ``state of good repair''. Asset management tools that
will promote better management of safety-related public transportation
capital assets will be of particular interest.
FTA will participate in TAM pilot program activities at the project
level by attending review meetings, commenting on technical reports,
and maintaining frequent contact with the project manager. FTA subject
matter experts (staff or contractors) will also be included in the
project evaluations.
Proposers will be required to assist FTA in reporting the TAM pilot
program's progress to Congress, as necessary.
III. Schedule
The successful proposers will be announced in late February 2011
with an anticipated Notice to Proceed (NTP) in early March, 2011.
IV. Eligibility
All proposals must meet the following minimum requirements to be
eligible for further consideration of a cooperative agreement award:
1. All proposing entities and/or teams must provide written
certification that they have existing TAM systems and practices
currently in use and are willing to provide a system demonstration.
2. New systems and solutions, if proposed, must be a recent
evolution of an existing system in use.
3. Proposing entities and/or teams must already possess the
technical capacity and capability to complete the TAM project.
4. Asset management system suppliers must have currently available
commercial products to qualify as an asset management system supplier;
however products proposed do not necessarily have to be commercially
available at the time of the proposal submission but must be a recent
evolution of a currently available commercial product if new.
5. Any proposed software system must explicitly state what data
formats and communication protocols are supported ``off the shelf'' and
whether or not they are proprietary in nature. [Note: A strong
preference for software products that promote data interoperability
between diverse types of information technology systems through use of
open data formats and standard data communication protocols is desired
by FTA.]
6. Transit asset management systems and solutions proposed must
have a high probability of being successfully implemented in lieu of
newer, high-risk or experimental proposals involving unproven systems.
7. Must be completed within 18 months or less.
8. Must result in asset management tools and practices that can be
implemented at reasonable cost other agencies of varying sizes and
modal composition. More expensive tools or practices can be identified
but should be in addition to cost effective solutions, if proposed.
9. Must provide for data compatibility and data transfer with other
transit management systems (e.g. maintenance management, financial
management, etc.).
V. Proposal Requirements
A. Submission Process
Proposals shall be submitted electronically to
http:[sol][sol]www.grants.gov.
[[Page 70968]]
Mailed and faxed submissions will not be accepted (except for
supplemental information that cannot be sent electronically).
Please deliver supplemental materials to Doris Lyons, Office of
Program Management, Doris.Lyonsmailto:@dot.gov, Federal Transit
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room E46-204, Washington,
DC 20590.
B. Projects Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of their implementation of
the following major functionalities. Proposals should specifically
address one or more of the following functions and clearly state the
function(s) for which a solution is being proposed.
1. Demonstrate innovative approaches to public transportation
systems planning at the state DOT or MPO level that incorporates the
long-term costs of maintaining the systems in a state of good repair
(SGR) including:
a. Ensuring agency policy goals and objectives are aligned with an
approach focused on achieving and maintaining a state of good repair.
b. Setting comprehensive policy intended to minimize life-cycle
costs and maximize asset serviceability.
c. Implementing an asset management system as part of a strategic
plan for managing assets from cradle to grave, including initial
funding and financing scenarios.
2. Provide a transit capital asset inventory database with
sufficient capacity and functionality to track all categories of public
transportation capital assets combined:
a. Specifying data items and protocol, for each asset,
b. Specifying data collection methods, and
c. Tracking complex assets, such as vehicles, facilities, and
structures, at the system component and major subcomponents level.
3. Demonstrate proven asset inspection methods including frequency
and general criteria for identifying deficiencies, taking into account
other industry practices (e.g. use of state highway bridge inspection
procedures on elevated structures) that can be effectively applied
throughout the public transportation industry, for:
a. Assessing the physical condition of all asset categories,
especially those providing a safety critical function,
b. Providing a comprehensive set of performance measures for rating
asset condition at the system component level (e.g. vehicles,
facilities, stations, etc.) and major subcomponents level (e.g.
escalators, elevators, etc.).
c. Performing and tracking required maintenance for all asset
inventory categories.
4. Provide methodologies to better prioritize reinvestment needs
including:
a. Life-cycle planning of long-lived assets such as maintenance
facilities, systems infrastructure and underground structures.
b. Innovative ways to evaluate the effects of capital reinvestment
decisions on system performance in terms of capacity, safety,
reliability, maintainability, and operating costs.
c. Risk-based approaches that factor in the risks associated with
deteriorating asset conditions as opposed to just relying on an asset's
age to set recapitalization priorities.
d. The ability to perform scenario analysis involving both
constrained and unconstrained needs, as well as the ability to project
the optimal distribution of work given likely funding levels along with
estimated impacts associated with deferred maintenance.
5. Simplify and improve the integrity of asset condition data
collection through the use of technology and process re-engineering.
For purposes of this TAM pilot program, FTA is primarily interested
in pursuing the TAM projects described above however, other TAM
projects may be proposed as long as they are consistent with FTA's
stated objectives in Section II and they meet the eligibility
requirements in Section IV.
Upon completion of FTA's proposal review, evaluation, scoring and
ranking process, FTA reserves the right to negotiate cooperative
agreement awards for entire proposal offerings or specific portions of
proposals.
C. Proposal Content
Proposals shall be limited to 60 pages in total length and shall
contain the following:
1. Cover sheet (1 page)--Includes the entity submitting the
proposal, the principal investigator's name, title, and contact
information (e.g. address, phone, fax, and e-mail). Name and contact
information for the entity's key point(s) of contact for all
cooperative activities (if different from the principle investigator).
2. Abstract (2 pages)--Abstract shall include project background,
purpose, demonstration methodology, intended outcomes, and method of
measuring how successful the project has been in achieving the intended
outcomes.
3. Statement of Eligibility--The eligibility requirements (as
listed in Section IV above) should be addressed in narrative form and
include a ``waiver letter'' stating FTA will have unrestricted rights
to use data outputs generated.
4. Project narrative (not to exceed 30 pages)--Project narrative
shall include the following information:
a. Project Understanding and TAM approach--Understanding of FTA's
goals and objectives the problem to be addressed, beyond the
description provided by FTA in this RFP; and the proposed approach for
executing the research project. Particular attention should be given to
describing how the proposing entity will ensure that the proposed TAM
project will result in beneficial systems and solutions that can be
readily implemented at other agencies of varying sizes and modes.
b. Past Experience--Experience in asset management implementation
and knowledge of public transportation management issues related to
asset management.
c. Technical Capacity--Technical experience and ability of the
proposing organization to address asset management issues identified in
this RFP and the availability of key project resources.
5. Preliminary Project Implementation Plan that includes well
defined objectives, resources, tasks to accomplish the objectives and a
schedule of activities with timelines, and deliverables.
6. A Small Business (SB) Subcontracting Plan detailing how small
businesses will be utilized as members of the proposing team. Joint
ventures with Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms (i.e.,
Small Business owned and controlled by Minorities, Women or Disabled
Veterans) with requisite experience are encouraged.
In addition to the required proposal elements, proposers have the
option to submit supplemental material such as: Brochures,
publications, products, letters of support etc. Such supplemental
materials, when submitted in appendices, will not be considered a part
of the 60-page proposal limit.
D. Deliverables
Successful proposers are not required to deliver proprietary
systems information to FTA. The following are required:
1. Monthly progress reports with a narrative describing progress on
key milestone activities, monthly and cumulative budget expenditures,
SB and DBE utilization, problems encountered and work planned for the
next month.
2. A detailed Project Implementation Plan within 15 working days of
receiving a Notice to Proceed (NTP).
[[Page 70969]]
3. Fifteen (15) bound copies (including 5 color copies) and an
electronic copy in PDF format of an Interim Report presenting
objectives, approach, interim findings and recommendations along with
supporting data by May 30, 2011.
4. A presentation of the Interim Report, at FTA headquarters or via
webinar/conference call by June 6, 2011.
5. Fifteen (15) bound copies (including 5 color copies) and an
electronic copy in PDF format of a Preliminary Report presenting
objectives, approach, preliminary findings, and recommendations,
supporting data, and comments from FTA on the Interim Report, no later
than 4 months after completion of Interim Report.
6. A presentation of the Preliminary Report, at FTA headquarters or
via webinar/conference call within two weeks of submission of
Preliminary Report.
7. Fifteen (15) bound copies (including 5 color copies) and an
electronic copy in PDF format of a Final Report, addressing preliminary
report findings and FTA comments, no later than 16 months after NTP.
8. A presentation of the Final Report at FTA headquarters or via
webinar/conference call within two weeks of submission of the Final
Report.
9. Forty (40) hours of technical assistance by suitable staff to
participate in information exchange forums such as webinars, meetings,
teleconferences, or workshops to explain TAM solution.
10. TAM software methodology, solutions and non proprietary TAM
systems information with appropriate level of documentation and
recommended practice(s) in a medium compatible with FTA software
system(s).
Proposers should plan on providing at least one of the three
presentations required above, in person to FTA at its headquarters in
Washington, DC. FTA will make every effort to accommodate webinars or
conference calls for the other two presentations.
Other deliverables, if applicable, will be negotiated prior to
award of the cooperative agreement(s). Electronic copies of all
deliverables must be provided in PDF format and in Microsoft Office.
VI. Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria and
scoring system:
1. Project understanding and approach. (25%)
2. Technical capacity. (20%)
3. Product superiority based on the degree to which all eligibility
requirements are met or exceeded, including software products that
promote data interoperability. (30%).
4. Preliminary Project Implementation Plan. (15%)
5. Small Business Subcontracting Plan detailing how small
businesses will be utilized as members of the proposing team. (10%)
After technical proposals have been evaluated, scored and ranked
according to overall value, FTA will enter into negotiations with the
entities that submitted the highest ranked proposals to set the
cooperative agreement project scope and cost.
VII. Award Administration
Following receipt of the FTA Administrator's notification letter,
the successful entity(ies) will be required to submit its proposal
through the FTA Transportation Electronic Award Management (TEAM)
system. FTA will manage the cooperative agreement(s) through the TEAM
system. Before FTA may award Federal financial assistance through a
Federal cooperative agreement, the entity must submit all
certifications and assurances pertaining to itself and its project as
required by Federal laws and regulations. The Fiscal Year 2011 Annual
List of Certifications and Assurances for FTA Cooperative Agreements
and Guidelines will be published in the Federal Register and posted on
the FTA Web site at http:[sol][sol]www.fta.dot.gov.
VIII. Agency Contact
Contact Aaron C. James, Director, Office of Engineering, (202) 493-
0107, [email protected] for proposal-specific information and issues.
Issued in Washington, DC this 15th day of November 2010.
Peter Rogoff,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2010-29176 Filed 11-18-10; 8:45 am]
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