BACKGROUND

There are limited resources and guidance for frontier, small, rural, and tribal transit providers that want to build small-scale, low-cost transit facilities. Currently, providers must rely on manuals directed at larger multi-million-dollar facilities and attempt to retain the pertinent information while eliminating unnecessary information or requirements. 

Many frontier, small, rural, or tribal transit managers and relevant state department of transportation (DOT) staff could benefit from resources customized to help them oversee construction projects. Guidance is needed on (1) when to write multiple invitations for bid (IFBs) or try and hire one contractor for all work, (2) what federal regulations and requirements may apply, (3) what the requirements are for repurposed buildings or new construction, and (4) whether facilities need to be connected to available water, sewer, and power or if it should be a self-contained facility with its own well, septic, and propane. This guidance will assist small transit providers with initiating and managing construction projects.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to develop a manual and toolkit that would assist frontier, small, rural, or tribal transit agencies with the strategies and tools they need to manage the planning and construction of a low-cost transit facility (e.g., for vehicle storage and administration, depots, maintenance garages, park and ride facilities, transit stations).

RESEARCH PLAN

The TCRP is seeking proposals on how best to achieve the research objective. Proposers are expected to present a research plan that can realistically be accomplished within the constraints of available funds and contract time. Proposals must present the proposers' current thinking in sufficient detail to demonstrate their understanding of the issues and the soundness of their approach to meeting the research objective.

The proposer shall consider the following:

• Project initiation and delivery strategy
  • Governance
• Planning
  • Type of facility (current needs and future needs)
  • Site acquisition (purchased, donated, other alternatives)
  • Budget
  • Regulatory requirements (local, state, and federal)
  • Funding opportunities
• In-house vs. outsourcing
  • In-house department, if capable
  • Design-build or design-bid-build
  • IFB or request for proposal (RFP)
  • Map of third-party contractors’ skills/services
• Contract and construction management
  • Introduce the key definitions of construction management in the context of transit
  • Outline the process to be followed during construction management
  • Identify as a project, program, or portfolio
  • Identify whether the program management can be conducted in-house or contracted out
  • Outline approach to change management
• Other management processes
• Prepare sample document templates (e.g., IFB, advertisements, change orders)
• Prepare an addendum or appendix that includes the processes for construction of a maintenance garage

This research will result in practical products to assist transit agencies, state DOTs, and other stakeholders to understand the issues of planning and managing the construction of a frontier, small, rural, or tribal facility. Proposers shall identify ways to present the information (such as case studies, videos, toolkits, checklists, an interactive matrix organizing strategies by resources and cost, a training curriculum, and/or other avenues for sharing the information) taking into consideration that the target audience will be staff of state DOTs and frontier, small, rural, or tribal transit systems with little or no experience in this subject matter. The document and tools developed should be in a simple format that would allow for easy insertion of state regulations or policies related to unique situations (e.g., surveyors needed to be hired to determine geological conductions). 

The research plan shall be divided into tasks that present, in detail, the work proposed in each task. The research plan shall describe appropriate deliverables that include, but are not limited to, the following (which also represent key project milestones):

• An Amplified Research Plan that incorporates responses to comments from the project panel at the contractor selection meeting;
• An interim report (i.e., a technical memorandum or report) and virtual meeting, which occurs after the expenditure of no more than 40 percent of the project budget;
• A draft final manual and tools;
• A final manual and tools; and
• A technical memorandum, titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products”.

STATUS: A response has been received for this RFP. The project panel will meet to determine next steps.