State of Washington Department of Transportation Notice to Consultants Market Planning and Assessment Services The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) solicits interest from consulting firms with expertise in developing and implementing market assessment and planning services, preferably for transportation services. Working with WSDOT's TDM Resource Center in Seattle, the consulting firm will build on a prior Vanpool Market Study (1999 - 2000) to further refine market projections and prepare a contingency plan to deal with a significant amount of new funds being directed at vanpooling in the central Puget Sound Region. The consultant will also recommend possible "spin-off" services that can be built utilizing the existing vanpool infrastructure. The estimated cost of this work is $200,000. Project Description The scope of work for the consultant is expected to last approximately one year from signing of contract and includes the following, although discussions with the firm selected will impact the final scope of work: Contingency Planning for Substantial New Funding for Vanpooling: Build on the theoretical market potential identified in the Vanpool Market Study to estimate the number of potential groups that realistically have common origins, destinations, and schedules. Further develop alternative implementation actions that could increase vanpool formation. Gain agreement on the actions that would have the most positive impacts for the lowest cost. Prepare market projections, broken out by geographic area (both origins and destinations), by implementation actions, and by five-year increment. Analyze and document the operational services that are necessary to support vanpooling and which are directly related to the number of vanpools in operation. Develop alternative implementation roles; evaluate and achieve agreement on a work program for substantial and rapid expansion of vanpooling, should new funds become available (include budget and timeline). If any critical implementation issues cannot be resolved, gain agreement on how to address them. Prepare a report and presentation materials, and report to major constituencies. Include the following technical memorandums as appendices to the report: Vanpool fare equalization; Leasing vs. purchasing of vans; and Technological enhancements that may improve efficiency of vanpool administration and operations. Assessing Potential New Markets for Vanpool-Related ("Spin-off") Services Work with the region's vanpool operators, through the Association for Commuter Transportation's ListServ, and other mechanisms to identify promising vanpool-related markets and services. Sketch out possible new services that could build off the region's success with traditional vanpooling, especially as they may open up shorter to intermediate distance commute trips to vanpooling and as they may support other HOV/HCT modes. Prepare "White Papers" on selected possible new services. These papers should address the size of the potential markets, the likely economics of the services, possible roles and responsibilities, and, when appropriate, they should detail demonstration projects for each to such a degree that demonstration funds could be sought. Note: This project will require substantial interaction with the vanpool operators and major employers through the Regional Vanpool Coordination Team. Gaining as much consensus as possible is highly desirable. Evaluation Criteria Pursuant to state and federal regulations, a qualifications-based selection process will be used to select a consultant for this agreement. The following information and criteria will be used to evaluate and rank responses: Qualifications/expertise of firms on team; Qualification of proposed project manager(s); Key team members qualifications (prime consultant and sub-consultants); Firm's project management system (prime consultant only); Project delivery approach; References/past performances (prime consultant only); and Cost factors (prime consultant and sub-consultants.) The definitions for each of the proposed criteria may be found at the following link: Criteria Definitions for Market Planning and Assessment Services NOTE: It is imperative that the consultant reviews the definitions of the scoring criteria. We have included requirements and/or limitations for the information that is being requested. All scoring criteria will be rated on a scale of 0 (Low) to 20 (High.) Submittal Requirements Consultants that submit proposals in response to this advertisement must have the capability of providing the products and services listed in the ad. Sub-consultants may be used. WSDOT assumes no obligation of any kind for expenses incurred by any respondent to this solicitation. All submittals become the property of WSDOT and will not be returned. WSDOT may elect to interview a shortlist of qualified firms, to assist in selecting the most qualified firm. The submittal shall meet the following requirements or will be deemed non-responsive and will not be eligible for consideration of this project: Each criterion for selection must be addressed; Your submittal must be accompanied by the required "Submittal Information Packet" form, which you may obtain by clicking on the below listed link: Submittal Information Packet Form This form must be completed in its entirety for the Prime and all sub-consultants or your submittal will be deemed non-responsive and will not be considered for this project. If you do not have access to the Internet, you may obtain a form by calling 360-705-7104. Information supplied by this packet will NOT count toward the total number of pages required for the submittal. There is a minimum twelve (12)-point font requirement for the basic text of the entire submittal. Any charts, graphs, table of organizations, etc., must be of readable size. The maximum number of sheets allowed per submittal will be thirty (30) sheets, submitted ONLY on single sided, single column typed 8.5" x 11" paper. We will allow one (1) page of the thirty (30) sheets to be submitted on paper other than 8.5" x 11" size. The page count limitation applies to ALL sheets contained in the submittal. The only exceptions to the page count are the front and back cover, and the Submittal Information Packet form. Federal Forms SF 254 and SF 255 are not required for this solicitation. If these forms are included in the submittal, they will count towards the maximum limitation of thirty (30) pages. Four (4) originals/copies of the submittals are due no later than 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 30, 2001, to Mr. Michael B. Rice, Director of Consultant Services, Washington State Department of Transportation, Transportation Building, P.O. Box 47323, Olympia, WA 98504-7323. Submittals may be delivered by courier to Mr. Rice in Olympia at the Capital View II Building, 2nd floor, Consultant Services Office, 724 Quince Street SE. Late submittals, or those delivered by facsimile, electronic mail, or any other format other than bound paper copies, will be deemed non-responsive and will not be considered for the project. The department has an overall Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Goal. The DBE goal for participation for this project will be obtained through a combination of race-neutral / race conscious means as outlined in WSDOT's "Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program Plan." DBE goals on federally assisted projects will be set utilizing the "DBE Participation Calculation Methodology." The department encourages disadvantaged, minority, and women-owned consultant firms to respond. Any technical questions or requests for information should be directed to Mr. John Shadoff, Manager, TDM Resource Center, at (206) 464-5428. Questions regarding the solicitation and selection process should be directed to Mr. Michael B. Rice, Director of Consultant Services at 360-705-7102. Persons with disabilities may request this information be prepared and supplied in alternate formats by calling collect 206-389-2839. Persons with hearing impairments may call 1-800-833-6388 (Washington State Telecommunications Relay Service) and ask for 206-515-3683. Dates of publication in the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce: Tuesday, October 2, 2001 and Tuesday, October 9, 2001.

Firms Submitting Statements of Qualifications

2Plus, Inc. 37 Jerome Avenue Bloomfield, CT 06002-2407 860-242-1722

Hebert Research, Inc. 13629 NE Bel-Red Road Bellevue, WA 98005 425-643-1337

Shortlisted Firms

Interview Date and Location

Date: No interviews, top ranked firm selected.  Location:

Selected Firm

2Plus, Inc. 37 Jerome Avenue Bloomfield, CT 06002-2407 860-242-1722

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