Volume 44 - Issue 19 - May 8, 2025

State of Kansas

Department of Transportation

Request for Proposals

106-KA-7372-01- US-24 Corridor Management Plan Update in Riley and Pottawatomie Counties

Notice to Consulting Firms

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is seeking a qualified consulting firm or team of firms to perform professional services for the project(s) described in Table 1 below. Interested consultants must submit a proposal as laid out herein by 12:00 p.m. (Central Time) June 4, 2025, to be considered for selection.

Consultant Prequalification

Interested consulting firms must be prequalified by KDOT or otherwise demonstrate qualification in the following category(s):

• 161–Corridor/Area Planning and Studies
• 201–Discovery Phase–Design Concept Study

If a firm is not currently prequalified by KDOT in any of the required categories, a proposal may still be submitted. Firms not prequalified must also provide documentation that demonstrates the firm is qualified for each specified category listed in this solicitation for the project. Firms must use the KDOT prequalification form to provide this documentation. KDOT 1050 Prequalification Category Definitions (Blue Book) can be found at https://www.ksdot.gov/doing-business/design-consultants/design-consultant-prequalification. Consultants may create a team to meet the prequalification requirements. All firms doing business with KDOT must be registered and in good standing under the laws of the State of Kansas at the time of contracting and must comply with applicable state and federal laws, rules, and regulations.

Table 1: Background and Scope of Project
Project Number	Background and Scope of Project
106-KA-7372-01	In September of 2009, the US-24 Corridor Management Plan was established. The plan was created by Pottawatomie County through a partnership with the City of Manhattan, City of Wamego, City of St. George, and the Kansas Department of Transportation. The study aimed to address future regional growth and overlapping jurisdictional boundaries of the communities by providing planned transportation solutions to meet future needs. The existing plan covers 16 miles of US-24, from Tuttle Creek Boulevard in Manhattan to Airport Road, just east of Wamego. The region has continued to grow and expand, resulting in a need to reconsider the current corridor management plan to align it with the existing growth patterns, community plans, and MPO plans. An extension of the plan through Manhattan and Riley County is proposed, setting the new eastern termini to the junction of US-77/US-24, essentially doubling the length of US-24 covered by the plan to 32 miles. The successful consultant will review the body of planning documents and set forth an overall land-use and access management strategy and identify various transportation improvements to keep traffic moving safely and efficiently as development occurs. This study is intended to assist in making informed decisions over the next 20 years.

Anticipated Consultant Scope

KDOT anticipates the following to be included in the consultant’s scope:

• Planning Study Services (Including: EA/EIS)
• Discovery Phase Services
• Preliminary Design Services
• Public Involvement Services

KDOT anticipates the following may be included in the consultant’s scope in this phase:

• Public and stakeholder involvement (schools, agriculture, residential, businesses, commercial, industrial, local communities, railroads, freight, etc.).
• Traffic Safety Review: Among other things, the safety review must consider crash history and risk factors, and link desired safety outcomes to improvement recommendations. The review shall also consider/evaluate recent safety investigations along the subject corridor.
• Market analysis of trends and opportunities for growth and future demand.
• Existing and future land-use and traffic projections.
• Corridor mobility analysis (multimodal, O/D, etc.)
• Freight and economic development consideration within the study area.
• High-level scan for potential utility, environmental, and historic property impacts.
• Corridor improvement recommendations and cost estimates for immediate, and ultimate improvements; and
• Implementation strategies for the plan, which shall include, but may not be limited to, funding opportunities and strategies under State and Federal programs, such as the Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The scope included herein may not be all-inclusive and is subject to change.

Anticipated Schedule and Key Dates

1. Proposals are due by or before 12:00 p.m. (Central Time) June 4, 2025.
2. Ranking of proposals is expected to occur on or around June 6, 2025. Negotiations with the most highly ranked firm are expected to begin on or around June 13, 2025. An executed agreement is anticipated around June 27, 2025.
3. The program fiscal year for this project is FY2026 (July 2025–June 2026).
4. Project Kickoff: Summer 2025
5. Public Engagement: Fall 2025–Summer 2026
6. Final Study: Fall 2026

Instructions for Proposal

1. No cost or pricing information shall be submitted with the proposal. Proposals including cost or pricing information will be considered non-responsive and withdrawn from further consideration.
2. The consultant’s proposal must not exceed 6 pages total (including any cover letter, index, etc.). All pages shall be standard letter size (8.5” x 11”). Any page larger than standard letter size will be counted as two or more pages depending on size.
3. A single PDF (10 MB maximum size) of the proposal must be uploaded to the appropriate bid form on Bid Express by the proposal due date and time.
4. The proposal PDF file name must read:
   1. “106 KA-7372-01_ US-24 Corridor Mngmnt Plan Update in RL and PT Co. FIRM NAME”
5. The proposal must be accompanied by Special Attachments No. 8 (“Tax Clearance Certificate”), No. 10 (“Policy Regarding Sexual Harassment”), and No. 12 (“Certification of Company Not Currently Engaged in the Procurement or Obtainment of Certain Equipment, Services, or Systems”). If you need a Tax Clearance Certificate, you can request one here at https://www.ksrevenue.gov/taxclearance.html. Allow 2-3 business days for processing. Both attachments are required for every firm involved in a multi-consultant team. Upload these files as instructed in Bid Express.
6. The outline in Table 2 below describes the expected proposal organization and content sections.
7. Depending on the number and quality of responses received, KDOT anticipates shortlisting (based on proposals) and holding interviews prior to final selection (which may be based on both proposal and interview content). If KDOT deems interviews to be necessary, interview details and requirements and evaluation criteria for the interview will be distributed to shortlisted consultant teams in advance.
8. Table 3 lists the evaluation criteria and associated weights which will be used to shortlist respondents and may be considered in final selection.

Table 2: Proposal Content
Section	Description of Intent	Page Limit
Cover Letter		1 Page
Project Approach	Demonstrate a unique approach to accomplish the design efficiently and to a high standard. Include cost-effective and optimized solutions to address the anticipated improvements in the design. Include unique qualifications or experience related to the project approach.
Approach to Schedule	Describe the approach to accomplish the scope of services within the schedule requirements. Include anticipated key milestone dates and availability of staff.
Approach to Quality Control	Describe methods or procedures your firm will use to provide all drawings, reports and other services with professional quality and technical accuracy.
Qualifications and Experience	For key personnel to be assigned to the project provide names, office location, qualifications, education, training, and expertise. Identify their area(s) of responsibility and percent of their time dedicated to the project. List work for which you do not have in-house capability and name the firm you propose to subcontract with.
Past Performance	Describe team’s past performance with respect to ability to meet project schedules; quality of work; and ability to control costs on similar transportation projects, especially those performed for KDOT. Include three references and contact information.
Familiarity with KDOT and Project Area	Describe team’s familiarity with KDOT’s design process and standards. Describe familiarity with the project area and any identified special site conditions.

Table 3: Evaluation Factors
Evaluation Factor	Weight
Qualifications and experience of project manager and other key project team members proposed for services	20%
Project approach	25%
Approach and commitment to meet advertised schedule	10%
Understanding of the project area	15%
Availability to respond to the work	10%
The quality and completeness of the response	10%
Understanding of KDOT Technical Policies	10%

Contract Terms and Conditions

A standard KDOT agreement for engineering and technical services will be used for professional services projects. The following special attachments will need to be provided by the selected consultant and all subconsultants with the signed work order following negotiations and will become attachments to the contract.

• Special Attachment No. 8 (“Tax Clearance Certificate”)
• Special Attachment No. 10 (“Policy Regarding Sexual Harassment”)
• Special Attachment No. 12 (“Certification of Company Not Currently Engaged in the Procurement or Obtainment of Certain Equipment, Services, or Systems”)

Questions

All questions regarding this Request for Proposals shall be submitted via Q&A section of bid form in Bid Express.

Questions can be submitted until May 15, 2025; answers will be provided to all prequalified consultants on May 22, 2025.

Calvin Reed
Secretary
Department of Transportation

Doc. No. 053144