Volume 45 - Issue 3 - January 15, 2026

State of Kansas

Department of Transportation

Request for Proposals

KA-7971-01–Garden City Bypass Traffic/Safety and Conceptual Study

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) February 4, 2026, 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
• 211 – Highway Design–Major Facility
• 222 – Structural Design
• 231 – Traffic Control Analysis and Design
• 401 – Landscape Seeding and Erosion Control

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
KA-7971-01	KDOT is seeking consultant services to develop Garden City Bypass Traffic/Safety and Concept Study to evaluate the current highway and identify current and future needs of US-400 in Garden City, Kansas. Services associated with this Request for Proposals are for Discovery Phase only, with an option to continue the contract through Final Design.

Table 2: Project Summary
Project Number	Route and Scope	Project Termini
KA-7971-01	400-028 US-400 Garden City Bypass Study	US-400 Corridor beginning at the US-400/US/83/US-50 interchange east for 11.4 miles.

Anticipated Consultant Scope

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

• Discovery Phase Services, which include preliminary alignment concepts, travel demand forecasting, traffic analysis and traffic engineering, grant application support, public outreach and stakeholder engagement.

KDOT is seeking consultant services to develop a new bypass study, evaluate the current highway and
identify the current and future needs of US-400 in Garden City. Current expectations for consultants’ scope are more defined below. The scope included may not be all-inclusive. Some items may be added later due to in-house resources becoming unavailable. A scoping meeting will take place after consultant selection is made to further define tasks for inclusion. The project scope will include the
following items:

• Project Discovery:
  • Prepare a traffic and safety analysis for the US-400 Corridor pertaining to Garden City and Finney County.
  • Perform detailed traffic projection and traffic modeling analysis to supplement data utilized in the study.
  • Develop a range of viable improvement alternatives.
  • Provide necessary traffic modeling and analysis as needed to compare viable improvement options.
  • Perform a detailed safety analysis and generate predicted crash data for comparing viable improvement options.
  • Prepare cost estimates for comparing viable improvement options.
  • Screen all viable improvement options and assess environmental effects.
  • Define utility impacts and potential right of way while ensuing while ensuring corridor continuity and interaction with the local road system.
• Road Design:
  • Visit the project site location.
  • In coordination with KDOT, prepare an evaluation method to assess viable improvement options and make recommendations of improvements to implement in future construction or operation plans.
  • Deliver recommendations to the existing highway alignments in Garden City to improve and maximize existing traffic and safety.
  • Prepare a report detailing the traffic and safety analysis, viable improvement options, environmental effects, cost estimates, and public outreach information
  • Include a list of recommended improvements to be implemented in future construction or operation plans.
• Bridge Design:
  • TBD-Potential Bridges at future interchanges.
• Traffic Engineering:
  • Evaluate methods to handle traffic during construction.
  • Subsequent phases may include:
    • Develop permanent signing and pavement marking plans.
    • Develop Traffic Control Plans.
• Transportation Planning:
  • Determine present and future traffic projections for the roadway using the statewide travel demand model.
  • Estimate truck traffic using the statewide travel demand model and KDOT’s traffic flow maps.
  • Work with the city/county on land-use developments that may not be reflected in the model.
  • Coordinate information with the KDOT Transportation Planning Forecasting Group as needed.
• Public Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement:
  • Deliver public outreach and stakeholder engagement effort that will include opportunities for public input:
    • Consultant leads the community engagement strategy and execution with oversight and approval from the KDOT PI Specialist (in collaboration with District Communications).
    • Community Engagement Plan (CE Plan).
    • Project-specific logo and branding, if determined appropriate and approved by the KDOT PI Specialist, must always accompany KDOT and IKE-at-Work logos.
    • A unique project website, if determined appropriate and approved by the KDOT PI Specialist, may be created and should be included on the list of project pages on the IKE website.
    • Project-specific social media account creation and management, if determined appropriate and approved by the KDOT PI Specialist, as outlined in the Community Engagement Plan.
• Grant Application Support:
  • Subsequent Phases may include:
    • Data collection and review.
    • Identify strategies for maximum points awarded to the grant application.
    • Prepare cost estimates as needed.
    • Coordinate with KDOT for required information.
    • Draft support letters for public, elected and appointed officials, stakeholders and other relevant entities as identified by KDOT in advance of the application.
    • Establish application schedule.
    • Coordinate and lead grant preparation meetings.
    • Prepare grant application based upon Notice of Funding requirements.
    • Provide tables and graphics as necessary.
    • Provide preliminary and final grant documents for review.

Activities Performed by KDOT include:

• Engineering Survey.
• Geotechnical Services–Including soil investigations, bridge foundation geology, pavement field investigation and design, and surfacing recommendations.
• Environmental Services–Including lead paint testing and permit application.

KDOT, at the Secretary’s discretion, reserves the right to retain for subsequent phases of design and consulting services the consultant selected to provide services associated with this Request for Proposals. Scope in subsequent phases will likely include, but is not limited to, plan development through preliminary and final design as well as construction phase services.

Anticipated Schedule and Key Dates

1. Proposals are due by or before 12:00 p.m. (Central Time) February 4, 2026.
2. Ranking of proposals is expected to occur on or around February 9, 2026. Negotiations with the most highly ranked firm are expected to begin on or around February 25, 2026. An executed agreement is anticipated around March 25, 2026.
3. The program fiscal year for this project is FY2027 (July 2026–June 2027).
4. Begin Study April 1, 2026.
5. End Study April 1, 2027.

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 4 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. “400-28 KA-7971-01 _Garden City Bypass Traff./Saf. & Conceptual Study_ 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 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 3 below describes the expected proposal organization and content sections.
7. Depending on the number of 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 team in advance.
8. Table 4 lists the evaluation criteria and associated weights which will be used to shortlist respondents and may be considered in final selection.

Table 3: 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 4: Evaluation Factors
Evaluation Factor	Weight
Qualifications and experience of project manager and other key project team members proposed for services	20%
Project approach	20%
Approach and commitment to meet advertised schedule	10%
Past performance history for similar projects/services for KDOT	30%
Understanding of the project area	10%
Innovation/Creativity in solutions	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 January 22, 2026; answers will be provided to all prequalified consultants on January 29, 2026.

Calvin Reed
Secretary
Kansas Department of Transportation

Doc. No. 053795