Volume 45 - Issue 19- May 7, 2026

State of Kansas

Department of Transportation

Request for Proposals

KA-4089-04, C-4864-04- Local Statewide NSTM and Pin and Hanger Inspections

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 3, 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):

• 322 – Bridge Inspection

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.

Background and Scope of Project

KDOT is seeking a consultant to provide statewide bridge inspection services consisting of required Nonredundant Steel Tension Members (NSTM) inspections and ultrasonic inspections of Pin and Hanger (P/H) connections, all on the local system, starting with the inspections due in 2027. Due to the unique nature of these inspections, as well as the need at times to use specialized access equipment, these independent programs are offered by KDOT to the local bridge owners as a method to economically share the costs of equipment and for the economic benefits of bundling inspections. As such, KDOT intends to select one (1) prime service provider for both programs.

Inspections are to be performed in accordance with the latest published edition of the KDOT Bureau of Local Projects Local Bridge Inspection Manual, Local Nonredundant Steel Tension Members (NSTM) Inspection Scope of Services; and the Local Pin and Hanger (P/H) Inspection Scope of Services (available at https://kart.ksdot.gov).

Table 1: Project Summary
Project Number	Scope	Location and Typical Structure Age
KA-4089-04	This project is for the bridge inspection of NSTM bridges on the local road system.	There are currently 59 bridges in the statewide program that require inspection at intervals of 12-months for 7 bridges and 24-months for 52 bridges. Local bridge owners have the option of participating each year, so the number of bridges may fluctuate from year–to-year. See map image of the bridge locations on the Bid Express Request for Proposals page.
C-4864-04	This project is for the ultrasonic inspections of Pin and Hanger Connections on the local road system.	There are currently 34 bridges state-wide with P/H assemblies requiring ultrasonic inspection at intervals of 12-months for 6 bridges, 24-months for 10 bridges, and 48-months for 18 bridges. See map image of the bridge locations in Bid Express Request for Proposals page along with a PDF list of structures and latitude/longitude and interval information for each.

Anticipated Consultant Scope

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

• Appropriate traffic control measures will be needed when lane closures are necessary. The Pin and Hanger portion of the contract will require a summary of the overall program in addition to the individual bridge reports.
• Provide an estimate of cost for work to be performed each year to be approved prior to commencing inspections (NOT with response to this Request for Proposals). Information including historical participation and locations were distributed to prequalified consultants with this Request for Proposals:
  • Note: These files are potentially useful for conceptual planning efforts during proposal development but should not be considered final documents.
• Provide a final cost-per-bridge for each inspection performed at the end of each program year.
• Input inspection data into inspectX.
• Provide PDFs of the Draft Inspection Reports to the KDOT Program Manager for review and approval.
• Upload PDFs of the Final Inspection Reports into inspectX and provide them to the KDOT Program Manager for distribution to the bridge owners.

The scope herein may not be all-inclusive. A scoping meeting will take place after consultant selection is made.

Anticipated Schedule and Key Dates

1. Proposals are due by or before 12:00 p.m. (Central Time) June 3, 2026.
2. Ranking of proposals is expected to occur on or around June 10, 2026. Negotiations with the most highly ranked firm are expected to begin on or around June 19, 2026. An executed agreement is anticipated around June 30, 2026.
3. The program fiscal years for this project are (FY27 to FY30).

Inspection schedules must meet the requirements of 23 CFR Part 650 Subpart C.

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-4089-04_106 -C-4864-04 – P&H_NSTM BR Insp 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 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. Federal Restrictions on Foreign Drones: Effective December 22, 2025, the American Security Drone Act of 2023 (ASDA) and OMB Memorandum M-26-02 strictly prohibit the use of federal funds for UAS manufactured by covered foreign entities. This includes any aircraft, flight controller, camera, or ground control station supplied by a manufacturer that is based in, or subject to the control of, a foreign adversary country, specifically the People’s Republic of China.
   
   This prohibition restricts the use of drones from these countries on any federal-aid project even if the drone related costs are billed separately or not at all. Any use of these covered drones including operation, maintenance or data processing on federal aid projects is prohibited. KDOT is evaluating adding a contract provision acknowledging this requirement on contracts moving forward. The prime consultant shall remain fully responsible for monitoring their team, (subconsultant and vendor) compliance with this requirement.
7. The outline in Table 2 below describes the expected proposal organization and content sections.
8. 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.
9. 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 execute the inspection efforts efficiently and to a high standard. Include cost-effective and optimized solutions to accomplish the anticipated efforts. 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 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 inspection process and standards. Describe familiarity with the project and any identified special conditions.

Table 3: Evaluation Factors
Evaluation Factor	Weight
Qualifications and experience of project manager and other key project team members proposed for services	25%
Project approach	10%
Approach and commitment to meet advertised schedule	15%
Past performance history for similar projects/services for KDOT	10%
Approach to quality control	5%
The quality and completeness of the response	15%
Demonstrated understanding of nature and scope of project	20%

Contract Terms and Conditions

KDOT anticipates establishing a year-by-year program agreement for engineering and technical services for the scope described above. 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”)

Special Contract Conditions

Bridge inspection team leaders need to meet the requirements in the KDOT- Bureau of Local Projects Bridge Inspection Manual. One consultant will be selected and can bring a subconsultant(s) if they choose. An agreement will be negotiated with the selected firm. KDOT intends for this agreement to have a 4-year term with work orders being initiated annually to cover the work required for each type of inspection in that year.

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 14, 2026; answers will be provided to all prequalified consultants on May 21, 2026.

Calvin Reed
Secretary
Kansas Department of Transportation

Doc. No. 054130