NOTICE FOR CONSULTING SERVICES
Notice is hereby given by the West Virginia Department of Transportation, Planning Division, that consulting services will be utilized for Program Management of the Department’s Research Program. The assignment will include the annual solicitation of research needs from WVDOT personnel, management of the research project selection process, management of existing and new research projects, tracking of pooled fund research projects, development of a Research Program Manual, presentations at internal and external conferences, and other miscellaneous services for the research program.
The method of payment shall be Cost Plus Fixed Fee. A single assignment will be made for this project.
Firms interested in being considered for this project must submit a “Letter of Qualification" (LOQ) and one unpriced prospectus to Mr. C. Elwood Penn, P.E., Director, Planning Division, Division of Highways, 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East, Building 6 – Room 240, Charleston, West Virginia 25305, or preferably by email to DOHplanningservices@wv.gov prior to 4:00 p.m. on April 28, 2023.
Firms submitting LOQ's shall also provide proof of the following for themselves and any potential subconsultants. Replacement or addition of any subconsultant after the receipt of the initial LOI prospectus requires proof of “availability" for the director's approval. Firms failing to provide proper documentation as listed below or failure to meet timelines will be deemed nonresponsive and will result in disqualification. A disqualified firm's LOQ will not
be forwarded to the shortlist committee.
• Proof of registration with the WV Secretary of State's office (Certificate of Authorization AND a print-off of the Business Organization Detail sheet from the Business and Licensing Section of the WV Secretary of State's office Online Data Services).
• Certificate of Authorization from applicable State Professional Board(s) (Engineering and/or Surveying).
• Indirect Cost Desk Review Memo issued from WVDOT Transportation Auditing Division showing the most current approved overhead rate (valid as of LOQ submission date).
As a minimum, the prospectus shall include the following evaluation factors:
1. Professional qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of the required services.
2. Consideration shall be given to specialized experience and technical competence. Specialized experience shall focus on the qualifications of the staff working on the project with emphasis placed on individual specialized expertise required for the project. At a minimum, the firm shall provide a Résumé of those individuals who will be committed to the project's needs. Strong considerations will be based on the professional and non-professional staff’s specialized experience and technical competence stationed within the office where the work is to be performed.
3. Capacity consideration shall be made on the firm's ability to accomplish the work within the Department's required schedule time frame; personnel dedicated to performing such work.
4. Past performance on contracts with Government agencies and private industry in terms of cost control, quality of work, and compliance with performance schedules.
5. Past performance on contracts with Government agencies and private industry in terms of cost control, quality of work, and compliance with performance schedules.
In addition to the above evaluation factors, the prospectus shall include, as a minimum, the following items:
1. A completed copy of the Department's Consultant Confidential Qualification Questionnaire dated January 1, 2023, or later (a Standard Form 330 will suffice as well), if not already on file. It must specifically indicate the staff levels by classification located in-state vs. out-of-state.
2. Location of office or office(s) in which the work, or part of the work, will be performed.
3. Type of work anticipated to be subcontracted or performed by a subconsultant.
4. Completed copies of the Division's “Consultant Short List Selection Criteria Technical Evaluation" form. Cross-referencing this form to other parts of the prospectus is not acceptable.
5. A copy of a valid “Certificate of Authorization" to offer Engineering, Surveying, or other related services within the state, issued by the appropriate West Virginia Board.
A single “Letter of Qualification” and unpriced prospectus are required. All evaluation factors as noted herein before will be given equal consideration in the selection process unless a project-specific weighting of the valuation factors is shown in the Notice for Consulting Services.
Prior to entering any contract negotiations, the selected firm and any subconsultants shall submit a current audited overhead rate computation performed by a State or Federal government agency or independent CPA firm. The submitted overhead audit shall contain a detailed exhibit of the computations with all applicable eliminations and references. The audit shall be done in accordance with Government Auditing Standards issued by the Comptroller General of the United States and all eliminations required by the Federal Acquisition Regulations will be made. The submitted certified audited overhead (Indirect Cost Rate) report shall include the certification, certifying that the allowability of costs used to establish the final indirect cost rate is in accordance with the FAR cost principles, or a verification indicating this certification was previously submitted and accepted by the cognizant agency. This requirement will be waived for the selected firm or any subconsultant when its portion of the fee for the project is less than Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00). In such instances, a company-computed overhead rate may be utilized.
It is the policy of the West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Highways, that Disadvantaged and Women-owned Business Enterprises shall have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts financed in whole or in part with Federal funds.