SELECTION PROCESS & QUESTION DEVELOPMENT · PDF fileor modified scopes (Division) ... Interview Selection ... Questions that generate a laundry list response

2017 PEPS Conference

SELECTION PROCESS & QUESTION DEVELOPMENT2017 PEPS Conference

Raul Ortega, P.E. │ Jessica Andrews, P.E.

November 3, 2017


Table of Contents

2

Selection Process

Federal Process

RFQ Question Development

Questions and Discussion

11

22

33

44

2017 PEPS Conference 3

Selection Processes

Raul Ortega, P.E.


Planning Timeline – FY 2018


Comprehensive SD

Streamlined ID

AcceleratedSD / ID

• Complex, high-profile projects• SD $1M or more• Interviews required• Comprehensive SD process typically

not federally funded

• IDs using standard scopes (District) or modified scopes (Division)

• Interviews optional (Streamlined with Interviews)

• Relatively low-risk / low-dollar • Small business opportunity• SD <$1M (single-discipline work)• Without interviews (selection based

on SOQ evaluations)

DescriptionSelection Process Examples

• GEC• Complex PS&E• Complex Schematic/ENV• Complex

Schem/ENV/PS&E

• PS&E• Hydraulics/hydrology• Schematic/ENV• Traffic engineering

• Simple SD (any discipline)• Surveying• Materials engineering• Geotech

Selection Processes

5


DescriptionSelection Process

Examples

Federal SD / ID

• Projects using Federal funds that meet the Federal process requirements

• Proposals & Interviews required

• PS&E• Schem/ENV

Federal Selection Processes

6

Federal Management

SD / ID

• Projects using Federal funds that meet the Federal process requirements

• Proposals & Interviews required• Management services• FHWA coordination & approval required

• CEI• GEC • PMC


Comparison of Processes

7

RFQ SOQ Short List Interview Selection

Streamlined with Interviews & Comprehensive

RFQ SOQ Selection

Accelerated & Streamlined without Interviews

RFQ SOQ Short

List RFP Proposal Interview Selection

Federal / Federal Management


Determining Which Procurement Process to Use

8

Will Federal $$$ be spent on this engineering and design related

service contract?

Accelerated Process

Streamlined Process

Comprehensive Process

Are the services directly related to a highway construction project?

Will the costs be reimbursed with Federal-Aid Highway Program (FAHP) funds?

Federal ProcessFederal Process

No

Accelerated Process

Streamlined Process

Comprehensive Process

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

HUB Goal

DBE Goal

DBE GoalDBE Goal


Federal Process

Jessica Andrews, P.E.


The Federal Procurement Process

10

The Federal process requirements:• contracts for engineering and design related services;• directly related to a highway construction project; and,• reimbursed with Federal-Aid Highway Program (FAHP) funds

Engineering and design related services means:•program management •design engineering•construction management •surveying•feasibility studies •mapping•preliminary engineering, •architectural related services

RFQ SOQ Short List RFP Proposal Interview Selection



11

Federal Management contracts require a consultant to oversee or evaluate the work of another consultant.

•FHWA reviews the RFQ and scopes to verify no federal rules are being violated for this type of work

•2 week review time prior to posting RFQ•FHWA does not review the RFQ Questions


The Federal Procurement Process – Proposal/Interview

12

The goal of the proposal/interview process:• To receive additional qualifications and pressure test the shortlisted

firms• Meet federal requirement for a proposal

How proposals are used:• SD contracts: Proposals are only used during the selection process. • ID contracts: Proposals are used during the assignment of WAs when

multiple contracts were procured in a bundle.

RFQ SOQ Short List RFP Proposal Interview Selection


The Federal Procurement Process – Work Authorizations

13

1st work authorization assigned to the top ranked provider

Subsequent work authorizations – may need to use a second-tier evaluation

The federal rules for Procurement, Management, and Administration of Engineering and Design Related Services (23 CFR Part 172) were amended and effective in June 2015. Section §172.9 Contracts and administration states that for single solicitations with multiple ID contracts, each work authorization shall be awarded to the selected, qualified consultants through an additional qualifications-based selection procedure (second-tier competition).


Scenario 1Contract No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Procedure

Assigned to District:

In the solicitation, each contract is assigned to a different region. No second-tier competition is required for assigning work authorizations under each contract.

Dallas X

Houston X

Paris X

Waco X

El Paso X

Austin X



Six contracts were included in the solicitation and are assigned to each of two districts. The three contracts within each district need to be competed using second-tier procedure for assigning work authorizations.

Dallas X X X

Houston X X X



Six contracts were included in the solicitation and were procured by the Central Service Center for Statewide use. The six contracts need to be competed using second-tier procedure for assigning work authorizations.

Statewide X X X X X X

Scenarios for Federal ID Procurements


The Federal Procurement Process– Proposal/Interview

15

Request for Proposal/Interview and Contract Guide (RFP/ICG)

RFP/ICG includes topics for discussion

Short Listed teams must address the topics in both the Proposal and Interview

Evaluation criteria – set by FHWA

• Technical approach• Project Manager’s relevant experience• Key staff’s relevant experience

Overall Score for Selection

• Combination of the proposal score, the interview score, and the prime provider’s past performance score



16

Proposal Format

Adobe Acrobat PDF – electronic submittal

CST determines proposal length based on number and complexity of topics

Must include Project Manager’s resume (CST doesn’t dictate length of resume)

Cover page – not included in page length



17

Interview Format

Combination of prepared presentation and follow-up questions

Interview is presentation of proposal

CST determines maximum number of slides of prepared presentation

Prepared presentation must include organizational chart



18

Proposal Best

Practices

Format

Language

Organization

Marketing

Tables?

Headings



19

Proposal Best

Practices

Evaluation criteria

Highlight Key Staff

PM and Key Staff

Experience to address

topicsShow benefit

Do NOT list projects

Demonstrate PM and Task

Leads’ capabilities



20


RFQ Question Development

Raul Ortega, P.E.


TxDOT’s Five Steps for Question Development

1. Contract Goals & Characteristics

2. Questions based on Contract Goals

3. Scoring Grid for Questions

4. Questions & Scoring Grid

5. Percent Weights & Character Limits for each Question

22


Step 1

• Specific contract goals & characteristics are developed

Contract Goals & Characteristics

• Questions target those specific characteristics defined in Step 1

Questions based on Contract Goals


• What would be a “meets requirements” & “significant exceeds requirements” response to the questions developed from Step 2

Scoring Grid for Questions


• Opportunity to refine questions to ensure scoring grid matches

Questions and Scoring Grid

Questions and Scoring Grid

• Set weights and character limits for each RFQ question based contract goals

Percent Weights & Character Limits for

each Question


each Question

23


Contract Goals & Consultant Characteristics

•What are the specific goals for the contract?

•What are the characteristics that meet the contract goals?

Goals & Characteristics

•Ensures that the contract needs are consistent with the Solicitation requirements

Why do this?

24


Step 2










Questions & Scoring Grid




each Question


each Question

25


Questions Based on Contract Goals

Things TxDOT Avoids:

Questions with answers that can be found in a textbook, in the scope, or on the Internet

Questions that generate a laundry list response

Vague questions

Questions requiring TxDOT-specific experience/knowledge

Abbreviations, acronyms, or non-standard terms

Asking for firm location

Overly specific questions that narrow competition

Asking the impossible (or near impossible)

Asking about consultant availability

26


Step 3














each Question


each Question

27


TxDOT’s Scoring Grid Considerations

Reward quality, not quantity

Think about how to score examples

Keep in mind the character limit provided

Avoid rewarding gold plating & previous TxDOT experience

28


Step 4









Develop scoring grid for questions






each Question


each Question

29


Step 5

















each Question

30


Setting Weights & Character Limits

31

Response length

The complexity & depth of the question correlates to the length of the response

Weights

Go back to contract goals & weight based on importance

TxDOT tries to avoid:▫ weighting any one question

more than 35%▫ weighting any question less

than 10%


Questions and Discussion

32


Contact Information

33

Raul Ortega, P.E.TxDOT | PEPS Service Center for Divisions(915) [email protected]

Jessica Andrews, P.E.TxDOT| PEPS Fort Worth Service Center(817) [email protected]

Documents

SELECTION PROCESS & QUESTION DEVELOPMENT · PDF fileor modified scopes (Division) ... Interview Selection ... Questions that generate a laundry list response