Request for Proposals: Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Action Plan

Request for Proposals:
Safe Streets and Roads
for All (SS4A) Action
Plan
RFP #: 2026-1
RELEASED: JULY 15, 2026
DUE: SEPTEMBER 1, 2026

Table of Contents
SECTION 1. OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Background ........................................................................................................................ 1
1.3 General Information ........................................................................................................... 2
SECTION 2. PROJECT SCOPE ................................................................................................. 2
2.1 Project Description ............................................................................................................. 2
2.2 Scope of Services ............................................................................................................... 2
2.2.1 Required Components ..................................................................................................... 4
2.2.2 Draft Review Standards .................................................................................................. 9
2.2.3 Data Collection and Reporting ........................................................................................ 9
2.2.4 Project Management ....................................................................................................... 9
2.3 General Terms and Conditions ........................................................................................... 9
2.4 Project Timeline ................................................................................................................. 9
2.5 Project Costs ...................................................................................................................... 9
SECTION 3. SELECTION PROCESS AND SCHEDULE ......................................................... 10
3.1 Expectations of Selected Consultant ................................................................................ 10
3.2 Project Deliverables ......................................................................................................... 11
3.3 Request for Proposals (RFP) Timeline .............................................................................. 11
3.4 Pre-proposal Meeting and Interviews ............................................................................... 12
3.5 Proposal Requirements and Evaluation ............................................................................ 12
3.6 Proposal Requirement and Points Associated with Evaluation .......................................... 13
3.7 Cost Information .............................................................................................................. 13
3.8 Proposal Submittal Requirements .................................................................................... 14
3.9 Proposal Due Dates ......................................................................................................... 15
3.10 Minimum Number of Responses ..................................................................................... 15
SECTION 4. PROPOSAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS .......................................................... 15
4.1. RFP Document ................................................................................................................ 15
4.2. Ownership of Records ..................................................................................................... 15
4.3. Inquires .......................................................................................................................... 16
4.4. Acceptance of Proposal Content and Public Information ................................................. 16
4.5. Subcontractors ................................................................................................................ 16

4.6. Good Standing ................................................................................................................ 17
4.7. Proposal Costs ................................................................................................................ 17
4.8. Rejection of Proposals .................................................................................................... 17
4.9. Insurance and Hold Harmless ......................................................................................... 17
4.10. Contract Negotiations ................................................................................................... 18
4.11. Award ........................................................................................................................... 18
4.12. Nondiscrimination Notification ....................................................................................... 18
4.13. Conflict of Interest ........................................................................................................ 18
4.14. Termination for Cause and Convenience. ...................................................................... 18
4.15. Buy America, Build America .......................................................................................... 19
4.16. Iran Divestment Act ...................................................................................................... 19
4.17. Divestment from Companies that Boycott Israel ........................................................... 19
4.18. Applicability of State and Federal Regulations ............................................................... 19
4.19. Failure to Comply with Federal Regulations .................................................................. 19
4.20. Rights Reserved ............................................................................................................ 20
4.21. Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility, and Voluntary Exclusion ...................................... 20
4.22. E-Verify ......................................................................................................................... 20
4.23. Extent of Agreement ..................................................................................................... 20
4.24. Mediation ...................................................................................................................... 20
4.25. Subject to Public Records Law ...................................................................................... 21
SECTION 5. APPENDIX ......................................................................................................... 21
Exhibit A: SS4A Terms and Conditions ............................................................................... 21
Exhibit B: Map of Road Ownership in the Town .................................................................. 21

SECTION 1. OVERVIEW
1.1 Introduction
The Town of Hope Mills ("Town") is seeking proposals from qualified, professional consultants
who will assist the Town in creating a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Action plan ("Plan")
that is the first step in the development and implementation of policies that result in safer
roadways for all Hope Mills residents.
The Plan will identify existing conditions and historical trends to provide a baseline level of the
transportation system safety encompassing fatalities and serious injuries. It will also include an
analysis of locations where there are crashes and the severity of the crashes, contributing factors
and crash types by relevant road users (motorists, people walking, bicyclists, motorcyclists, etc.).
The Plan will also recommend a comprehensive set of projects and strategies, including new
policies, guidelines, and/or standards, which are shaped by data, the best available evidence, and
noteworthy practices, including stakeholder engagement, to address the identified safety
problems. The planning area includes all roadways within the Town's boundaries.
The awarded consultant will have the primary responsibility of developing the Plan and will work
in coordination with the Town's Public Works Department.
All sealed proposals must be received by 4:00 PM on September 1, 2026. Inquiries,
amendments, or submissions received after the above time and date will not be considered for
evaluation.
Questions and requests for information should be forwarded by email on or before Friday
August 7, 2026 5 pm ET to:
Don Sisko, Public Works Director
5770 Rockfish Rd
Hope Mills, NC 28348-1848
910-316-4318, dsisko@townofhopemills.com
The Town reserves the right to reject all submissions for any reason or no reason. This RFP does
not obligate the Town to pay any cost incurred by respondents in the preparation and submission
of a response nor does it obligate the Town to accept or contract for any expressed or implied
services.
1.2 Background
The Town of Hope Mills is the second largest municipality in Cumberland County and is in the
Coastal Plain region of southeastern North Carolina. The Town encompasses approximately 7.82
square miles with a population of 18,324 residents1 and approximately 66.16 miles of Town
owned roads and 12.36 miles of NCDOT State owned roads.
Hope Mills functions as a suburban/bedroom community for the nearby City of Fayetteville and
Fort Bragg, which is part of the Fayetteville Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its location provides
1 U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Hope Mills town, North Carolina
Hope Mills SS4A Action Plan RFP 1

residents with convenient access to employment, education, healthcare, and commercial
opportunities throughout the region, while maintaining a strong small-town character.
The Town is served by a well-developed transportation network that supports both local and
regional travel. Major transportation corridors include Interstate 95, U.S. Route 301, and North
Carolina Highway 59. Interstate 95 bisects the southern portion of the community and serves as
a major north-south corridor along the East Coast, bringing significant volumes of travelers
through the area each day.
Hope Mills will use the Action plan to complement and strengthen existing transportation and
safety planning efforts, including the Pedestrian Plan and Multimodal Congestion Management
Plan. The Action Plan will provide a comprehensive framework for identifying priority safety
improvements and positioning the Town to pursue future implementation funding for
infrastructure, education, enforcement, and technology-based safety initiatives.
1.3 General Information
An Action Plan is the foundation of the SS4A grant program and supports the implementation of
projects and strategies that will help achieve local, data-driven transportation safety goals. The
goal of an Action Plan is to develop a holistic, well-defined strategy to prevent roadway fatalities
and serious injuries in a locality.
SECTION 2. PROJECT SCOPE
2.1 Project Description
The Plan must meet the 2026 goals of the Federal Highway Administration ("FHWA") Office of
Safety Safe Streets and Roads for All ("SS4A") program. FHWA's goal is to reduce transportation-
related fatalities and serious injuries across the transportation system and advance the long-term
vision of zero roadway deaths and serious injuries. To support this vision, FHWA collaborates with
other U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) agencies to implement the National Roadway
Safety Strategy (NRSS), which outlines a comprehensive Safe System Approach to significantly
reduce and ultimately eliminate roadway fatalities and serious injuries nationwide.
Consultants should refer to the USDOT 2026 guidance for developing an Action plan provided on
the USDOT SS4A website at this link2.
2.2 Scope of Services
The Consultant Team shall ensure the satisfactory completion of the tasks described in this Scope
of Services. To achieve the project objectives and maximize the benefit of the selected
consultant's experience, the Town requires that the Consultant address the following expectations
in its proposal, including a description of how each requirement will be met.
1. Project Management and Meeting Coordination
* The consultant will be responsible for coordinating regular project meetings with
Town, including producing all meeting materials, notices, attendance lists,
minutes/summaries, etc.
* A project timeline should be provided in the proposal and updated as needed during
the life of the project.
2 https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A/resources
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* Meetings should be prioritized as video conferences and by phone only when the other
alternative is not available.
2. Collaboration with Action plan Steering Committee (SAPSC)
* SAPSC will be charged with oversight of the Plan's development, implementation, and
monitoring. The consultant will meet with the Steering Committee to collect input and
provide updates.
3. Community Engagement.
* The Town expects robust engagement with the public and relevant stakeholders. The
consultant will solicit input and feedback from the North Carolina Department of
Transportation (NCDOT), Fayetteville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
(FAMPO), Hope Mills Town Commission and Planning Board and as well as the public
at large and other area interest groups not mentioned.
* Respondents should explain their approach and public participation plan in detail in
their responses.
4. Interim Reports and Stakeholder Updates
* The Consultant shall present community engagement results through interim reports
to the Planning Board and Town Commission.
5. Action Plan Development
* The consultant will serve as the primary contributor of the Plan and shall perform
research and develop materials for the Plan.
* The Plan document will include assembling and analyzing data as described in 2.2.1.
Required Components describing existing conditions within the defined planning area
as a baseline for measuring recommended policies, actions, and an implementation
plan to guide future development and decision making.
* The Action Plan development must include all road users and be at a broad, system-
wide geographical reach of Hope Mills roadways. Corridor-level or site-specific studies
are supplemental planning and not an Action Plan.3
6. Data Collection and Reporting
* In addition to creating the Action Plan, the consultant will be responsible for fulfilling
the data collection requirements and reporting outlined in the 2026 NOFO2 (pages 16-
17). This includes a report that describes:
o The costs of each eligible project and strategy carried out using the grant.
o The roadway safety outcomes and any additional benefits (e.g., increased
walking, biking, or transit use without a commensurate increase in crashes,
etc.) that each such project and strategy has generated, as- Identified in
the grant application; and Measured by data, to the maximum extent
practicable; and
o The lessons learned and any recommendations relating to future projects or
strategies to prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets.
3 https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2026-03/SS4A-FY26-NOFO.pdf, pg. 9
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2.2.1 Required Components
The Town of Hope Mills received a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Planning and
Demonstration Grant through the FY 2024 application cycle. The Action Plan developed under
this grant shall comply with the most current U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) SS4A
Action Plan Guidance in effect at the time the work is performed (currently the 2026 guidance).
The Action Plan shall meet all applicable SS4A requirements and include all required components
to ensure the Town remains eligible to apply for future SS4A Implementation Grants.
Table 1 provides the 2026 Action Plan Component and Description as required by the 2026 SS4A
NOFO. Additional RFP Information for each is provided as guidance for each component.
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T able 1: 2026 SS4A NOFO Action Plan Components
2026 SS4A NOFO Action Plan Components
Component Description Additional RFP Information
Leadership 1) Include an official public commitment (e.g., resolution) by Resolution Number R2027-X Resolution Supporting Vision
Commitment the Town's governing body to an eventual goal of zero Zero.
and Goal Setting roadway fatalities and serious injuries. The commitment must
include a goal and timeline for eliminating roadway fatalities
and serious injuries achieved through one, or both, of the
following: A) The target date for achieving zero roadway
fatalities and serious injuries, OR B) An ambitious percentage
reduction of roadway fatalities and serious injuries by a
specific date with an eventual goal of eliminating roadway
fatalities and serious injuries.
Planning 1) A committee, task force, or similar body charged with Consultants will form the implementation group with local
Structure oversight of the Plan development, implementation, and assistance, establish regular communication with the
monitoring. group, and facilitate group meetings. The body should
include the Town staff, public health, and safety officials,
RPOs/MPOs, and representatives of various surface-
based transportation modes (e.g., short-line railroad,
local/state/federal transportation agencies, vulnerable
road user supporting organizations, and other parties of
interest).
Safety Analysis 1) Research existing conditions and historical trends and Consultants should describe their approach to data
provide a baseline level of transportation system safety collection and analysis of existing conditions in the study
involving fatalities and serious injuries across the Town's area, including whether they plan to develop a High-
jurisdictional boundary. 2) Conduct an analysis of locations Injury Network and, if not, what equivalent will be
where there are crashes and the severity of the crashes, as substituted.
well as contributing factors and crash types by relevant road
users (motorists, pedestrians, transit users, etc.). 3) Conduct
an analysis of systemic and specific safety needs (e.g., high-
risk road features, specific safety needs of relevant road users,
public health approaches, analysis of the built environment,
demographics, and structural issues). 4) Develop a High-Injury
Network (or equivalent) map based on the analysis of higher-
risk locations. 5) To the practical extent, include all roadways
within the jurisdiction, without regard for ownership.
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T able 1: 2026 SS4A NOFO Action Plan Components
2026 SS4A NOFO Action Plan Components
Component Description Additional RFP Information
Engagement and 1) Ensure representation from stakeholders, community Consultants are expected to create an engagement
Collaboration groups, and the public and coordinate with other strategy for both public and key stakeholder outreach.
governmental planning processes. 2) Integrate into the Plan The engagement strategy should include the overall
the information received through engagements and outreach and engagement framework, approach, process
collaboration. 3) Seek inter- and intra- governmental and schedule, strategies, and format. It should also
collaboration, as appropriate. include a list of materials and/or media to be developed
to implement that framework, including notices and
announcements, public meeting agendas, publicity
materials, presentations, display boards, project website,
etc.
Policy and 1) Assessment of current policies, plans, guidelines, and/or No additional remarks.
Process and standards to identify opportunities to improve processes and
Changes prioritize transportation safety. 2) Identify opportunities for
improvements to prioritize transportation safety. 3)
Incorporate the implementation of revised or new policies into
the Action Plan.
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T able 1: 2026 SS4A NOFO Action Plan Components
2026 SS4A NOFO Action Plan Components
Component Description Additional RFP Information
Strategy and 1) Address safety problems identified using proven Consultants should include their experience with the Safe
Project countermeasures focused on a Safe System Approach. 2) Systems approach, Vision Zero, Complete Streets, Public
Selections Prioritize deployment of mitigation strategies and Rights-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG), and
countermeasures. A) List specific projects or strategies with other road safety practices, emphasizing their
timeframes. B) Explain criteria used for prioritization. i) understanding of these programs. As described in Part C,
Projects and strategies should focus on infrastructure, to the extent practical, the analysis should include all
behavioral and/or operational safety and be shaped by data, roadways within the jurisdiction regardless of ownership.
the best available evidence and noteworthy practices, and Exhibit B contains maps of road ownership in the region.
stakeholder input and equity considerations-that will address The consultant should also provide strategies that the
the safety problems described in the Plan. Town can implement within its corporate limits to reduce
serious injuries and fatalities on roads owned and
maintained by the state and other jurisdictions bordering
the area of study. In addition, strategies for cross-
jurisdictional collaboration should be included.
* Strategies and countermeasures of a programmatic
nature are also of interest to the Town, such as those
addressing driver's education and off-highway vehicles.
* As 12.7% of the Town's population is 65 and older, the
Town is also interested in measures that will positively
impact seniors.
* Projects that enhance access per PROWAG guidelines,
support traffic calming, improve the Town's active
transportation systems, and identify corridors or sites
suitable for road safety assessments should also be
considered by the consultant.
Hope Mills SS4A Action Plan RFP 7