Public Transit Facilities Oversight, Procurement, and Compliance Monitoring On-Call Consultant

Public Transit Facilities Oversight, Procurement, and Compliance Monitoring
On-Call Consultant
Request For Proposals
Iowa Department of Transportation
Introduction
The Iowa Department of Transportation's (Iowa DOT) Modal Transportation Bureau, Public
Transit Section, is interested in entering into a professional services contract with a consultant to
provide transit construction project guidance and oversight framework for facility projects funded
with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) dollars. On behalf of Iowa's public transit systems, the
Iowa DOT has been awarded multiple competitive FTA bus and bus facilities grants in the last
five years, funding seven (7) public transit facilities around the state. These facilities are currently
in all phases of the planning, design, and construction process, for which Iowa DOT has oversight
and compliance responsibilities. If your firm has experience in FTA procurement and facility
construction oversight and is interested in providing the described services, please submit a
proposal stating your ability and availability to complete this work.
Project Background
The Department is seeking to negotiate and enter into a three-year contract, with up to two (2)
one-year extensions, with a consultant firm with FTA construction procurement and oversight
experience. Candidate firms shall be capable of providing expertise across the full range of
facility construction oversight the Iowa DOT's public transit section is responsible for through
either in-house or sub-contractual services. The selected firm will be expected to provide
services and deliverables that ensure compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and
regulations as well as the department's applicable Policies, guidance manuals, and IT
Requirement Documents. Agreement will be required to follow applicable FTA certifications
and assurances.
Project Scope
The consultant engaged through this solicitation will provide transit construction project
guidance and oversight framework for a number of rural Iowa public transit agencies. The firm
selected is expected to assemble a highly qualified team for work that may include, but is not
limited to, the following:
* Support to Iowa DOT staff for FTA facility construction oversight, including project
development review, construction monitoring, documentation, and compliance with federal
requirements (Buy America, Davis-Bacon, NEPA, etc.).
* Assistance with FTA compliance and reporting for statewide facility grants where DOT is
the direct recipient, including support for state management review materials and project file
completeness.
* Procurement support, including drafting procurement solicitations, helping document DOT
transit procurement processes, and reviewing procurement files for compliance.
* General technical assistance to DOT and subrecipients, such as responding to FTA inquiries,
preparing guidance or checklists, and helping with project closeout documentation.
* Flexible staffing support averaging ~20 hours/week, with workload varying based on project
schedules and FTA-driven needs.

Use of sub-consultants is permitted; RFPs should include any and all companies that will be
used.
Contract Information
Negotiation with the top selected consultant will commence upon notice that the selection
process is completed. The contract will be a three (3) year on-call agreement, with the possibility
of two (2) one (1) year extensions.
The Department will not guarantee a set amount of work or contract value for this contract.
General Requirements
It is the policy of the Iowa DOT that Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) and Targeted
Small Businesses (TSBs) shall have the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in the
performance of Iowa DOT contracts. Funding of this work is not expected to involve federal-aid
highway funds. No DBE goal (0%) is established at this time. A list of TSB firms may be found at
https://www.iowa.gov/tsb.
Selection Information
Emphasis should be placed upon providing information concerning your proposed project
approach, experience with Federal Transit Administration rules and regulations, similar projects your
firm has recently performed, and the availability and qualifications of your key staff. The proposal
may include additional information, as deemed appropriate, subject to the overall length restriction
established in Proposal Requirements.
The selection committee will review and evaluate the proposals submitted based on the following
criteria and the weighted value assigned to each. Include a detailed statement for each evaluation
criteria.

Percentage RESPONSE SECTION
Cover Page
*Title of RFP response
*Firm names and/or corporate logos (Prime & Sub)
1. *Point of Contact for the RFP response
Project team, staffing, availability and technical experience regarding:
*Federal Transit Administration procurement requirements
*Facility planning, design, engineering, and environmental processes
2. 40% *Regulatory compliance and oversight
Firm's experience drafting guidance documents, reviewing procurement
files, mentoring state DOT and local public transit agency staff on
3. 30% construction management processes, and ability to meet schedules
Responsiveness to the requirements of the RFP and comprehensive
4. 20% understanding of the work required
Staff and firm's knowledge of the Department's development process and
5. 10% Department's standard and specifications
The selection committee reserves the right to hold oral interviews via Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
Firms will be contacted via email by the consultant coordinator to arrange a date and time if the
selection team deems this necessary to assist in decision-making.
Contacting any selection team member other than the RFP contact person is inappropriate.
Marketing meetings with the Iowa DOT while this RFP is active is also considered inappropriate.
Proposal Requirements
Please provide the following information in the order listed:
1. All responders must provide adequate information on the response's cover page to clearly
identify the submittal is for the Public Transit FTA-Funded Facilities Oversight,
Procurement, and Compliance Monitoring On-Call Consultant along with the
replying firm and an email for the point of contact for the firm.
2. Include your firm's approach to addressing the identified tasks, your understanding of the
project's scope, key issues and relevancy to Iowa's public transportation system. Briefly
discuss similar projects the members on your team have completed in the past five years.
This listing should be limited to the three most applicable projects.
3. Include the name, qualifications, experience, office address and availability of the contract
manager as well as the manager in charge of each major work task. This information
should include the identification of similar projects managed or participated in by these
individuals. The selection of a contract manager and work task managers by a firm will
constitute a commitment by that firm and NO substitute managers will be allowed without
prior written approval by the Iowa DOT.
4. Include experience and qualifications for any sub-consultants to be used and work they
will perform.

5. Include a detailed resume, summary of current workload and a time commitment for each
professional or technical person to be assigned to the project. Identify the principal or
manager who will serve as the project manager.
6. The location of the office where the majority of work will be performed.
7. A disclosure of all work for other clients that may be affected by work on the proposed
contract to avoid a potential conflict of interest.
8. If applicable, include a statement that the consultant will meet the DBE goal. If the
consultant cannot meet the minimum goal, include a commitment statement for the
percentage of participation that they can meet.
The proposal may include additional information, as deemed appropriate, subject to the overall
length restriction established in Proposal Requirements.
Cost information should not be submitted as part of the proposal, and if submitted, will not be
considered. Inclusion of promotional literature of a general nature will also not be considered in
the selection process.
The proposal must be submitted as a single electronic PDF and be formatted to print on 8.5" x
11" pages. The proposal must be limited to 10 pages. All pages will be counted including:
proposal covers, cover letter, dividers, appendices, etc. The maximum size limit of a proposal is
15 megabytes.
The electronic proposal must be submitted via email to DOT.ConsultantProposals@iowadot.us.
An email will be sent confirming receipt of the proposal within 30 minutes or by 3:30 p.m. (CST)
on the submittal deadline date, whichever is later.
Proposals are due by 3:00 pm (CST) on November 5, 2026.
Any technical questions or questions regarding this RFP shall be submitted via email to
DOT.ConsultantProposals@iowadot.us. Any questions about this RFP must be received by noon
(CST) on October 29, 2026. Questions and answers regarding this RFP will be posted with the
RFP on the Consultant Utilization website, https://apps.iowadot.gov/rfp.
Any proposal not complying with all requirements stated in the RFP may not be accepted.
Public Records Law
The Iowa DOT will treat all information submitted by a consultant as open records following the
conclusion of the selection process. Open records are public records that are open for public
examination and copying. The Iowa DOT's release of records is governed by Iowa Code Chapter
22 and 761 IAC Chapter 4. Consultants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these laws
before submitting a proposal.

Statement of Non-Discrimination
The selection and contract are subject to the provisions of Executive Order 11246 (Equal
Employment Opportunity). Federal and state laws prohibit employment and/or public
accommodation discrimination on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, gender identity,
national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran's status. If you believe
you have been discriminated against, please contact the Iowa Civil Rights Commission at 800-457-
4416 or Iowa DOT's affirmative action officer at 800-262-0003. If you need accommodations
because of a disability to access the Iowa DOT's services, contact the agency's civil rights/ADA
coordinator at 515-239-1427. TTY/TDD: 515-239-1514
References
PPM 300.04 - Prequalification of Architectural, Engineering and Related Professional and
Technical Firms (https://iowadot.gov/projectdev/300.04.PDF) - This will be reviewed after your
proposal is submitted.
PPM 300.12 - Negotiated Contracts for Architectural, Engineering, and Related Professional and
Technical Services (https://iowadot.gov/projectdev/300.12.pdf)