B -- Transportation Studies

Subject to final approval, the Bureau of the Public Debt, Administrative Resource Center on behalf of the Access Board, intends to negotiate a simplified acquisition via issuance of a purchase order to the Institute of Transport Engineers (ITE), 1099 14th Street NW #300 West, Washington DC 2005. The Access Board is a Federal Agency that develops and maintains accessibility requirements that entities with responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act must meet. In July 2004, the Access Board contracted with the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) to conduct an invitation-only workshop involving geometric design and signal engineers, orientation and mobility professionals, consumers, researchers, and regulators on October 22 and 23, 2004. Attendees heard presentations from national and international experts and then worked in several study groups to develop standard intersection plans to optimize way-finding cues.Recommendations included the further development of sketches and way-finding details based upon intersection corner radius, consideration of signalized and unsignalized crossings, and comparisons of attached and separated sidewalk conditions. Attendees indicated their interest in pursuing discussions toward consensus on a range of issues and intersection types and supported the establishment of a password-protected listserv for the circulation and review of additional drawings. Other recommendations included presentations on workshop deliberations at key industry regional and national meetings. The Access Board wishes to further industry consideration of ways to optimize way-finding design within industry practice by contracting with the same ITE team to develop workshop schematics into common design and engineering schemes that can be reviewed and discussed online by workshop participants and others whose input may be useful. In consultation with Access Board staff, ITE shall oversee the follow-up to the Way-finding Workshop, establishing and managing a limited listserv and obtaining the drawings and details that will be the principal subject of its discussion. ITE shall maintain the list serve until its members agree that consensus on document standardization has been achieved and shall report on this outcome in a future article in the ITE Journal. The Access Board wishes to extend its work with the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) for this project. The Institute of Transportation Engineers is the only professional association of roadway design, engineering, and operations professionals; its membership is the audience the Board must involve in any consideration of these issues. ITE conducted the Way-finding Workshop on behalf of the Board and has ready access to professional expertise needed for this follow-up phase. ITE regularly works in collaboration with industry organizations such as the Federal Highway Administration, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the American Public Works Association (APWA), and others whose representatives will be involved in the Workshop. Their access to the intended audience, their experience in conducting several focused member list serves, and their ability to disseminate findings to engineers who must understand and implement change make ITE uniquely qualified to conduct this project. Additionally, ITE has agreed to final consensus recommendations to its website and to publish an article in the ITE Journal describing the process and illustrating recommended schemes for its readership of highway engineers. The ITE press is the principal non-governmental source for industry technical guidance and publications. NO SOLICITATION DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE. Public Debt-Administrative Resource Center will consider all affirmative responses received no later than August 22, 2005. Affirmative responses shall reference ABA-02010-05-0054 and shall be accompanied by sufficient documentation to clearly show the ability to provide the required services or functional equivalent at terms more advantageous to the Government. Requests for more information or a copy of the solicitation will not be considered affirmative responses. If no affirmative response is received that clearly demonstrates the ability to meet all requirements and that it is more advantageous to the Government, a purchase order will be negotiated and issued to ITE for these services.