REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)

MnModel Phase 4

Note: This document is available in alternative formats for persons with disabilities by calling Melissa McGinnis, Contract Administrator at 651-366-4644 or for persons who are hearing or speech impaired by calling the Minnesota Relay Service at 1-800-627-3529.

This RFP does not obligate MnDOT to award a Contract or complete the project, and MnDOTreserves the right to cancel the solicitation if it is considered to be in its best interest.

Project Specific Information

Project Overview

MnModel is MnDOT’s statewide archaeological predictive model, which has not been updated since Phase 3 ended in 1998. MnDOT is requesting proposals for the development of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data to contribute to Phase 4 of MnModel. The scope of work includes four components:

1)Development of a statewide 10-m resolution DEM in ArcInfo GRID format.

2)Digitizing features from Public Land Survey Plat Maps.

3)Mapping and digitizing archaeological site boundaries.

4)Mapping and digitizing archaeological survey boundaries.

Project Goal

The Project outcome is to provide digital (GIS) data for the development of new archaeological predictive models.

Required Skills

Required minimumqualifications are identified in this section. The proposal must specifically indicate how members of the Responder’s team meet these minimum qualifications. This portion of the proposal review will be conducted on a pass/fail basis. If MnDOT determines, in its sole discretion, that the Responder fails to meet one or more of these requirements (or that the Responder has not submitted sufficient information to make the pass/fail determination), then the proposal will be eliminated from further review.

Provide as much detail as necessary to establish that your firm meets the following Required Skills:

Team Member(s) / Requirements
Precontact Archaeologist (at least one) /
  • Must meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards (36CFR61)
  • Must demonstrate experience interpreting and evaluating archaeological site forms and survey reports.

Geomorphologist (one) /
  • Must demonstrate experience with the development of high-resolution elevation data from LiDAR sources
  • Must demonstrate that they will be able to provide insights into the interpretation of hydrography from Public Land Survey plat maps.

Support staff /
  • Must demonstrate that your firm has several personnel that have expertise in accurately transferring mapped data from a variety of sources to USGS topographic maps.

GIS staff /
  • Must demonstrate experience with georeferencing scanned maps, creating mosaics of scanned maps, and digitizing from scanned, georeferenced maps.
  • Must demonstrate familiarity with the creation of metadata according to State of Minnesota standards.

Scope of Work and Deliverables

The Selected Responder (Contractor) will perform the following tasks:

Task 1: Elevation Data Requirements

MnDOT needs a 10 m resolution digital elevation model (DEM) for use in Phase 4 of MnModel. The Contractor’s geomorphologist will develop a 10 m resolution digital elevation model (DEM) for the state of Minnesota in ArcInfo GRID format. The data source will be 10 m resolution or better imaging (LiDAR), not the resampling of larger cells. Horizontal units will be meters; vertical units will be feet. The final GRID will be integer, not floating point. A VAT will be built for the GRID. The geomorphologist will perform quality control on the resulting 10 m resolution integer GRID to verify that all cells have valid values and that the data display properly in ArcMap 9.3.1. If more than one data source is used to create the DEM, a separate GRID or shapefile will map the distribution of the different data sources.

Metadata will be created explaining the elevation data source(s), quality, and the processes used to convert the data from its original format into the format delivered to MnDOT. This should include the description of any processing done on the source data prior to its adaptation for this contract. The geomorphologist will also supervise preparation of the metadata and be responsible for its accuracy and completeness.

The Contractor will include the cost of acquiring the source data for the DEM in the cost proposal for this project.

Task 2: Digitize Public Land Survey Plat Maps

MnDOT needs GIS layers of lakes, rivers, islands, streams, wetlands, and vegetation boundaries digitized from Public Land Survey Plat Maps to use as input in hydrographic models for Phase 4 of MnModel. All of the plat maps have been scanned and georeferenced. They will be available in color on the BLM’s national Land Records web site ( ). In addition, MnDOT has georeferenced some of the maps; maps georeferenced by MnDOT are black and white, but have had collars removed. Some, but not all, features have been digitized in parts of the state.

Mn/DOT will provide Contractor with:

  • A set of digital maps georeferenced by MnDOT.
  • A township shapefile assigning each township to be digitized to a modeling region, with an indication of any preparatory work needed on each township map image prior to digitizing.
  • Shapefiles for any features already digitized.
  • Georeferencing and digitizing standards/procedures to be followed.
  • Metadata template.

The Contractor will first perform any preparatory work necessary. This may include additional georeferencing to register internal section corners (BLM maps were georeferenced using only township corners), trimming collars from digital maps, or combining two or more maps into a single map. Once all maps for a region have been prepared, the Contractor will digitize the specified features into separate GIS shapefiles (lakes, rivers, islands, streams, wetlands, and vegetation). The Contractor will update the township shapefile to indicate what work has been completed.

A qualified prehistoric archaeologist or geomorphologist will supervise the digitizing and assist in interpretation of the maps where there are questions about the representation or interpretation of features. In particular, questions about the interpretation of hydrographic features will be referred to the geomorphologist. The archaeologist or geomorphologist will be responsible for reviewing the digitized work for accuracy and completeness and for insuring that any necessary corrections are made.

Completed metadata describing all procedures performed by the Contractor, including processing of digital maps and decisions made in the interpretation of maps during digitizing. In addition, if any problems are discovered in the source material, these should be documented in the metadata and the township shapefile. These may include errors, omissions, or even falsifications made by the surveyors who prepared the historic maps. The archaeologist or geomorphologist will supervise preparation of the metadata and be responsible for its accuracy and completeness.

Task 3: Map Archaeological Sites and Surveys

MnDOT needs to have archaeological site and selected survey locations mapped for use in Phase 4 of MnModel. Sites and surveys will be mapped on a set of topographic mapsprovided by MnDOT. Some of these maps were used in earlier phases of MnModel and they may already have some sites and surveys mapped on them. This mapping was done 15 years ago, however, so these maps need to be verified and updated.

MnDOT will provide the Contractor with:

  • A set of paper topographic maps.
  • A dBase file listing the survey reports to be considered for mapping. When possible, the counties and quad sheets associated with the surveys will be identified in the file.

The Contractor will transfer site location data, including site boundaries, to these maps from corresponding maps at the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). Archaeological sites will be mapped in red pencil and clearly labeled with their official site numbers. Sites will be mapped as polygons unless they are too small or too narrow, in which cases they will be mapped as points or lines. Sites mapped as points will be marked by a red ‘x’ on the maps. All mapped work, including site locations and labels, must be clearly legible and unambiguous, as the completed maps will be scanned for digitizing. If sites on the SHPO map are illegible, the Contractor will pull the site files and map the sites clearly on the MnDOT map. After the sites have been digitized (Task 4, below), MnDOT will verify that all sites selected for inclusion in Phase 4 have been mapped. If any Phase 4 sites have not been mapped when this process is completed, the Contractor will pull the site files for those sites, determine their location, and map them on the MnDOT maps. These maps will then be re-submitted to MnDOT for scanning and digitizing.

Not all archaeological surveys can be mapped for this project. The Contractor will be expected to work with MnDOT to define the criteria for selecting surveys to map and to prioritize those surveys so that the most useful are mapped first, with others mapped as time/budget permits. Our goal is to maximize the number of high-quality surveys that are mapped.

MnDOT has visually scanned the topographic maps and identifiedthe surveys already mapped on each sheet. This information has been recorded in the surveys dBase file. The Contractor may need to pull the reports for these surveys to verify that they meet the established criteria and that the full extent of the survey is represented on the MnDOT maps. If they do not meet MnModel criteria, the dBase file will be coded to that effect. If portions of the survey are not represented on MnDOT maps, these portions will be mapped when the appropriate quad sheet is processed.

For high priority surveys in the dBase file that are not already mapped, the Contractor will pull the survey reports and determine whether the survey is reliable and whether the surveyed areas are mapped with enough accuracy to be useful for MnModel. Reports selected for mapping should identify which portions of the project area have actually been surveyed. The Contractor will then transfer the surveyed locations to the topographic maps. The dBase record for each report pulled will be updated to indicate whether it met the MnModel criteria and whether it was mapped. The Contractor will be responsible for mapping the highest priority surveys from each modeling region prior to the region’s deadline.

Archaeological surveys will be mapped in orange pencil and clearly labeled with the survey report number as it appears in the spreadsheet. Surveys will be mapped as polygons or lines, as is appropriate to the shape of the area surveyed. All mapped work, including survey locations and labels, must be clearly legible and unambiguous, as the completed maps will be scanned for digitizing.

A qualified prehistoric archaeologist will supervise all work. The archaeologist will be responsible for checking and interpreting site files and survey reports. If SHPO files are not clear or complete, the archaeologist may need to verify the data in the files at the Office of the State Archaeologist. Also, if there is any reason an archaeological site or survey in the dBase file should not be used for MnModel Phase 4, the archaeologist will add a note to that effect to the site or survey’s record. The archaeologist will check all completed maps for completeness, accuracy, and legibility and make any necessary corrections or clarifications.

All maps completed at the end of each week will be returned to MnDOT for scanning.

Task 4: Digitize Archaeological Sites and Surveys

MnDOT needs GIS layers of the archaeological site and survey boundaries that were mapped. MnDOT will scan the paper maps and provide the Contractor with:

  • A set of scanned digital topographic maps on which sites and surveys have been mapped. Maps will be provided on a weekly basis.
  • A shapefile of quad sheet boundaries for tracking the digitizing work.
  • Shapefiles for any site and survey features already digitized.
  • Georeferencing and digitizing standards/procedures to be followed.
  • Metadata template.

Contractor will georeference the scanned maps. This will not include trimming collars from digital maps. Using a georeferenced map as a background, Contractor will digitize the features into the following GIS shapefiles:

  • Sites represented as points.
  • Sites represented as lines.
  • Sites represented as polygons.
  • Surveys represented as points.
  • Surveys represented as lines.
  • Surveys represented as polygons.

Completed quad sheets will be coded as such in the quad sheet boundary shapefile.

A qualified prehistoric archaeologist will supervise the digitizing and assist in interpretation of the maps where there are any questions about the representation or interpretation of features. The qualified prehistoric archaeologist will be responsible for reviewing the digitized work for accuracy and completeness and for insuring that any necessary corrections are made. The qualified archaeologist will also supervise preparation of the metadata and be responsible for its accuracy and completeness.

The Contractor will provide metadata listing the maps digitized and describing all procedures performed by the Contractor, including processing of digital maps and decisions made in the interpretation of maps during digitizing. In addition, if any problems are discovered in the source material, these should be documented in the metadata.

Deliverables:

  • 10 m resolution integer GRID of elevation values for the state of Minnesota.
  • Paper topographic maps with mapped sites and surveys, for scanning.
  • All digital maps that the Contractor georeferenced.
  • Shapefiles of digitized features.
  • Updated tracking shapefiles (townships, quad sheet boundaries) and dBase files (sites, survey reports) will be delivered to MnDOT with each delivery of data.
  • Metadata for each GIS dataset delivered, in a template provided by MnDOT.
  • Monthly progress reports, submitted by e-mail to the MnDOT Project Manager.

Schedule:

Year 1: Deadlines for MnModel Phase 4 Tasks by Region
Month after contract start date / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12
TASK / REGION
Statewide DEM / State-wide
Digitize Plat Maps / 1 / 2 / 3
Map Archaeological Sites / 1 / 2 / 3
Map Archaeological Surveys / 1 / 2 / 3
Digitize Sites and Surveys / 1 / 2 / 3
Year 2: Deadlines for MnModel Phase 4 Tasks by Region
Month after contract start date / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12
TASK / REGION
Digitize Plat Maps / 4 / 5 / 6
Map Archaeological Sites / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8
Map Archaeological Surveys / 4 / 5 / 6
Digitize Sites and Surveys / 4 / 5 / 6
Year 3: Deadlines for MnModel Phase 4 Tasks by Region
Month after contract start date / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12
TASK / REGION
Digitize Plat Maps / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12
Map Archaeological Sites / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12
Map Archaeological Surveys / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12
Digitize Sites and Surveys / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12

Responders are encouraged to propose additional tasks or activities if they will substantially improve the results of the project. These items should be separated from the required items on the cost proposal.

Proposal Content

The following will be considered minimum contents of the proposal and must be submitted in the order listed:

  1. Contact Information:Responder’s company name, business address, the contact person’s name, telephone number, fax number and email address (as available).
  2. Project Understanding:A statement of the objectives, goals and tasks to show or demonstrate the responder's view of the nature of the Contract.
  3. Required Skills: Provide as much detail as necessary to establish that your firm meets the Required Skills laid out on Page 1 of this RFP.
  4. Background and Experience (Company and Personnel):An outline of the responder’s background and experience with examples of similar work done and a list of personnel who will conduct the project, detailing their training and work experience. In describing their qualifications for this project, responders must specifically address their degree of familiarity with the data sources involved and any previous experience specific to the tasks required. No change in personnel assigned to the project will be permitted without the written approval of MnDOT’s Project Manager.
  5. Detailed Work Plan:A detailed work plan that will identify the major tasks to be accomplished and be used as a scheduling and management tool, as well as the basis for invoicing. The work plan must present the responder’s approach, task breakdown, deliverable due dates and personnel working on the project and the hours assigned to each individual to reach the project results. This response should include a discussion of their insights into the data sources available for this project, any problems or challenges they foresee in completing the scope of work, and any efficiencies or innovations they can propose to accomplish the work in the most cost-effective manner possible.
  6. Detailed Deliverables:A description of the deliverables to be provided by the responder.
  7. MnDOT Participation:Identification of the level of MnDOT’s participation in the Contract, as well as any other services to be provided by MnDOT and details of cost allowances for this participation.
  8. Forms and Documents:The forms and documents required under any other section of this RFP.
  9. Cost Proposal:Provide, in a separate envelope, one copy of the cost proposal, clearly marked on the outside “Cost Proposal”, along with the responder’s official business name and address. For purposes of completing the cost proposal, MnDOT does not make regular payments based upon the passage of time; it only pays for services performed or work delivered after it is accomplished. Terms of the proposal as stated must be valid for the length of the project. If proposing an hourly rate, unit rate or lump sum, include a breakdown (labor, overhead, profit & expenses) showing how the rate was derived. If proposing a cost plus fixed fee (profit) budget, the responder’s Overhead Rate must not exceed 160%. The responder must utilize their current MnDOT approved Overhead rate, not to exceed 160%. For the purposes of this Cost Proposal, responders should utilize a fixed fee (profit) of 10%. Actual fixed fee (profit) will be determined/calculated by MnDOT upon selection.The responder must include a total project cost along with the following:
  • A breakout of the hours by task for each employee.
  • Identification of anticipated direct expenses.
  • Identification of any assumption made while developing this cost proposal.
  • Identification of any cost information related to additional services or tasks, include this in the cost proposal but identify it as additional costs and do not make it part of the total project cost.
  • Responder must have the cost proposal signed in ink by authorized member of the firm. The responder must not include any cost information within the body of the RFP technical proposal response.

Questions