REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT)
Development of Project Management Plans and Risk Management Plans for Major Projects and a Scalable Project Management Plan Template
Note: This document is available in alternative formats for persons with disabilities by calling Ashley Duran at 651-336-4627 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 Mn/DOT to award a Contract or complete the project, and Mn/DOT reserves the right to cancel the solicitation if it is considered to be in its best interest.
Project Specific Information
Project Overview
Mn/DOT requests proposals for the development of project management plans with emphasis on risk management plans and financial management plans for up to 13 major highway projects.
Background:
The Major Projects Flagship Initiative has developed a draft definition of a “Major Project” as any project with a total project cost estimate less than greater than or equal to $100 Million, or as identified by other significant project risks. This currently translates into 13 projects listed within the 2010 Annual Report on Major Highway Projects under the legislation mandating annual reporting to the legislature. Several of these projects are programmed in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), while others are still in the planning phase. This list could expand based on the complexity or level of risk of the project or via additional detail to the above definition.
This project includes the development of project management plans, with emphasis on project financial and risk management elements for up to 13 projects identified as Major Projects (Task 1). The project also involves the development of a scalable project management plan outline that can be applied to all Mn/DOT transportation projects (Task 2).
Referencing the Major Projects report that is prepared annually for the Legislature, specific projects tracked under this flagship initiative will initially be those over $100 Million in estimated total project cost. Based on the January 2010 Major Projects Report, there are currently 13 projects identified as major for the flagship initiative:
· Highway 36/95 St. Croix River Crossing
· Highway 610 New alignment from County Road 81 to Interstate 94 in Maple Grove and Brooklyn Park
· Interstate 35W/Highway 62 Crosstown
· Highway 63 Red Wing Bridge over Mississippi River
· Highway 43 Winona Bridge over Mississippi River
· Highway 52 Lafayette River Bridge over Mississippi River
· Interstate 90 Dresbach Bridge over Mississippi River
· Highway 61 Hastings Bridge over Mississippi River
· Highway 169/Interstate 494 Interchange
· Highway 100 36th Street to Cedar Lake Road
· Interstate 35E Cayuga Bridge between University Avenue and Maryland Avenue
· Highway 60 Bigelow to Worthington
· Highway 371 Nisswa to Pine River
All of these projects are at different stages of development. Several are just beginning or nearing construction, while others are still being scoped to determine what will be included in the project. Of the projects on this list, up to 11 projects have, or will have, project management plans developed as part of the deliverable in this scope. The “Interstate 35W/Highway 62 Crosstown” project is expected to be completed later this year; therefore, a project management plan will not be developed. Also, the “Highway 610 New alignment from County Road 81 to Interstate 94 in Maple Grove and Brooklyn Park” project does not currently have funding identified within the 10-year Highway Improvement Plan (HIP), and therefore, funding cannot be dedicated toward developing its project management plan at this time.
In addition, the “Highway 36/95 St. Croix River Crossing” project already as a project management plan developed, and the task for this project would be narrowed to updating and refining the existing plan and risk management plan.
Four other projects already have draft project management plans and risk assessments:
· Highway 43 Winona Bridge over Mississippi River
· Highway 52 Lafayette River Bridge over Mississippi River
· Interstate 90 Dresbach Bridge over Mississippi River
· Highway 61 Hastings Bridge over Mississippi River
The specific scope for these projects includes finalizing the project management plan and updating the risk management plans.
The Stewardship Council is taking an innovative view of managing risk by identifying Major Projects as a Flagship Initiative. To accomplish this, they have recognized the need to accelerate the development of project management plans with strong risk management and financial elements as an innovative approach to managing major projects. Additionally, this effort is implementing recommendations of the project management peer review by developing and integrating the use of project management plans on a graduated approach, beginning with the highest risk projects in the program.
The project management plans are in alignment with Mn/DOT’s Strategic Directions in the following ways:
- Innovation – The accelerated approach to developing project management plans, risk management plans and financial plans on the 13 major projects will enhance the management of our most critical projects and will also help in developing department-wide guidance for the use of scalable project management plans for all Mn/DOT projects. This approach will transform the culture and process for project management and a more rapid scale by integrating project management practices across various districts through this broad scale opportunity.
- Leadership – The Stewardship Council’s identification of major projects as a flagship initiative highlights the dedication and commitment at Mn/DOT’s highest levels of leadership. Subsequently, the support to develop risk management plans, project management plans and financial plans demonstrates leadership commitment to the project management and risk management efforts within Mn/DOT.
- Transparency – The resulting products of this effort (project management plans with strong financial and risk management elements) will be publicly available documents that demonstrate Mn/DOT’s accountability in delivering projects to the public’s expectations. All of the plans developed will serve as communication tools for the project staff to discuss project scope, schedule and cost information with the project’s stakeholders and the public.
It also must be acknowledged that the 13 major projects are also meeting the strategic directions of Safety and Mobility. By developing project management plans with emphasis on risk and financial elements for these projects, Mn/DOT will be ensuring better delivery of projects to improve safety and mobility for the traveling public.
The development of project management plans with strong financial and risk management elements will result in more explicit attention to ensuring the right projects are delivered on time and on budget. This effort will improve management efficiency to proactively identify risks and needed resources. Ultimately, it should also improve Mn/DOT’s ability to deliver construction as scheduled for bid letting, which is one of core performance measures under Accountability and Transparency.
Project Goal
It is the goal of this project to deliver 13 project management plans that include risk management plans for up to 13 major projects. It is also the goal of this project to deliver a scalable project management plan template that can be utilized for all highway projects.
Key risks
1. Project Management Skill Set – These initiatives are new to Mn/DOT and have not been utilized within the transportation community on a regular basis yet. Mn/DOT is looking for a skill set to facilitate new processes and to develop a project management plan template that will be used across the department.
2. Transition – This effort will be taking place potentially across a departmental transition. The continued need for this effort will need to be communicated across the department at all levels.
3. Schedule – Developing up to 13 project management plans in six months is aggressive and will require coordination across multiple districts and with up to 13 different project staff groups. To mitigate this, the successful responder will be encouraged to utilize communications technology with the project groups. Additionally, constant communication and strong project management will be needed to keep this effort on schedule and to keep momentum going.
4. Funding – The funding used to develop and deliver the project management plans and risk management plans must be spent in its entirety by June 30, 2011. Therefore, the deliverables for Task 1 are due on or before June 30, 2011.
Scope of Work and Deliverables
Task 1: Develop Risk Assessments and Project Management Plans for up to 13 Projects
Currently, Mn/DOT is tracking 12 projects with a cost greater than or equal to 100 Million, or with other complex or high risk issues:
· Highway 36/95 St. Croix River Crossing
· Highway 63 Red Wing Bridge over Mississippi River
· Highway 43 Winona Bridge over Mississippi River
· Highway 52 Lafayette River Bridge over Mississippi River
· Interstate 90 Dresbach Bridge over Mississippi River
· Highway 61 Hastings Bridge over Mississippi River
· Highway 169/Interstate 494 Interchange
· Highway 100 36th Street to Cedar Lake Road
· Interstate 35E Cayuga Bridge between University Avenue and Maryland Avenue
· Highway 60 Bigelow to Worthington
· Highway 371 Nisswa to Pine River
· Highway 72 Rainy River Bridge in Baudette
Through Mn/DOT’s flagship initiative on Major Projects, it has been determined that these projects need to be managed differently through the use of project management plans with emphasis on risk management and financial management. Therefore, Task 1 is to develop and complete project management plans for the 12 projects on the list above.
The following four other projects already have draft project management plans and risk assessments, and the task will include completing the plans for those projects:
· Highway 43 Winona Bridge over Mississippi River
· Highway 52 Lafayette River Bridge over Mississippi River
· Interstate 90 Dresbach Bridge over Mississippi River
· Highway 61 Hastings Bridge over Mississippi River
In addition, the “Highway 36/95 St. Croix River Crossing” project has an initial version of a plan and must be updated.
In addition to the projects on the list above, one additional project may also be added for the development of project management plans and risk management plans because of a high risk or risks that cause them to be tracked under the major projects flagship initiative. The maximum number of project management plans to be developed and completed is 13.
Task 1 also includes the facilitation and development of risk management plans utilizing a standard risk register that will identify the risk, determine its probability and impact, develop a mitigation strategy and rank the risks based on the residual level of risk if the mitigation strategies is followed. Mn/DOT has a standard risk register template that can be used for this process. However, a general risk register that includes the information on the risk event, its probability, impact, a way to prioritize the risks and develops standard strategies for managing the risk as well as assigning responsibility for the management of the risk are basic requirements.
Project financial considerations must also be documented to be used for future development of a project financial plan, which is not part of this scope.
The project management plans will follow the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) project management plan guidance for major projects at a minimum.
The risk assessments, risk management plans and project management plans MUST be developed and completed by June 30, 2011. Responders must explain their plan to manage this task with the stated constraints.
Task 1 Deliverables:
1. A completed project management plan for each project listed above. It is acknowledged that the detail of the plan will be scaled with the point in the project development process where the project is. Thus some plans will be mainly focusing on construction activities, others will be focusing on design and construction, and others may be addressing project scoping all the way through construction and may be at a high-level framework because of the lack of information available about the scope of the project at the time.
2. A risk management plan for each project listed above. The risk management plans will include risk registers and risk management strategies for addressing the prioritize list of risks developed through a collaborative input process.
Task 2: Revise the Project Management Plan Outline/Template
The successful responder will revise the project management plan outline/template to ensure scalability to all projects, incorporation of risk and include project financial plan.
This task requires the development of a template for project management plans to be used on transportation program delivery projects. The template needs to be scalable to accommodate the various types of projects that Mn/DOT delivers to ensure that it is adding value to the process. The template must ensure that the project is delivered on-time, on-budget and within the scope. The template must include methods for tracking risks, resources and quality.
The template should build upon the lessons learned in developing plans for the major projects to incorporate improvements that will help to build better project management plans and better projects. The plan should generally follow the Project Management Institutes (PMI’s) Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and can also be developed based on other project management resources, such as FHWA’s guidance for major highway projects and the Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) online project management guide.
Task 2 Deliverable:
1. A scalable project management plan template that can be applied to highway projects of various sizes and complexities. The template should build upon the FHWA project management plan structure and be customized to Mn/DOT project delivery processes. At a maximum, the plan should include the option for an interactive template much like the Washington State DOT Project Management On-line Guide, focusing on customizing the PMI’s five project management process groups to highway projects and developing a broad WBS Master Deliverables List.
Qualifications/Desired Skills
Responders must:
1. Be certified Project Management Professional (PMP), with at least ten years of experience in project management;
2. Have experience on national projects or large-scale civil/transportation projects;
3. Have experience in developing project management plans and project management plan templates in accordance with PMI’s PMBOK;
4. Be able to manage multiple projects at once in a complex environment with an aggressive schedule;
5. Have the ability to manage projects in accordance with the developed project management plans;
6. Have the ability to facilitate meetings with successful outcomes;
7. Have strong verbal communication skills; and
8. Have strong organizational skills.
Anticipated Project Timing
It is anticipated that this project will take 6-9 months. The development of project management plans and risk management plans for the 13 major projects will occur in the first six months as this is the higher priority deliverable, and the development of a project management plan outline will be the final deliverable, but should progress through the same time as the development of the project-specific risk management plans. Extensive coordination will be required with Mn/DOT’s District Offices, several Central Offices and the Bridge Office.