TOWNSHIP SIGN PROGRAM

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (Posted [final] 9/1/11)

  1. How many township signs were counted in Wright County in 2009 as referred in Attachment A?

Counts were done in 2008 with 16 of the 18 townships counted for a total of 4263 signs.The remaining 2 townships sign counts were interpolated from the counted signs for a total sign count of 4663. These counts do not include street name signs or object makers.

  1. Did all Wright County townships complete a sign inventory in 2009, or just the townships that participated in the 3M grant program.

16 of the 18 townships conducted a sign inventory in 2008. Only a couple of townships participated in the 3M grant program.

  1. Of the township signs inventoried in Wright County in 2009, was the quantity based on the total number of sign panels or the total number of sign structures? (ie: multiple sign panels may be mounted on a single sign structure)

The inventory was based on the total number of sign panels.

  1. Does either county know the extent of existing township sign structures that use 4#/ft posts?

Wright & Stevens County – Both Unknown

  1. If existing 4#/ft posts are common, is the extent of breakaway supports known?

Post exceeding 3 lbs/ft are not crashworthy unless other documented, i.e. passage of NCHRP 230, NCHRP 350 or AASHTO MASH crash testing.

  1. Attachment C states that VIP and 3930 high intensity regulatory, warning, markers and street name signs 6 years of age or older must be replaced. If an installation sticker is not present on a VIP or 3930 HI sign panel, must that sign panel be replaced?

If the existing signs does not have a date of installation sticker the install date will then be determined by the install date on record.If the signs age cannot be determined from either of these methods the sign may be replaced. The counties believe that most signs with these sheeting types should have installation date stickers.

  1. Do installation dates need to be inventoried for ASTM Type I and II sign panels since any inventoried panels meeting ASTM Type I or II will be replaced automatically?

These signs will need to be inventoried , but existing install date maybe omitted.

  1. Street name signs do not have installation stickers. As such, do all township street name signs with ASTM Type I, II, III or IX sheeting need to be replaced?

If the existing sign do not have a date of installation sticker the install date will then be determined by the install date on record. If the signs age cannot be determined from either of these methods the sign may be replaced. The counties believe that most street name signs will be 10 years old or older.

  1. Does Stevens County have a GIS system? If so, what is it?

Stevens County uses Simple Signs.They are not using GIS coordinates for their program, but the system is ready for GIS.

  1. Who will setthe sign reduction goal and when will it be set for each township?

The final goal will beestablished by the LRRB project which is workingin concert with this project and will be set early on in this project, referenced in the RFP.

  1. If work is to be completed county by county which county is to be completed first?

The order will be determined by the project manager.

  1. Will signing within city limits be included?

No, signing within the city limits will not be included. Only the townships in the two counties will be inventoried.

  1. Will 911 address signs be included?

The address signs located on the personal property of the residents in the county will not be included, but the street signs will be included in this phase of the project.

  1. When will map of Roadway Ownership be made available?

The maps are readily available for this project.

  1. Is the sign count available for those townships in Wright County that took advantage of the 3M grant program? Do any other townships have an estimation of their inventory size?

Counts were done in 2008 with 16 of the 18 townships participating and they counted a total of 4263 signs. The remaining 2 townships sign counts were interpolated from the counted signs for a total sign count of 4663. It was estimated that there were 200 signs per township. These counts do not include street name signs or object markers. Only a few townships participated in the 3M grant program in 2009.

  1. There are multiple Sign Properties listed on RFP Attachment B that we would like to get a more detailed definition of what we are being asked to acquire. The properties in question are:
  1. Sheeting Type - Is this referring to the actual ASTM sheeting type (I , II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX or X) or are you simply looking to distinguish whether a sign panel is Engineer Grade or Prismatic?

The inventory should distinguish if the sign panel is engineering grade or prismatic sheeting; unless the ASTM sheet type is ready available

  1. Sign Structure- How much detail is needed to satisfy the requirements of the RFP? Post type? Post poundage? Installation dimensions and bolt positions? Yes/No on crashworthiness?

The basic structure of the sign is needed, i.e. 2U, 2U-1A, etc., but if the structure is not crashworthy it will need to be upgrade.

  1. Sign Condition – How much detail is needed to satisfy the requirements of the RFP? Physical condition (panel straight, no bullet holes, no paint marks, etc.)? Measured Retroreflectivity

The sign condition is rated on a good/fair/poor rating system.

  1. Sign Manufacturer/Vendor – Are you looking for the sheeting manufacturer (3M, Avery Denison, etc.) or are you looking for the vendor or manufacturer of the actual sign itself, as my be identified by a sticker on the back of the sign (M&R, Lyle Signs, Gopher Signs, etc.)?

The vendor of the entire sign, not the sheeting

  1. If a subcontractor is being utilized for any portion of the Engineering Phase, do they also need to provide cost detail or is a lump sum for a described scope of work acceptable?

If a subcontractor’s costs will be less than $10,000, they are considered to be an expense, and a lump sum line within your expenses will suffice. If their costs exceed $10,000, a complete budget breakdown is required. This should be done in that company’s appropriate structure…Cost Plus Fixed Fee, Fixed Hourly Rate, etc.

  1. The RFP refers to “electronic files” to be submitted as part of the final deliverables, but there is no mention of the required format (.pdf, MicroStation files, AutoCAD files, etc.). Please advise.

Any applicable file will be part of this deliverable. As examples, this may included the inventory in excel format, inspection sheets in PFD format, design files in MicroStation, etc.

  1. What is the extent of the final Field Review with each County Engineer? Will all roads be driven, will some roads be driven, or will it simply be a meeting to review the plan set, township responsibilities, and action plan?

The county engineer is the project sponsor in this role he will oversee the funding, final and draft plan reviews and adherence to local, state and federal project requirements and standards, but not the day to day data collection/inventory. They will also provide township documentation that is currently available, i.e. roadway ownership, GIS layers, township contact information, etc.

  1. Because time to complete the field data collection could increase if the temperatures are very low and/or there is significant snow on the ground, can you provide the anticipated award date and how soon after award will the successful respondent be able to begin field work?

The selection committee for this project is tentatively scheduled for 9/19/11. Responders will be notified within a day or two of selection results, and processing of the Pre-Award Audit and negotiating the final scope of work and budget for the contract will commence. Once negotiations are final, the final Contract will be development and processed. For purposes of your proposal, assume a 10/1/11 start date.

  1. Does DBE Documentation need to be submitted as part of the proposal?

No. DBE documentation will only be required of the successful responder during final Contract processing.

  1. The STOP or YIELD signs on Township legs of intersections with county and trunk highway roads are typically owned by the County or Mn/DOT respectively. Will these signs be included in the inventory and subject to replacement efforts? Will any signs (other than street name signs) that are owned by a County be included in the inventory and/or be subject to removal/replacement efforts?

MnDOT or County owned STOP and YIELD signs will not be included in the inventory or the removal/replacement efforts, but county owned street name signs at the intersections with township roads, will be inventoried and replaced as needed.

23Existing township street name signs in Stevens County typically involve 2 separate panels per roadway mounted on a square post (ie:TELSPAR® post). As such, two intersecting township roads involve 4 sign panels on a single square post. Wright County uses both the square post, as in Stevens County, and U-channel posts with sheeting on both sides of a top mounted single panel per roadway. Will street name sign replacement involve matching the existing panel and post arrangement or will a standardized panel/post type be applied to street sign replacement in both counties?

The signs will be replaced in-kind.

  1. Please clarify Proposal Content section 6. “details of cost allowances for this (Mn/DOT) participation”.

The main focus of this proposal content requirement is to provide a clear indication of responders’ view of MnDOT’s participation. Cost allowance for MnDOT participation should be addressed through a description of the tasks MnDOT is expected to be involved in and the time required of MnDOT personnel.

  1. Proposal Content section 5, and 8 request hourly estimates by individual. Hourly estimates by employee classification are typically provided in response to Mn/DOT RFP’s. Is an hourly estimate by individual required, or is an hourly estimate by employee classification acceptable.

Hours by employee classification is acceptable.

  1. RFP Project Goal, second paragraph, states that the Township Sign Program and the LRRB/RIC funded standalone project focusing on implementation of the BMP Handbook will “work in concert. See Attachment A.” Please clarify how the two projects will work in concert. Attachment A does not reference the LRRB/RIC project. Does this Township Sign Program project assume full responsibility for data collection (i.e.: review crash history, collect traffic volumes) and analysis of intersection control for potential removal or conversion of intersection control signage?

No, the LRRB/RIC project is not responsibility for data collection as noted/required as part of this RFP. If additional information is required by the engineer, to apply engineering judgment, it is the responsibility of the selected firm. The LRRB/RIC project will help to identify types of signs for reduction, provide training to selected firm and townships on the practice of sign reduction.

  1. Have any of the subject townships adopted policies addressing intersection control?

It is unknown if any townships have adopted an intersection control policy, but it is believed that none of them have.

  1. Has either county adopted a policy for establishing intersection control at low-volume rural intersections?

There is no written policy.

  1. Attachment B, Attributes of the inventory, item 4, “z is the height from the ground, at the base of the post”. Is z the height from the ground, at the base of the post, to the bottom of the sign panel? Is z the elevation at the ground at the base of the post?Please clarify.

Z would represent the distance from the ground to the bottom of the sign panel or the sign mounting height.

  1. Does MnDOT contemplate that the products being prepared on this project would qualify for prevention of discovery and would not be subject to consideration in action in Federal or State court under 23 USC 409?

Yes

  1. What is the format of the existing Stevens County sign inventory and what is the number of signs in each category?

Stevens County does not know the extent of their current sign inventory, but uses the program Simple Signs. Also, they do not know the number of signs in each category.

  1. What is the number of signs in each category in the 1988 Township sign inventory in Wright County?

Wright County has this data in their archives, but they are unsure on how this information is relevant to the current program. An inventory was conducted in 2008 and they had a total of 4263 signs in 16 of the 18 townships (not including street signs). It was estimated that there were 4663 signs in all 18 of the townships (not including street signs).

  1. Will the Counties be responsible for updating the sign information in the electronic files based on information received from the townships in paper copy?

It will be the townships responsibilities to update the information on their signs.

  1. Will the townships or the counties be responsible for checking for compliance and annual reporting?

It is the townships responsibility for reporting on their signs, but the counties will be checking for compliance of the project.

  1. Per recent FHWA collaboration, a sign panel that is rated good or very good during a nighttime drive-through will have “several” or “a significant” number of years of remaining life.Is a nighttime drive-through acceptable to determine if there is sufficient retroreflectivity remaining on a sign?If so, can installation sticker information and sheeting material type be removed from the list of existing sign attributes to inventory?This would result in a reduced cost to conduct the existing sign inventory.

No

  1. Is the proposal limited to 50 single-sided, or 50 double-sided pages?

Limited to 50 single-sided pages.

  1. What is the timeline for completion of the project?

MnDOT is estimating a 1 year timeline for the project. Responders are required to provide an anticipated schedule, even if it exceeds this 1 year estimate, to show their understanding of the project and take on the requirements.

  1. How will sign offset be defined, and how accurate of a measurement is required?

Per the MnMUTCD

  1. Do townships in Wright and Stevens Counties place installation date stickers on sign panels? If not, do the counties have records of installation dates?

Wright county does not have a record of installation dates and is unsure if the townships have place installation date stickers on the sign panels. They are unsure on whether or not the townships have a record of installation dates, but most likely have some sort of record on different types of installs (might be paper copy).

If the existing signs do not have a date of installation sticker, the install date will then be determined by the install date on record. If the signs age cannot be determined from either of these methods, the sign may be replaced.

  1. Is the intent to evaluate signs for proper location, and to place new signs in their proper locations, or just to replace in the existing locations?

Both, it will depend on the location of the existing sign, sign type, etc.

  1. If a sign doesn’t need to be replaced for any structural or sheeting type reason, but is determined to be in the wrong location, is it to be left in place, salvaged and reinstalled, or replaced?

This will vary based on sign type, location, reason for relocation, etc., but if the sign is to be moved it should be salvaged and reinstalled.

  1. Is the intent to evaluate whether an existing sign is needed, and to remove extraneous signing?

Yes

  1. Do you have a copy of the Contract for the previous Township Sign Inventory project?

A copy of the Contract, and the resulting Amendments, are available upon direct request to the Contract Administrator: (even beyond the Question Due date of 9/30/11)

  1. If we use a subcontractor on our team, does that firm need to have a Mn/DOT approved overhead rate? As the lead firm, we do have an approved overhead rate.Can we list of subcontractor’s cost as a lump sum in the project cost proposal?

If the subcontractor’s costs exceed $10,000, they will be required to complete a Pre-Award Audit, in which case an approved MnDOT overhead rate will be established, if it hasn’t been already. A Subcontractor’s costs may only be listed as a Lump Sum if their total costs are less than $10,000, in which case they are considered an expense to the project. Otherwise, their costs must be broken own.