Texas Department of Transportation Page 1 of 1

Texas Department of Transportation Page 1 of 9 Request for Proposal

Request for Proposals - Highway Safety Plan: In accordance with 43 TAC §25.901, et seq., the Texas Department of Transportation is requesting project proposals to support the goals and strategies of a traffic safety program to reduce the number of motor vehicle related crashes, injuries and fatalities in Texas. These goals and strategies form the basis for the Fiscal Year

2006 (FY06) Highway Safety Plan (HSP). Proposals will not be required to participate in

Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) - Wave. Requirements for projects to be considered for a STEP Wave will be established at a later date. Organizations with yearlong

STEPs will not be eligible for the STEP Wave. Communities with yearlong STEPs may be allowed to participate in mobilizations using special funds. A separate request for proposals

(RFP) will be issued for the following areas, so proposals for these type projects should not be submitted in response to this RFP:

1. Technical Assistance and Data Analysis for Traffic Safety

2. Mobile Video Instructor Training Course

3. Traffic Safety Project Management Training

4. Safe Communities Process Manager

5. Safety belt surveys

6. Police Traffic Services Support

7. Child Passenger Safety Education and Distribution Program

8. City/County Traffic Safety Assistance

Proposals to reduce driving while impaired (DWI) and proposals to improve the use of occupant protection are especially sought. All proposals must include a minimum of 10% local cost share in the first three years of an approved project. Proposals for a second or subsequent year of funding and multiyear proposals must include a Cost Assumption Plan (TxDOT Form 1845).

Proposals for a fourth or fifth year must contain a 35% and 50% local cost share respectively. Texas Department of Transportation Page 2 of 9 Request for Proposal

Multiyear proposals will be accepted; however funding will be allocated on a single year basis.

Each proposal must state which goal(s) and strategy(ies) included in the draft FY06 Performance

Measures chart, available at www.dot.state.tx.us/trafficsafety/grants. The chart is also available

from District Traffic Safety Specialists or Traffic Safety Program Managers. Eligible

organizations are state and local governments, educational institutions, and non-profit

organizations. Eligible, non-governmental organizations are subject to a pre-award audit prior to

any grant execution.

Project Proposals: Organizations are responsible for insuring they use the appropriate proposal forms. Proposals for Selective Traffic Enforcement Projects must be submitted on

TxDOT Form 1851LE, with appropriate attachments. All other proposals must be submitted on

TxDOT Form 1851 with appropriate attachments. Proposals on obsolete or incorrect forms will not be scored for inclusion in the FY06 HSP. Current project proposal application forms and instructions, scoring criteria, and other related documents are available at the TxDOT internet site: www.dot.state.tx.us/trafficsafety/grants or upon request by contacting the Traffic Operations

Division, Traffic Safety Section, attention Mr. Bill Strawn at (512) 416-2613 or from the Traffic

Safety Specialist at the nearest TxDOT district office. District Traffic Safety Specialists and

State Program Manager contact information may be found at

www.dot.state.tx.us/trafficsafety/contact/contact.htm. It is recommended that potential proposal

submitters contact either the responsible District Traffic Safety Specialist for proposals for local

projects or the appropriate State Program Manager for proposals of statewide efforts in order to

receive comments and feedback on any proposal, prior to final submission of the proposal.

Proposals must be submitted in writing to the nearest TxDOT district office, Attention: Traffic

Safety Specialist, or mailed directly to Terry Pence, Traffic Operations Division, Texas Texas Department of Transportation Page 3 of 9 Request for Proposal

Department of Transportation, 125 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas 78701-2483. Proposals must be received by TxDOT no later than 5 p.m., February 1, 2005.

Project Selection Process: The Texas HSP is developed through a strategic performance planning process, using goals established through analysis of the most recent available motor vehicle crash data. The selection of individual projects is based on the problem identification and project solution offered in the proposals. Traffic safety managers will review and evaluate each proposal for applicability to Texas' and community traffic safety problems. Each qualifying project proposal will be scored against a number of selected criteria. Criteria include strength of problem identification supported with verifiable, current, and applicable documentation of the state or local traffic safety problem; quality of the proposed solution plan; realistic objectives and performance measures; time-framed action plan; cost eligibility; percent of matching funding proposed; and a reasonable and necessary budget. Proposals including child passenger safety seats require a minimum 25% cost share for the safety seats. Any safety seats included in traffic safety proposals will be ordered through and purchased by the Texas Department of State Health

Services, Safe Riders. Proposals for a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) are limited to one or combinations of the following: Driving While Intoxicated, Occupant Protection, Speed, and Intersection Traffic Control. STEP proposals to specifically address the problems listed above and other hazardous moving violation related to commercial motor vehicles will also be considered. A community should submit one combined proposal that covers all the desired traffic safety elements. Consolidated grants for all STEP elements will be issued for FY 2006.

Education, training, or presentation proposals using public schools must include written support from target schools or school districts where the efforts will be made or where the product will be included in the curriculum. Proposals for immediate or potential statewide projects in public schools must also have verification of coordination and commitment from the Texas Education Texas Department of Transportation Page 4 of 9 Request for Proposal

Agency. Proposals must be submitted by the responsible entity or have the written support from an authorized representative of that agency. Separate documents with information pertaining to the submitting agency's qualifications, commitment, availability of external resources, task force associations, or previous traffic safety or related experience may also be included with the proposal. Failure to follow the above requirements may disqualify your proposal from the scoring process. Any questions regarding your proposal should be directed to your assigned

TxDOT representative.

Once the scoring process is complete, proposed projects are assigned priority for available funding. Selected proposals will be recommended for inclusion in the Texas HSP expected to begin in federal fiscal year 2006 (October 1, 2005). Eligible and worthwhile projects may be initiated prior to October 1, 2005 if sufficient funding is available. Proposals selected for inclusion in the FY 2006 HSP become cost reimbursable grant-in-aid agreements. Contracts with vendors for particular services will be made through the state purchasing process, not through this request for proposal process. All information resource-related activities will be subject to TxDOT information resource procurement procedures. Federal and state grant funds cannot be used for lobbying.

HSP Funding Apportionment: The traffic safety program will be divided into three categories;

1. Core competencies – those programs which have the most direct impact on the number

of traffic fatalities in the state. Reductions in fatalities caused by factors covered in core

competencies have the greatest ability to decrease loss of life significantly in Texas. Texas Department of Transportation Page 5 of 9 Request for Proposal

2. Contiguous competencies – these are programs that have an effect on the number of

traffic fatalities in Texas, but the loss of life in these areas, and therefore the potential

saving of life, is less, sometimes by a significant factor, than in the core competencies.

3. Auxiliary competencies – programs which, by themselves do little to nothing to reduce

traffic fatalities, but when used in support of the core competencies have a multiplier

effect, meaning the effort expended in the core competency is increased in value and

effect.

The elements of the various categories and the percentage of 402 traffic safety funding

apportioned to each category are:

1. Core competencies of police traffic services (to include all types of enforcement and

Police Traffic Services Support), all alcohol countermeasures, and all occupant

protection measures (except public information and education) will receive

approximately 75 percent of available non-federally earmarked funds;

2. Contiguous competencies of emergency medical services support, roadway safety,

pedestrian safety, bicycle safety, Safe Communities processes, and motorcycle safety

will receive approximately 10 percent of available non-federally earmarked funds; and

3. Auxiliary competencies of public information and education and traffic records will

receive approximately 15 percent of available non-federally earmarked funds.

HSP Review and Approval: The HSP will be submitted to the Texas Transportation

Commission for approval. Upon approval, the HSP is submitted to the Governor's Office and forwarded to the federal government for review and comment. Texas Department of Transportation Page 6 of 9 Request for Proposal

HSP Implementation: The HSP becomes operational on October 1 of every year if federal appropriations allow. Funds are to be used to support state problem identification, planning and implementation of a traffic safety program to reduce crashes, deaths, and injuries on Texas roadways. The traffic safety program is designed to implement worthwhile projects where costs will be assumed by the sponsoring agency. Texas Traffic Safety Program project grant agreements supported with non-dedicated federal funds are limited to the length of the proposed grant period and usually do not receive extended funding beyond three years. Also,

"supplanting" (use of federal funds to support personnel or an activity that is already supported by local or state funds) is prohibited. Funding is also provided from state, local, and private sources.

HSP Program Areas and Goals: Submitted proposals must comply with the goals and strategies outlined in the draft FY06 performance measures chart at www.dot.state.tx.us/trafficsafety/grants. The chart is also available from the District Traffic

Safety Specialist responsible for the geographical area of Texas in which the project will take place, or the responsible Traffic Safety Program Manager in the Traffic Operations Division if the project will be conducted statewide. Texas Department of Transportation Page 7 of 9 Request for Proposal

 Texas Department of Transportation Page 8 of 9 Request for Proposal

Authority and Responsibility: The traffic safety grant program derives from the

National Highway Safety Act of 1966 (23 USC §401, et seq.), and the Texas Traffic Safety Act Texas Department of Transportation Page 9 of 9 Request for Proposal of 1967 (Transportation Code, Chapter 723). An integral part of the Texas Department of

Transportation and working through the department's 25 districts for local projects, the program is administered at the state level by the department's Traffic Operations Division. The executive director of the department is the designated Governor's Highway Safety Representative.