RFP No. 013-004 VRE MOBILE TICKETING SYSTEM - Virginia ...

VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
RFP No. 013-004
VRE MOBILE TICKETING SYSTEM
RFP Issued: March 15, 2013
Contact: Ms. Gerri Hill, Contract Administration Manager
Virginia Railway Express, 1500 King Street, Suite 202, Alexandria, VA 22314
Main Office: (703) 684-1001 Direct/Fax: (703) 838-5427 Email: ghill@vre.org
Page 1 of 123
RFP No. 013-004
VRE Mobile Ticketing System

_______________________________________________________________________
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION TITLE PAGE NO.
____________________________________________________________
RFP INFORMATION 4
Procurement Schedule 5
Purpose/VRE Background 6
Project Background 8
Notices for Offerors 11
PART I - SCHEDULE 16
A Project Objectives 17
B Scope of Work 19
C Project Management 39
D Special Terms and Conditions 42
E Invoicing and Payment 47
PART II - GENERAL INFORMATION, INSTRUCTIONS 49
AND CONDITIONS FOR OFFERORS
F General Information About the RFP 50
G General Instructions for Offerors 52
H General Conditions for Offerors 55
PART III - UTILIZATION OF DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS 59
ENTERPRISES AND SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS
I Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Policy 60
J Small Business Concerns Policy 62
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_____________________________________________________________________
TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED)
SECTION TITLE PAGE NO.
______________________________________________________________________
PART IV - PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS 65
K Technical Proposal Content, Organization and Format 66
L Cost Proposal 75
M Submission of Proposal 76
PART V - EVALUATION CRITERIA, CONTRACT AWARD 78
AND CONTRACT EXECUTION
N Evaluation Criteria 79
O Contract Award 80
P Contract Execution 82
PART VI - CONTRACT DELIVERABLES 83
Q Certificate of Insurance 84
R Surety Bonds 85
S Project Submittals 86
PART VII – DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER 94
ATTACHMENTS
T Exhibits 95
U List of Attachments 123
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RFP INFORMATION
TITLE
Procurement Schedule
Purpose/VRE Background
Project Background
Notices for Offerors
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VRE Mobile Ticketing System
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PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE
_______________________________________________________________________
RFP Issued March 15, 2013
Confirm attendance at the
Pre-Proposal Meeting
(See Page 12)
March 25, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. EST
Optional Pre-Proposal Meeting
(See Page 12)
March 28, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. EST
Submission of Written Questions
(See Page 12)
April 4, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. EST
Proposals Due
(See Page 77)
April 26, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. EST
Interviews (Optional)
(See Page 80)
June 4 -7, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. EST
_______________________________________________________________________ _
Virginia Railway Express (VRE) reserves the right to make changes to the
above-mentioned schedule. All such changes shall be made by an addendum
to the solicitation. Offerors must frequently monitor VRE’s website at
www.vre.org for information concerning this solicitation, including any
addenda or notices.
_______________________________________________________________________ _
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PURPOSE/VRE BACKGROUND
___________________________________________________
1. PURPOSE
The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to solicit responses
from qualified firms who have proven capability to develop, implement,
support, operate and maintain an end-to-end mobile phone ticketing
software system. Qualified firms shall be able to demonstrate either a
revenue service proven mobile ticketing platform/technology or a signed
Contract for work similar to the VRE Mobile Ticketing System with
planned deployment in 2013.
2. VRE BACKGROUND
A. The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) operates commuter rail service to the
District of Columbia from Northern Virginia. The Northern Virginia
Transportation Commission (NVTC) and the Potomac and Rappahannock
Transportation Commission (PRTC) jointly own this service. An
Operations Board consisting of members from each of the jurisdictions
within the VRE service area governs the development and operation of
VRE and serves as an advisory board to the NVTC and PRTC
commissioners.
B. VRE began operations in 1992 and now carries an average of 20,000 daily
passengers on thirty (30) scheduled trips and is currently operating at or
above capacity with a significant amount of standees. In addition, growth
and service changes have added many new facilities and infrastructure
enhancements to VRE’s program of projects. VRE is committed to
continued infrastructure and operational improvements, as the future
growth of VRE will depend upon service reliability and the ability to
expand to accommodate additional passengers.
C. VRE currently contracts with Keolis Rail Services Virginia to operate and
maintain all VRE trains. The Keolis contract began in July 2010 and is for
a five-year term.
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D. VRE operates thirty (30) revenue trains encompassing seventy-seven
(77) Gallery-style railcars daily over a network of two (2) lines that
cover eighty-nine (89) miles of track from Union Station in Washington
D.C. south to Fredericksburg, Virginia and west to Manassas, Virginia.
E. The Fredericksburg and Manassas lines serve eighteen (18) stations with
four (4) common station facilities at Washington Union Station, L’Enfant,
Crystal City and Alexandria.
F. The Fredericksburg and Manassas lines share the same right-of-way for
approximately 9.6 miles from Union Station to just south of Alexandria,
Virginia where the lines split. The Fredericksburg line parallels I-95 and
the Potomac River and the Manassas line runs along the I-66 corridor.
The Fredericksburg right-of-way is owned by CSX Transportation, Inc.
and the Manassas right-of-way is owned by Norfolk Southern
Corporation. An Operating Agreement also exists with Amtrak that
supports the use of Union Station, which is owned by Amtrak along with
their right-of-way.
G. Increased market demand has driven VRE to plan for two (2) new station
expansion projects. A future VRE station in Spotsylvania on the
Fredericksburg line is expected to be in place by the end of calendar year
2013. A project to extend VRE service on the Manassas line to the
Gainesville area of Prince William County and the town of Haymarket is
under consideration.
H. The primary mission of VRE is to transport commuters between outlying
suburbs and the Washington-Arlington urban core.
I. The service is heavily oriented towards the central business district in the
morning peak and in the opposite direction in the evening peak.
J. The only non-peak service is an early-afternoon return trip from
Washington on each line, and two limited-stop reverse-direction trains on
the Manassas Line in each peak period.
K. Some tourists and “day-trippers” also ride the trains, but there are limited
opportunities for non-commuters and people who work non-traditional
hours to ride VRE.
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L. Certain Amtrak trains honor VRE tickets and thus provide additional
frequencies between the stations served by those Amtrak trains.
M. Information on VRE operations can be viewed online at www.vre.org.
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PROJECT BACKGROUND
1. GENERAL
A. VRE operates an “open” fare system in that there is no single point of
entry to control boarding and there are multiple doors on a single train
through which a passenger can board or disembark. Fare inspection and
verification is performed by conductors, who have other responsibilities
onboard the train that limits their time to inspect tickets.
B. Fare payment verification is performed visually, including inspection of
tickets and of the use of the various fare products and transfers. Due to the
crowding onboard trains at peak times, it can be difficult for conductors to
physically traverse the aisles to perform fare-related activities. As such,
fare verification poses a significant challenge to VRE’s daily operations.
C. VRE is tasked by Virginia Code and the local jurisdictions to ensure that
customers board with a valid ticket. Since VRE operates an open fare
system, at the request of the local jurisdictions the Commonwealth of
Virginia has mandated verification provisions to ensure that customers pay
for their service and that VRE remains fiscally sound in collecting fares so
as to reduce the burden on commonwealth and local funding.
D. The existing VRE fare policy is structured on a distance based zone
system. There are nine (9) fare zones on the Fredericksburg line (with no
stations currently in zone 7) and six (6) fare zones on the Manassas line.
E. Single-Ride, Two-Ride, Five-Day pass and Ten-Trip tickets must be
validated by passengers at ticket vending machines (TVMs) in all station
entrance areas. Customers who have a problem with validating their
ticket must speak with the conductor prior to boarding the train.
F. The validation policy for each ticket type is as follows:
i. Single-Ride, Two-Ride, and Ten-Ride tickets must be validated
before boarding trains;
ii.
iii.
Five-Day passes must be validated at the time of first use; and
Monthly ticket holders must validate their tickets by signing their
name on the back of the ticket.
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G. VRE’s fare structure is available at: http://www.vre.org/service/fares.htm.
H. VRE enforces the law that mandates that no passenger shall board or ride
a train without properly validating the train ticket prior to boarding.
Failure to do so by the passenger will lead to a citation and fare summons.
I. The rail system operates in a proof-of-payment environment. Single and
multi-ride tickets and Amtrak step-up tickets are available from TVMs
installed at every rail station. Tickets and passes are verified during
periodic inspections by conductors. Manual verification challenges VRE
Accounting staff to accurately project future ticket sales and fare revenue.
2. SMARTBENEFITS PROGRAM
A. Many employers within the VRE service region offer their employees a
transit benefit to reduce the cost of commuting and to encourage the use of
mass transportation. The Federal Transit Benefits program allows
qualified federal employees to recover the approximate cost of commuting
to and from work up to prescribed limits when using certain area bus, rail,
and vanpool commuter services such as VRE. Several other local
jurisdictions, as well as private-sector employers, also offer their
employees direct employer-paid benefits or allow employees the option to
purchase transit fare with pre-tax income.
B. SmartBenefits, the region's most common form of transit benefit, is a
program managed and operated by WMATA on behalf of the employers
and agencies offering these benefits.
C. SmartBenefits can be used towards a variety of transit fares.
SmartBenefits can be downloaded directly onto a SmarTrip card to be
used on Metrorail or select bus systems. SmartBenefits can also exist as
a virtual account which allows you to use the funds on systems that do not
accept SmarTrip cards, like VRE.
D. The dollar value of this monthly benefit is determined by the employer
and the latest federal government legislation. Employers can issue these
transit benefits to their employees electronically through the
SmartBenefits web-based program.
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E. The SmartBenefits program lets an employer digitally load the dollar
value of an employee’s transit benefit directly into the employees
SmartBenefits web-based account. The SmartBenefits program also
allows employees to apply these funds to a reusable, rechargeable
SmarTrip ® card which can be used to purchase fares from transit
agencies, such as WMATA, that accept the SmarTrip ® card as a direct
form of payment.
F. Since VRE’s current AFC system cannot accept SmarTrip ® cards as a
direct form of payment, passengers are required to establish a
SmartBenefits personal account with WMATA and assign benefits to a
VRE Electronic SmartBenefits vendor. Vendors such as Commuter Direct
sell tickets on- line and Commuter Stores allow for in-person sales.
3. SMARTBENEFITS PERSONAL ACCOUNT SERVICE
A. Since VRE does not currently exchange electronic SmartBenefits or
SmarTrip ® card benefits directly for VRE tickets, VRE has established a
program, in partnership with Commuter Direct, which allows passengers
to establish a SmartBenefits personal account with Commuter Direct to
enable them to access electronic SmartBenefits. This allows VRE
passengers to apply their SmartBenefits to purchases at Commuter Store
locations (Rosslyn, Ballston, Crystal City, and the Mobile Commuter
Store) and through the CommuterDirect.com mail order service.
B. If VRE passengers use multiple modes of transit such as VRE with MARC
and WMATA Metrorail/Metrobus, they must allot their Commuter Direct
personal account funds for VRE and MARC travel and download their
funds for Metrorail/Metrobus to their SmarTrip ® card.
C. Information on VRE’s SmartBenefits program is available at
www.vre.org/service/transitbenefits.html.
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NOTICES FOR OFFERORS
_____________________________________________________________________
1. AVAILABILITY OF SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS
The electronic versions of the solicitation documents are intended to
provide convenience to prospective Offerors. Be advised it is the
responsibility of prospective Offerors to monitor the VRE website for any
addenda, notices or postings. Failure to submit signed addenda may be
grounds to declare a Proposal non-responsive. The RFP can be
downloaded from the website and submitted the same as if a hard copy of
the solicitation had been requested from VRE.
2. OPTIONAL PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING
A. A pre-proposal meeting will be held for Offerors at VRE’s Alexandria
Office located at 1500 King Street, Suite 202, Alexandria, Virginia 22314.
The date and time is specified on Page 5 of this RFP. Offerors are
encouraged to monitor the website for a notice of change in the location.
In addition, a conference call will be conducted during the meeting to
accommodate Offerors that are not located in the Washington
Metropolitan area.
B. Attendance at the pre-proposal meeting is optional and shall be limited to
no more than two (2) representatives of each firm.
C. Offerors must confirm their attendance at the pre-proposal meeting by
contacting Kristin Nutter at (703) 838-5441 or knutter@vre.org prior to
the date and time specified on Page 5 of this RFP. Confirmation is
important in an effort to accommodate seating for prospective Offerors.
3. SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN QUESTIONS
A. DEADLINE: All questions and requests for clarifications regarding the
meaning or interpretation of this RFP and other solicitation documents, or
any ambiguities, discrepancies, inconsistencies, or conflicts in or between
any of the technical, pricing, or contractual provisions, must be submitted
no later than the date and time specified on Page 5 of this RFP. Questions
and clarifications requested after such time will not be answered unless
VRE elects, in its sole discretion, to do so.
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B. VRE POINT OF CONTACT: Questions must be submitted to the VRE
Contract Administration Manager in writing by electronic mail. No
questions or requests for additional information, clarification or any other
communication should be directed to any other individual. No oral
communication will be accepted.
C. Questions and responses will be posted on VRE’s website at www.vre.org.
D. VRE will not be bound by any oral communications, or written
interpretations or clarifications that are not set forth in an Addendum.
Oral responses provided by VRE at the pre-proposal meeting shall not be
considered official until posted on the website.
E. Any interpretation of a question made by VRE will be in the form of an
addendum to the RFP and will be available to all interested Offerors
through the VRE website.
F. FORMAT FOR QUESTIONS. Questions must be submitted in MICRO-
SOFT WORD and included under the related Section, using the format
outlined below:
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RFP INFORMATION
Procurement Schedule
Purpose/VRE Background
Project Background
Notices for Offerors
PART I - SCHEDULE
A
B
C
D
E
Project Objectives
Scope of Work
Project Management
Special Terms and Conditions
Invoicing and Payment
PART II - GENERAL INFORMATION, INSTRUCTIONS
AND CONDITIONS FOR OFFERORS
F
G
H
General Information About the RFP
General Instructions for Offerors
General Conditions for Offerors
PART III - UTILIZATION OF DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS
ENTERPRISES AND SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS
I
J
Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Policy
Small Business Concerns Policy
PART IV - PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
K
L
M
Technical Proposal Content, Organization and Format
Cost Proposal
Submission of Proposal
PART V - EVALUATION CRITERIA, CONTRACT AWARD
AND CONTRACT EXECUTION
N
O
P
Evaluation Criteria
Contract Award
Contract Execution
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PART VI - CONTRACT DELIVERABLES
Q
R
S
Certificate of Insurance
Surety Bonds
Project Submittals
PART VII – DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER
ATTACHMENTS
T
U
Exhibits
List of Attachments
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