New Starts Financial Capacity Assessments and Financial Assessment   6

The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) stipulates that the Secretary of Transportation make a number of determinations before a project seeking Section 5309 Capital Investment Grant Program funds (known more commonly as New Starts, Small Starts, and Core Capacity funds) is determined to be eligible for the funds. Projects must progress through a series of steps in the process as described on FTA's website at http://www.fta.dot.gov/12304.html. FTA is required to evaluate and rate the projects at several points during the process, including when a New Starts or Core Capacity project seeks entry into the Engineering phase and when a New Starts, Small Starts, or Core Capacity project seeks a construction grant agreement. Additionally, FTA must prepare an Annual Report to Congress that includes the project ratings. Although project ratings may not need to be updated annually solely for the purposes of preparing the Annual Report, FTA requires that project sponsors submit new information for re-rating whenever significant changes to the project have occurred.

MAP-21 specifies that the evaluation and rating process be based on examination of six project justification criteria as well as on whether the project is supported by an acceptable degree of local financial commitment, including evidence of stable and dependable funding sources to construct, maintain, and operate both the proposed project and the existing transit system. Thus, project sponsors must generate, and FTA must verify, information on project costs, ridership, financing, and environmental impacts. The Office of Planning and Environment (TPE) within the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is responsible for the project evaluation and rating process described above. In this statement of work, FTA is seeking assistance specifically related to the determination of local financial commitment for proposed Capital Investment Grant projects.

Multiple projects are moving through the Capital Investment Grant program at any given time. Financial evaluations are needed throughout the year for various projects, but typically there is a high point of activity in the fall and winter related to preparation of the Annual Report to Congress. Therefore, contractors must have sufficient staff resources and "depth of bench" to perform multiple project reviews concurrently.
The Government will answer questions received by 2:00pm EST on November 26, 2013.

Proposals must be submitted to Alexander.Miller@dot.gov prior to 2:00pm EST; January 7, 2014, late submissions will not be accepted.