NJ-2021-026

Purpose: The purpose of this grant is to continue to fund the ongoing efforts of the National Transit Institute (NTI). The National Transit Institute (NTI) is a statutory training and education program authorized by Federal Public Transportation Law (49 U.S.C. 5314 (c)) at $5 million per year for five years (FFY16-FFY20). The Institute shall develop and conduct training and education programs for federal, state, and local transportation employees, United States citizens, and foreign nationals engaged or to be engaged in government-aid public transportation work. The total request of funds is for $5,000,000.

This statement of work is using FAST ACT FY2019 funds and will develop the RFY2022-23 course work program. Grant activities are anticipated to begin during October 2021 and conclude by approximately April 2023.

The National Transit Institute's mission is to provide training and education services in support of public transportation and the quality of life in the United States. We identify industry needs, promote, develop, and deliver high-quality programs and materials through cooperative partnerships with industry, government institutions, and associations. We serve as a catalyst for enhancing skills and performance in public transportation.

This statement of work will cover the period from October 1, 2021, to April 1, 2023.

Activities to be performed: The goals for the NTI program are:

1. Training Delivery Excellence: Providing excellent customer service for users of NTI's service by delivering high-quality training that supports the operation of public transportation.
2. Course Development and Revision: Providing effective training by developing high-quality training courses that address the needs of the public transportation industry and FTA.
3. Operational Excellence: Operating an efficient program by maintaining a high level of fiduciary responsibility in the management of the program.
4. Special Studies and Projects: Provide assistance and support to FTA and the public transportation industry as a strategic workforce partner through special studies and projects.

NTI has developed a 5-year strategic plan covering the period from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2022. This plan was developed with input from and review by FTA and endorsed by the NTI Advisory Board. The plan serves as a guide for the NTI program and contains action items and measures of success for measuring the performance of the program.

NTI's statement of work supports the strategies contained in NTI's strategic plan that are:

Objective 1: Maintain NTI as the primary resource and lead developer and deliverer of training in public transportation.
Objective 2: Support the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) workforce development efforts by being a key partner with FTA, conducting studies on transit industry workforce development needs, and assisting FTA as requested.
Objective 3: Continuously improve the cost-effectiveness of the NTI program to provide the utmost stewardship of public funds.
Objective 4: Build a case for increased investment in NTI and public transportation training efforts for the purposes of course redesign, program implementation, and expansion.

To measure the program's efficiency and effectiveness, performance metrics will be collected and analyzed. In particular, four (4) key performance indicators have been established to evaluate the program. The metrics are as follows:

Goal 1 - Training Delivery Excellence: To measure customer satisfaction, NTI instructors shall obtain a rating of 5.0 or higher on the course evaluation. Compare this rating to the previous year (which will be used as a baseline). This will measure customer satisfaction in support of SOW Goal #1.
Goal 2 - Course Development and Revision: To track the progress of SOW Goal #2, the number of new courses implemented by April 1, 2023, and the number of new courses designated for revisions/updates vs. the number actually completed will be used to measure NTI's progress towards SOW Goal #2.
Goal 3 - Operational Excellence: To track the progress of SOW Goal #3, NTI will provide quarterly meeting summary notes within 10 working days after the meeting to FTA Program Manager. NTI will also provide annual Advisory Board meeting summary notes within 10 working days after the meeting to FTA Program Manager.
Goal 4 - Special Projects and Studies: To track the progress of SOW Goal #4, the number of newly developed NTI programming concepts will be used. NTI will also investigate how it can be of more support to the transit industry related to transit data analysis. The metrics are listed in each section of the statement of work.

Expected outcomes: NTI expects the following outcomes for each of its four statement of work goals:

Goal #1 - Training Delivery Excellence: The expected outcome for this goal is that NTI will deliver at least 90% of the course deliveries that are listed in the work plan (may be impacted by COVID-19) as well as obtain an average instructor rating of 5.0 or better. NTI also expects the following related to SOW Goal #1 - 95% of registrants will attend the course with a no-show rate of 5% or less, and 90% of attendees will complete the course. NTI will also work to increase the number of course attendees by 2.5% annually compared to the previous year (which will be used as a baseline) in support of SOW Goal #1.

Goal #2 - Course Development and Revision: The expected outcome for this goal is that course revisions and new course developments will be completed by the agreed-upon schedule between FTA and NTI.

Goal #3 - Operational Excellence: The expected outcome for this goal is that NTI will submit all quarterly FFR and MPR reports and Advisory Board meeting notes in a timely manner. NTI will also regularly schedule quarterly meetings with FTA Program Manager and will provide a PDF copy of all quarterly reports in a timely manner. It is also expected that NTI will continue working on developing a document that summarizes the value of training to FTA stakeholders and participants and to what extent the training leads to improved public transportation operation.

Goal #4 - Special Projects and Studies: The expected outcome for this goal is that NTI will provide a report on incorporating recommendations and findings of recently completed national needs assessment into NTI course programming and that NTI will also provide a concept paper on the potential development of an NTI transit data analytics course.

Intended beneficiaries: The National Transit Institute (NTI) develops and provides classroom-style and virtual courses and training events to enhance the skills and capacity of staff persons at transit agencies, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), state DOTs, and other transit operators; transit service planning; and transit funding entities.

Subrecipient activities: NTI subrecipients include firms and sole proprietor consulting companies that serve as transit-related subject matter experts. These subrecipients serve as course content developers and course instructors.

The State University Of New Jersey Rutgers

NOT APPLICABLE

20.531 - Technical Assistance and Workforce Development

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) [DOT]

FTA Office of Budget and Policy [DOT - FTA]

New Jersey United States

State-Wide

NOT APPLICABLE

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 04/01/23 to 06/30/24.