MARKET RESEARCH

for

Development and Delivery of Planning, Environment & Real Estate Services Training



Established by Congress in 1970, the National Highway Institute (NHI) is the training and education arm of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under the United States Department of Transportation. NHI’s mission is to provide technical training and resource materials to the transportation community. NHI courses respond to changing workforce development requirements and provide technical professional development opportunities to planners, environmental specialists, engineers, and Right of Way (ROW) specialists, among others in the surface transportation industry.



The NHI plans to award multiple 5-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract for the development/update and presentation of training courses in the areas of Transportation Planning, Environment and Real Estate Services. Offerors will be permitted to specify which of these three program areas– or sub specialty areas-- they would like to perform. The work requires skilled, knowledgeable and experienced subject matter experts (SMEs)—teaming with instructional systems designers (ISD)-- to develop new curriculum materials and to update existing course materials. Additionally, the work requires instructors with superior subject matter expertise, adult learning experience and topic-related practical experience.



To aid in the development of a solicitation and contract, the NHI is conducting market research to:



• Determine if responsible, qualified, capable sources exist who are interested in satisfying the Government’s requirements generally described below;

• Determine the capabilities of potential contractors, including an estimate of prices;

• Determine size and status of potential sources; and

• Determine the nature of competition (i.e., 8(a), small business set-aside, or full and open)



In terms of scope, NHI maintains a training curriculum of approximately 250 courses and presents over 700 training sessions per year to more than 20,000 participants nationwide. The majority of current NHI offerings are instructor-led training (ILT) within a classroom setting. But to meet the time challenges of customers and reach as many participants as possible, NHI espouses distance learning options, with Web-Based Training (WBT), Web Conference Training (WCT) and blended learning opportunities available.



The IDIQ solicitation will involve separate awards for ILT and distance learning developments and deliveries. To be considered for ILT course development, contractors will be required to provide a development team consisting of Subject Matter Experts and Instructional Systems Designers. For WBT, WCT and blended courses, the contractor team must include web training specialists, in addition to SMEs and ISDs. Since the skill sets expected from contractors are distinct, there will be separate solicitations for Development of new NHI courses/or Updating existing NHI training courses, and another for Delivering NHI instructor-led training.



Since 2004, NHI has been authorized by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET) to award Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to participants who successfully complete selected NHI training courses. One CEU is equivalent to ten contact hours of training. A typical “day” of an NHI course is 6 contact hours; hence, .6 CEUs are awarded for each “day” of an NHI offering. For those whose jobs require Professional Development Hours (PDHs), each hour of an NHI training session can be translated into one PDH. Additionally, several NHI courses are approved for State licensure programs and others serve as prerequisites for state certification curricula.



The target audience for NHI courses is very broad, and includes staff from Federal, state and local transportation and resource agencies; Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Centers; as well as tribal government representatives, academia, and consultants involved with transportation issues. The NHI website—http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/-- provides a listing of current training courses, as well as information on resources, training philosophy, instructor standards, the NHI Style Guide and many other related topics.



NHI’s goal is to optimize training for maximum effectiveness, ensuring that the greatest amount of learning takes place within certain defined constraints. Part of this process involves developing course materials precisely targeted to participant needs and providing clearly articulated Learning Outcomes. The principles of adult learning and ISD must be incorporated into the curriculum materials, as well as an end of course learning assessment (i.e. exam, skill demonstration, etc) in order to be consistent with IACET requirements. Classroom training includes a combination of instructional strategies, such as lectures, facilitated discussions, group exercises, case studies, and participant presentations.



Highly qualified, experienced and knowledgeable instructors have been the hallmark of NHI training courses. To be truly effective, instructor-led training requires skilled, competent, and credible instructors with relevant, project level experience—preferably experiences from various parts of the country. These instructors should be so well versed in their specialty within the Planning, Environment and Right of Way programs, that they can review an existing NHI Instructor Guide and be able to competently and compellingly teach an NHI course session in their particular specialty area.



Since the NHI training program is national in scope, individual course developments are rigidly designed according to the NHI Style Guide and designated FHWA Program Office constraints. However, to make every NHI session relevant and a meaningful learning experience for participants, NHI instructors are required to do a significant amount of “pre-delivery homework” in advance of a course session. Specifically, this means contacting the Local Host, the FHWA Division office and the State DOT among others to determine which “hot issues” or topics should be addressed.; reviewing State and local laws, regulations or practices in order to be prepared to address their relationship to comparable Federal requirements; completing application packages for State licensure for some selected courses; and in some cases, identifying a State representative and helping that person prepare an entire course lesson that provides the “State’s” overview on how a designated program is administered.



Additionally, it is expected that NHI course instructors continually monitor course materials to ensure that they are accurate and contain the latest information; refresh case studies and group exercises if needed; incorporate examples of current best practices or notable projects; include reference resources that may be valuable to augment the existing materials; review completed course exams to determine if any questions need to be revised, eliminated or new questions written; and compile a listing of suggested improvements to discuss with the NHI Training Program Manager and FHWA Program Office lead. In terms of administrative responsibilities, there is a prescribed series of requirements NHI instructors are expected to follow; a listing is available on the NHI website-- http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/.-- under Resources.



Those interested in becoming NHI instructors are required to take the NHI Instructor Development Course (IDC) —or an approved equivalent instructor training program-- with the aim of becoming certified NHI instructors. The NHI Instructor Liaison reviews the curricula from “equivalent instructor training programs” and determines if a waiver from IDC will be granted. College level teaching experience should not be construed as automatically meeting the NHI instructor requirements. The procedure for becoming certified is explained more fully on the NHI Web site. Additionally, there is an online NHI Instructor Development Module for Web Conference Training.



In terms volume, many of the Planning, Environment and Right of Way courses under this solicitation are extremely popular and sessions are held simultaneously at various locations across the country. Contractors are expected to have teams of qualified instructors who can meet these demands with no more than 30 days notice. It is also expected that those interested in becoming contract instructors for NHI have had the opportunity to either observe or enroll in NHI course offerings and demonstrate their familiarity with the NHI teaching style and instructor requirements. Again, the NHI website is a good source of information on currently scheduled NHI sessions.



From time to time, those awarded an ID/IQ contract will be invited to compete for award of task orders that may also include other functions relating to training development and delivery, such as needs assessment, marketing, or electronic formatting for Section 508 compliance. Limited research necessary for development of technical reference manuals may be included.



Performance under the Task Orders is subject to the requirements of Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended in 1998. Section 504 deals with accessibility for all participants in training classes. Section 504 specifically addresses classroom settings, course materials and accommodations for special needs. Section 508 addresses accessibility issues relative to electronic media such as web postings, web sites, computer simulations, and videos.



The NHI follows Section 504/508 Compliance in all of its training development and delivery efforts. The NHI and its contractors must, to the greatest degree possible, meet all accessibility needs of its participants.



NHI course offerings currently covered by expiring ID/IQ contracts in the area of Planning, Environment & Real Estate Services may be found on the NHI web site, under the 14XXXX and 15XXXX course number series. Additional related courses or web-based offerings may be added as needs are defined.



PARTICIPATION IN THE MARKET RESEARCH IN NO WAY AFFECTS YOUR ELIGIBILITY TO COMPETE FOR THESE SERVICES WHEN THE RFP IS SUBSEQUENTLY ISSUED.



Place an X beside each requirement your firm would be able to satisfy.



1. Design and develop courseware for graduate level planning, environment and real estate services training courses: define target population characteristics; articulate Learning Outcomes; explain instructional strategies and methods; develop subject content, create participant exercises, incorporate best practices; design case studies; chunk or sequence content; determine instructional time allocations; develop evaluation strategies.



2. Develop or Update an Instructor Guide, Participant Workbook, Reference Manual and Visual Aids, based on the established principles of Instructional Systems Design (ISD) for courses offered by NHI.







3. Provide teams of qualified subject matter experts – with adult education experience- to deliver instructor-led classroom training in Planning, Environment & Real Estate Services, according to NHI standards.



4. Develop web-based training, web-conference training or blended training in the areas of Planning, Environment & Real Estate Services.



5. Deliver instructor-led web conference training in the areas of Planning, Environment & Real Estate Services.



Would your firm be able to support Instructor-led delivery of:



6. 10 – 19 course sessions per year?



7. More than 20 course sessions per year?



Based on your firm’s experience, please provide rough estimates for the following services



ITEM

UNIT PRICE

Item 1: Course Development for a new 3-day Instructor- Led course Each $

Item 2: Update of an existing 3-day Instructor-Led course Each $

Item 3: Course Delivery with 2 Instructors for a 3-day Instructor- Led course Each $

Item 4: Course Delivery with 1 Instructor for a 3-day Instructor- Led course Each $

Item 5: Course Delivery with 2 Instructors for a 2-day Instructor- Led course Each $

Item 6: Course Delivery with 1 Instructor for a 2-day Instructor- Led course Each $

Item 7: Development of WBT, WCT or blended learning courses, Per Training Hour Each $

Item 8: Delivery of Web Conference Training, Per Training Hour Each $





Is your firm



A small business? A small disadvantage business?



A woman-owned business? A HubZone business?



An 8 (a) business? Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business?



A large business? Other?



Please return the completed form no later than 4:00 PM EDT February 23, 2009 to

Mila.Plosky@fhwa.dot.gov or fax (703-235-0593).



Thank you for participating in FHWA’s market research. Among other issues, the survey results will assist us in determining whether to award contracts for individual activities (i.e. course development, instructor-led delivery, distance learning development, etc.) or omnibus contracts requiring each contractor to be capable of performing all required activities.