Specifications include, but are not limited to:Scope of Work and Deliverables Under this contract, the successful responder will attempt to answer key questions about contracting for snow and ice control, including: • What are the various types of contracting methods? (Such as, but not limited to, hourly, road segments, municipal agreements, surge agreements, performance-based contracts, etc.) o Are contracts limited to only winter activities or do they include year-round maintenance activities as well? • Why do agencies begin contracting winter maintenance work? (i.e. added lane mileage, legislative action, reduction of workforce.) • What quality control measures (i.e. Level-of-Service) and incentives/disincentives are being used in contracting snow and ice functions? • Are there geographic areas where contracting is more prevalent? (rural vs. urban) • What percent of the network (lane miles) is being covered by in-house vs. contracted snow and ice response crews? • What are the differences in cost, performance, and level of service for contracting snow and ice operations compared to using in-house forces? • Are there any specific lessons learned when contracting snow and ice operations? • Are there any differences in the plow operator accident rates of contracted vs. in-house forces operating in similar conditions or similar area? • Are any states or provinces that are currently using (or have previously used) contracted forces considering reverting back to in-house forces, or changing the method to which they contract the work? If so, why? • If contracted forces are required to be available to respond to emergency deployments, such as during periods of extreme conditions, is there a method within the contract to allow for such a response? Example: If additional resources are needed in one part of the state for a major storm, what are the costs and coordination issues related to “immediate” emergency deployments from other parts of the state that have been encountered? If emergency deployments are not required by contracted forces, how do states and provinces address the need for additional resources during extreme winter events? • For the contracted winter maintenance work, is the equipment provided in-house or by contracted forces, or both? • Within the contract, is there a requirement that equipment meet particular specifications?
