We will evaluate pilot proposals in two phases. Initial submissions will be evaluated by members of our Planning and Innovation Department who will ensure that the proposal appropriately responds to the problem statement. Innovators whose proposals are selected to move to the second phase of evaluation will be asked to prepare a presentation, which will be evaluated by a panel of stakeholders and subject matter experts here at the agency.
Phase 1
The first phase of evaluation will be administered by members of our Planning and Innovation Department. Staff will evaluate proposals based on three criteria and provide each proposal with a maximum score of 100. The three criteria are responsiveness, feasibility, and timeline. Overall clarity of the proposal will also be considered.
Responsiveness (40%): Responsiveness is a measure of how related the proposed solution is to the given problem statement. A good proposal will focus on the goal presented by the problem statement; any acknowledgement of added benefits of the solution should come only after detailing the ways the proposal addresses the problem statement as written.
Feasibility (40%): Feasibility is a measure of how possible it would be for us to pilot a given proposal. Dependency on other government agencies, new legislation, not ready for market technology, or large operational requirements might decrease feasibility. A strong proposal will be something that we could easily pilot on our systems with reasonable operational requirements through a joint effort between us and the innovator.
Timeline (20%): The timeline should include the length of time for development, implementation, and evaluation.
If a proposal would require funding from us to pilot the solution, please provide that information as part of the proposal. The need for funding will not disqualify a proposal but may result in additional discussions. We cannot guarantee funding for a pilot.
Clarity: Our staff should be able to understand the proposal in detail and any necessary background information should be provided as part of the proposal. The proposal should be well organized and clearly demonstrate the Innovator’s ability and willingness to tackle the problem statement.
Proposals with an average score of 65 or less will be deemed not ready to pilot. Proposals with a score of 66 or above will be moved to Phase 2 of the evaluation process.
Phase 2
Innovators selected for the second phase of evaluation will be asked to prepare a presentation for a panel of stakeholders and subject matter experts from here at the agency. The criteria upon which these presentations will be evaluated include:
The specific innovation (40%)
Presentation clearly defines how the product will help solve the existing CTA challenge and clearly addresses the problem statement through a new or improved workflow process or new tool/strategy.
The team supporting the pilot (20%)
The innovator has transportation industry experience or knowledge within the product space. There is a designated team of SMEs, product experts and a project manager able to support the project from development to implementation and ongoing operations and maintenance throughout the pilot period.
Project management (20%)
Presentation clearly defines project requirements, areas of support needed from CTA or other vendors, and integration requirements with other CTA systems. Innovator has well defined strategy for implementation and clear strategy for development, implementation and evaluation.
Goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) (10%)
The innovator details process for tracking and measuring performance. Goals of project (e.g. accurately detect right-of-way intrusions for 99 percent of incidents) align with CTA problem statement and are measurable and achievable in twelve months.
Budget/timeline (10%)
The length of time for development, implementation, and evaluation as well as the estimated cost of scaling the project should we desire to move beyond a pilot.
The panel will review the presented material and one or more proposals will be selected for pilot. Prior to the official selection, internal checks will be made to ensure the process for selection was done according to our standards.
If a proposal would require funding from us to pilot the solution, please provide that information during the presentation. The need for funding will not disqualify a proposal but may result in additional discussions. We cannot guarantee funding for a pilot.
Proposals selected for pilot following Phase 2 evaluation will then proceed to contract negotiations. Following a signed professional services agreement (PSA), the project will begin and follow the agreed upon scope and timeline. Upon project completion, we will conduct post-pilot evaluations. The evaluation process will be audited internally to ensure proper procedures were followed.