Hazardous Waste Highway Construction and Removal RFP

Hazardous Waste Highway Construction and Removal RFP

Request for Proposal
A formal Request for Proposal (RFP) is often issued by an owner or agency to solicit proposals for design, construction or construction management services from qualified firms. The firm providing services typically provides the client with a written proposal to identify the proposed scope of services, outline the work, and provide an estimated schedule. Your task for this assignment is to respond to the following RFP. The response will be factored in as part of the “report and presentation” grade. For reference, the evaluation criteria for the final report and presentation are also provided.
RFP for CTC 470 Report
In the workplace, entry-level engineers are often asked to research a technical topic and provide a written report to a supervisor. As a term project for this course, each student in CTC 470 will be required to prepare a 10-page technical report on a topic related to construction administration, management or processes. The technical report will require (1) the submission of a topic for approval, (2) a formal proposal, (3) a final submission, and (4) a presentation. The report should address a topic related to construction administration in more detail than covered in the course. The schedule for each of the required submissions is included below in Table 1.
Table 1. Schedule
Date Item
September 6, 2022 Issuance of RFP
September 15, 2022 Submission of topic for approval
October 6, 2022 Formal submission of report proposal
December 1, 2022 Final report due
December 6 or 8, 2022 Presentations in class

1. Topic Submission
Each student is responsible for selecting a topic for their report and presentation that is related to Construction Administration. The topic should be defined and researched well enough to make sure there is adequate information and references available for completion of the project.
Some sample topics are included below for reference. Other topics may also be submitted.
• Specific OSHA safety topics such as trenching safety. If chosen, the report should identify the topic, present case studies, give the background, history, etc.
• Traffic safety during construction
• Project delivery methods
• Contract law or legal case studies
• Conflicts of interest in design-build/legal requirements of design-build
• Methods for scheduling and planning
• Permitting (e.g., NPDES, USACE Wetland Permitting, etc.)
• Codes (e.g., International Building Code, AISC Steel Construction Manual, ACI 318 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete)
• Applicability of federal legislation such as Clean Water Act, American with Disabilities Act, Davis-Bacon Act
• Sustainable Design/LEED program Requirements
• Building Information Modeling (BIM)
• Hazardous waste, materials, handling
• Labor relations
The submission of the selected topic should include the following:
1. The proposed topic
2. A link to a website or web-based article and summary of information available
3. A journal or paper reference from an industry journal, such as in ASCE journals.
Submission of the topics is due 9/15/2022 submitted via Blackboard. Approval of the submitted topics or suggestions on revising the topics will be given by 9/20/2022 in class.
2. Report Proposal
After approval of the report topic is given by the instructor, a written proposal will be required. The proposal should include the following:
1. Summary: A written summary of the overall scope and objective of the report.
2. Paper Outline: A detailed outline of the body of the text with major headings
3. References: Citations of potential references with
a. At least one current journal article
b. At least two non-internet sources (hint: go see the librarian)
c. At least four sources
4. Schedule: A schedule for completion. At a minimum the schedule shall address intermediate steps, such as research, first draft, final draft, and final submission. Indicate major milestones that you intend to reach over the next two months prior to the report due date.
The outline proposal is due as indicated in Table 1 and shall be submitted via Blackboard. Responses and suggestions related to the proposal will be given by the instructor within two weeks after receipt.
The report proposal will be worth 40 points out of 200 total points for the report submission. Performing research of the topic to solidify a direction for the report and develop a logical outline for the report is required for successful completion of the proposal and obtaining full credit. Consider the following items:
1. The summary should include a thesis or overall objective of the report, discuss main points, indicate logical transitions between sections and identify anticipated conclusions.
2. The sources should be relevant and support the information included with the summary.

3. Final Report
The report will be evaluated for structure; layout and format; writing and language style; technical content and length; and appropriate use of references. The following specifications outline the requirements of the report and provide a metric for grading and for use in preparing your proposals.
1. Structure of report (10 points)
 Cover sheet
 Table of Contents
 Table of Figures (at least one figure is required)
 Table of Tables (at least one table is required)
 Summary
 Introduction
 Body
 Conclusion
 Works Cited
 Appendices, if applicable
2. Layout and Format of Report (10 points)
 Page numbers centered in footer
 Page numbers use i, ii, iii, etc. for Table of Contents, Figures, etc.
 Page numbers use 1, 2, 3, etc. for body of report
 Section titles included
 Paragraph spacing and tabs appropriate
 1” margins and double spaced
 Figures
o Figure captions below figures
o Figures referenced in text before appearing in report
 Tables
o Table captions above tables
o Tables referenced in text before appearing in report
3. Writing and Language (20 points)
 Coherent and logical thoughts with concise language
 Correct spelling
 Correct use of grammar
 Transition statements between sections
 Technical terms and symbols are defined
 Appropriate technical writing style (e.g., no first person, factual statements)
 Contractions are not used
 “This ____” and “These ____” are defined
 i.e., used for “that is” and e.g., used for “for example”

 No more than 20% of the paper is direct quotation

4. Technical Content and Length (50 points)
 Length
o Introduction through conclusion of report is 10 pages. Cover sheet, table of contents, figures, graphs and tables are in addition to the 10 page total.
 Introduction
o Defines scope of report
o Provides appropriate background
o Lays out basis for report
o Demonstrates importance of topic
 Body
o Includes sections that are logical
o Topic is adequately developed
 Conclusion
o Summarizes main points
o Does not introduce new information
o Provides overall significance of report
5. References (10 points)
 At least one current journal article included
 At least two non-internet sources included
 At least four sources included
 References correctly cited in text
 References correctly cited in Works Cited
For additional information on technical writing refer to https://www.craftofscientificwriting.org/. Locally, visit the Learning Center, located in Cayan Library, for writing assistance and review. In addition, draft submissions will be accepted for review by the instructor if submitted by 11/15/2022.
Final submissions of the report are due as indicated in Table 1. and shall be submitted via Blackboard.

4. Report Presentation
The presentation will be given the last week of class and will be evaluated based on the structure, speech, delivery and visual aids. These categories are based on criteria presented by Penn State University at http://www.engr.psu.edu/speaking/. See the following criteria.
1. Structure (20 points)
 Introduction (e.g., a “hook” to catch attention)
 Body of presentation communicates knowledge and relevancy of topic
 Logical progression of thoughts
 Effective transitions
 Conclusion
 Technical content effectively conveyed (10 of the 20 points for this item)

2. Speech (8 points)
 Language choices
 Appropriate analogies, stories or examples
 Anticipating questions (e.g., “you might be thinking…”)
 Defining key terms

3. Delivery (12 points)
 Length is 10 minutes ±1minute (9-11 minutes total)
 Rate is appropriate
 Eye contact is maintained with audience
 Pauses are used effectively
 Filler words are excluded (i.e., “uh,” “um,” etc.)
 Movement is appropriate (e.g., location and hands)

4. Visual Aids (10 points)
 Visual aids are used effectively
 Limited text on slides
 Appropriate pictures/figures
 Text is legible, e.g., appropriate size, colors, contrast, etc.
 Figures are referenced appropriately

Report Presentation Grading Sheet

1. Structure (20 points)
 Introduction (e.g., a “hook”)
 Body of presentation communicates knowledge and relevancy of topic
 Logical progression of thoughts
 Effective transitions
 Conclusion
 Technical content effectively conveyed (10 of the 20 points)

2. Speech (8 points)
 Language choices
 Appropriate analogies, stories or examples
 Anticipating questions (e.g., “you might be thinking…”)
 Defining key terms

3. Delivery (12 points)
 Length is 10 minutes ±1minute (9-11 minutes total)
 Rate is appropriate
 Eye contact is maintained with audience
 Pauses are used effectively
 Filler words are excluded (i.e., “uh,” “um,” etc.)
 Movement is appropriate (e.g., location and hands)

4. Visual Aids (10 points)
 Visual aids are used effectively
 Limited text on slides
 Appropriate pictures/figures
 Text is legible, e.g., appropriate size, colors, contrast, etc.
 Figures referenced appropriately