Project Information

Bid Title

Railroad Crossing Elimination - Technical Assessments, Public Engagement, & Project Planning Service

Issuing Agency

Liberal city

Location

Kansas

Published Date

Jan 20, 2026

Closing Date

Feb 13, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Bid Title:	Railroad Crossing Elimination - Technical Assessments, Public Engagement, & Project Planning Service
Category:	City Projects
Status:	Open

Description: The City of Liberal, Kansas is soliciting requests for proposals (“RFPs”) with service cost bids from qualified and experienced firms to provide project planning, technical assessments, and public engagement services, in conjunction with various public and private project partners, to proceed with the development of the Liberal Crossing Analysis for Routes Enhancing Safety (Liberal CARES) Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) project (the “Project”) as stated in this RFP. The objective of this RFP is to identify those firms that specialize in providing technical assessments and analysis services in support of project planning and public engagement requirements for Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) development projects. Any contract awarded through this RFP is anticipated to be funded by the RCE program funds and will be subject to any requirements of the grant. A qualified firm will be selected with which to commence negotiations for the execution of a contract to perform the Scope of Work. If the City of Liberal and the best qualified and capable firm are unable to reach a contract agreement, City of Liberal will then commence negotiation with the next highest qualified firm, and continuing thereafter in descending order, until such time as they are able to finalize the terms of a contract for the Scope of Work or City of Liberal elects to terminate this RFP. Notice of Non-Discrimination - The City of Liberal, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that for any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award. Publication Date/Time: 1/20/2026 10:45 AM Closing Date/Time: 2/13/2026 11:00 AM Submittal Information: 3 sealed bids due to Liberal City Hall, City Clerk's Office. Contact Person: Any general questions, requests for clarification or notices of ambiguities, conflicts, mistakes, errors or discrepancies in this RFP may be submitted to Keeley Young at keeley.young@cityofliberal.org. Plan & Spec Available: See related documents for the full RFP and submission format. Qualifications: SELECTION PROCESS AND CRITERIA SELECTION PROCESS Bids and proposals will be evaluated by a selection committee of not less than three (3) individuals from the City of Liberal. The responding firms will be ranked utilizing the Ranking Criteria identified below, and will select up to three (3) highly qualified firms. The City of Liberal will present the top bid proposals to the Liberal City Commission for final approval prior to entering into a finalized service contract with the awarded firm. Evaluation ranks do not create any right in or expectation to a contract regardless of any ranking given to any firm. RANKING CRITERIA Responding firms will be ranked pursuant to the following criteria and weighting: 1)        The specialized experience and technical competence of the firm with respect to the type of services required, including experience with FRA guidelines (0-40 points); 2)        The capacity and capability of the firm to perform the work in question, including specialized services, within the time limitations fixed for the completion of the Project (0-35 points); 3)        The past record of performance of the firm with respect to such factors as control of costs, quality of work, and ability to meet schedules (0-20 points); and 4)        The firm's proximity to and familiarity with the area in which the Project is located (0-5 points). MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Organization and Experience - Responding firms must be organized for the purpose of providing technical assessments, engineering, and public engagement services with at least 10 years of experience with proven effectiveness in conducting successful services for USDOT/FRA projects. Start-Up - Responding firms must have a proven ability for immediate contract start-up as evidenced by past performance and current resources and personnel. Debarment/Suspension - Neither responding firms nor any of their respective principals shall be debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from participation in any contract by any Federal department or agency. Special Requirements: The following shall be mandatory requirements of any Contract awarded pursuant to this RFP. Any references to the term “Contractor” shall be deemed to refer to the selected firm under this RFP. Indemnification - The Contractor shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Project Partners and each of their respective agencies, officials, officers, or employees from and against all claims, damages, liability, losses, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of or resulting from any acts or omissions in connection with the Contract, caused in whole or in part by the Contractor, its employees, agents or subcontractors, or caused by others for whom the Contractor is liable. Buy American - For infrastructure projects, as defined by 2 C.F.R. § 184, steel, iron, manufactured goods, and construction materials used in the project are subject to the domestic preference requirement at § 70914 of the Build America, Buy America Act (Buy American Act), Pub. L. No. 117-58, div. G, tit. IX, subtitle. A, 135 Stat. 429, 1298 (2021) and 2 C.F.R. part 184, as implemented by OMB, USDOT, and FRA. For all other projects, the acquisition of steel, iron, and manufactured goods is subject to the requirements set forth in the Buy American Act, 41 U.S.C. §§ 8301-8305. Contractor represents that it has never been convicted of violating the Buy American Act. Pursuant to the requirements of 2 C.F.R. § 200.322, as appropriate and to the extent consistent with law, the Contractor should, to the greatest extent practicable under this award, provide a preference for the purchase, acquisition, or use of goods, products, or materials produced in the United States. The Contractor shall include the requirements of 2 C.F.R. § 200.322 in all subawards including all contracts and purchase orders for work or products under this award. No Collusion - No officer or employee of the City of Liberal, and no other public official or employee, who may exercise any function or responsibilities in the review or approval of this undertaking shall have any personal or financial interest, direct or indirect, in any contract or negotiation process thereof. This “no collusion” requirement shall be part of any contract for performance of the Scope of Work. Substantive Proposals - By submitting a Bid Proposal, each responding firm certifies that: (a) the Bid Proposal is genuine and is not made in the interest of, or on behalf of, an undisclosed person, firm, or corporation; (b) the firm has not directly or indirectly induced or solicited any other responding firm(s) to put in a false Bid Proposal; (c) the responding firm has not solicited or induced any other person, firm, or corporation to refrain or abstain from proposing a Bid Proposal; and (d) the responding firm has not sought by collusion to obtain for themselves any advantage over any other responding firm or over the City of Liberal. Conflict of Interest - No employee, officer, or agent of any responding firm, or any immediate family member or partner of such, shall participate in the selection or award under this RFP. No employee, officer, or agent of the successful firm, or any immediate family member or partner of such, shall participate in the administration of any contract award with respect to this RFP. No employee, officer, or agent of the City of Liberal, or any immediate family member or partner of such, shall solicit or accept gratuities, favors, or anything of monetary value from, or on behalf of, any responding firm or the successful firm. A responding firm will be disqualified if any violation of these provisions is identified by the City of Liberal. Any employee, officer, or agent of the City of Liberal found to be in violation of these provisions will be subject to such penalties, sanctions, or other disciplinary actions provided by City of Liberal policy. Debarment - A responding firm will be disqualified, and must disclose to the City of Liberal, if the firm or any of its principals are debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in any contract by any Federal department or agency. CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS During the performance of any subsequently awarded contract, the contractor, for itself, its assignees, and successors in interest (hereinafter referred to as the “contractor”) will be required to agree to the following terms: 1. Compliance with Regulations: The contractor (hereinafter includes consultants) will comply with the Acts and the Regulations relative to Non-discrimination in Federally assisted programs of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), as they may be amended from time to time, which are herein incorporated by reference and made a part of this contract. 2. Non-discrimination: The contractor, with regard to the work performed by it during the contract, will not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in the selection and retention of subcontractors, including procurements of materials and leases of equipment. The contractor will not participate directly or indirectly in the discrimination prohibited by the Acts and the Regulations, including employment practices when the contract covers any activity, project, or program set forth in Appendix B of 49 CFR Part 21, including any amendments thereto. During the performance of this contract, the contractor, for itself, its assignees, and successors in interest agrees to comply with the following non-discrimination statutes and authorities; including but not limited to: Pertinent Non-Discrimination Authorities: •        Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq., 78 Stat. 252), (prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin); and 49 CFR Part 21, including any amendments thereto. •        The Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, (42 U.S.C. § 4601), (prohibits unfair treatment of persons displaced or whose property has been acquired because of Federal or Federal-aid programs and projects); •        Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1973, (23 U.S.C. § 324 et seq.), (prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex) (as applicable); •        Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, (29 U.S.C. § 794 et seq.), as amended, (prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability); and 49 CFR Part 27; •        The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, (42 U.S.C. § 6101 et seq.), (prohibits discrimination on the basis of age); •        The Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, (P.L. 100-209), (Broadened the scope, coverage and applicability of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, by expanding the definition of the terms “programs or activities” to include all of the programs or activities of the Federal-aid recipients, sub-recipients and contractors, whether such programs or activities are Federally funded or not); •        Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in the operation of public entities, public and private transportation systems, places of public accommodation, and certain testing entities (42 U.S.C. §§ 12131–12189) as implemented by Department of Transportation regulations at 49 CFR Parts 37 and 38; •        Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended, which prohibits you from discriminating because of sex in education programs or activities (20 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.). 3. Solicitations for Subcontracts, Including Procurements of Materials and Equipment: In all solicitations, either by competitive bidding, or negotiation made by the contractor for work to be performed under a subcontract, including procurements of materials, or leases of equipment, each potential subcontractor or supplier will be notified by the contractor of the contractor’s obligations under this contract and the Acts and the Regulations relative to Nondiscrimination on the grounds of race, color, or national origin. 4. Information and Reports: The contractor will provide all information and reports required by the Acts, the Regulations, and directives issued pursuant thereto and will permit access to its books, records, accounts, other sources of information, and its facilities as may be determined by the Recipient or FRA to be pertinent to ascertain compliance with such Acts, Regulations, and instructions. Where any information required of a contractor is in the exclusive possession of another who fails or refuses to furnish the information, the contractor will so certify to the Recipient or FRA, as appropriate, and will set forth what efforts it has made to obtain the information. 5. Sanctions for Noncompliance: In the event of a contractor’s noncompliance with the Nondiscrimination provisions of this contract, the Recipient will impose such contract sanctions as it or FRA may determine to be appropriate, including, but not limited to: a. withholding payments to the contractor under the contract until the contractor complies; and/or b. cancelling, terminating, or suspending a contract, in whole or in part. 6. Incorporation of Provisions: The contractor will include the provisions of paragraphs one through six in every subcontract, including procurements of materials and leases of equipment, unless exempt by the Acts, the Regulations and directives issued pursuant thereto. The contractor will take action with respect to any subcontract or procurement as the Recipient or FRA may direct as a means of enforcing such provisions including sanctions for noncompliance. Provided, that if the contractor becomes involved in, or is threatened with litigation by a subcontractor, or supplier because of such direction, the contractor may request the Recipient to enter into any litigation to protect the interests of the Recipient. In addition, the contractor may request the United States to enter into the litigation to protect the interests of the United States. Related Documents: City of Liberal RCE RFP - Tech Assessments_Engagement_Planning

Attachment Preview

REQUEST FOR BID PROPOSALS FOR TECHNICAL ASSESSMENTS,

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, AND PROJECT PLANNING SERVICES

in relation to the

LIBERAL CROSSING ANALYSIS FOR ROUTES ENHANCING SAFETY

RAILROAD CROSSING ELIMINATION PROJECT

BACKGROUND AND INSTRUCTION

The City of Liberal, Kansas is soliciting requests for proposals (“RFPs”) with service cost bids

from qualified and experienced firms to provide project planning, technical assessments, and

public engagement services, in conjunction with various public and private project partners, to

proceed with the development of the Liberal Crossing Analysis for Routes Enhancing Safety

(Liberal CARES) Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) project (the “Project”) as stated in this RFP.

The objective of this RFP is to identify those firms that specialize in providing technical

assessments and analysis services in support of project planning and public engagement

requirements for Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) development projects. Any contract

awarded through this RFP is anticipated to be funded by the RCE program funds and will be

subject to any requirements of the grant. A qualified firm will be selected with which to commence

negotiations for the execution of a contract to perform the Scope of Work. If the City of Liberal

and the best qualified and capable firm are unable to reach a contract agreement, City of Liberal

will then commence negotiation with the next highest qualified firm, and continuing thereafter in

descending order, until such time as they are able to finalize the terms of a contract for the Scope

of Work or City of Liberal elects to terminate this RFP.

Notice of Non-Discrimination - The City of Liberal, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI

of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations,

hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that for any contract entered into pursuant

to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity

to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds

of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

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PROJECT DETAILS

The City of Liberal, Kansas in Seward County was awarded $1,639,520.00 in FY23-24 Railroad

Crossing Elimination grant funding for the Liberal Crossing Analysis for Routes Enhancing Safety

Project (the Project) on November 3, 2025 to support the selection and preliminary design of a

grade separated railroad overpass project.

The Project supports project development lifecycle stage activities to select and prepare a

preferred alternative with preliminary engineering for future at-grade crossing elimination and

construction of a grade-separated crossing. The City of Liberal will study two alternative options,

S. Pershing Avenue and S. Western Avenue, for the grade separation and closure of one Union

Pacific at-grade railroad crossing in Liberal.

The Project aims to enhance safe multimodal transportation, improve emergency response

efforts, and ensure access across the community. The Project is expected to provide the following

benefits:

• Improve safety for local roadway and highway users.

• Support emergency service response times through better connectivity.

• Increase the reliability of commuter routes across Liberal.

• Reduce traffic congestion to improve mobility.

• Reduce added time and travel expense burdens for travelers.

Federal grant application documents further detailing the Liberal CARES Project are available to

review on our project webpage at: www.cityofliberal.org/LiberalCARES.

SCOPE OF WORK

The selected firm will conduct technical analysis, public outreach, and other project planning

activities, and prepare a Project Planning Package consistent with the objectives of the Project

Planning Lifecycle Stage identified in the FRA Guidance on Development and Implementation of

Railroad Capital Projects (July 18, 2025).

The following are the specific tasks which the City of Liberal anticipates will be performed by the

successful firm (collectively, the “Scope of Work”):

Task 1: Technical Assessments

The following technical assessments will be completed with the intention of determining the

preferred location(s) for grade separation and overpass and at-grade crossing closure at Pershing

Avenue or Western Avenue.

A. Safety Assessment - The safety assessment will compile historic crash data (most recent

5 years of data), and analyze crash locations, contributing circumstances, crash types,

and critical crash rate at each of the current crossing locations for crashes involving trains,

vehicles, and pedestrians. Using the conceptual designs (closed at grade crossing and

overpass) for Pershing and Western, the forecasted crash rate and critical crash rate for

each crossing will be calculated to determine the forecasted impact on crashes.

B. Traffic Assessment - City wide historic traffic data including volumes and turning

movement counts will be compiled. Vehicular traffic counts (AM and PM Peak) and turning

movement counts will also be collected for all of the crossings, and travel times will be

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calculated for the major north / south arterials. Forecasted volumes will be calculated for

each crossing (based on population and employment growth in the adopted

Comprehensive Land Use Plan) and interviews with City staff. A traffic signal operations

assessment will be conducted to determine level of service for both current and forecasted

future volumes. Active transportation counts (bicycle and pedestrian) will be conducted to

assess volumes and demand. The traffic assessment will determine temporary (during

construction) impacts and permanent traffic impacts on US-54, the selected alternative

arterial, and intersecting streets.

C. H&H Assessment - Hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) assessment will be completed to

determine temporary and permanent overall drainage impacts due to proposed elevation

and pavement material changes to calculate sizing for stormwater elements. In addition,

the assessment will determine if any regulatory permits will be required and document the

associated processes.

D. Right of Way Impacts Assessment - Railroad, city, state, and county right of way will be

delineated using parcel data and title reports, and overlain on the construction limits of

each alternative to determine permanent and temporary right of way areas and costs.

E. Utility Impacts Assessment - Kansas 811 / One Call will be contacted to compile all

utilities within the construction footprint of each alternative. Utilities by type will be mapped,

and utility relocation costs will be estimated for each alternative.

F. Constructability Assessment - The rough order of magnitude cost estimates for final

design, right of way acquisition, utility relocation, and construction will be refined based on

the above technical assessments. In addition, engineering assessments of the overall

constructability and construction impacts (drainage, maintenance of traffic, costs) of each

alternative will be completed.

Task 2: Community Engagement

Community engagement activities will involve management and coordination of community and

stakeholder engagement during the project. This will include coordinating overall project phasing,

messaging, and communication, and metrics for monitoring and assessment effectiveness. The

goal will be to collect input / preferences on the alternatives, project elements, impacts, and

sharing information regarding general project updates.

Specific activities to be performed under the Project scope include:

A. Community Engagement Plan Development - A Community Engagement Plan will be

created to address the following topics: goals, target audience, project visioning, project

branding/messaging, engagement phases and purposes, schedules, roles and

responsibilities of consultant team and the City of Liberal communications department.

B. Engagement Plan Execution – Conduct engagement activities in accordance with the

Community Engagement Plan. Such activities will include public open houses, stakeholder

listening sessions, public surveys, and pop up events, as well as creating associated

materials, including a project website, email list, media coordination, and project branding.

Information compiled from the Technical Assessments and environmental reviews will be

shared. Public input requirements regarding environmental review will be coordinated with

this phase.

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C. Engagement Activity Summary – A summary of findings from public engagement

activities, including survey data and an analysis of key themes from public and stakeholder

discussions, will be produced.

Task 3: Preferred Alternative Analysis

Once the Technical Assessments, Community Engagement, and Environmental Assessments

(completed under a separate consulting agreement) are completed for each of the two site

alternatives, the following tasks will be completed by the selected firm:

A. Evaluation Matrix - An evaluation matrix will be developed to assess all project

alternatives. Criteria would be developed with input from the city’s priorities along with

other aspects such as: cost, environmental impacts, local support, safety benefits, etc.

B. Preferred Location Summary - A detailed list of recommendations, factors for

consideration and other necessary next steps will be compiled based on the specific needs

of the preferred alternative e.g. right of way acquisition, utility relocations, permitting, etc.

Task 4: Project Planning Package

A Project Planning Package consistent with the objectives of the Project Planning Lifecycle Stage

identified in the FRA Guidance on Development and Implementation of Railroad Capital Projects

(July 18, 2025) will be prepared by the firm. The following documentation will be included and

submitted by the City of Liberal for FRA review:

A. Documentation of the project’s identification in a local systems planning process;

B. A draft purpose and need statement;

C. Documentation showing evidence of proper project alternatives analysis;

D. Completion of conceptual engineering of the preliminary project alternatives that fulfill the

draft purpose and need statements and meet transportation goals and objectives;

E. Completion of an environmental resource inventory and potential environmental concerns

analysis to address:

i.

Natural and built environmental conditions.

ii.

Identification of social, cultural, natural, and physical resources and

environmentally sensitive areas.

iii. Potential environmental effects, including identification of resources of concern

on those resources to both the natural and human environment.

iv. Potential minimization or avoidance measures.

F. Public, stakeholder, tribal, and agency involvement;

G. An order-of-magnitude project cost estimate; and

H. An initial Project Management Plan that addresses project delivery strategy, including

consideration of alternative delivery contracting methods.

Project Development Team Calls

The selected consultants will be required to participate in Project Development Team calls, which

will be scheduled on a monthly basis with other key project leaders and transportation partners to

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assess project deliverable progress, identify risks to the project, and collaborate to support

development activities across all functional areas of the Project’s development.

This RFP is for the Scope of Work identified herein, but the City of Liberal may elect to utilize the

successful firm for additional NEPA and preliminary engineering design work without a new

qualification-based process, unless and to the extent it is precluded from doing so by the terms

or conditions of any federal grant or applicable federal regulation. Construction of the Project,

should it proceed, will be the subject of future and separate procurement(s).

PROJECT TIMELINE

In order to meet the established federal timeframes for project milestones, responding firms will

be asked to execute the tasks identified in the Scope of Work under the following timeline:

Task

Task Description

Number

Estimated

Estimated Completion

Commencement Date Date

Task 1 Technical Assessments

03/01/2026

7/01/2026

Task 2 Community Engagement

03/01/2026

12/30/2026

Task 3 Preferred Alternative Analysis 7/01/2026

10/1/2026

Task 4 Project Planning Package

03/01/2026

12/30/2026

TIMELINE

The following RFP submission and bid timeline shall be applicable unless modified by the City of

Liberal pursuant to addendum to this RFP:

RFP Issued: January 20, 2026

Proposal & Bids Due Date: February 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM (CST)

Proposals & Bids presented to Liberal City Commission for Approval: February 24, 2026

Questions: Any general questions, requests for clarification or notices of ambiguities, conflicts,

mistakes, errors or discrepancies in this RFP may be submitted to

keeley.young@cityofliberal.org.

SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

Responding firms shall submit three (3) individually sealed hard copies of their project Bid

Proposal. Bid Proposals will be accepted by mail or in person by the City of Liberal, City Clerk at

324 N. Kansas Ave, Liberal, KS 67901 until February 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM (CST). Any RFPs,

modifications, or revisions received by City of Liberal after that date and time will not be

considered. The City of Liberal reserves the right to change or extend any and all dates including

the due date for RFPs for any reason and at any time, including after the Due Date for RFPs shall

have expired.

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Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
• NAICS 541990All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

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