Procurement and System Integration Projects

Prior to updating Minnesota’s 511 traveler information sytem, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) contracted with Athey Creek to assist in writing RFP and Requirements documents. Athey Creek helped build consensus among MnDOT staff on what was being procured, prepared a system summary that incorporated critical sections of a typical ConOps document, and provided a high-level description of the need and vision for the system, the roles of the contractor and MnDOT, and the products of the project, including the entry tool, 511 phone system, 511 website, and 511 mobile application. Athey Creek provided the details necessary for potential bidders to submit comprehensive technical and cost proposals. Athey Creek developed a set of functional requirements and walked MnDOT staff through each category and requirement, verified the applicability to Minnesota’s needs, and revised the requirements as necessary. Athey Creek worked with the MnDOT to identify and prepare content for the traveler information system RFP. Athey Creek also compared the technical proposals to the requirements, summarizing the proposals, and leading a walkthrough of the requirements. Finally, Athey Creek assisted in conceptualizing and drafting optional feature enhancements based on MnDOT’s needs and the features and functions offered by the selected contractor.

Athey Creek assisted the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) in planning and procuring a new advanced traffic management system (ATMS) by developing system requirements, creating procurement documents, coordinating vendor demonstrations, and supporting the ATMS deployment. In this role, Athey Creek documented the current state of the KDOT systems, the status of interfaces, and stakeholder roles and responsibilities. Athey Creek also developed the project reporting required by the Kansas information Technology Office (KITO) to track major software deployments and ensure they were consistent with state IT architecture and policy. Both the high-level plan and the system requirements required approval from KITO.

In 2018, MnDOT integrated arrow board messages into MnDOT’s 511 system by leveraging the model concept of operations and Systems Requirements documents created by the ENTERPRISE Pooled Fund Study to report the location and operational status of arrow boards in real-time to traffic management center TMC systems. Athey Creek gathered stakeholder input to refine the needs and system preferences for MnDOT and created an integration project plan. Athey Creek customized the documents to create a concept of operations and system requirements for MnDOT based on stakeholder feedback. Throughout the project, Athey Creek coordinated integration efforts by hosting monthly webinars with the project team, tracking the project schedule, and providing overall support to the MnDOT project manager. Athey Creek also provided on-site support for field testing to validate system performance.

Athey Creek is supporting the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT’s) procurement of a new permitting system for oversize and overweight commercial vehicles. The solution will allow truckers to self-issue permits, including routing based on vehicle and load characteristics. Athey Creek worked with a broad group of stakeholders to define the current state and permitting needs. Athey Creek then developed system requirements and a plan to define how the replacement system would integrate with other ODOT systems and how existing data would be migrated to the new system. Athey Creek also supported ODOT’s procurement process by developing a Statement of Work and proposal evaluation strategy.