Broad Agency Announcement: Research to Support FHWA’s Office of Infrastructure Research and Development

Amendment / Modification

This document is Amendment 0002 to the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) 693JJ3-23-BAA-0002. The amendment was posted on 06/09/2026.

This amendment does not appear to modify specific sections of the original BAA based on the provided text. It serves as an update to the announcement.

This amendment does not appear to alter submission deadlines or requirements for concept papers or proposals. Offerors are advised to regularly check https://sam.gov/ for any updates or amendments to this BAA.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to vendor questions regarding the 693JJ3-23-BAA-0002 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA).

• Multiple Concept Papers & Awards: Multiple project concept papers may be accepted per research topic. However, not all offerors who submit concept papers will be invited to submit full proposals, and multiple awards may be made per research topic.
• TBA Closing Dates: The government is not currently accepting proposals for research topics with a closing date listed as "TBA." The solicitation will be reopened for these topics when proposals are needed.
• Communication Guidance: Email is the preferred method of communication during the project concept paper phase. Specific guidance on initiating or scheduling communication is not provided beyond this preference.
• Concept Paper Deadline: The deadline for submitting Concept Papers for research topics listed in Appendix C with an Oct 30 closing date is confirmed as October 30, 2023.

This Q&A clarifies aspects of the submission process, award structure, and deadlines, which may affect how bidders prepare and submit their concept papers and proposals.

Other / Unclassified

This document is the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2022-2026. It outlines the FHWA's goals, objectives, and strategies, aligning them with the U.S. Department of Transportation's (U.S. DOT) strategic priorities and the Biden-Harris Administration's agenda. The plan details the FHWA's framework, mission, core values, and cross-cutting cultural strategies.

This document provides insight into the FHWA's strategic direction and priorities for the coming years. Understanding these priorities can help potential bidders align their proposals and capabilities with the agency's focus areas, particularly concerning safety, economic strength, equity, climate and sustainability, transformation, and organizational excellence. It highlights key initiatives and investments, such as those stemming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which may indicate future contracting opportunities and the criteria by which FHWA will evaluate its programs and partnerships.

Other / Unclassified

This document is a "TechBrief" titled "FHWA InfoMaterials™ Dataset Management." It was developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to provide guidance on data and metadata management for research data collected or generated by FHWA programs. It details the importance of a structured data management approach for preserving data integrity, maximizing data utilization, and facilitating new discoveries. The document outlines key elements for a data management plan, including identifying data needs, mapping collection processes, assigning responsibilities, capturing data and metadata, defining nomenclature, conducting quality control, and centralizing storage.

This document provides guidance on data types (structured, unstructured, semistructured), metadata (project-level and data-level), formats, and organization strategies (folder structure, naming conventions) for managing research data. It is relevant to bidders who may be involved in projects that require data collection, management, and dissemination, particularly those related to highway infrastructure research. Understanding these data management principles can help bidders propose compliant and effective data handling strategies as part of their proposals. It also highlights the FHWA InfoMaterials Web portal as a resource for organized sample datasets.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is the FHWA Subcontracting Plan template (BAA 693JJ3-23-BAA-0002) for the "Research to Support FHWA's Office of Infrastructure Research and Development" opportunity. It requires bidders to outline their subcontracting goals and plans.

• Instructions: Bidders must submit a subcontracting plan, signed by an authorized official, detailing subcontracting goals as percentages of total planned subcontracting dollars.
• Subcontracting Goals - Base Year: This section requires the total prime contract amount, total planned subcontracted amount, and specific goals for various small business categories (Small Business, VOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone, SDB, WOSB) as both dollar amounts and percentages.
• Rationale for Lower Goals: Space is provided to explain any rationale for establishing goals lower than the standard percentages for VOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone, SDB, and WOSB.
• Planned Subcontracts: A table to list the types of supplies/services to be subcontracted, the company/firm name, subcontracted amount, and the subcontractor's size standard.
• Methods for Goal Development: Space to describe the methods used to develop subcontract percentage goals and identify potential subcontract sources.
• Indirect Costs: A section to indicate if indirect costs were included in goal establishment and the method used to determine their proportion.
• Subcontracting Program Administrator: Fields to identify the individual responsible for administering the subcontracting program and their duties.
• Equitable Opportunity: A section to describe efforts to ensure equitable opportunities for small business subcontractors.
• Record Maintenance: Details on the types of records to be maintained regarding subcontracting compliance.
• FAR Clause Compliance: Agreement to include FAR Clause 52.219-8 and compliance with FAR Clause 52.219-9 for applicable subcontracts. It also outlines requirements for reporting, using the eSRS system, and ensuring subcontractors comply with reporting requirements.
• Submission Details: Fields for the submitting entity's POC name, title, email, company name, DUNS/CAGE, and mailing address, along with a signature line.

This document is critical for bidders to understand the government's expectations regarding small business subcontracting. Bidders must complete and submit this plan as part of their proposal, detailing their strategy for meeting or exceeding small business subcontracting goals. Failure to provide a compliant subcontracting plan may impact proposal evaluation and award.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is a "Certification Regarding Lobbying" form. It requires the undersigned to certify that no Federal appropriated funds have been used to influence or attempt to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement. It also outlines requirements for disclosing lobbying activities if non-Federal funds have been used for such purposes and mandates that this certification be included in all sub-award documents.

• Certification statements regarding the use of Federal and non-Federal funds for lobbying.
• Requirement to submit Standard Form-LLL, "Disclosure of Lobbying Activities," if applicable.
• Mandate to include the certification language in all sub-award documents.
• Statement of the materiality of the certification and penalties for failure to comply.
• Fields for Organization name, Street address, City, State, Zip, Title, Signature, and Date.

Bidders are required to complete and submit this form as part of their proposal or in connection with the award of a contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement. It is a prerequisite for the transaction and failure to comply can result in civil penalties.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) solicits research and development (R&D) projects to support the FHWA's Office of Infrastructure Research and Development (R&D). The BAA aims to solicit solutions that align with strategic objectives and tactical needs in areas such as Advanced Digital Construction, Transportation Resilience and Safety, Enhanced Pavement Management, Bridge Preservation and Management, Highway Construction Safety, and Pavement Modeling and Performance. The BAA is open for 60 months, with calls for concept papers anticipated annually.

• Projects should develop technologies addressing FHWA's strategic goals (FY 2022-2026) related to Safety, Economic Strength and Global Competitiveness, Equity, Climate and Sustainability, Transformation, and Organizational Excellence.

• Specific areas of interest include Construction and Project Management, Infrastructure Performance, Pavement and Materials, and Transportation Performance Management and Asset Management.

• Deliverables must be Section 508 compliant and provided in Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Adobe PDF formats. They will undergo technical, publication, public affairs, and legal reviews.

• Awards are subject to the availability of funds. Individual awards are anticipated to range between $50,000 and $750,000.

• The Government reserves the right to fund all, some, one, or none of the proposals, or to fund only part of a submitted proposal.

• Contract types may include Firm-Fixed Price, Cost Reimbursement, or Time-and-Materials.

• The process is two-phased: Phase 1 involves submission and evaluation of Project Concept Papers, followed by Phase 2 where selected Offerors submit formal Project Proposals.

• Project Concept Papers are due by 12pm EST on September 20, 2023. Proposals are due by 12pm EST on a date specified in a letter to Offerors.

• Evaluation is based on Technical Merit (of concept paper and proposal), Cost/Price, and Small Business Subcontracting Plan (if applicable).

• This is an unrestricted solicitation. Any responsible source may submit a proposal.

• Small, Small Disadvantaged, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, Veteran-Owned, Woman-Owned, HUBZone Small Business Concerns, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Minority Institutions are encouraged to participate.

• No portion of this BAA will be set aside exclusively for any specific small business category.

• All Offerors must be registered on the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).

• Communication regarding the BAA should be via email to the listed points of contact.

• Offerors must describe any limitations on intellectual property.

• Section 889 Compliance is required for all awarded contracts and agreements.

Amendment / Modification

This document provides an update regarding the FHWA Authorship Policy, effective February 22, 2022. The update is a response to the Presidential Memorandum on Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidenced-Based Policymaking, issued January 27, 2021.

• The core of the document is the "Authorship Policy of the Federal Highway Administration."
• It outlines the purpose of the policy, which is to ensure that FHWA staff and individuals making substantial intellectual contributions to scientific and technical products are listed as contributors.
• It details the laws, regulations, and policies that govern this policy, including several Presidential Memoranda and an Executive Order.
• It defines "Authorship Criteria" for individuals making substantial contributions to scientific and technical products, including concept, design, development, analysis, writing, and technical supervision.
• It provides a process for resolving authorship disputes.
• It clarifies that contributors who do not meet authorship criteria may be named in an Acknowledgments section.
• It references the Office of Public Affairs' role in the publications review process.

This document does not appear to directly impact proposal submission deadlines or requirements for an opportunity. It pertains to the internal policy of the FHWA regarding authorship of scientific and technical products.

Other / Unclassified

This document, titled "COMMUNICATION REFERENCE GUIDE: UPDATES," provides updates and clarifications to the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center R&D Communication Reference Guide (CRG). It consolidates changes and clarifications to the CRG, which is used as a standard for preparing communication products to document and promote FHWA's work. The updates are grouped by topic and aim to address areas of the CRG that are frequently misunderstood or have been updated since its 2017 publication.

This document is relevant to bidders as it details updated guidance on:

• Attribution Lines: Mandates attribution lines for all images, including FHWA-owned ones.
• References: Provides updated guidance on citing various reference types (blog posts, books, journal articles, reports, social media, software, specifications, theses, websites, and presentations) and in-text citation formatting, aligning with the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS).
• Unpublished Sources: Clarifies that unpublished sources should be cited as footnotes, not in the reference list.
• 508 Compliance: Emphasizes the need for all public-facing and internal electronic content to conform to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, providing guidance on symbols, underlined text, alt text for equations, and color contrast.
• Equations and Formulas: Updates guidance on inserting equations, allowing the use of equation-editor tools and requiring separate alt text.
• Tables: Encourages simple table formats but allows for merged cells, provided data cells clearly correlate to unique headers.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document appears to be a template or presentation slide for outlining a project. It is intended to provide a structured overview of a project, including its description, impact, cost, and schedule.

• Project Title: Placeholder for the project's name.
• Image: Visual representation of the project (e.g., "Village Center Complete Streets Construction Project").
• Description: Section for detailing the project's objectives and scope.
• Impact: Section for outlining the project's effects.
• Cost & Schedule: Section for providing financial and timeline information.
• FHWA Task Monitor: Indicates oversight by the Federal Highway Administration.
• Project Partners: Section to list involved entities.

While this document does not contain specific requirements or solicitations, it provides a template that might be used in conjunction with other opportunity documents. Bidders could use this as a reference to understand the expected format for project information or to prepare their own project proposals if such a template is requested.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document, "Appendix C - Research Topics," outlines various research initiatives supported by the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Infrastructure Research and Development (HRDI). It serves as a guide for potential concept paper submissions related to a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA).

• Research Areas: The document details research topics categorized under:
  • Advanced Digital Construction (ADC)
  • Transportation Resilience and Safety (TRS)
  • Enhanced Pavement Management (EPM)
  • Bridge Preservation and Management (BPM)
  • Highway Construction Safety (HCS)
  • Pavement Modeling and Performance (PMP)
• Topic Details: Each research topic includes a unique number, a descriptive title, and a closing date for concept papers. Some topics also have associated "See Note Below Table" references, indicating further details or specific funding ranges.
• Funding Ranges: Expected funding ranges for each research topic are provided, varying significantly by topic.
• Submission Note: Concept papers may be submitted at any time up to the closing date of the research topic.

This document is crucial for potential bidders interested in the FHWA's research initiatives. It clearly defines the areas of research, specific topics of interest, and submission deadlines for concept papers. The provided funding ranges offer insight into the potential scope and value of these research efforts, enabling bidders to assess the relevance of the opportunity to their capabilities and interests.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document, "Appendix A - Project Quad Chart," provides instructions and guidelines for Offerors on how to create and submit a Project Quad Chart. This chart is a synopsis of project objectives and progress, presented graphically, and is intended for use in briefings to explain work to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Structure: A one-page, landscape-oriented document divided into four quadrants.
• Quadrant 1 (Upper Left): Visually appealing graphics or pictures representing key technological ideas or expected impact (max five images).
• Quadrant 2 (Upper Right): Brief project description using a bulleted list (max five bullets).
• Quadrant 3 (Lower Left): Three to five quantitative statements discussing how the project work will revolutionize an area, including current system limitations and proposed improvements.
• Quadrant 4 (Lower Right): Three to five significant project milestones and associated approximate costs, presented on a three-year timeline or in a bulleted list.
• Title: Clearly visible and centered at the top.
• Signatories: FHWA Task Monitor (bottom left) and project partner (bottom right).
• Formatting: Specific font (Times New Roman or Arial), font sizes (30-36 for title, 14-16 for quadrants), and legibility requirements.
• Submission: Accepted in Microsoft PowerPoint template only, limited to one page, and a file size limit of 500,000 bytes (0.5 MB).
• Copyright: Offerors must clearly add copyright attribution under all graphics or pictures.

This document is crucial for bidders as it dictates the format, content, and submission requirements for a key deliverable (the Project Quad Chart). Adhering to these specifications is essential for a compliant and effective proposal submission. It outlines how to visually and concisely present project information, including technical ideas, descriptions, revolutionary aspects, milestones, and costs.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document contains two pricing models for use in FHWA agreements, specifically for prospective recipients to detail proposed costs. It includes a Cost Proposal Model and a Time-and-Materials Price Model.

Cost Proposal Model:

• Sections for Offeror Name, Project Description, Home Office Address, and Division(s) where work will be performed.
• Detailed cost elements including Personnel (with categories, estimated hours, rate/hour, estimated cost, total cost), Fringe Benefits, Travel, Equipment, Supplies, Contractual/Consultants, and Other direct costs.
• Calculation of Total Direct Charge, Indirect Charge (Facilities & Administrative), and overall Totals.

Time-and-Materials Price Model:

• Fields for Proposal Title and Period of Performance.
• Breakdown of Direct Labor Cost Estimate by Labor Category, Hours, Rate, and Extended Cost across multiple tasks.
• Summary of Total Labor Cost and Total Labor Cost by Task.
• Breakdown of Other Direct Cost Estimate by Task, including Travel (Airfare, Per Diem), Materials, and Miscellaneous Costs (Telephone, Reproduction, Computer, Facilities, etc.).
• Calculation of Total ODCs, SUMMARY TOTAL, and Total Price by Task.

Bidders must use these templates to detail their proposed costs for the opportunity. The structure provided guides the breakdown of expenses, including labor, materials, travel, and indirect costs, which will be crucial for proposal preparation and evaluation.