71074 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 197 / Friday, October 13, 2023 / Notices 

an ultimate access-controlled mainlane 

facility. The project is approximately 9.4 

miles in length. The actions by TxDOT 

and Federal agencies and the laws 

under which such actions were taken 

are described in the Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), 

the Record of Decision (ROD) issued on 

September 22, 2023, and other 

documents in the TxDOT project file. 

The EIS, ROD, and other documents in 

the TxDOT project file are available by 

contacting the TxDOT Dallas District 

Office at 4777 E. Highway 80, Mesquite, 

TX 75150; telephone: (214) 320–4480. 

2. US 380 from Coit Road to FM 1827 

in Collin County, Texas. The project 

will provide a new location, eight-lane, 

controlled access freeway with twolane, one-way frontage roads on each 

side from Coit Road and existing US 380 

to the eastern terminus at existing US 

380 and FM 1827. Depending on the 

location, the typical freeway section 

will consist of four 12-foot-wide travel 

lanes in each direction with 10- to 17- 

foot-wide inside and outside shoulders 

and two-lane (each 12 feet wide), oneway frontage roads on either side of the 

mainlanes. Shared-use paths built along 

the outside of the frontage roads will 

provide bicycle and pedestrian 

accommodations. The project is 

approximately 15.6 miles in length. The 

actions by TxDOT and Federal agencies 

and the laws under which such actions 

were taken are described in the Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), 

the Record of Decision (ROD) issued on 

September 27, 2023, and other 

documents in the TxDOT project file. 

The EIS, ROD, and other documents in 

the TxDOT project file are available by 

contacting the TxDOT Dallas District 

Office at 4777 E. Highway 80, Mesquite, 

TX 75150; telephone: (214) 320–4480. 

Authority: 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). 

Michael T. Leary, 

Director, Planning and Program Development, 

Federal Highway Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2023–22000 Filed 10–12–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

FY 2022 and 2023 Competitive Funding 

Opportunity: Accelerating Advanced 

Digital Construction Management 

Systems Program 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), Department of Transportation 

(DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of funding opportunity 

(NOFO). 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) announces the 

opportunity to competitively apply for 

$5,093,000 under the Fiscal Year (FY) 

2022 and 2023 Public Transportation 

Innovation Program to serve as the 

Program Lead for the Accelerating 

Advanced Digital Construction 

Management Systems (‘‘ADCMS’’) 

program. 

DATES: Complete proposals must be 

submitted electronically through the 

Grants.gov ‘‘APPLY’’ function by 11:59 

p.m. Eastern time on February 12, 2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

ADCMS Program Team, FTA Office of 

Research, Demonstration, and 

Innovation, by email at ADCMS@dot.gov 

or by phone at (202) 366–2182. 

Prospective applicants should initiate 

the process by registering on the 

Grants.gov website promptly to ensure 

completion of the application process 

before the submission deadline. 

Instructions for applying can be found 

on FTA’s website at https://

www.transit.dot.gov/howtoapply and in 

the ‘‘FIND’’ module of Grants.gov. The 

Grants.gov funding opportunity ID is 

FTA–2023–012–TRI–ADCMS. Mail and 

fax submissions will not be accepted. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

A. Program Description 

B. Federal Award Information 

C. Eligibility Information 

D. Application and Submission Information 

E. Application Review Information 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

H. Other Information 

A. Program Description 

1. Background 

FTA’s Public Transportation 

Innovation Program (49 U.S.C. 5312) 

supports research and demonstrations to 

develop and deploy ideas, practices, 

and approaches that improve public 

transportation. This Notice (Federal 

Assistance Listing 20.526) will establish 

a program to plan, deploy, evaluate, and 

promote ADCMS technologies under 49 

U.S.C. 5312(b)(4). 

Construction is often the costliest and 

potentially most disruptive phase of any 

public transportation infrastructure 

project. Effective and efficient 

management of all elements and life 

cycle phases of infrastructure 

construction is key to on-time and onbudget project delivery. Project teams 

must know how and why specific 

changes or improvements are being 

made, ideally in real-time, and be aware 

of variations in methods of construction, 

delays, and stakeholder inputs. Public 

transportation infrastructure projects 

could have delays, cost overruns, 

avoidable revisions and change orders, 

worker injuries, or substandard build 

quality without effective and efficient 

infrastructure construction management 

strategies. 

The Infrastructure Investment and 

Jobs Act, Public Law 117–58 (also called 

the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)), 

prioritizes the modernization of public 

transportation systems and 

acknowledges that the successful 

implementation of the ADCMS program 

relies on creating a new digital solution 

for the infrastructure construction 

industry. BIL codified 49 U.S.C. 

5312(b)(4), which requires FTA to 

accelerate the implementation and 

deployment of ADCMS in the public 

transportation industry. ADCMS is 

broadly defined as empowering more 

timely and productive information 

sharing among stakeholders through 

reduced reliance on outdated pen-andpaper methods. ADCMS potentially 

makes modern digital technology 

available to infrastructure construction 

employees and enables them to perform 

tasks faster, more safely, smartly, and 

accurately, and with reduced oversight 

and supervision. 

Section 5312(b)(4) lists nine goals for 

the accelerated implementation and 

deployment of ADCMS technologies in 

the public transportation industry. They 

are: 

1. Accelerated adoption of advanced 

digital systems applied throughout the 

lifecycle of transportation infrastructure 

(including through the planning, design 

and engineering, construction, 

operations, and maintenance phases) 

that maximize interoperability with 

other systems, products, tools, or 

applications; boost productivity; 

manage complexity; reduce project 

delays and cost overruns; enhance 

safety and quality; and reduce total 

costs for the entire lifecycle of 

transportation infrastructure assets. 

2. More timely and productive 

information sharing among stakeholders 

through reduced reliance on paper to 

manage construction processes and 

deliverables such as blueprints, design 

drawings, procurement and supplychain orders, equipment logs, daily 

progress reports, and punch lists. 

3. Deployment of digital management 

systems that enable and leverage the use 

of digital technologies on construction 

sites by contractors, such as state-of-theart automated and connected machinery 

and optimized routing software that 

allows construction workers to perform 

tasks faster, more safely, more 


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accurately, and with minimal 

supervision. 

4. The development and deployment 

of best practices for use in digital 

construction management. 

5. Increased technology adoption and 

deployment by States, local 

governmental authorities, and 

designated recipients that enable project 

sponsors to integrate the adoption of 

digital management systems and 

technologies in contracts and to weigh 

the cost of digitization and technology 

in setting project budgets. 

6. Technology training and workforce 

development to build the capabilities of 

project managers and sponsors that 

enable States, local governmental 

authorities, or designated recipients to 

better manage projects using advanced 

construction management technologies 

and to properly measure and reward 

technology adoption across projects. 

7. Development of guidance to assist 

States, local governmental authorities, 

and designated recipients in updating 

regulations to allow project sponsors 

and contractors to report data relating to 

the project in digital formats and to fully 

capture the efficiencies and benefits of 

advanced digital construction 

management systems and related 

technologies. 

8. Reduction in the environmental 

footprint of construction projects using 

advanced digital construction 

management systems resulting from 

eliminating congestion through more 

efficient projects. 

9. Enhanced worker and pedestrian 

safety resulting from increased 

transparency. 

2. Program Goals and Objectives 

FTA is soliciting proposals for a 

Program Lead to carry out 

demonstrations of ADCMS software on 

transit construction projects and report 

on the results and experiences, with the 

purpose of assisting other transit 

agencies considering adopting ADCMS 

on their construction projects. 

FTA expects this ADCMS 

demonstration program to consist of the 

following basic program elements, 

which are described in additional detail 

below: (1) overall program management 

and coordination; (2) demonstration of 

ADCMS on public transportation 

construction projects; (3) an evaluation 

of the demonstration projects centered 

on the nine program goals in 49 U.S.C. 

5312(b)(4); and (4) development of 

‘‘lessons learned’’ documents of project 

findings and an implementation guide 

intended to assist public transportation 

agencies accelerate the deployment of 

ADCMS programs. 

The Program Lead is encouraged to 

assemble and lead appropriate 

partnerships to deliver all components 

of the ADCMS program as described in 

this Notice. 

i. Management and Coordination 

The Program Lead will be responsible 

for overall program management, 

coordination, and adherence to 

established project timelines in 

accordance with available funding. This 

includes all aspects of resource 

management, compliance, and 

reporting, including oversight of subrecipients, if any. Eligible activities 

include data collection, feasibility study 

and analysis, economic analysis, 

stakeholder engagement, and outreach, 

obtaining necessary equipment and 

services, acquiring or developing 

software and hardware interfaces to 

implement the project demonstrations, 

performance measurement and 

evaluation, planning, engineering, 

development of technical or financing 

plans, public engagement, and 

participant recruitment, capital and 

operating expenses, technology 

applications, or similar necessary 

components to design, select, and carry 

out demonstrations. 

The Program Lead is expected to work 

closely and have frequent contact with 

the transit agency owners of the 

demonstration construction projects to 

monitor the collection and analysis of 

data to ensure the validity and 

consistency of findings, in accordance 

with the goals and requirements of this 

Notice, and with input of the Research 

Stakeholder Committee, as described in 

Section A.2.iv., Structured 

Demonstration and National Research, 

below. 

ii. Demonstration Projects 

The Program Lead must provide for at 

least two transit agencies to demonstrate 

at least two different ADCMS solutions, 

and the construction projects used for 

demonstrations must be FTA-funded 

projects. Accordingly, the Program Lead 

must have the capability to support the 

implementation of more than one 

ADCMS-integrated software solution. 

The Program Lead must allow a public 

transportation agency sponsoring a 

demonstration to choose its own 

ADCMS software, and cannot be a 

provider of, or have a financial interest 

in, a proprietary ADCMS software 

solution. 

In proposing construction projects for 

demonstrations, the Program Lead 

should consider, among other factors, 

the nature and type of construction 

management processes being proposed 

for ADCMS demonstrations, each transit 

agency’s ability to implement ADCMS, 

the ADCMS products to be 

demonstrated, and each transit agency’s 

ability to manage project data. FTA 

expects demonstrations to have a 

duration not to exceed four years from 

project start date. The Project Lead shall 

propose demonstration projects to 

ensure that the customized ADCMS 

strategies and targeted investments are 

having a measurable impact at the 

demonstration sites. 

Demonstration activities should 

include the full lifecycle for planning, 

implementing, integrating, testing, and 

final deployment of the solution. For 

example, (1) gathering and confirming 

business requirements from the 

recipients selected for the 

demonstration, (2) configuring the 

ADCMS software noted in the 

application for the respective partner, 

(3) testing and integrating the software 

solution with any internal systems 

already deployed that relate to digital 

construction management, (4) final 

deployment, and (5) lessons learned in 

the process. 

Demonstrations will include the 

collection of data and experiences from 

participants in the demonstration 

projects and unique ‘‘storytelling’’ of 

individual participants in the various 

demonstrations that will form the basis 

of the Project Lead’s evaluation of the 

demonstrations and preparation of 

‘‘lessons learned’’ materials for 

dissemination. 

Proposals must include a research 

program ‘‘off-ramp plan’’ to financially 

support and sustain the ADCMS 

program for the demonstration 

recipients at the conclusion of the 

demonstration and research period. 

Competitive proposals will also have a 

deployment timeline and critical 

milestones with associated roles and 

responsibilities for demonstration 

transit agencies. 

iii. Demonstration Project Evaluation 

A Demonstration Project Evaluation 

report is required to assess the research 

project’s process, outcomes, and impact. 

This report should provide an unbiased 

assessment of the project’s strengths, 

weaknesses, and lessons learned. 

iv. Development of Lessons Learned 

The Program Lead will facilitate the 

interaction between the demonstration 

project transit agencies by bringing 

demonstration partners together 

periodically to gather qualitative 

research and provide feedback on their 

respective findings regarding the 

demonstration’s implementation and 

impact. 


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The Program Lead will develop a 

structured research framework for the 

demonstrations. The Program Lead will 

establish and regularly meet with a 

Research Stakeholder Committee 

consisting of representatives from 

federal agencies involved in research 

and development initiatives related to 

the project’s domain, experts from 

relevant industries from non-profit and/ 

or private sector organizations that have 

a vested interest in the research area; 

representatives from academia that can 

contribute their knowledge, research 

expertise, and academic perspectives to 

guide the project and ensure its 

alignment with current scientific 

understanding; and end users or 

practitioners from organizations such as 

public transportation agencies or 

relevant professionals who will be the 

direct beneficiaries or users of project 

outcomes. The Research Stakeholder 

Committee will review the 

demonstration framework and 

methodology, data collection plan, and 

preliminary and final findings and offer 

feedback to ensure the demonstration 

satisfies the nine goals of the ADCMS 

program in the most valid and impactful 

ways. The successful applicant will 

collaborate with FTA on the 

membership composition of the 

committee. FTA will also be a member 

of the committee. The Program Lead 

will aid the selected demonstration sites 

in establishing and maintaining the 

collection of project data and tools, 

striving for consistency across 

demonstrations to the greatest extent 

possible. The Program Lead will also 

compile and synthesize data and lessons 

learned from the demonstrations. 

Project deliverables should include data 

collection instruments, including 

surveys, interview guides, observation 

protocols, or experimental protocols 

used to collect primary data; copies of 

oral and/or visual presentations 

summarizing the project objectives, 

methodology, findings, and 

recommendations; copies of all raw 

and/or processed data collected during 

the demonstrations that can be used to 

facilitate replication, further analysis, or 

meta-analyses; and, a comprehensive 

demonstration project evaluation report, 

summarizing the evaluation 

methodology, findings, and 

recommendations. The evaluation 

report should be tailored to different 

stakeholders’ needs and should be 

easily accessible and understandable. 

Additionally, opportunities for 

presenting the findings and engaging 

stakeholders in discussions should be 

provided in the report to ensure that the 

evaluation results are utilized for 

decision-making and improvement. 

Research and demonstration 

conducted under this Notice will 

advance the strategic goals of the U.S. 

Department of Transportation, as 

outlined in its FY 2022–2026 Strategic 

Plan, and the Department’s Innovation 

Principles, which can be found at 

https://www.transportation.gov/ 

priorities/transformation/us-dotinnovation-principles. 

B. Federal Award Information 

This Notice makes available 

$5,093,000 to award one competitively 

selected Program Lead. Funding is 

available under FTA’s Public 

Transportation Innovation Program (49 

U.S.C. 5312). FTA may, at its discretion, 

provide additional funding for multiyear selections made under this Notice 

from FTA’s Public Transportation 

Innovation Program (49 U.S.C. 5312), 

subject to the availability of 

appropriated funds. 

An applicant whose proposal is 

selected for funding as the Program 

Lead will receive a cooperative 

agreement with FTA. FTA will have 

substantial involvement in the 

administration of the cooperative 

agreement. FTA’s role includes the right 

to participate in decisions to redirect 

and reprioritize project activities, goals, 

and deliverables. FTA expects to 

provide the Program Lead with 

substantive input and direction at each 

stage of the project. Applicants are 

encouraged to assemble and secure 

partnerships necessary to conduct the 

Program in accordance with the 

requirements outlined in this Notice. 

Only proposals from eligible 

recipients for eligible activities will be 

considered for funding. 

Pre-award authority is subject to FTA 

approval and is only available for costs 

incurred after the announcement of the 

project selection on FTA’s website. 

Projects under this Notice are for 

research efforts and, as such, FTA 

Circular 6100.1E, ‘‘Research, Technical 

Assistance and Training Program 

Guidance’’ (available at https://

www.fta.dot.gov/regulations-andguidance/fta-circulars/researchtechnical-assistance-and-trainingprogram), will apply in administering 

the program. 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants 

Eligible applicants for the Program 

Lead under this Notice include the 

following: 

• Departments, agencies, and 

instrumentalities of local, state, and 

federal government, including Federal 

laboratories 

• Institutions of higher education, 

including research universities, 

particularly those with Minority 

Serving Institution status 

• Non-profit organizations 

• For-profit organizations 

• Technical and community colleges 

Eligibility is limited to United States 

entities. Applicants must demonstrate 

experience conducting comprehensive 

research demonstrations, including 

those focused on data- and technologyoriented research and application in the 

infrastructure construction industry, 

and related areas. 

To be considered eligible, an 

applicant must be able to demonstrate 

the requisite legal, financial, and 

technical capabilities to receive and 

administer Federal funds under this 

new program. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching 

Per 49 U.S.C. 5312(g), the eligible 

Federal share will not exceed 80 percent 

of net project cost. Applicants for 

Program Lead must provide a minimum 

20 percent non-federal cost share. 

Applicants may also apply with a larger 

non-federal cost share. The non-federal 

share of the net project cost may be 

provided in cash or in kind, and the 

applicant must document in its 

application the source of the non-federal 

match. Eligible sources of non-federal 

match are detailed in FTA Circular 

6100.1E. 

3. Conflicts of Interest 

It is FTA’s intent that the ADCMS 

program benefits public transportation 

agencies irrespective of their choice of 

ADCMS software. Therefore, the 

Program Lead and its principal staff 

engaged in this project cannot be a 

provider of, or have a financial interest 

in, a proprietary ADCMS software 

solution or vendor. Each applicant must 

include a statement to this effect in its 

application. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address To Request Application 

Applications must be made using the 

Standard Form 424 (SF–424), which can 

be downloaded from Grants.gov. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

a. Proposal Submission 

General information for submitting 

applications along with specific 

instructions for the forms and 

attachments required for submission can 

be found at Grants.gov. A complete 


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proposal submission must consist of: (1) 

The SF–424 ‘‘Application for Federal 

Assistance;’’ (2) the Supplemental Form; 

and (3) a narrative proposal document 

in Microsoft Word, PDF, or a compatible 

file format that addresses the required 

elements contained in this Notice. The 

narrative proposal should be in the 

format outlined in the ‘‘Proposal 

Preparation and Content’’ section. A 

narrative proposal submission may 

contain additional supporting 

documentation as attachments. Once 

completed, the Supplemental Form, 

narrative proposal, and any supporting 

documents must be placed in the 

‘‘Attachments’’ section of the SF–424 in 

Grants.gov to successfully complete the 

application process. The applicant must 

respond to all sections of the SF–424 

Application for Federal Assistance and 

the Supplemental Form. The 

information in the application will be 

used to determine applicant and project 

eligibility for the program and to 

evaluate the proposal against the 

selection criteria described in this 

Notice. Applicants should carefully 

review the criteria noted in Section E 

and ensure their proposal addresses the 

factors listed. 

Failure to submit the information as 

requested can delay review or disqualify 

the application. 

1. Proposal Preparation and Content 

Applicants must submit one 

electronic file for Proposals in a 

Microsoft Word, PDF, or compatible file 

format, double-spaced using Times New 

Roman, 12-point font. The proposal 

must contain the following components 

and adhere to the specified maximum 

lengths: 

1. Cover Sheet (not to exceed 1 page): 

The cover sheet must include the entity 

submitting the proposal, principal’s 

name, title, and contact information 

(e.g., address, office and mobile phone, 

and email). The cover sheet must also 

include name and contact information 

for the entity’s point of contact for all 

cooperative agreement administrative 

activities (if different from principal). 

2. Abstract (not to exceed 2 pages): 

The Abstract must include background, 

purpose, methodology, intended 

outputs, outcomes, impacts, and plan 

for accomplishing the goals and 

objectives as outlined in this Notice. 

3. Table of Contents (not to exceed 1 

page): The Table of Contents shall list 

each section of the proposal (including 

Appendices) by title and page number. 

4. Project Budget (not to exceed 5 

pages): Project budgets should show 

how different funding sources will share 

in each activity and present those data 

in dollars and percentages. The budget 

should identify other Federal funds the 

applicant is applying for or has been 

awarded, if any, that the applicant 

intends to use. Funding sources should 

be grouped into three categories: nonFederal, ADCMS, and other Federal, 

with specific amounts from each 

funding source. The proposed project 

budget must account for multiple years 

and outline the total cost of all services 

and products, including salaries and 

fringe benefits, supplies, travel, 

equipment, and proposed contractual 

arrangements (e.g., subcontracts, 

consultant services) and how these 

estimated costs are connected to the 

project scope. 

5. Project Work Plan (not to exceed 

ten pages total): The proposed project 

work plan must include the following 

information: 

a. Methodology—Provide a 

methodology for addressing the goals 

and objectives described above under 

Section A of this Notice; identify the 

transit agencies and construction 

projects proposed as demonstrations 

and the ADCMS products proposed to 

be demonstrated, and how the applicant 

will integrate ADCMS into the 

construction projects. 

b. Statement of Work—Provide 

proposed work tasks for the project and 

how the proposed work tasks will be 

accomplished. Include the tasks for 

proposed activities, resources, 

milestones, and a timeline. 

i. Staffing Plan—Describe the 

approach for managing the project team, 

including the distribution of 

responsibilities among project partners, 

and what activities each project team 

member will perform. 

ii. Coordination with FTA—Identify 

the plan for coordinating the project 

team’s activities and deliverables with 

the FTA’s Research office, as needed 

and relevant. 

iii. Research and Data Collection— 

Identify activities and the plan for 

electronic collection, maintenance, 

storage, and dissemination of data for 

use by the project team, stakeholders, 

FTA, and other customers. 

iv. Communication Plan—Provide a 

plan for communications of project 

results. The plan should identify 

innovative communication strategies 

including, but not limited to the 

following: webinars, in-person 

presentations at industry events, social 

media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, 

YouTube), text alerts, email, website 

publication, and toll-free telephone 

numbers. 

v. Performance Measures—Identify 

multiple performance measures that 

FTA should use to assess the Program’s 

overall effectiveness in accordance with 

the nine stated goals of the ADCMS 

program. 

vi. Deliverables—Provide a proposed 

list of proposed deliverables (e.g., 

guides, plans, reports, services, etc.). 

Include quarterly reports, financial 

forms, guidance documents, and final 

reports to be submitted to FTA. 

6. Staff Qualifications (not to exceed 

5 pages total): 

a. Organizational Capacity—Provide a 

narrative that briefly describes the 

structure of the proposer, including its 

history and experience in performing 

complex research activities. Include a 

narrative of the proposer’s 

understanding of the activities in this 

solicitation and its responsibility for the 

demonstrations, data collection, and 

results dissemination called for in this 

Notice. Include the proposer’s 

organization chart. The applicant must 

affirm that neither it nor the individual 

members of its principal staff (see d., 

below) has a financial interest or 

affiliation with the vendors whose 

ADCMS solutions it proposes to 

demonstrate. 

b. Project Team Structure—Provide a 

narrative that briefly describes the 

structure and makeup of the project 

team. Eligible applicants are encouraged 

to identify in their proposal one or more 

project partners with a substantial 

interest and involvement in the project 

activities or objectives. If an application 

that involves such a partnership is 

selected for funding, the competitive 

selection process will be deemed to 

satisfy the requirement for a competitive 

procurement under 49 U.S.C. 5325(a) for 

the named entities. Applicants are 

advised that any changes to the 

proposed partnership after the award 

will require FTA’s written approval, 

must be consistent with the scope of the 

approved project, and may require a 

competitive procurement process. 

Include the names of all partner 

organizations, and the legal 

relationship, if any, between the 

applicant and each proposed partner. 

Include the names and functional titles 

of each project team member. Proposers 

must also provide documentation of the 

project team, such as a memorandum of 

agreement or letter of intent signed by 

all parties that describes the parties’ 

roles, responsibilities, commitment to 

the proposed project, and how the 

applicant will ensure they will have 

enough time to devote to the project. 

Include an organizational chart for the 

entire project team. 

c. Technical Capacity of Project 

Team—Provide a detailed description of 

the technical capacity of the project 

team members and what activities each 

team member will perform. Include 


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project staff qualifications, education, 

knowledge, and results of prior 

experience related to the topic called for 

in this notice. Additionally, applicants 

should discuss the successful 

completion of similar or relevant 

projects. 

d. Biographical Summary—In 

addition to the Staff Qualifications 

narrative (5 page maximum), include a 

biographical summary for each staff 

member proposed to take a principal 

role or perform significant work on the 

project. 

7. Proposals shall adhere to the 

specified maximum page lengths. 

Supplemental materials such as letters 

of support can be included with the 

proposal in an appendices section that 

is beyond the page limit above. 

Supplemental materials will not be 

evaluated independently. 

The Department may share 

application information within the 

Department or with other Federal 

agencies if the Department determines 

that sharing is relevant to the respective 

program’s objectives. 

Applications submitted in response to 

this NOFO become the property of FTA 

and may be subject to Freedom of 

Information Act requests. Please 

segregate and clearly mark any portions 

of the application containing 

confidential or privileged trade secrets 

or commercial or financial information. 

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System 

for Award Management (SAM) 

Each applicant is required to: (1) be 

registered in SAM before applying; (2) 

provide a valid unique entity identifier 

in its application; and (3) continue to 

always maintain an active SAM 

registration with current information 

during which the applicant has an 

active Federal award or an application 

or plan under consideration by FTA. 

FTA may not make an award until the 

applicant has complied with all 

applicable unique entity identifier and 

SAM requirements. If an applicant has 

yet to fully comply with the 

requirements by the time FTA is ready 

to make an award, FTA may determine 

that the applicant is not qualified to 

receive an award and use that 

determination as a basis for making a 

federal award to another applicant. 

These requirements do not apply if the 

applicant has an exception approved by 

FTA or the U.S. Office of Management 

and Budget under 2 CFR 25.110(c) or 

(d). 

SAM registration takes approximately 

3–5 business days, but FTA 

recommends allowing ample time, up to 

several weeks, to complete all steps. For 

additional information on obtaining a 

unique entity identifier, please visit 

https://www.sam.gov. 

4. Submission Dates and Times 

Project proposals must be submitted 

electronically through Grants.gov by 

11:59 p.m. Eastern time on February 12, 

2024. Proposals submitted after the 

deadline will only be considered under 

extraordinary circumstances not under 

the applicant’s control. Mail, fax, and 

email submissions will not be accepted. 

FTA urges applicants to submit 

applications at least 72 hours prior to 

the due date to allow time to correct any 

problems that may have caused either 

Grants.gov or FTA systems to reject the 

submission. Grants.gov attaches a time 

stamp to each application at the time of 

submission. Proposals submitted after 

the deadline will be considered only if 

lateness was due to extraordinary 

circumstances not under the applicant’s 

control. Grants.gov scheduled 

maintenance and outage times are 

announced in advance on the 

Grants.gov website. 

Deadlines will not be extended due to 

scheduled website maintenance. 

Within 48 hours after submitting an 

electronic application, the applicant 

should receive an email message from 

Grants.gov with confirmation of 

successful transmission to Grants.gov. If 

a notice of failed validation or 

incomplete materials is received, the 

applicant must address the reason for 

the failed validation, as described in the 

email notice, and resubmit before the 

submission deadline. If making a 

resubmission for any reason, include all 

original attachments regardless of which 

attachments were updated, and check 

the box on the supplemental form 

indicating this is a resubmission. 

Applicants are encouraged to begin 

the registration process on the 

Grants.gov site well in advance of the 

submission deadline. Registration is a 

multi-step process, which may take 

several weeks to complete before an 

application can be submitted. Registered 

applicants may still be required to take 

steps to keep their registration up to 

date before submissions can be made 

successfully: (1) registration in SAM is 

renewed annually, and (2) persons 

making submissions on behalf of the 

Authorized Organization Representative 

(AOR) must be authorized in Grants.gov 

by the AOR to make submissions. 

5. Funding Restrictions 

Refer to Section C.3., Eligible Projects, 

for information on allowable activities. 

Allowable direct and indirect expenses 

must be consistent with the 

Governmentwide Uniform 

Administrative Requirements and Cost 

Principles (2 CFR part 200) and FTA 

Circular 5010.1E. 

Funds available under this Notice 

cannot be used to reimburse applicants 

for otherwise eligible expenses incurred 

prior to FTA issuing pre-award 

authority for selected projects. 

E. Application Review Information 

1. Evaluation Criteria 

Projects will be evaluated solely on 

the materials provided in the Proposal 

document. FTA will evaluate proposals 

based on the following criteria: 

a. Organizational Capacity and Key 

Personnel Experience 

Applicants should note the structure 

of the lead organization, including its 

history and experience in performing 

complex research and software 

configuration and deployment activities. 

Applicants should include a narrative of 

the applicant’s understanding of the 

activities called for in this funding 

opportunity and their responsibility for 

coordinating demonstration activities. 

Applicants should describe the 

structure and makeup of the project 

team to clearly demonstrate the 

applicant’s technical abilities to meet 

the requirements called for in this 

funding opportunity. 

Applicants should note key project 

team personnel who will be involved in 

the project and how the applicant will 

ensure they have enough time to devote 

to the project. Additionally, applicants 

should discuss successful completion of 

similar or relevant real-world projects— 

case studies, journal articles, references, 

etc. 

Applicants or proposed partners must 

demonstrate technical capabilities to: 

• Effectively manage a national research 

program 

• Implement data-driven decisionmaking in the iteration of program 

management 

• Manage Federal funding and eligible 

expenses 

• Engage with public agencies, 

authorities, research institutions, 

private organizations, and potentially 

community-based organizations 

• Implement agile software 

development (i.e., deliver small 

pieces of working software quickly to 

improve customer satisfaction and 

continuously evaluate and implement 

customer requirements in response to 

change) 

• Leverage best practices within the 

public transportation and 

construction infrastructure industries 

• Apply insights from the National 

Academy of Sciences and other 

credible research organizations 


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b. Proposer and Proposal Team 

Technical Expertise 

Applicants should clearly detail the 

technical capacity of the lead 

organization and what activities each 

team member will perform. In addition 

to their qualifications in conducting 

nationally significant research and 

software configuration and deployment, 

applicants should demonstrate project 

team knowledge in public 

transportation, infrastructure 

construction, digital construction 

technologies, and stakeholder 

coordination and engagement, including 

engaging stakeholders in a targeted 

manner with proven and impactful 

methods. 

c. Applied Research and Other Related 

Experience 

Applicants should provide evidence 

of applied research experience and 

other related experience (e.g., past 

program management utilizing federal 

funding, collaboration with research 

institutions, or program design and 

implementation), including research 

focused on digital construction in the 

public transportation or other relevant 

industry. The proposal should detail the 

applicant’s ability to identify and 

address transportation infrastructure 

issues called for in this Notice to 

support the program’s measurement 

goals. 

d. Proposed Partnerships 

Applicants should provide a narrative 

that discusses a creative and durable 

collaboration model to implement a 

project successfully. The narrative must 

include a strong framework that fosters 

partnerships. 

e. Project Approach and Work Plan 

Applicants will be evaluated on the 

proposed methodology and overall 

project approach pursuant to the 

inclusion of a multi-year work plan that 

demonstrates the Program Lead’s 

understanding of all activities, 

responsibilities, and costs required to 

establish and implement the prescribed 

work. In assessing whether the proposed 

implementation plans are reasonable 

and complete, FTA will review the 

proposed project work plan, including 

all necessary project milestones and the 

overall project timeline, as well as 

ensure the project team’s viability in 

subsequent years. 

f. Technical, Legal, and Financial 

Capacity 

Applicants must demonstrate the 

financial and organizational capacity 

and managerial experience to oversee 

and implement this project successfully. 

FTA may review relevant assessments 

and public records to determine 

whether any outstanding legal, 

technical, or financial issues with the 

applicant would affect the outcome of 

the proposed project. 

For applications that include named 

project partners, FTA will also consider 

the proposed partners’ technical, legal, 

and financial capacity. 

6. Review and Selection Process 

An FTA technical evaluation 

committee will evaluate proposals based 

on the published evaluation criteria. 

Members of the technical evaluation 

committee may request additional 

information from applicants if 

necessary. After considering the review 

of the technical evaluation committee, 

the FTA Administrator will determine 

the final selection for program funding. 

When selecting the Program Lead, 

FTA will consider the applicant’s ability 

and its proposed plan to recruit and 

select demonstration sites to address 

key priorities of the Administration. 

Consistent with the President’s January 

20, 2021, Executive Order 13990 which 

aims to promote clean energy, 

conservation, and environmental 

justice; emphasizes scientific integrity 

and evidence-based decision-making; 

and aligns with goals to mitigate climate 

change and prioritize environmental 

sustainability, the selecting official will 

consider applications that may promote 

these key priorities as part of the 

application review. 

7. Integrity and Performance Review 

Prior to making an award, FTA is 

required to review and consider any 

information about the applicant in 

FAPIIS, the designated integrity and 

performance system accessible through 

SAM. An applicant may review and 

comment on any information about 

itself that a Federal awarding agency 

previously entered. FTA will consider 

any comments by the applicant, in 

addition to the other information in the 

designated integrity and performance 

system, in making a judgment about the 

applicant’s and proposed partners’ 

integrity, business ethics, and record of 

performance under Federal awards 

when completing the review of risk 

posed by applicants as described in the 

Office of Management and Budget’s 

Uniform Requirements for Federal 

Awards (2 CFR 200.206). 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices 

FTA will notify the successful 

applicant and may announce the 

selection on its website, https://

www.transit.dot.gov. Following 

notification, the successful applicant 

will be required to submit their 

application through the FTA Transit 

Award Management System (TrAMS). 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

a. Pre-Award Authority 

At the time the project selection is 

announced, FTA may extend pre-award 

authority for the successful applicant. 

There is no blanket pre-award authority 

for the project before announcement. 

FTA will issue specific guidance to the 

selected recipient regarding pre-award 

authority at the time of selection. FTA 

does not provide pre-award authority 

for competitive funds until projects are 

selected, and even then, Federal 

requirements must be met before costs 

are incurred. For more information 

about FTA’s policy on pre-award 

authority, please see the most recent 

Apportionments, Allocations, and 

Program Information Notice (88 FR 

23117). 

b. Cooperative Agreement Requirements 

The successful applicant will apply 

for a cooperative agreement through 

TrAMS and adhere to the customary 

FTA grant requirements of 49 U.S.C. 

5312, Public Transportation Innovation, 

including those of FTA C 6100.1E, 

where applicable. FTA will award and 

manage a cooperative agreement 

through TrAMS. Discretionary grants 

and cooperative agreements greater than 

$500,000 will go through the 

Congressional notification and release 

process. Assistance regarding these 

requirements is available from FTA. 

c. Made in America 

All capital procurements must meet 

FTA’s Buy America requirements (49 

U.S.C. 5323(j) and 49 CFR part 661) and 

the Build America, Buy America Act’s 

domestic preference requirements for 

infrastructure projects (§ 70901–§ 70927 

of the Infrastructure Investment and 

Jobs Act, Pub. L. 117–58), which 

together require that all iron, steel, 

manufactured goods and construction 

materials be produced in the United 

States and set minimum domestic 

content and final assembly requirements 

for rolling stock. 

d. Data Management Plan 

FTA seeks to improve public 

transportation for America’s 

communities by sharing digital data or 

source code collected or developed 

through its research with the public. 

This allows research organizations, 

public transportation agencies, State 


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DOTs, and other stakeholders to learn 

from and expand upon the insights 

developed from FTA-funded research. 

An award made pursuant to this 

Notice will be subject to the latest 

version of FTA’s Master Agreement 

(available at https://

www.transit.dot.gov/funding/ 

granteeresources/sample-ftaagreements/fta-grant-agreements), 

including Section 17 Patent Rights and 

Section 18 Rights in Data and 

Copyrights. All work conducted under 

this award must follow the Department 

data policies outlined in the DOT Public 

Access Plan at: https://ntl.bts.gov/ 

public-access/how-comply. Recipients 

are required to include these obligations 

in any sub-awards or other related 

funding agreements. 

Public Data Access requirements 

include developing a Data Management 

Plan (DMP) and submitting the DMP for 

FTA review. A DMP is a document that 

describes how recipients plan to handle 

digital datasets, software, or code 

generated over the course of a research 

project pursuant to federal and 

Departmental requirements. A DMP 

must be provided as a condition of 

receiving FTA funds under the Section 

5312 Research Program and should 

adequately identify: (1) The data to be 

collected, (2) how the data will further 

the goals of this effort, (3) how the data 

will be made accessible, and (4) how the 

data will be stored. DMPs can be 

updated over time if the scope of the 

project or the type of data that will be 

collected changes. FTA staff is available 

to assist recipients with complying with 

public data access requirements. 

FTA expects recipients to remove 

confidential business information (CBI) 

and Personally Identifiable Information 

(PII) before providing public access to 

project data. Recipients must ensure the 

appropriate data are accessible to FTA 

or the public for a minimum of five 

years after the award’s performance 

period expires. 

Recipients must make available to the 

Department copies of all work 

developed in performance of a project 

funded under this Notice, including but 

not limited to software and data. Data 

rights shall be in accordance with 2 CFR 

200.315, Intangible Property. 

e. Disadvantaged Business Enterprises 

Recipients receiving planning, capital, 

or operating assistance that will award 

prime contracts exceeding $250,000 in 

FTA funds in a Federal fiscal year must 

comply with Department of 

Transportation Disadvantaged Business 

Enterprise (DBE) program regulations 

(49 CFR part 26). Applicants should 

expect to include any funds awarded, 

excluding those used for vehicle 

procurements, in setting their overall 

DBE goal. 

f. Standard Assurances 

If an applicant receives an award, the 

applicant must assure that it will 

comply with all applicable Federal 

statutes, regulations, executive orders, 

directives, FTA circulars, and other 

Federal administrative requirements in 

carrying out any project supported by 

the FTA award. The applicant 

acknowledges that it will be under a 

continuing obligation to comply with 

the terms and conditions of the 

agreement issued for its project with 

FTA. The applicant understands that 

Federal laws, regulations, policies, and 

administrative practices might be 

modified from time to time and may 

affect the implementation of the project. 

The most recent Federal requirements 

will apply to the project unless FTA 

issues a written determination 

otherwise. The applicant must submit 

the most recent FTA Certifications and 

Assurances before receiving an award if 

it does not have current certifications on 

file. 

g. External Communications 

The successful applicant must 

communicate with the FTA project 

manager prior to engaging in any 

external communications regarding the 

Program. This includes any work 

developing news or magazine stories 

with media organizations, including 

print, video, online, or otherwise. 

Additionally, the FTA project manager 

must be notified if project information, 

including results and metrics, will be 

shared during a webinar or other 

presentation open to the public, 

produced either by the recipient itself or 

another organization. The successful 

applicant must consult with the FTA 

project manager at the beginning of their 

agreement to discuss and plan any 

external communications about their 

project. 

h. Software Provisions 

Any standards, guidance, tools, or 

software developed as a part of this 

solicitation will be subject to provisions 

of FTA’s Master Agreement and 

evaluated for the potential to be shared 

for FTA purposes. 

i. Critical Infrastructure Security and 

Resilience 

It is the policy of the United States to 

strengthen the security and resilience of 

its critical infrastructure against both 

physical and cyber threats. Each 

applicant selected for Federal funding 

under this Notice must demonstrate, 

prior to the signing of the grant 

agreement, effort to consider and 

address physical and cyber security 

risks relevant to the transportation mode 

and type and scale of the project. 

Projects that have not appropriately 

considered and addressed physical and 

cyber security and resilience in their 

planning, design, and project oversight, 

as determined by the Department of 

Transportation and the Department of 

Homeland Security, will be required to 

do so before receiving funds for 

construction, consistent with 

Presidential Policy Directive 21— 

‘‘Critical Infrastructure Security and 

Resilience and the National Security 

Presidential Improving Cybersecurity 

for Critical Infrastructure Control 

Systems.’’ 

3. Reporting and Payment 

Post-award reporting requirements 

include the electronic submission of 

Federal Financial Reports and Milestone 

Progress Reports in TrAMS quarterly. 

Documentation is required for payment. 

Additional reporting may be required 

specific to the program prescribed in 

this Notice, and the recipient may be 

expected to participate in events or peer 

networks related to the goals and 

objectives of the program. The Federal 

Financial Accountability and 

Transparency Act (FFATA) requires 

data entry at the FFATA Sub Award 

Reporting System (https://

www.FSRS.gov) for all sub-awards and 

sub-contracts issued for $30,000 or 

more, as well as addressing executive 

compensation for both award recipients 

and sub-award organizations. The 

selected recipient will be required to 

disburse via Delphi and E-invoicing. 

The successful applicant should 

include any goals, targets, and 

indicators referenced in its application 

in the Executive Summary of the 

TrAMS application. 

As part of completing the annual 

certifications and assurances required of 

FTA grant recipients, a successful 

applicant must report on the suspension 

or debarment status of itself and its 

principals. 

If the award recipient’s active grants, 

cooperative agreements, and 

procurement contracts from all Federal 

awarding agencies exceed $10,000,000 

for any period during the period of 

performance of an award made pursuant 

to this Notice, the recipient must 

comply with the Recipient Integrity and 

Performance Matters reporting 

requirements described in Appendix XII 

to 2 CFR part 200. 


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4. Termination for Failure To Make 

Progress on an Award 

After providing written notice to the 

recipient of a project selected for 

funding, FTA may withdraw its support 

for the selected project (if a cooperative 

agreement has not yet been awarded) or 

suspend or terminate all or any part of 

the federal assistance for the award if 

the recipient has failed to make 

reasonable progress implementing the 

project. FTA may withdraw its support 

for a project or terminate an award 

agreement if: 

1. A recipient has not completed its 

application for funding in TrAMS 

within 60 days of the date FTA 

announces project selection. 

2. A recipient has not begun its 

demonstration project within one year 

after funding was awarded in TrAMS. 

3. A recipient has not delivered a 

project evaluation to FTA within one 

year of completing its demonstration 

project. 

4. FTA may also withdraw support 

from a project or terminate an award 

agreement if the proposed activities are 

no longer needed or if the recipient has 

violated the terms of FTA’s Annual 

Agreement. 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

For further information concerning 

this Notice, please contact the ADCMS 

Program Team, FTA Office of Research, 

Demonstration, and Innovation, by 

email at ADCMS@dot.gov. A TDD is 

available for individuals who are deaf or 

hard of hearing at 800–877–8339. In 

addition, FTA will post answers to 

questions and requests for clarifications 

on FTA’s website at: https://

www.transit.dot.gov/researchinnovation/ADCMS. 

To ensure applicants receive accurate 

eligibility information, applicants are 

encouraged to contact FTA directly, 

rather than through intermediaries or 

third parties, with questions. FTA staff 

may also conduct briefings on the 

competitive grants selection and award 

process upon request. 

For issues with Grants.gov, please 

contact Grants.gov by phone at 1–800– 

518–4726 or by email at support@

grants.gov. 

H. Other Information 

This program is not subject to 

Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’ 

Nuria I. Fernandez, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2023–22521 Filed 10–12–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration 

[DOT–NHTSA–2023–0037] 

Emergency Medical Services 

Education Agenda 2050: Request for 

Information 

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S. 

Department of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of Request for 

Information (RFI). 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a RFI. 

The NHTSA Office of Emergency 

Medical Services (EMS) is seeking 

comments from all sources (public, 

private, government, academic, 

professional, public interest groups, and 

other interested parties) on the planned 

re-envisioning of the 2000 EMS 

Education Agenda for the Future: A 

Systems Approach. The purpose of this 

document is to solicit comments on 

EMS Education Agenda 2050, and 

request responses to specific questions 

provided in this document. This is 

neither a request for proposals nor an 

invitation for bids. 

DATES: It is requested that comments on 

this announcement be submitted by 

October 31, 2023. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Clary Mole, EMS Specialist, National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 

U.S. Department of Transportation is 

available by phone at (202) 868–3275 or 

by email at Clary.Mole@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2012, 

the National EMS Advisory Council 

(NEMSAC) convened a national 

roundtable meeting on the EMS 

Education Agenda for the Future: A 

Systems Approach. In a 2014 report on 

these proceedings, NEMSAC advised 

that stakeholders at the State and local 

level had just begun to experience the 

full impact of the evolution toward a 

national integrated system of education 

for EMS personnel. While stakeholders 

were reticent to move forward with a 

new education agenda, they did provide 

feedback about themes that should be 

considered in the future publication. 

From the feedback collected at the 

meeting, NEMSAC developed 

recommendations to be used in the 

eventual re-envision of the agenda for 

EMS. These recommendations are 

summarized below: 

• Educational content should retain 

the flexibility accorded by the National 

EMS Education standards, but programs 

should use nationally recognized 

evidence-based guidelines to drive local 

curriculum development. 

• The National EMS Information 

System data, evidence-based research, 

and practice analyses should be sourced 

in developing evidence-based 

guidelines and curriculum. 

• Mobile Integrated Healthcare has 

received considerable attention from the 

EMS Community. This and other 

alternative community-based healthcare 

delivery models (of the future) should 

evoke an expanded foundational 

knowledge and critical thinking 

capabilities that will poise future EMS 

practitioners to be able to evolve with 

the changing healthcare system or 

rapidly adjust to emerging healthcare 

crises. 

• EMS educators should begin a 

career in academia with expertise in 

adult learning, educational theory, 

curriculum development, and 

competency evaluation but also possess 

experiential knowledge in evidencebased care. 

In the 10 years since NEMSAC’s 

roundtable meeting, the national EMS 

education system continued to evolve— 

especially during the COVID–19 

pandemic. In late 2021, the Federal 

Interagency Committee on EMS 

(FICEMS) began sponsoring listening 

sessions to inform a consensus-driven, 

national report entitled, FICEMS: EMS 

and 911 COVID–19 Response White 

Paper. This publication cited challenges 

and solutions collected during 

stakeholder listening sessions for the 

EMS education system. Among the 

challenges, EMS education stakeholders 

cited scarcity (in some cases deficits) in 

resources for education, rigidity of 

curriculum delivery modalities, the 

increased employer demands on 

students, and inconsistent or delayed 

responses to the needs of the national 

EMS education system as major 

contributors that led to the breakdown 

in the EMS workforce pipeline. 

Prior to the COVID–19 pandemic, 

NHTSA published EMS Agenda 2050: A 

People-centered Vision for the Future of 

EMS (Agenda 2050). This collaborative 

project set a vision for a people-centered 

EMS systems that serves every 

individual in every community across 

the Nation. Later this year, NHTSA and 

its partners will begin a new project to 

develop EMS Education Agenda 2050. 

This project will not replace but build 

upon the achievements of the 2000 EMS 

Education Agenda for the Future: A 

Systems Approach to lead a national 

conversation around the future vision 

for EMS Education and EMS as a 

profession. 

I. Background 

NHTSA, in partnership with Health 

Resources and Services Administration, 


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