95902 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 232 / Tuesday, December 3, 2024 / Notices 

https://www.transportation.gov/privacy. 

See https://www.regulations.gov/ 

privacy-notice for the privacy notice of 

regulations.gov. To facilitate comment 

tracking, we encourage commenters to 

provide their name, or the name of their 

organization; however, submission of 

names is completely optional. If you 

wish to provide comments containing 

proprietary or confidential information, 

please contact FRA for alternate 

submission instructions. 

Issued in Washington, DC. 

Carolyn R. Hayward-Williams, 

Director, Office of Railroad Systems and 

Technology. 

[FR Doc. 2024–28284 Filed 12–2–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Fiscal Year 2024 Competitive Funding 

Opportunity: Technology Transfer (T2) 

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 apply for a total of 

$5,000,000 from Fiscal Years (FY) 2022, 

2023, and 2024 in Public Transportation 

Innovation Program funds for a 

competitive cooperative agreement to 

develop and manage a new FTA 

Technology Transfer (T2) Program. 

DATES: Complete applications must be 

submitted electronically through the 

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

p.m. eastern time on February 11, 2025. 

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 

funding opportunity ID is FTA–2025– 

002–TRI. Mail, fax, and email 

submissions will not be accepted. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Shapell Randolph, FTA Office of 

Research, Demonstration, and 

Innovation, phone: 202–366–1086, or 

email shapell.randolph@dot.gov. In 

addition, up to the application deadline, 

the U.S. Department of Transportation 

(Department) will post answers to 

common questions and requests for 

clarifications on the Department’s 

website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/ 

grant-programs/technology-transfer-t2- 

program. 

SUMMARY OVERVIEW OF KEY INFORMATION—FTA TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (T2) PROGRAM COMPETITIVE FUNDING

OPPORTUNITY

Issuing Agency ..................... Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. 

Program Overview ............... To establish a Technology Transfer (T2) Program under 49 U.S.C. 5312(e)(2) to promote the early deployment 

and demonstration of innovation in public transportation that has broad applicability to public transportation. 

Eligible Applicants ................ Departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the Government, including Federal laboratories; State and local 

governmental entities; providers of public transportation; private or non-profit organizations; institutions of higher education; and technical and community colleges. 

Eligible Project ..................... Activities may include: All activities that promote the early deployment and demonstration of innovative research, 

advance promising technologies, practices and strategies including, but not limited to planning, acquiring essential services, and program implementation. 

Activities that seek to commercialize technologies developed through FTA funding. 

Funding Amount ................... $5,000,000. 

Additional funds made available prior to project selection may be allocated to eligible projects. 

Deadline ............................... February 11, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. eastern time. 

Cost share ............................ The maximum Federal share of project costs under this program is 100 percent. 

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 

Background 

The Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA) Public Transportation Innovation 

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

research, development, demonstration, 

and deployment projects, and 

evaluation of research and technology of 

national significance to public 

transportation that will improve public 

transportation. On average, on a yearly 

basis, FTA manages a research 

investment portfolio of over $200 

million in active projects. When these 

projects identify and finalize useful, 

promising solutions and practices, it is 

essential that FTA has a way to quickly 

facilitate the deployment of these 

findings to transit agencies for their use. 

This notice (Federal Assistance 

Listing: 20.531) announces a new 

Technology Transfer (T2) Program 

under 49 U.S.C. 5312(e)(2) to promote 

the early deployment and 

demonstration of innovation in public 

transportation that has broad 

applicability to public transportation. 

The T2 program will seek to build on 

successful research, innovation, and 

development efforts to facilitate the 

deployment of research and technology 

development resulting from federally 

funded efforts and the implementation 

of research and technology development 

to advance the interests of public 

transportation. A quarterly planning 

process between the FTA Research 

Office and the recipient of this award 

will facilitate the selection of which 

programs and projects to deploy. T2 will 

also support ensuring that FTA’s 

Innovative Research activities meet 

Executive Order 14104, Federal 

Research and Development in Support 

of Domestic Manufacturing and United 

States Jobs (88 FR 51203). This 

Executive Order calls for the 

enhancement of U.S. manufacturing 

while encouraging technology transfer 

and commercialization and allowing 

small businesses and nonprofit 

organizations to retain ownership of and 

commercialize their federally funded 

products or inventions. As appropriate, 

T2 will also provide an opportunity for 

recipients of FTA innovative research 

funding to not only broadly share their 


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research or inventions but to potentially 

commercialize them. 

For this notice of funding opportunity 

(NOFO), FTA is defining ‘‘technology 

transfer’’ as the exchange of information 

to enable the deployment, adoption, and 

potentially the commercialization of 

FTA-funded research findings. 

Currently, FTA tracks and assesses the 

impact of technology adoption in two 

ways. First, FTA tracks technology 

research projects along the lifecycle of 

the projects and notes whether the 

recipient conducting the research 

chooses to adopt the new technology or 

process. Secondly, FTA analyzes data 

from the internal database of all FTAfunded programs using natural language 

search techniques to assess the level of 

deployment of FTA researched 

solutions. By further investing in the 

process of technology adoption through 

T2, FTA can reach a wider audience in 

the transit industry and more effectively 

track the use of FTA research findings. 

In many instances, transit agencies 

and other stakeholders may not have the 

proper resources to access information 

that could potentially be beneficial to 

their organization. They may also be 

reluctant to participate in the exchange 

of information or hesitant to adopt new 

technology. The T2 program will 

address these deployment barriers and 

explore solutions to facilitate change 

management in the use of promising 

FTA innovative research adoption. 

Program Goals 

FTA is soliciting applications to 

develop and implement a new T2 

program to facilitate the deployment of 

promising innovative research solutions 

resulting from FTA’s research 

investments. A strategic aim for this 

work includes strengthening U.S. 

manufacturing by encouraging 

technology transfer and, as appropriate, 

supporting small businesses and 

nonprofit organizations’ retention of 

intellectual property and helping 

commercialize their federally funded 

innovations. 

The goals of the T2 program are to: 

(1) Develop processes, systems, and 

resources to support the deployment 

and adoption of FTA’s innovative 

research results in the public 

transportation industry. 

(2) Support the commercialization 

and production of technologies 

developed in the U.S., in part through 

FTA-funded research and development. 

(3) Overcome barriers and challenges 

affecting the adoption of research 

products in transit agencies. 

Management and Coordination 

The awardee 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, deployment 

specialists for planning, outreach, and 

knowledge transfer. 

Development of Lessons Learned 

Research conducted under this notice 

will advance the strategic goals of the 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

(USDOT) as outlined in its active 

Strategic Plan FY 2022–2026 and the 

Department’s Innovation Principles, 

which can be found at https://

www.transportation.gov/priorities/ 

transformation/us-dot-innovationprinciples. 

B. Federal Award Information 

This notice announces the availability 

of $5,000,000 to award one 

competitively selected application to 

develop and manage FTA’s T2 program 

with an expected period of performance 

spanning at least 48 months. Funding is 

available under FTA’s Public 

Transportation Innovation Program (49 

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

provide additional funding made under 

this notice, subject to the availability of 

funds. 

An applicant whose application is 

selected for funding 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 recipient 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. 

Projects under this notice will be 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 under this notice 

are departments, agencies, and 

instrumentalities of the Federal 

government, including Federal 

laboratories; State, local, and Tribal 

governmental entities; providers of 

public transportation; private or nonprofit organizations; institutions of 

higher education; and technical and 

community colleges. 

Eligibility is limited to United States 

entities. Applicants must demonstrate 

experience supporting the deployment 

of research findings, developing useful 

resources to facilitate technology 

transfer/deployment, digital repository 

development/management, and 

national-level program management 

expertise. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching 

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

Federal share is 100 percent of net 

project cost. Applicants are encouraged 

to consider some level of match. 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 nonFederal match. Eligible sources of nonFederal match are detailed in FTA 

Circular 6100.1E. 

3. Conflicts of Interest 

It is FTA’s intent that the T2 program 

benefits public transportation agencies. 

Therefore, the principal staff and any 

sub-recipients staff engaged in this 

project cannot have a financial interest 

in the commercialization of a product. 

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 https://

www.transit.dot.gov/grant-programs/ 

technology-transfer-t2-program. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

a. Application Submission 

A T2 application must include the 

following: SF–424, Budget Information 

for Non-Construction Programs (SF– 

424A), Assurances for Non-Construction 

Programs (SF–424B), Project Narrative, 

and Summary Budget Narrative. 

Additionally, applicants must submit 

a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate 

Agreement (NICRA) and a Data 

Management Plan (DMP) if applicable. 

i. A complete application must 

consist of the SF–424, which provides 


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basic information about the applicant 

and the project, including details such 

as the applicant’s name, unique entity 

identifier (UEI), key contact 

information, and a summary of the 

project. The SF–424A form is used to 

present a detailed budget for the project, 

ensuring that all financial aspects are 

accounted for and justified. The SF– 

424B form outlines the assurance that 

the applicant agrees to comply with the 

terms and conditions set forth by the 

Federal government. 

ii. In addition to these forms, the 

application must include a 

supplemental form, a project narrative, 

and a summary budget narrative. The 

supplemental form and project overview 

should be prepared in Microsoft Word, 

PDF, or another compatible file format 

and must address all required elements 

outlined in the Notice of Funding 

Opportunity (NOFO). These documents 

should be attached to the 

‘‘Attachments’’ section of the SF–424 

form. 

iii. For the budget, applicants must 

provide a summary and a high-level 

overview of estimated activity costs, 

organized major cost elements. The 

budget should clearly differentiate 

between the Federal funding share and 

non-Federal share funds, including the 

value of in-kind contributions. The 

budget form must not include 

previously incurred expenses or costs 

incurred before the award time. All 

budget information must be presented 

using SF–424A form. General 

submission instructions and specific 

form requirements can be found on 

grants.gov. 

The applicant must respond to all 

sections of the SF–424 and the 

requirements of this notice. The 

information in the narrative application 

will be used to determine applicant and 

project eligibility for the program and to 

evaluate the application 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. 

b. Application Preparation and Content 

i. Consolidated Budget Form: The 

Consolidated Budget Form must align 

with the dollar amount specified in the 

SF–424 and meet the eligible use 

requirements outlined in the notice of 

funding opportunity (NOFO). It 

includes a budget narrative and a 

detailed budget spreadsheet, with costs 

consistent with project scope and 

allowable under relevant regulations. If 

indirect costs are included, 

documentation such as a negotiated 

indirect cost rate agreement is required. 

ii. Allowable costs are determined in 

accordance with the cost principles 

identified in 2 CFR part 200, including 

subpart E, and in 48 CFR part 31 for 

commercial organizations. The detailed 

budget spreadsheet must reflect the cost 

categories that appear on the SF–424A 

and include itemized calculations for 

each cost placed under those categories. 

If indirect costs are included in the 

proposed budget, the applicant must 

provide a copy of the approved 

negotiated indirect cost rate agreement 

if this rate was negotiated with a 

cognizant Federal agency or otherwise 

document those indirect costs 

consistent with 2 CFR 200.414. 

iii. Required Standard Federal 

Financial Assistance Forms and 

Documentation: Applicants must submit 

the SF–424, SF–424A, and SF–424B 

forms, along with any Negotiated 

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement and Data 

Management Plan. 

iv. The SF–424 and supplemental 

form prompt applicants for essential 

information such as applicant details, 

project description, and budget 

breakdown. This includes a detailed 

project budget specifying Federal and 

local shares, funding sources, and 

matching funds. Additionally, it covers 

descriptions of project benefits, 

implementation strategy, scalability, 

and a detailed project timeline. 

v. The project overview, submitted as 

a one-page document, should include a 

header with project title and lead 

applicant, along with brief description 

of innovation, benefits, team and 

partners, and approach. The format 

aligns with templates available on 

grants.gov. 

vi. Budget Narrative: The budget 

narrative provides detailed explanations 

of proposed costs, aligning with the 

detailed budget spreadsheet and only 

including allowable expenses within the 

project scope. It should describe each 

cost item and its basis, including the 

Federal share, non-Federal share, and 

any in-kind contributions. Any indirect 

costs must be accompanied by relevant 

documentation. The narrative also 

explains leveraged resources and 

ensures consistency with SF–424 and 

SF–424A forms. 

Applicants must submit one 

electronic file for applications in a 

Microsoft Word, PDF, or compatible file 

format, double-spaced using Times New 

Roman, 12-point font. The application 

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 application, the 

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 1 page): 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 application 

(including Appendices) by title and 

page number. 

4. Project Budget (not to exceed five 

pages): The Project Budget 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. 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 

described above and under Section A of 

this notice. 

b. Statement of Work—Provide 

proposed work tasks for the project and 

how the goals will be accomplished 

with a detailed set of objectives and 

activities. Include the tasks for proposed 

activities, resources, and milestones, 

with a timeline that also notes critical 

path milestones. Note in the application 

how risk management related to barriers 

to deployment will be addressed. Please 

also note a sustainability strategy for 

how this work will be maintained in the 

future. 

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 


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team’s activities and deliverables with 

the FTA’s Research office including 

suggesting a methodology for a regular 

review of research results and a process 

to select research ready for deployment. 

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 communication 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. 

vi. Deliverables—Provide a 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 applicant, including its 

history and experience in technology 

transfer and the national deployment of 

research findings, preferably in the 

transportation sector. Include a 

narrative of the applicant’s 

understanding of the activities in this 

solicitation and its responsibility for the 

data collection and results deployment 

called for in this notice. Include the 

applicant’s organization chart. 

b. Project Team Structure—Provide a 

narrative that briefly describes the 

structure and makeup of the project 

team. Provide resumes or biographies of 

key staff to highlight the relevant skills 

and experience of the proposed team. 

Eligible applicants are encouraged to 

identify in their application one or more 

project partners with a substantial 

interest and involvement in the project 

activities or objectives. 

Applications submitted in response to 

this notice become FTA records and as 

such, 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.GOV) 

Each applicant is required to: (1) be 

registered in SAM.GOV before applying; 

(2) provide a valid unique entity 

identifier in its application; and (3) 

maintain an active SAM.GOV 

registration with current information at 

all times 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.GOV 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.GOV 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 applications must be 

submitted electronically through 

grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on 

February 11, 2025. 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. Applications 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.gov 

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 

Government-Wide Uniform 

Administrative Requirements and Cost 

Principles (2 CFR part 200) and FTA 

Circular 5010.1F. 

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 

application document. FTA will 

evaluate applications 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 deployment 

activities. Applicants should include a 

narrative of the applicant’s 

understanding of the activities called for 

in this funding opportunity. 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 


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to the project. Additionally, applicants 

should discuss successful completion of 

similar or relevant real-world projects— 

case studies, journal articles, references, 

etc. 

b. Applicant and Applicant 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 

deployment, applicants should 

demonstrate project team knowledge in 

public transportation, technology 

transfer and stakeholder coordination 

and engagement, including engaging 

stakeholders in a targeted manner with 

proven and impactful methods. 

c. Familiarity With the Public 

Transportation Industry 

Applicants should be familiar with 

the work conducted by FTA’s Public 

Transportation Innovation Program (49 

U.S.C. 5312). This would include 

familiarity with public transportation 

associations, University Transportation 

Centers, metropolitan planning 

organizations, different types of transit 

agencies (i.e., rural, small, and large 

urban, bus, rail, Tribal, communitybased organizations that provide shared 

rides, and other entities that focus on 

public transportation. 

d. Applicants Must Be Able To 

Demonstrate Previous Work and a 

Thorough Understanding of Technology 

Transfer and Research Results 

Deployment 

FTA is looking for innovative ways to 

facilitate the deployment of promising 

research findings including the use of 

online resources and repositories. Any 

repositories suggested must not 

duplicate the USDOT’s Research Hub (a 

web-based, searchable database of 

USDOT-sponsored research, 

development, and technology project 

records) and the Transportation 

Research Board (TRB) Transport 

Research International Documentation 

TRID database (an integrated database 

that combines the records from TRB’s 

Transportation Research Information 

Services (TRIS) Database and the 

Organization for Economic Co-operation 

and Development (OECD’s) Joint 

Transport Research Centre’s 

International Transport Research 

Documentation (ITRD) Database). 

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 (i.e., 

$5,000,000 over a minimum of 48 

months) that demonstrates the 

applicant’s understanding of all 

activities, responsibilities, and costs 

required to develop, implement, and 

measure a robust T2 program. 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. 

2. Review and Selection Process 

An FTA technical evaluation 

committee will evaluate applications 

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. 

3. Integrity and Performance Review 

Prior to making an award, FTA is 

required to review and consider any 

information about the applicant that is 

in the Federal Awardee Performance 

and Integrity Information Systems 

(FAPIIS), the designated integrity and 

performance system accessible through 

sam.gov. 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 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 these 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 preaward authority, please see the most 

recent Apportionments, Allocations, 

and Program Information Notice at 89 

FR 47211. 

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. 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 

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), 


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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 USDOT 

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. 

d. Disadvantaged Business Enterprises/ 

Civil Rights and Title VI 

All FTA recipients must comply with 

the Department of Transportation 

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise 

(DBE) program regulation (49 CFR part 

26). A recipient has different obligations 

depending on the amount and type of 

FTA funds it awards in a year. A 

recipient that awards up to $670,000 in 

FTA funds in prime contracts in a fiscal 

year must adhere to certain 

recordkeeping and reporting 

requirements and take steps to foster the 

participation of small businesses but 

need not develop a DBE participation 

goal. A recipient that awards more than 

$670,000 of FTA funds in prime 

contracts in a fiscal year must have a 

full DBE program, including setting a 

DBE goal. Applicants should expect to 

include any funds awarded, excluding 

those used for vehicle procurements, in 

setting their overall DBE goal. 

As a condition of a grant award, grant 

recipients should demonstrate that the 

recipient has a plan for compliance with 

civil rights obligations and 

nondiscrimination laws, including Title 

VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (49 

CFR part 21), the Americans with 

Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) (49 CFR 

parts 37, 38, and 39), section 504 of the 

Rehabilitation Act, other civil rights 

requirements, and all implementing 

regulations. This should include a 

current Title VI plan, completed 

Community Participation Plan 

(alternatively called a Public 

Participation Plan and often part of the 

overall Title VI program plan), if 

applicable. DOT’s and the applicable 

Operating Administrations’ Office of 

Civil Rights may work with awarded 

grant recipients to ensure full 

compliance with Federal civil rights 

requirements. 

e. 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. 

f. 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. 

g. 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. 

Critical Infrastructure Security, 

Cybersecurity and Resilience: It is the 

policy of the United States to strengthen 

the security and resilience of its critical 

infrastructure against all hazards, 

including physical and cyber risks, 

consistent with Presidential Policy 

Directive 21—Critical Infrastructure 

Security and Resilience, and the 

National Security Memorandum on 

Improving Cybersecurity for Critical 

Infrastructure Control Systems. The 

applicant selected for funding under 

this program 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 and the Department of 

Homeland Security, will be required to 

do so before receiving funds. 

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 


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95908 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 232 / Tuesday, December 3, 2024 / Notices 

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. 

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, among other reasons: 

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 T2 

Program Manager, FTA Office of 

Research, Demonstration, and 

Innovation, by email at 

shapell.randolph@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. 

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 FY 

2024 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.’’ There are resources 

available that may help in responding to 

this notice, as listed below. The FTA 

website has information about FTA, 

application forms, statutory and 

administrative requirements, etc. 

Applicants are encouraged to use the 

FTA link provided and other 

information, as listed, as much as is 

needed. 

Veronica Vanterpool, 

Deputy Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2024–28271 Filed 12–2–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Office of the Secretary 

[DOT–OST–2024–0133] 

Request for Information on US DOT’s 

Transportation Community Explorer 

(TC Explorer) Tool and Index 

Methodology 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), 

Department of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Request for information. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Transportation is issuing this request for 

information (RFI) to solicit feedback on 

DOT’s updated Transportation 

Community Explorer (TC Explorer) Tool 

and Index methodology developed to 

assist communities in their project 

selection process and grant 

development. 

DATES: Responses to this RFI should be 

received by December 16, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to 

the docket number above and submitted 

by one of the following methods: 

• Federal Rulemaking Portal: https:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

• Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, West Building Ground 

Floor, Room W12–140, Washington, DC, 

between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday 

through Friday, except Federal 

Holidays. 

Instructions: For detailed instructions 

on submitting comments, see the Public 

Participation heading of the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of 

this document. Note that all comments 

received will be posted without change 

to https://www.regulations.gov, 

including any personal information 

provided. 

Privacy Act: Except as provided 

below, all comments received into the 

docket will be made public in their 

entirety. The comments will be 

searchable by the name of the 

individual submitting the comment (or 

signing the comment, if submitted on 

behalf of an association, business, labor 

union, etc.). You should not include 

information in your comment that you 

do not want to be made public. For 

information on DOT’s compliance with 

the Privacy Act, please visit https://

www.transportation.gov/privacy. 

Docket: For access to the docket to 

read background documents or 

comments received, go to https://

www.regulations.gov or the street 

address listed above. Follow the online 

instructions for accessing the dockets. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information, please contact 

Kristin Wood, 774–293–2726. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

The TC Explorer is data driven tool 

that allows communities to better 

identify transportation investments that 

can benefit communities, including 

rural and Tribal communities, across a 

variety of factors. When done right, 

transportation policy can transform 

economies, connect people to 

opportunities, and empower 

underserved communities to build 

generational wealth for the future. 

In January 2022, DOT developed its 

first tool to measure how communities 

were experiencing transportation related 

disadvantage; then, in April 2023, the 

Department launched an updated 

version of the tool titled the DOT 

Equitable Transportation Community 

Explorer (ETC Explorer v1.1), which 

included an updated format and 

methodology. The Department is 

currently seeking to make updates that 

improve the usefulness and accuracy of 

the tool, particularly for rural and tribal 

communities, and rename the tool as the 

Transportation Community (TC) 

Explorer. 

Over the last year and a half, DOT 

received feedback on the TC Explorer 


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