Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection (SIRC) Program
Agency: DOT Federal Highway Administration 
Posted: 2024-03-27 | Closing date: 2024-05-27
Award ceiling: 3000000
Award floor: 0
Expected number of awards: 15
Cost sharing or matching requirement: No

NOFO Amendment 2 issued 04/25/2024: The purpose of this amendment is to provide the link to the recording of the informational webinar that was hosted by FHWA on 4/17/2024. The webinar can be accessed via the following link and password: NOFO Webinar Link: https://usdot.zoomgov.com/rec/share/ZeAj-hZqR3YwUzGTeTtVNv--APkxN2R6DlQ8aJ-kzaS7ozbsOBQICD_rxrRfvI4.gf_NgA4yFYWtaH0K Passcode: ^U7cv.H2 NOFO Amendment 1 issued 04/05/2024: The purpose of this amendment is to provide the date, time, and registration information for this NOFO's Informational Webinar. The Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection (SIRC) NOFO Informational Webinar will be held via Zoom on April 17, 2024 at 2:30PM - 4:00PM (Eastern). Interested parties can register at: https://usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_Xwm4JJF4TvGZBmUTOaDdiA Please refer to the "Related Attachments" tab for the full text of the NOFO, as well as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) FHWA RECOMMENDS INTERESTED APPLICANTS HIT THE "SUBSCRIBE" BUTTON FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ENSURE RELATED NOTIFICATIONS ARE SENT TO THE APPLICANT'S AUTHORIZED ORGANIZATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE (AOR). NOFO Overview The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO or notice) is to solicit applications for FHWA’s Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection (SIRC) Program for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022 – 2024. Applications for FY 2022 – 2023 and FY 2024 funds will have two separate submission deadlines in 2024. The specific deadlines for each award cycle will be posted as an attachment to this multi-year NOFO via Grants.gov. The SIRC Program is authorized in Section 13001 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (Pub. L. 117-58). Based on the amounts authorized under the BIL, the anticipated funding available for discretionary grants each fiscal year between FY 2022 and 2024 will be $15,000,000 ($30 million for FY 2022 – 2023 and $15 million for FY 2024), subject to the availability of funds and obligation limitation. This is the first announcement of this funding opportunity and is not a follow-on notice. However, FHWA implemented a similar predecessor program, the Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives (STSFA) Program authorized by section 6020 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (Pub. L. No. 114-94), for the last several years. Information about awards funded under the STSFA Program is available at: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/stsfa/index.htm. The STSFA was repealed by Section 13001(f) of BIL. Federal grant funds for the SIRC Program are to be awarded on a competitive basis to eligible entities to test the feasibility of a road usage fee and other user-based alternative revenue mechanisms to help maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. This notice describes the eligibility criteria, application requirements, selection and evaluation criteria, applicable program and Federal requirements, and available technical assistance during the pilot program. 

Eligibility: Eligible entities include a State or a group of States; a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPOs) or a group of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (as defined in 23 U.S.C. 134(b)); a local government or a group of local governments; and multi-jurisdictional groups.  An eligible multi-jurisdictional group is any combination of States, local governments, or Metropolitan Planning Organizations for which each member of the group has signed a written agreement to participate in the SIRC pilot project across jurisdictional boundaries.  If the applicant is a multi-jurisdictional group, one entity in the group will be required to administer the Federal funding, which may also entail providing project oversight.  Where applicable, FHWA expects that all relevant State agencies (e.g., Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Revenue) needed to initiate a full-scale deployment of the proposed revenue mechanism will be actively involved in the planning and operation of a pilot project.If a State has previously proven the viability of an alternative revenue mechanism in a limited capacity through its own research, it may still be a candidate for funding under the SIRC Program.  Applications for full, new pilot projects and for extensions or enhancements of previous pilot or demonstration projects are both eligible if they meet the other eligibility requirements.