TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2025 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*

OFFICERS

CHAIR: Leslie S. Richards, Professor of Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

VICE CHAIR: Joel M. Jundt, Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Victoria Sheehan, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC

MEMBERS

James F. Albaugh, President and CEO, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ

Carlos M. Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City

Douglas C. Ceva, Vice President, Customer Lead Solutions, Prologis, Inc., Jupiter, FL

Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul

Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany

Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington

Andrew Fremier, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco, CA

Martha Grabowski, Professor Emerita, Information Systems, Le Moyne College, Madden College of Business & Economics, Cazenovia, NY

Randell Iwasaki, President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services, Walnut Creek, CA

Carol A. Lewis, Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston

Hani S. Mahmassani, W.A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation; Director, Transportation Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Scott C. Marler, Director, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames

Ricardo Martinez, Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA

Russell McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta

Craig E. Philip, Research Professor and Director, VECTOR, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Steward T.A. Pickett, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY

Susan A. Shaheen, Professor and Co-Director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, Berkeley

Marc Williams, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin

EX OFFICIO MEMBERS

Michael R. Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC

Steven Cliff, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board, Sacramento

LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Germantown, MD

Firas Ibrahim, Director, Office of Research, Development, and Technology, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), Washington, DC

Jason Kelly, Deputy Commanding General for Civil Works and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC

Sandra Knight, President, WaterWonks, LLC, Washington, DC

Zahra “Niloo” Parvinashtiani, Engineer, Mobility Consultant Solutions, Iteris Inc., Fairfax, VA, and Chair, TRB Young Members Coordinating Council

Chris Rocheleau, Acting Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC

Gloria Shepherd, Acting Deputy Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC

Karl Simon, Director, Transportation and Climate Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC

Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC

Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC

___________________

^* Membership as of February 2025.

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM

NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1145

Practices for Transportation Agency Procurement and Management of Advanced Technologies

Brian Lines

Jake Smithwick

Kenneth Sullivan

Kristen Hurtado

John Savicky

Jeff Sawyer

SIMPLAR SOURCING SOLUTIONS, LLC

Tempe, AZ

Kimberly Ann (Gayle) Turner

KAT CONSULTING SERVICES

Fair Oaks, CA

Ken Baxter

SAN JOAQUIN REGIONAL TRANSIT DISTRICT

San Joaquin, CA

Subscriber Categories

Administration and Management • Finance • Planning and Forecasting

Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM

Systematic, well-designed, and implementable research is the most effective way to solve many problems facing state department of transportation (DOT) administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local or regional interest and can best be studied by state DOTs individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation results in increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research.

Recognizing this need, the leadership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1962 initiated an objective national highway research program using modern scientific techniques—the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). NCHRP is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of AASHTO and receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), United States Department of Transportation.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was requested by AASHTO to administer the research program because of TRB’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. TRB is uniquely suited for this purpose for many reasons: TRB maintains an extensive committee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; TRB possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; TRB’s relationship to the National Academies is an insurance of objectivity; and TRB maintains a full-time staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those in a position to use them.

The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators and other staff of the highway and transportation departments, by committees of AASHTO, and by the FHWA. Topics of the highest merit are selected by the AASHTO Special Committee on Research and Innovation (R&I), and each year R&I’s recommendations are proposed to the AASHTO Board of Directors, the FHWA, and the National Academies. Research projects to address these topics are defined by NCHRP, and qualified research agencies are selected from submitted proposals. Administration and oversight of research contracts are the responsibilities of NCHRP.

The needs for highway research are many, and NCHRP can make significant contributions to solving highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement, rather than to substitute for or duplicate, other highway research programs.

NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1145

Project 23-19

ISSN 2572-3766 (Print)

ISSN 2572-3774 (Online)

ISBN 978-0-309-73547-6

Library of Congress Control Number 2025934423

Digital Object Identifier: 10.17226/29072

© 2025 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.

Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.

NOTICE

The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

This material is based upon work supported by the FHWA under Agreement No. 693JJ32350025. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed or implied in this publication are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; the FHWA; or the program sponsors.

The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.

The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names or logos appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.

Published reports of the

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM

are available from

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and can be ordered through the Internet by going to
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Printed in the United States of America

The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president.

The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.

The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.

Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.

The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major program divisions of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to mobilize expertise, experience, and knowledge to anticipate and solve complex transportation-related challenges. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 8,500 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state departments of transportation, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.

Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.

COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS

CRP STAFF FOR NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1145

Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs

Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs, and Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Camille Crichton-Sumners, Senior Program Officer

Dajaih Bias-Johnson, Senior Program Assistant

Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications

Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications

Alison Shapiro, Editor

NCHRP PROJECT 23-19 PANEL

Field of Administration—Area of Agency Administration

John L. Hibbard, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta, GA (Chair)

Susan E. Anderson, Arizona Department of Transportation, Phoenix, AZ

Patrick Brueggeman, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre, SD

Linsey J. Callaghan, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Under Secretary for Policy, Narragansett, RI

Michael Chandler, South Carolina Department of Transportation, Columbia, SC

James Harper, Jr., U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC

Gregory Rodriguez, Stantec, Washington, DC

Walt Stringer, Mineta Transportation Institute, Carlsbad, CA

David Kuehn, FHWA Liaison

FOREWORD

By Camille Crichton-Sumners

Staff Officer

Transportation Research Board

NCHRP Research Report 1145 presents a guide with successful strategies and sustainable practices for procuring new and innovative transportation system technologies. Along with the findings of a state-of-practice review, the guide identifies common challenges throughout the advanced technology procurement life cycle. The guide also provides practical case studies, strategies, and tools for the successful procurement of advanced technology. The guide will potentially enhance procurement efficiency within state departments of transportation (DOTs).

State DOTs have developed effective procurement processes for highway construction, but their methods for acquiring new business operation technologies are less advanced. As they invest in advanced solutions for communications, asset management, and human resource activities, they aim to leverage novel technologies, such as artificial intelligence and cloud-based big data tools. However, procurement processes are becoming more varied, and customer expectations are evolving. Despite the growing complexity of these advanced systems and evolving customer needs, state DOTs often rely on traditional procurement methods, which focus on individual purchases without considering long-term goals, creating challenges in acquiring technological products and services.

Under NCHRP Project 23-19, “Practices for Transportation Agency Procurement and Management of Advanced Technologies,” Simplar Sourcing Solutions, LLC was tasked with three primary objectives: (1) identify successful procurement practices used when procuring new transportation systems technologies that meet industry standards, (2) determine procurement processes that are flexible enough to adapt as technology changes, and (3) develop a sustainable means for practitioners within state DOT information technology and procurement offices to implement and evaluate procurement processes. The research involved collecting examples of successful requests for proposals (RFPs) and interviewing a wide range of relevant parties, including technology vendors, local municipalities, and state DOTs. The interviewees were responsible for procurement, contracts, and a variety of transportation technologies. State DOTs may implement successful technology procurement strategies and lessons learned from the collected data. These strategies, when implemented, will potentially help DOTs avoid common procurement pitfalls.

The following deliverables are available on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org) by searching for NCHRP Research Report 1145: Practices for Transportation Agency Procurement and Management of Advanced Technologies:

• Appendices A–L with supplemental resources, including a variety of tools and templates for procurement activities such as preparing an effective scope of work, gathering project requirements, scoring RFPs, evaluating costs, proposal evaluation, and debriefing vendors.
• A plan for the dissemination of the research findings and strategies for implementation.
• A PowerPoint presentation summarizing the project findings.

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1 Introduction and Background

Challenges in the Pre-Solicitation Phase of Technology Projects

Challenges in the Solicitation Phase of Technology Projects

Challenges in the Post-Solicitation Phase of Technology Projects

Data Collection

Chapter 2 Current State of Practice

Challenges in Technology Procurements at DOTs

Current State of Practice in DOT Technology RFPs

Tools for Practitioners

Chapter 3 Pre-Solicitation Phase

Overview

Pre-Solicitation Phase Tools for Practitioners

Project Intake and Early Planning

Funding Considerations

Critical Elements of the SOW

Critical Elements of the Current State Environment

Tips for Developing the SOW and Current State

Project Team Formation and Key Decisions

Market Research Considerations

Cybersecurity Considerations

DBE Considerations

Chapter 4 Preparing the Solicitation

Overview

Solicitation Phase Tools for Practitioners

Challenges in Writing Effective RFPs

Structuring the RFP

Technology Demonstrations

Debriefings

Chapter 5 Post-Solicitation Phase

Overview

Using Procurement to Prepare for the Technology Implementation Process

Using Procurement to Prepare for the Technology Adoption Process

Preparing for Effective Training

Chapter 6 Vendor Feedback on Technology Procurements

Overview

Interviewees

Obtaining the Most Accurate Prices from Technology Vendors

Factors Influencing “Bid vs. No-Bid” Decisions

Vendors’ Perspectives on Common Pitfalls in RFPs

Effective Approaches to Technology Demonstrations

Chapter 7 Vendor Feedback on Technology Implementations

Overview

Overall Strategies for Technology Deployment

Discovery Phase

Workflow Development and Technology Configuration Phase

User Acceptance Testing

Training and Adoption of New Technology

Chapter 8 Case Study for Highway Pavement Management System

Overview

Motivating Factors for the Project

SOW

Key Players

Procurement Process

Contracting and Implementation Activities

Chapter 9 Case Study for Electronic State Transportation Improvement Program

Case Study Summary

References

Appendices