National Cooperative Highway Research Program - Announcement

The National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member departments of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), with the cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. The NCHRP is administered by the National Research Council’s Transportation Research Board (TRB). The NCHRP is an applied contract research program totally committed to providing timely solutions to operational problems facing highway and transportation practitioners and administrators. Each year, AASHTO refers a research program to the TRB consisting of high-priority problems for which solutions are urgently required by the states. The AASHTO program for FY 2016 is expected to include 16 continuations and 44 new projects. This announcement contains preliminary descriptions of only those new projects expected to be advertised for competitive proposals. Detailed Project Statements (i.e., Requests for Proposals) for these new projects will be developed beginning in August 2015. Please note that NCHRP requests for proposals are available only on the TRB website. Those who have an interest in receiving RFPs can register on the website http://trb.org/nchrp. Upon registration, you will receive an e-mail notification of every RFP posting and an e-mail notification of new anticipated projects in future years. Because NCHRP projects seek practical remedies for operational problems, it is emphasized that proposals not evidencing strong capability gained through extensive successful experiences in the relevant problem area stand little chance of being selected. Consequently, any agency interested in submitting a proposal should first make a frank, thorough self-appraisal to determine whether it possesses the capability and experience necessary to ensure successful completion of the project. The specifications for preparing proposals are quite strict and are set forth in the brochure entitled Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals. Proposals will be rejected if they are not prepared in strict conformance with the section entitled “Instructions for Preparing and Submitting Proposals.” The brochure is available on the Internet at the website referenced above.