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NCHRP 20-24B [Completed]
Research Supporting the NCHRP Project Panel on Administration of Highway and Transportation Agencies
| Project Data |
| Funds: |
$1,250,000 |
| Annual funding for the NCHRP 20-24 program may vary. |
| Research Agency: |
see list under NCHRP Project 20-24 and individual projects in the series |
| Effective Date: |
10/1/2012 |
| Completion Date: |
9/30/2019 |
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Research conducted under NCHRP Project 20-24 is intended to address issues of concern to chief executive officers (CEOs) and other top managers of state departments of transportation (DOTs). Since its initiation in 1986, the project has conducted specific studies on finance, organizational structure, human resources, project delivery, performance measurement, and other topics. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Standing Committee on Research (SCOR) each year allocates funds to the overall project ($1 to $1.25 million in each of the past few years), but identification of specific projects is left to the NCHRP Project 20-24 panel. As the program is currently administered, NCHRP Project 20-24 panel members are appointed from the ranks of state DOT CEOs. Senior members of AASHTO and Transportation Research Board staff serve as liaison members of the panel. The panel typically meets twice yearly, during AASHTO’s annual fall and spring meetings. The group may hold interim meetings or conference calls, or otherwise communicate to consider the Project 20-24 research program, to review research results, and to advise NCHRP staff on the program’s administration. New research on specific topics is requested by panel members, AASHTO staff, and others. These topics may include continuation or extension of work previously undertaken. The NCHRP Project 20-24 panel allocates funds to selected topics and may delegate authority for oversight of the research to a project-specific panel. Funds not immediately allocated to such projects are carried over for future allocation. The timing of solicitations for research services for specific projects in the NCHRP 20-24 series is variable and may require very rapid responses from invited proposers. Some projects warrant fast-track procurement and administration and may require the services of highly qualified and experienced individual experts very familiar with and sensitive to the concerns of senior agency officials. For these reasons, NCHRP may on occasion use mechanisms for procuring consultant services that are particularly streamlined and responsive to the Project 20-24 panel’s requirements. For several years, prequalification and selection among a small number of service providers able to respond quickly and competitively to task orders for research on specific topics was such a mechanism.
The objective of Project 20-24B was to provide—in a flexible, ongoing, quick-response manner—research on topics intended to address the specific needs of CEOs and other top managers of state DOTs. Organizations pre-qualified to serve as task-order contractors were invited to prepare proposals (including a brief research plan, qualified research team, budget, and schedule) to carry out studies on topics selected by the NCHRP Project 20-24 panel. These topic-specific proposals were used to determine which team will be awarded the study under the task-order contract. Task-order contractors preparing project proposals in response to such invitations were permitted to add subcontractors or consultants to their teams for the purpose of completing a specific project. Use of this procurement system was discontinued in cy2020.
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