BACKGROUND

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provide independent, objective advice to inform policy with evidence, spark progress and innovation, and confront challenging issues for the benefit of society. The work of the private, nonprofit National Academies is grounded in the expertise of our three academies — National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and National Academy of Medicine. For more information about the Academies, please visit our website at:  www.nationalacademies.org.

The National Academies consists of seven program units, one of which is the Transportation Research Board (TRB). Established in 1920, TRB annually engages more than 7,000 engineers, scientists, and transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and the academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest by participating in TRB committees, panels, and task forces. One program unit within TRB is the Cooperative Research Programs, which includes the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP). ACRP provides products developed from applied research for the U.S. airport industry. Recognizing the dynamic nature of the industry, a key goal of ACRP is to ensure our products continue to be relevant by updating them as needed.  As ACRP matured and our library of products grew, the need for a systematic method for identifying the products with the greatest need for updating became apparent.

ACRP research is generally categorized into 10 research fields. To meet a key goal of the ACRP Strategic Plan, the ACRP oversight committee approved and funded the development of a systematic method to identify and prioritize research products in need of an update. A methodology (https://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/acrp/docs/Product_Update_Review_Methodology.pdf) for reviewing the products in each field was developed in 2020 while reviewing the products in Research Field 2: Environment. 

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this RFP is to identify a qualified firm to review and recommend an initial set of products for updating within Research Field 1: Administration and Research Field 6: Human Resources. The proposal should follow the process outlined in this RFP.

The process for identifying the projects to be updated should include at minimum the process outlined in ACRP Research Field Product Update Review Process, provided at: https://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/acrp/docs/Product_Update_Review_Methodology.pdf. 

Interim deliverables should include (1) the initial draft of the research products spreadsheet by research field; (2) a list of the industry stakeholder review group; (3) a comprehensive list of comparative resources planned for use for prioritization; and (4) any recommended changes to the methodology. 

The final deliverables will be a technical memo with recommendations for the products to be updated within Research Field 1: Administration and Research Field 6: Human Resources. The memo should include at minimum a rationale for each recommendation and final prioritization, and an explanation of how the prioritization process was applied by research field. 

 A research plan will be provided as part of the proposal. If selected, the panel will provide comments on this research plan and an amplified research plan will be approved. The research plan should also include checkpoints with the ACRP panel, including at a minimum (1) a kick-off web-enabled meeting to be held within 1 month of the Notice to Proceed; (2) a meeting following the delivery of the interim deliverables; and (3) an in-person final deliverable review meeting. The contractor will present the technical memo and incorporate final feedback from the panel into the final recommendations.    

STATUS: Research in Progress