BACKGROUND
State transportation agency equipment fleets require a significant capital investment and recurring maintenance and operational expenditures. Efficient management of these assets can lead to significant cost savings, enhanced performance, and improved reliability. Research conducted under NCHRP Project 20-7/Task 309, “Challenges and Opportunities: A Strategic Plan for Equipment Management Research,” in 2011 helped guide the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Committee on Maintenance’s Equipment Technical Working Group (TWG) in identifying equipment management research needs. The AASHTO Equipment TWG prioritized and advanced the derived research topics. Given the rapid technological advancements affecting equipment fleets, a research roadmap for equipment management needs to be developed, including all relevant activities (e.g., maintenance, operations, and technology) for all equipment types (including fleet vehicles). The implementation of research findings related to state transportation agency equipment management can significantly affect state agency cost and efficiency.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this project is to develop a research roadmap for equipment management that establishes near-term, intermediate, and long-term research activities for state transportation agencies to reduce costs and increase equipment management efficiency.
RESEARCH PLAN
The NCHRP is seeking the insights of proposers on how to achieve the research objective. Proposers are expected to describe research plans that can realistically be accomplished within the constraints of available funds and contract time. Proposals must present the proposers' current thinking in sufficient detail to demonstrate their understanding of the issues and the soundness of their approach to meeting the research objective.
At a minimum, the research plan shall include:
- A kick-off teleconference with the research team and NCHRP convened within 1 month of the contract’s execution;
- The research approach;
- Detailed tasks necessary to fulfill the project objective and appropriate milestones and interim deliverables;
- One in-person meeting and one interim web-conference meeting (NCHRP will provide teleconference services); and
- Opportunities for the project panel to review, comment on, and approve milestone deliverables.
Accomplishment of the project objective will require at least the following tasks.
TASKS
Task 1. Provide a concise summary of relevant literature focused on public agency equipment management. This summary shall be suitable for partner engagement to solicit feedback from the group identified in Task 2.
Task 2. Convene a group of at least 15 people from state departments of transportation, other agency fleet managers, and others familiar with equipment management to reach a consensus on the challenges facing equipment fleet managers and the research needed to address them.
Task 3. Document the findings, research gaps, and recommendations based on the findings from Task 2.
Task 4. Prepare the final deliverables that fulfill the project objective, including a research roadmap for equipment management.
At a minimum, final deliverables will include:
- A final report documenting the entire research effort;
- A research roadmap for equipment management research, including a minimum of 10 research needs statements addressing research gaps;
- A PowerPoint presentation describing the background, objectives, approach, findings, and conclusions; and
- A technical memorandum titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products” (see Special Note K for additional information).
Notes:
1. Upon project completion, the roadmap will be made available for consideration by the AASHTO Committee on Maintenance's Equipment TWG to guide its research activities.
2. NCHRP approval of the proposed participants identified for Task 2 is required.
3. TRB will cover the costs associated with meetings at TRB facilities, web-conference services, and any approved panel travel.
4. If an in-person meeting is proposed for Task 2, participant travel expenses must be covered in the budget.
5. Following receipt of the draft final deliverables, the remaining 3 months shall be for NCHRP review and comment and for research agency preparation of the final deliverables.
SPECIAL NOTES
A. Proposers should be aware of the following completed study related to this research and take it into account when developing the proposed research plan, minimizing the potential for duplication of effort:
NCHRP Project 20-07/Task 309 Contractor’s Report: Challenges and Opportunities: A Strategic Plan for Equipment Management Research (2011).
B. The Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals for the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Programs were revised in May 2024. Please take note of the new and revised text which is highlighted in yellow.
C. Proposals must be submitted as a single PDF file with a maximum file size of 10 MB. The PDF must be formatted for standard 8 ½” X 11” paper, and the entire proposal must not exceed 60 pages (according to the page count displayed in the PDF). Proposals that do not meet these requirements will be rejected. For other requirements, refer to chapter V of the instructions.
D. The Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals for the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Programs have been modified to include a revised policy and instructions for disclosing Investigator Conflict of Interest. For more information, refer to chapter IV of the instructions. A detailed definition and examples can be found in the CRP Conflict of Interest Policy for Contractors. The proposer recommended by the project panel will be required to submit an Investigator Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Form as a prerequisite for contract negotiations.
E. Proposals will be rejected if any of the proposed research team members work for organizations represented on the project panel. The panel roster for this project can be found at https://www.mytrb.org/OnlineDirectory/Committee/Details/7042. Proposers may not contact panel members directly; this roster is provided solely for the purpose of avoiding potential conflicts of interest.
F. Proprietary Products - If any proprietary products are to be used or tested in the project, please refer to Item 6 in the Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals.
G. Proposals are evaluated by the NCHRP staff and project panels consisting of individuals collectively knowledgeable in the problem area. The project panel will recommend their first choice proposal considering the following factors: (1) the proposer's demonstrated understanding of the problem; (2) the merit of the proposed research approach and experiment design; (3) the experience, qualifications, and objectivity of the research team in the same or closely related problem area; (4) the plan for ensuring application of results; (5) how the proposer approaches inclusion and diversity in the composition of their team and research approach, including participation by certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises; and, if relevant, (6) the adequacy of the facilities. A recommendation by the project panel is not a guarantee of a contract. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS - the contracting authority for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) will conduct an internal due diligence review and risk assessment of the panel’s recommended proposal before contract negotiations continue.
Note: The proposer's approach to inclusion and diversity as well as participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises should be incorporated in Item 11 of the proposal.
H. Copyrights - All data, written materials, computer software, graphic and photographic images, and other information prepared under the contract and the copyrights therein shall be owned by the National Academy of Sciences. The contractor and subcontractors will be able to publish this material for non-commercial purposes, for internal use, or to further academic research or studies with permission from TRB Cooperative Research Programs. The contractor and subcontractors will not be allowed to sell the project material without prior approval by the National Academy of Sciences. By signing a contract with the National Academy of Sciences, contractors accept legal responsibility for any copyright infringement that may exist in work done for TRB. Contractors are therefore responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions for use of copyrighted material in TRB's Cooperative Research Programs publications. For guidance on TRB's policies on using copyrighted material please consult Section 5.4, "Use of Copyrighted Material," in the Procedural Manual for Contractors.
I. The text of the final deliverable is expected to be publication-ready when it is submitted. It is strongly recommended that the research team include the expertise of a technical editor as early in the project timeline as possible. See Appendix F of the Procedural Manual for Contractors Conducting Research in the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Program for technical editing standards expected in final deliverables.
J. Proposals should include a task-by-task breakdown of labor hours for each staff member as shown in Figure 4 in the Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals. Proposals also should include a breakdown of all costs (e.g., wages, indirect costs, travel, materials, and total) for each task using Figures 5 and 6 in the brochure. Please note that TRB Cooperative Research Program subawards (selected proposers are considered subawards to the National Academy of Sciences, the parent organization of TRB) must comply with 2 CFR 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. These requirements include a provision that proposers without a "federally" Negotiated Indirect Costs Rate Agreement (NICRA) shall be subject to a maximum allowable indirect rate of 10% of Modified Total Direct Costs. Modified Total Direct Costs include all salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and up to the first $25,000 of each lower tier subaward and subcontract. Modified Total Direct Costs exclude equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of each lower tier subaward and subcontract in excess of $25,000.
K. The required technical memorandum titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products” should (a) provide recommendations on how to best put the research findings/products into practice; (b) identify possible institutions that might take leadership in applying the research findings/products; (c) identify issues affecting potential implementation of the findings/products and recommend possible actions to address these issues; and (d) recommend methods of identifying and measuring the impacts associated with implementation of the findings/products. Implementation of these recommendations is not part of the research project and, if warranted, details of these actions will be developed and implemented in future efforts.
The research team will be expected to provide input to an implementation team consisting of panel members, AASHTO committee members, the NCHRP Implementation Coordinator, and others in order to meet the goals of NCHRP Active Implementation: Moving Research into Practice, available at http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/docs/NCHRP_ActiveImplementation.pdf
L. If the team proposes a Principal Investigator who is not an employee of the Prime Contractor, or if the Prime Contractor is proposed to conduct less than 50% of the total effort (by time or budget), then section five of the proposal should include: (1) a justification of why this approach is appropriate, and (2) a description of how the Prime Contractor will ensure adequate communication and coordination with their Subcontractors throughout the project.
M. All budget information should be suitable for printing on 8½″ x 11″ paper. If a budget page cannot fit on a single 8½″ x 11″ page, it should be split over multiple pages. Proposers must use the Excel templates provided in the Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals for the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Programs.
N. The National Academies have an ethical and legal obligation to provide proper attribution whenever material from other sources is included in its reports, online postings, and other publications and products. TRB will review all Cooperative Research Programs draft final deliverables using the software iThenticate for potential plagiarism. If plagiarized text appears in the draft final deliverable, the research team will be required to make revisions and the opportunity to submit future proposals may be affected.
