Based on work performed under NCHRP Project 20-33, "Facilitating the Implementation of Research Findings," NCHRP Project 20-33(2) developed a synthesis of successful implementation practices to help policymakers in federal, state, and local governments overcome barriers to timely and effective implementation of research findings. The project also developed a guidebook for highway contracting and innovating that provides guidance for selecting procurement and contracting approaches to simulate innovation and improve the design, construction, and quality of highway systems.

In recent years, there has been unprecedented commitment to the conduct of research. Underlying this increased commitment to research is the belief that research pays off by yielding innovative products and practices that will benefit future transportation users and providers. Research performed under NCHRP Project 20-33 recommended testing the more viable strategies for moving transportation research into practice, and it also indicated that procurement and contracting practices for the design and construction of highway facilities play an important role in the timeliness and effectiveness of the use of research results. There was a need to examine the role of procurement and contracting practices in influencing the implementation of research findings and to identify strategies to encourage the use of promising approaches that will facilitate implementation of research findings.

In addition to reviewing the work performed under NCHRP Project 20-33, the research reviewed other relevant literature, surveyed the transportation community, convened a focus group, evaluated traditional and nontraditional procurement and contracting approaches, and developed a guidebook to aid practitioners with selecting and using approaches to promote innovations and research findings. NCHRP Research Results Digest 225, "Putting Research Into Practice: A synopsis of Successful Strategies and Case Histories" and NCHRP Report 428, "Guidebook to Highway Contracting for Innovation: The Role of Procurement and Contracting Approaches in Facilitating the Implementation of Research Findings" provide a summary of the work performed under this project.