Research Initiatives in Support of FHWA Bridges and Structures Programs: Call 4.0

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) issued by the Federal Highway Administration under solicitation number 693JJ3-23-BAA-0001-4 is an open, multi-year initiative spanning 60 months with annual calls for concept papers, aimed at advancing errant vessel warning and sensing technologies to activate automatic bridge closures. The solicitation seeks research proposals that develop innovative solutions to enhance bridge safety by detecting unauthorized vessel approaches and triggering timely closures. Proposals must be submitted in two volumes—Technical and Cost and Pricing Data—with the technical proposal limited to 20 pages excluding resumes, letters of support, and the required Quad Chart. All submissions must be in Adobe PDF format and emailed directly to the contracting officer and representative. Participation is open to all responsible sources, and the Government retains the right to award contracts, assistance agreements, or other instruments as deemed most beneficial. Proposals from non-small businesses exceeding $750,000 require a compliant Small Business Subcontracting Plan following Appendix E, with goals tracked for small disadvantaged, veteran-owned, women-owned, and HUBZone businesses. Key personnel resumes are capped at two pages each and do not count against the page limit, and organizational charts must clearly define roles and entity types. Proposal evaluation prioritizes Technical Merit, followed by Past Performance and Cost/Price, with a trade-off approach used to determine best value, rejecting Lowest Price Technically Acceptable evaluation. The Government retains unlimited rights to all deliverables and intellectual property, and compliance with Section 889 of the NDAA prohibits use of telecommunications or video surveillance equipment from covered foreign entities. Required certifications include a valid Unique Entity ID (UEI), active SAM.gov registration, disclosure of lobbying activities via SF-LLL, and reporting of organizational conflicts of interest. Performance is expected to occur in Washington, DC, though specific periods of performance will be defined upon award. All submissions must adhere to strict formatting guidelines including 1-inch margins, 10-point font, single-spaced text, and letter-sized pages. Updates to the solicitation are posted on SAM.gov, and offerors are responsible for monitoring for amendments.