Matthew Phelps is a Contracting Officer/Team Leader. Matthew is associated with 61 contracts. Activity spans Engineering Services, Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology), and Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing.
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Contracting officer information and contact details
The Department of Transportation, through the Volpe National Transportation System Center, has issued a sources-sought Request for Information (RFI) under solicitation number 6913G627RFI100 for the manufacturing of approximately 1,000 dunnage bars modeled after the EVANS DF-1 loader crossbar. This effort is intended for market research and budgetary planning to determine the availability of capable business sources before a formal Request for Proposal is issued. The project requires a comprehensive manufacturing process including 3D scanning of sample parts, casting, machining, welding, and the assembly of 8-gauge steel Z-bars and oak wood components. Finished castings must be zinc plated or treated with commercial-grade black oxide.
The dunnage bars must meet specific performance standards, including a uniformly distributed vertical load of 4,000 lbs, a concentrated center span load of 2,000 lbs, and a horizontal longitudinal restraint load of 4,000 lbs. This opportunity is designated as a Total Small Business Set Aside. Interested vendors must submit a Statement of Capabilities not exceeding 10 pages in PDF format to Andrew Josephs by October 23, 2026. Submissions should detail technical strategies, production capacity, lead times, rough order of magnitude costs, and relevant certifications such as ISO 9001, AS9100, or NADCAP.
Department Of TransportationCambridge,
MA,
02142,
USA
NAICS
332999
All Other Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
The U.S. Department of Transportation, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, is conducting market research via Request for Information RFI-DOT-VOLPE-2026-001 to determine the availability of refurbished and used 50-foot standard railway boxcars. These vehicles are required to safely transport ammunition and explosives in accordance with strict military safety regulations. The equipment must meet Association of American Railroads (AAR) standards, specifically mechanical designation XM, car type B314 or equal, and AAR Plate-C dimensions. Key technical requirements include a weathertight roof, AWS D15.1 welding standards, and specific painting specifications utilizing urethane paint in yellow for the carbody and black for the underframe, with red stenciling for the United States Army.
Interested respondents under NAICS code 336510 must submit a written Statement of Capabilities and estimated unit costs for orders up to 500 boxcars by October 21, 2026. The scope of work includes the delivery of cars to a CONUS U.S. Army rail base and the registration of all cars in the AAR UMLER files. Quality assurance is paramount, requiring a formal plan from the rail shop and rigorous testing of air brake systems, hand brakes, and side bearings. Final acceptance will occur at the destination following an inspection for carrier damage. This RFI is for planning purposes only and does not constitute a formal solicitation or a commitment of government funds.
The Department of Transportation's Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, supporting the Department of the Interior, is seeking a firm-fixed-price purchase order for research on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) performance. The project focuses on evaluating how SAE Level 1-2 automation performs in non-typical environments at one or two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuges, specifically targeting the Desert, Neal Smith, and Parker River sites. The research aims to analyze system responsiveness to wildlife, interactions with visitors, and performance on unpaved or undulating road surfaces across various natural lighting conditions. The period of performance extends from the date of award through August 15, 2028.
The acquisition is a full and open competition under NAICS code 541715. Award will be based on the best value to the government, evaluating technical capability and past performance, which combined are approximately equal in weight to price. Proposals are subject to a strict 10-page limit for the combined Performance Work Statement and past performance submissions. Key requirements include daily data ingestion and quality assurance to ensure system calibration and data integrity. The contract incorporates various FAR clauses, including specific deviations regarding the Buy American Act, anti-trafficking, and non-discrimination policies, and requires electronic payment requests through the DELPHI system.
Department Of TransportationCambridge,
MA,
02142,
USA
NAICS
541715
Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
This competitive, firm-fixed-price contract, solicitation number 6913G626Q300050, is a total small business set-aside awarded by the Department of Transportation's Volpe National Transportation System Center. The agreement provides locomotive safety inspections and technical support for the Army Sustainment Command, covering 12 Army locomotives across four specific installations: Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Stewart, Georgia; Tooele, Utah; and Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The scope of work requires annual inspections conducted in accordance with 49 CFR Part 229.27, with a period of performance extending from the date of award through September 24, 2026.
The contract is structured around four Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs 00100 through 00400), each corresponding to one of the performance locations. Requirements include the submission of inspection records and PM sheets, participation in monthly teleconferences, and adherence to strict personnel qualifications. To ensure fair labor practices, the contract incorporates Department of Labor wage determinations for North Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, and Utah. Pricing is based on fully burdened labor rates, estimated hours, materials, equipment, and travel expenses.
Department Of TransportationCambridge,
MA,
02142,
USA
The Rail Maintenance and Sustainment (RMS) Multiple-Award IDIQ contract, solicitation number 6913G626R200002, is a full and open competition managed by the Department of Transportation’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, aimed at securing commercial rail products and services including locomotive manufacture and refurbishment, freight car procurement, preventive and corrective maintenance, engineering diagnostics, technical support, and emergency repairs. The solicitation culminates in a multi-award IDIQ vehicle with proposals due by July 31, 2026, and has been updated through five amendments since its initial posting on June 17, 2026. Amendment 0001 addressed initial vendor questions, while Amendment 0002 eliminated the requirement for Mock Task Orders in Phase II. Amendment 0003 updated compliance requirements by removing outdated Standard S-2034 and directing offerors to adhere to current AAR guidelines. Amendment 0004 formally released eight Phase II Task Order Requests for Proposals and corresponding Statements of Work, including specific CLINs for road-switcher locomotives, 50-foot damage-free railway boxcars, annual and periodic locomotive safety inspections, and locomotive sustainment and technical field support. Amendment 0005 revised the submission instructions and evaluation criteria for Factor 4 (Past Performance) and Factor 5 (Price) across all Phase II TORFPs and issued official responses to a total of 22 vendor RFIs, ensuring alignment and clarity for proposers without altering the due date or other core solicitation terms. All amendments were issued with the explicit instruction that proposal deadlines and fundamental solicitation requirements remain unchanged. The contract is administered under NAICS code 336510, with primary point of contact Patricia Barnett and secondary contact Matthew Phelps, both reachable through the Department of Transportation office in Cambridge. No set-aside provisions apply, and the contract vehicle is structured to support nationwide performance with no specified packaging, inspection, or contract administration details provided in the available documentation.
Department Of TransportationCambridge,
MA,
02142,
USA$3K–$268Mest.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center has awarded a single-award hybrid contract for Locomotive 92-Day Periodic Safety Inspections under solicitation number 6913G626Q300009, structured as a total small business set-aside using simplified procedures under FAR Part 12 and Subpart 13.5. The contract, issued as a firm-fixed-price arrangement with non-team-estimated reimbursable travel and other direct costs, requires a contractor to perform federally mandated safety inspections on 15 Electro-Motive Diesel locomotives across seven U.S. Army rail installations, including Fort Bliss, Fort Hood, Fort Carson, Fort Stewart, Fort Campbell, Fort Leonard Wood, and Fort McCoy. The base performance period runs from March 2, 2026, through September 24, 2026, with two option periods extending through August 31, 2028. The contractor must conduct approximately 30 inspections during the base period and 60 during each option year, adhering strictly to 49 CFR Part 229 and delivering completed FRA Form F6180-49A and preventive maintenance worksheets within five business days of each inspection. Personnel must be qualified mechanical inspectors with demonstrated expertise in EMD locomotives and NYAB CCB-26 brake systems, and the contractor is required to participate in monthly teleconferences and coordinate field operations with military installations.
The contract includes separate firm-fixed-price line items for inspection labor and non-team-estimated reimbursable line items for travel and other direct costs across the base and both option periods, with pricing submitted by the offeror as part of a three-volume quotation structure that evaluates technical approach, personnel qualifications, past performance, and price in that order of importance. While the total estimated contract value is unspecified due to uncompleted pricing fields, the solicitation emphasizes a best-value trade-off approach rather than lowest-price technically acceptable. The government provides consumables such as brake shoes and filters but requires the contractor to supply all tools, diagnostic equipment, and qualified personnel. Delivery and performance occur at the locomotives’ locations, with acceptance formalized on-site through government sign-off on Standard Form 1449. The contract incorporates key FAR clauses related to commercial item acquisition, requires offerors to certify small business status in SAM.gov, and mandates compliance with security protocols under Clause 1252.2
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center has awarded a firm-fixed-price task order to Concentric Security LLC for Phase II of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy’s Vickery Gate Control Point Security Upgrades, with task order number 6913G626F50016N. This effort is a logical follow-on to a previously awarded competitive task order for Phase I and was executed under a limited-sources procurement exception, as permitted by GSAM 538.7104-3(b)(1)(iii), to ensure continuity and seamless integration of security systems. Phase II focuses on completing the integration of additional electrical systems, active and passive physical security barriers, and access control components into the existing security infrastructure at the Kings Point, New York campus.
The procurement is not open for competitive bidding and is intended solely to fulfill the remaining scope of the security upgrade project. Official documentation justifying the limited-sources approach is available as required by regulation. The contract is administered from the Volpe Center’s office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with primary and secondary points of contact provided for program inquiries. Performance will occur entirely at the USMMA’s Vickery Gate Control Point in Kings Point, NY, with a zip code of 11024. The notice was posted on July 14, 2026, and is for informational purposes only, not as a solicitation for additional offers.
Department Of TransportationKings Point,
NY,
11024,
USA
NAICS
334290
Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing
PSC
R425
Professional, Administrative, and Management Support Services
The U.S. Department of Transportation, through the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, has issued a Request for Information (RFI) titled Boxcar Interior Wood Lining to gather market research on the capability of vendors to install interior protective wood lining on thirty-eight used 50-foot Plate C 70-ton boxcars for the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant. This RFI is strictly for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation, bid request, or commitment to award a contract. The work must be performed exclusively at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Middletown, Iowa, with no option to relocate the boxcars elsewhere. The interior lining must consist of 3/4 BCX plywood installed on all vertical interior surfaces where ammunition contacts steel, extending to a height of five feet, and must be securely fastened without compromising the structural integrity of the cars. All personnel entering the facility must pass a background check and present proper identification, and the work must comply with military safety regulations for transporting ammunition and explosives. Respondents are required to submit a written Statement of Capabilities no longer than ten pages, in 11-point font or larger, on 8.5 x 11 inch paper, in Adobe PDF format, via email to Andrew J. Josephs by June 11, 2026, at 4:00 pm Eastern Time. Each submission must reference the RFI title and include the vendor’s socio-economic small business size status under NAICS code 336510, such as Total Small Business, 8(a), HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, Small Disadvantaged, or Woman-Owned. While no pricing or contract terms are established, vendors are requested to provide a Rough Order of Magnitude cost estimate as part of their response to help the government assess feasibility and potential future acquisition planning.
Department Of TransportationMiddletown,
IA,
52638,
USA
The Partnership for Analysis and Research in Traffic Safety (PARTS) is a sole-source research initiative managed by the Department of Transportation's Volpe National Transportation System Center. The contract is awarded to the Mitre Corporation's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) to execute Phase IV of the program, which involves the independent analysis of vehicle safety performance. By leveraging non-federal vehicle-level data from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and federal crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the project focuses on evaluating advanced driver assistance systems, automatic emergency braking, and injury mitigation technologies.
Awarded under FAR 6.302-3, the contract is justified as a sole-source action due to Mitre's status as a non-profit Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) and its unique, irreplaceable trust relationships with both government agencies and automotive manufacturers. Key requirements for the contractor include strict operational independence from both the government and industry to protect proprietary intellectual property and ensure analytical integrity. Performance is based in McLean, Virginia, with a period of performance extending through February 28, 2027. Primary deliverables include aggregate safety performance analyses and the validation of pre-crash typologies to inform federal safety policy.
Department Of TransportationMc Lean,
VA,
22102,
USA
NAICS
541715
Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
PSC
R425
Professional, Administrative, and Management Support Services
The contract titled "Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety (PARTS) Continued Research" is a solicitation issued by the Department of Transportation through the Volpe National Transportation System Center located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The project focuses on advancing analytics research in traffic safety and falls under the NAICS code 541715, which pertains to research and development in scientific fields. The solicitation was posted on March 5, 2026, with a response deadline of March 12, 2026, and does not include any set-aside provisions.
The work is to be performed in McLean, Virginia, and involves continued collaboration in traffic safety analytics research. The points of contact for this opportunity are Andrew J. Josephs (primary) and Matthew Phelps (secondary), both reachable via their respective Department of Transportation email addresses. This contract represents an ongoing partnership effort aimed at enhancing safety measures through advanced data analysis, supporting the government's commitment to improving transportation safety outcomes.
Department Of TransportationMc Lean,
VA,
22102,
USA
NAICS
541715
Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
PSC
R425
Professional, Administrative, and Management Support Services
