Rick Murray

Rick Murray serves as a key procurement professional within the Federal Highway Administration’s 693JJ3 Acquisition and Grants Management unit, where he facilitates the acquisition of engineering, research, and operational consulting services critical to advancing national transportation infrastructure. His role centers on managing complex contract actions that support data-driven decision-making in highway design, safety enhancement, and system resilience. He routinely handles solicitations under the Federal Acquisition Regulation for professional scientific and technical services, with a focus on research and development, management consulting, and specialized training solutions that align with FHWA’s mission of innovation in surface transportation. Murray maintains consistent working relationships with leading contractors including K & M Transportation Services LLC and the University of California, Los Angeles, partnering with both private-sector engineering firms and academic research institutions. His procurement approach emphasizes performance-based contracting and technical merit evaluation, fostering long-term collaborations with vendors capable of delivering high-quality, evidence-based solutions. These partnerships are typically structured as cost-reimbursement or fixed-price contracts under indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) mechanisms to ensure agility in responding to evolving infrastructure needs. His contracting patterns reflect a strong preference for open competition, with 79.3% of awards issued without set-asides. When set-asides are utilized, they predominantly support total small business participation (13.8%) and, to a lesser extent, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses and 8(a) firms, each accounting for 3.5%. This demonstrates a balanced commitment to socioeconomic goals without compromising technical rigor or competitive integrity. Murray’s portfolio is heavily concentrated in NAICS 541712 (research and development in physical and engineering sciences) and 541990 (other professional, scientific, and technical services), reflecting his specialization in procuring transportation research, infrastructure modeling, safety analytics, and operational consulting. He frequently engages technical experts in traffic engineering, pavement science, and intelligent transportation systems, ensuring federal investments yield measurable improvements in highway performance and public safety.