Solicitation Procedure

Each year, a memorandum is sent from the FHWA Headquarters Office of Bridge Technology to the FHWA Division Offices requesting the submission of candidate projects for a given fiscal year's funding. This solicitation is also published on the IBRD Website at www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/ibrd/. The State DOTs coordinate with local and Federal agencies, universities and colleges, private sector entities, and nonprofit organizations within their respective States in order to develop viable candidate projects. The State DOTs submit the candidate applications to the FHWA division offices. After review and consultation with the DOT, the division office submits the acceptable candidate projects ONLINE at the Office of Bridge Technology's StaffNet web site. The candidate project applications are due on or before June 3, 2011.

The candidate project applications are reviewed and evaluated by an evaluation panel composed of representatives from the FHWA Office of Bridge Technology, the FHWA Office of Infrastructure R&D, and Resource Center. The IBRD Program Manager submits recommendations to the Director of Office of Bridge Technology for approval. An allocation plan is prepared for presentation of the candidate projects to the Federal Highway Administrator, for the final selection of projects.

Submission Requirements:

State DOTs submit applications for funding under this program. A prescribed format for a project submission is provided in the format of a project application form, and the following information should be included to properly evaluate the candidate projects. hose applications that do not include this information will be considered incomplete and will be rejected.

• State in which the project is located;

• Ranking of the project as determined by the State DOT, if more than one project is submitted;

• County in which the project is located;

• Congressional District in which the project is located;

• Name of Congressional Representative as of the date of application in whose district the project is located;

• Structure Name & Location - Provide the bridge name (if appropriate) and describe the specific location of the project, including route number/name and mileposts (if applicable), and feature(s) crossed by the bridge;

• Structure Description - Provide a description of the structure including type (e.g., continuous prestressed concrete box girder), number of spans, total length, and total width (out to out);

• Innovation - Specify the innovation (e.g., materials, design and construction methods for PBES and GRS) that is being used in the project;

• Proposed Work - Describe the specific application of the innovation proposed in this particular request, and whether this is a complete project or part of a larger project;

• Program Goals and Benefits - The State's submission should show how the application of the innovation would meet the FHWA's Every Day Counts (EDC) Initiative on Accelerating Technology & Innovation Deployment as highlighted in the solicitation memorandum;

• Letting Date - The proposed letting date for the main project should be specified, in which the proposed candidate is a part;

• Estimated Costs - Provide the estimated cost of the project as follows: cost of the entire project; cost of the innovative portion of the projects, as well as preliminary engineering costs associated with the innovative portion of the project; and the cost of proposed activities to evaluate and document the performance of the innovative application;

• Amount of Federal IBRD Funds Requested - Indicate the amount of Federal IBRD funds being requested; and

• Commitment of Other Funds - Indicate the amounts and sources of any private or other public funding being provided as the IBRD part of this project. Only indicate those amounts of funding having documented commitments. The submission must include written confirmation of these commitments from the entity controlling the funds.

Note: Additional information on project applications can be submitted through FHWA Division Office by FedEx mail, if needed.

Application Guidance:

• Priority ranking - Each State, in cooperation with the FHWA division office, is requested to prioritize their candidate projects.

• Funding for repeated applications - The States are encouraged not to submit candidate projects, which essentially duplicate a previous project using the same material in the same type of application if that original project was funded with IBRC/IBRD funds.

• High cost projects - High cost projects may be funded at less than 100% of a State's requested amount and limited to $400,000.

Decision Process for Funding:

Projects are to be screened for eligibility first by the FHWA division office and then evaluated by the Headquarters IBRD evaluation panel. The State must commit to building the projects for which IBRD funds are awarded.

State Department of Transportation's Responsibilities:

• Coordinate with State, local, and Federal agencies, universities and colleges, private sector entities and nonprofit organizations within the State to develop viable candidate projects;

• Ensure that the applications for candidate projects meet the submission requirements;

• Establish priorities for other candidate projects; and

• Submit completed applications to the local FHWA division office in a timely manner so that the submission deadline can be met.

FHWA Division Office Responsibilities:

• Provide the solicitation memorandum and the program information to the State DOTs;

• Request candidate projects be submitted by the State to the FHWA division office in time to meet the submission deadline established in the solicitation;

• Help applicants complete information required in the application form;

• Review and prioritize all candidate applications submitted by the State prior to sending them to the FHWA Headquarters to ensure that they are complete and meet the submission requirements;

• Submit the candidate applications to FHWA Headquarters by the established submission deadline. Submission of these applications shall be by ONLINE submission only.

• Record required application data in the IBRD online database via the IBRD home page at the Office of Bridge Technology StaffNet web site

FHWA Headquarters Program Office Responsibilities:

• Request candidates from the States through the annual solicitation memorandum;

• Review candidate project submissions and compile program and project information for preparation of the allocation plan;

• Submit the allocation plan to the Federal Highway Administrator for approval; and

• Allocate funds for the selected projects.

FHWA Headquarters Program Office Contact:

Raj Ailaney, P.E.
Senior Bridge Engineer - IBRD Program Manager
Office of Bridge Technology (HIBT-1)
Email: Raj.Ailaney@dot.gov
Phone: (202) 366-6749 Fax: (202) 366-3077

FY2011 Application for Innovative Bridge Research and Deployment Program

State

State's Priority Ranking: # _____ of _____

Project type (new construction, replacement, rehabilitation, or repair)

NBI structure number

County

Congressional District

Name of Congressional Representative

Structure Name and/or Identifying Description (e.g., Number/Name of Route on the Bridge and Feature Crossed)

Structure description (e.g., bridge type, number of spans, length, width, material)

Innovative designs, materials and construction methods (describe the designs, materials, and/or construction methods; and how they are used and how the project meets one or more of the program goals). Each application (proposal) shall include and address the following items:

1. Project Name:
2. Project classification/technology: such as, PBES, GRS etc.
3. Project Summary:
4. Project Description:
   1. Describe designs, materials and construction methods;
   2. Describe how the project(s) meet the FHWA's Every Day Counts (EDC) Initiative on Accelerating Technology & Innovation Deployment (please see the solicitation memorandum for details); and
   3. Technical merits (technical details, quality of innovation, technically sound, cost effective, likelihood of having a lasting impact on the State, and likelihood of having a national lasting impact.) Note: Please limit the narrative (proposal) on this section to 2 pages.

Schedule for start of work (month/year):

Cost Estimates:

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Local Agency Contact Person (if applicable):

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FHWA Division Office Contact Person:

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