Call for Research Proposals

This notice is a Call for Proposals for the Second Quarter Research Advisory Committee (RAC) meeting

December 4, 2024

RE: Call for Proposals for the Second Quarter Research Advisory Committee SPR-B Funds

To Whom it May Concern:

This Notice is a Call for Proposals for the second quarter Research Advisory Committee (RAC) meeting.

On January 14, 2025, beginning at 9:00 a.m., the WYDOT RAC will hold its second quarter meeting to review proposals requesting SPR-B funding. Proposals for this meeting must be received by the Research Manager, in Word format, no later than the close of business on January 6, 2025. Proposals received after this date will not be considered for review. Proposals must be sent to the following e-mail address: enid.white1@wyo.gov

The meeting will be held at the WYDOT Planning Conference Room, in the Headquarters Complex, Cheyenne, WY. 

The proposals must be well prepared, documents that define the research problem and objectives. The proposals must be Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act compliant. Below are the requirements for proposals. Proposals that do not meet these requirements will be sent back to the Proposer for corrections.

1. Title Page: The title page must contain the following information:
   • Project title: The title should be brief and should immediately convey to the reader what the proposed study will cover.
   • Name and address of the WYDOT Project Champion: a WYDOT employee must sponsor every research project. The Project Champion, and/or his/her designee, acts as the research project’s technical contact responsible for overseeing most of the research services being provided. Research project administration and payment tracking will be the responsibility of the research manager.
   • Name and address of Principal Investigator: Provide the complete name, phone number, email address, and physical address of the Principal Investigator(s).
   • Date: Date the proposal is sent to the Research Center.

2. Problem Statement: The problem statement should set out all circumstances surrounding the current problem or issue that gives rise to the needs. The problem statement should emphasize how the problem or issue affects operations of WYDOT, stakeholders, and Wyoming highways. The problem statement should tie the problem or issue to WYDOT’s mission and goals. It is important that as much detail as possible be included in the problem statement, and an explanation of the inadequacy of a technique, material, or specification can help define the extent of the problem better.

3. Background Statement: The background statement should provide the RAC more information and history on the problem or issue to be studied. An explanation of the literature search and an explanation of how the issue affects WYDOT’s current policies, rules and/or regulations should also be included in the background section.

4. Literature Review: All proposals must have a literature review section that will provide the Research Center, FHWA, and the RAC with evidence that this research has not been conducted in another jurisdiction and how it relates to the proposed project. This section should also set out why it is a good idea to proceed with the proposed project and how it will benefit WYDOT. The literature review should be as comprehensive as possible.  If the literature review is written using any form of artificial intelligence, you must indicate this at the beginning of the literature review section.

5. Objectives: The objectives section defines what the Principal Investigator hopes to accomplish at the completion of the project, and sets out the goals that provide the optimum technique, material, or specification from a financial, operational, environmental, or social viewpoint. The objectives section must include the following:

• Output measures: The direct or indirect link between the proposal and the WYDOT goals and/or TRB strategic plans.
• Outcome measures:    The end result of the project. Outcome measures should explain how the proposed project will improve efficiency, safety, or another measure while at the same time lower costs, accident rates or another measure.
• Goals: What will be accomplished by the proposed project?
• Performance measures: How to manage and/or improve a service or process, and by what unit of measure. The performance measures should provide effectiveness, efficiency, quality, and/or timeliness of the project.

6. Benefits: To the extent possible, qualitative benefits from the proposed project should be stated. These could include one or more of the following:

• Estimated cost savings or cost avoidance.
• Estimated reduction in crashes and fatalities. (For those studies involving cost savings or avoidance and reductions in crashes and fatalities, a cost-benefit analysis is highly recommended.)
• How operational methods will be improved.
• How safety and mobility will be improved.
• What percentage of increased public user support will be realized?
• What specifications will be revised?
• What public relations should improve, and if so, how?
• The expected reduction in energy consumed, and how practices will be improved or simplified.
• Whether WYDOT’s policies will be impacted, and if so, how?

7. Applicable Questions: Project Champion and Principal Investigator should also address the following in their proposal, if applicable:

• Are there any potential barriers to implementation (e.g. material, technology, vendors, legal/regulatory, public perception)? For each potential barrier, identify strategies to mitigate these potential barriers.
• What is the expected period for implementation?
• Does the project involve action on Federal lands or other conditions that will require National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation (e.g. Categorical Exclusion or Environmental Assessment), and/or forest service or other permits?
• What are the major uncontrollable factors and/or unknowns in the project such as weather, wildlife, material properties, traffic, etc.? For each uncontrollable factor, address whether there could be additional costs or delays.
• Should the project be segmented into phases with go/no-go decision points based on known unknowns (e.g. technology, partnerships, regulatory)?
• If the project involves evolution of one or more technologies, is a technology road map provided showing how these technologies fit together?
• Will a Buy America Waiver be necessary?