This federal contract award, valued at $409,540, was issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) to conduct research on the safety impact of maintenance on trucks and buses. The task order was placed under the existing Department of Transportation (DOT) Research and Technology Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract vehicle. The research will assess the impact of specific vehicle maintenance violations on crashes, develop an operational definition of systematic maintenance, evaluate the effectiveness of current regulations, and establish minimum standards for inspection intervals, mechanic qualifications, and maintenance facility certification. This contract award does not have a set-aside designation.