Notice of Funding Opportunity Number 693JJ320NF00003 Webinar FAQs.pdf

Question FHWA Response

Will you have a copy of the presentation available?

Yes. A copy of the presentation and the recording will be posted to the Program website in the coming days.

The NOFO notes that a private university can be subreceipient. What about public universities?

Yes, public universities can receive subawards under this requirement.

Will there be any consideration of or accomodations for changes in staffing that occur after submission of an application and award of a grant?

FHWA will consider staffing changes that occur after submission of applications but prior to award on a case-by-case basis and will be in accordance with the selection criteria identified in the NOFO.

Can an existing, on-going project meet in-kind match requirements?

Yes, but only for work performed during the award period of performance. For more information on 3rd Party In-kind contributions, see: 2 CFR 200.96

Can the min 20% non-federal match be in-kind, e.g., staff time, equipment use?

Yes. For more information on Cost Share or

Matching, please see: 2 CFR 200.306

Can an existing non-federally funded project be used toward state match?

Yes, but the requirements under 2 CFR 200.306 must be met and the activity must have been performed during the grant's period of performance.

Can a partnership with a vendor be counted toward matching funds?

Yes, but the requirements under 2 CFR 200.306 must be met and the activity must have been performed during the grant's period of performance.

Can existing contractor activity count toward in-kind match?

Yes, but the requirements under 2 CFR 200.306 and 200.96 must be met and the activity must have been performed during the grant's period of performance.

Is there any prioritization for those projects that provide direct funding for a project as opposed to in-kind or "soft" matches?

No.

Was there any previous issuance of grants for WZDx, and could you provide examples of projects the awardees are undertaking?

No. This NOFO is the first issuance of WZDx grants. For examples of similar projects, please review existing WZDx-compliant data feeds, which can be found at https://github.com/usdot-jpo-ode/jpo-wzdx

[Our company] has already integrated the WZDX spec into our product and it is Nav-ready BUT there are several desired fields that are not covered in V2. Is there a list of new fields/data types that will be added in V3?

Please view the active github repository found here: https://github.com/usdot-jpo-ode/jpo-wzdx for the latest information about the v3 specification development effort, including proposed fields and data types.

What was the approximate award date? FHWA is looking to make awards in Fall 2020

Can one company be listed on mulitple applications?

Yes but please see the NOFO regarding requirements for letters of commitment.

Notice of Funding Opportunity Number 693JJ320NF00003

Informational Webinar Questions & Answers (Q&A)

What is the anticipated beginning timeframe of the 14 month performance period if all goes well in the procurement process?

FHWA anticipates making awards in Fall 2020 with work to commence immediately.

Our DOT has already a workzone information system that we would like to extend and adopt the WZDx specification and making it CAV compliant. Is that a possible project for funding?

Yes. This project, as described, that would likely fall under Project Category A: Publication of a new WZDX-compliant data feed.

Would construction projects at intersections where there is a jurisdictional divide be allowable under this grant? Or does it have to be long workzones that cross through different jurisdictions?

Yes. An offeror should determine whether their proposal falls under Project Category A or

Project Category B, and may also consider a multi-jurisdictional project team as part of the proposal.

Is there a priority or quota of categories?

There is no quota of categories. Per page 22 of the NOFO, The DOT intends to fund projects in the following prioritized order: Category A, Category B, then Category C.

Is there an expectation that category A would include all possible closures in that area, or is a subset of potential closures acceptable (e.g., one permitting process may be reflected in the feed but another permiting process may not)?

No. A new WZDx-compliant data feed under

Project Category A can contain only a subset of closures in an area with the eventual goal of expanding the juridisdictional and/or system coverage of the feed.

For Category C and the worker presence data element, could that also include the hardware needed for detection?

Yes. Per page 7 of the NOFO: Awardees under this research program will receive funds to address specific barriers that have to-date limited implementation of WZDx-compliant data feeds.

The hardware required to produce a data element is included in the scope of "specific barriers".

Does improving the quality of an existing required field fit in Category C?

Yes.

What are the selection criteria?

Please see pages 22-25 of the NOFO for a description of the selection criteria.

Does the WZDx specification use GIS?

Yes. Version 2 of the WZDx specification has a required data element for the Geometry of a work zone. For more information, please refer to the specification at: https://github.com/usdot-jpo-ode/jpo-wzdx/

Is a “data feeds sharing platform” an eligible expense for this program?

No, unless it involves the creation or expansion of a publicly available WZDx data feed consistent with the award categories (A, B, or C).

If such a platform is set up just for the purpose of producing these feeds, or they are enhancing an existing platform to produce these feeds, it would qualify under Award Category A while addressing Challenge Area 3.