Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026

Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation

Competitive Grant Program

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Application Opening Date: 6/26/2026

Application Closing Date: 7/27/2026 8/11/2026

AMENDMENT 1

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity

Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation Competitive Grant Program

Table of Contents

A. BASIC INFORMATION

B. ELIGIBILITY

C. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

D. APPLICATION CONTENT AND FORMAT

E. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINE

F. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

G. AWARD NOTICES

H. POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION

A. BASIC INFORMATION

The applicant should read this notice in its entirety for the information necessary to submit eligible and competitive applications.

Federal Agency Name U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Funding Opportunity Title Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation

(ATTAIN) Competitive Grant Program

Announcement Type This is an amendment to extend thisthe Notice of Funding

Opportunity (NOFO) for this program by 15 days.

Funding Opportunity

Number

FHWA-ATTI-26-001

Assistance Listing Number(s) 20.226

Funding Details

This NOFO will award up to $120 million, $60 million for

Fiscal Years (FYs) 2025 and 2026.

See Section C.3 for information on the required set-aside.

The actual amount available to be awarded under this notice will be subject to the availability of funds.

There is no minimum award for the ATTAIN Competitive

Grant Program awards. The maximum amount awarded to a single recipient is limited to $12 million per FY that funds have been made available (23 United States Code (U.S.C.)

503(c)(4)(K)).

Key Dates

Application Due Date: 7/27/2026 8/11/2026 at 11:59:59 PM

ET.

Anticipated Award Announcements: DOT anticipates announcing award selections during the week of September 1430, 2026.

Executive Summary

The ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program will provide funding to deploy, install, and operate advanced transportation technologies to improve safety, mobility, efficiency, system performance, intermodal connectivity, and infrastructure return on investment.

Eligible applicants for ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program funds are:

• State or local governments;

• transit agencies;

• metropolitan planning organizations;

• other political subdivisions of a State or local government (such as publicly owned toll or port authorities);

• multijurisdictional groups;1 or

• consortiums of research institutions or academic institutions.

ATTAIN requires a minimum non-Federal cost share of 20 percent. Applications that do not provide at least the minimum non-Federal cost share will be classified as ineligible.

Agency Contact Information

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

Office of Operations

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.

Washington, D.C. 20590 email: ATTAIN@dot.gov

Changes from Prior NOFO

• Removed references to rescinded Executive orders

(E.O.).

• Aligned the NOFO with new E.O.s.

• Updated application evaluation criteria.

• Simplified and aligned with 2 Code of Federal

Regulations (CFR) 200 criteria.

• Added the required application form.

• Amendment 1 extends the application deadline to

August 11, 2026 11:59:59 PM ET.

B. ELIGIBILITY

1 The term “multijurisdictional group” means any combination of State governments, local governments, metropolitan planning agencies, transit agencies, or other political subdivisions of a State for which each member of the group has signed a written agreement to implement the advanced transportation technologies deployment initiative across jurisdictional boundaries; and is an eligible entity.

mailto:ATTAIN@dot.gov

1. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

For a list of entity types eligible to apply, see Section A.

Multiple entities submitting a joint application should identify a lead applicant as the primary point of contact (POC) and recipient for purposes of financial administration of the project. The lead applicant must be an eligible entity. Joint applications should include a description of the roles and responsibilities of each applicant and should be signed by each applicant.

2. ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON ELIGIBILITY

Required Plans and Reporting

See Section D for information on required plan submittals and Section H for information on required reporting. A grant recipient under this program may use not more than 5 percent of the funds awarded each FY to carry out planning and reporting requirements (23 U.S.C.

503(c)(4)(L)).

Project Activities

A grant recipient may use funds awarded under this program to deploy advanced transportation and congestion management technologies2, including:

(i) advanced traveler information systems;

(ii) advanced transportation management technologies;

(iii) advanced transportation technologies to improve emergency evacuation and response by Federal, State, and local authorities;

(iv) infrastructure maintenance, monitoring, and condition assessment;

(v) advanced public transportation systems;

(vi) transportation system performance data collection, analysis, and dissemination systems;

(vii) advanced safety systems, including vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, technologies associated with autonomous vehicles, and other collision avoidance technologies, including systems using cellular technology;

(viii) integration of intelligent transportation systems with the Smart Grid and other energy distribution and charging systems;

(ix) integrated corridor management systems;

(x) advanced parking reservation or variable pricing systems;

(xi) electronic pricing, toll collection, and payment systems;

(xii) technology that enhances high occupancy vehicle toll lanes, cordon pricing, or congestion pricing;

(xiii) integration of transportation service payment systems;

2 The term “advanced transportation and congestion management technologies” means technologies that improve the efficiency, safety, or state of good repair of surface transportation systems, including intelligent transportation systems.

(xiv) advanced mobility, access, and on-demand transportation service technologies, such as dynamic ridesharing and other shared-use mobility applications and information systems to support human services for elderly and disabled individuals;

(xv) retrofitting dedicated short-range communications technology deployed as part of an existing pilot program to cellular vehicle-to-everything technology, subject to the condition that the retrofitted technology operates only within the existing spectrum allocations for connected vehicle systems; or advanced transportation technologies, in accordance with the research areas described in section 6503 of Title 49.

Required Plans

Applicants are required to provide with their application all of the following:

● A plan to deploy and provide for the long-term operation and maintenance of advanced transportation and congestion management technologies to improve safety, mobility, efficiency, system performance, and return on investment.

● A plan for partnering with the private sector or public agencies, including multimodal and multijurisdictional entities, research institutions, organizations representing transportation and technology leaders, or other transportation stakeholders.

● A plan to leverage and optimize existing local and regional advanced transportation technology investments.

See Section H.2 for information on required reporting.

3. COST SHARING

Applications that do not provide at least the minimum non-Federal cost share of 20 percent will be determined ineligible. See Section A.

Cost sharing means the portion of the project’s cost not paid for with Federal funds. Non-Federal sources of income include State funds originating from programs funded by State revenue or local revenue funding programs, or private funds. DOT will not consider previously incurred costs or previously expended or encumbered funds toward the matching requirements for any project. Additional information on non-Federal matching requirements can be found at:

https://www.transportation.gov/grants/dot-navigator/understanding-non-federal-match-requirements.

4. OTHER

Applications determined to be late or incomplete, or duplicates of applications submitted for the same round of applications, will be disqualified.

If a non-State Department of Transportation (State DOT) applicant will use Federal-aid formula funds apportioned to a State DOT as part of the total project budget, the application must also include a supporting letter from the State DOT agreeing to administer the project with the non-

State DOT applicant serving as the sub-recipient.

https://www.transportation.gov/grants/dot-navigator/understanding-non-federal-match-requirements https://www.transportation.gov/grants/dot-navigator/understanding-non-federal-match-requirements

5. APPLICATION LIMIT

There is no limit on the number of applications that may be submitted by an eligible entity. The maximum amount awarded to a single recipient is limited to $12 million per FY that funds have been made available, and 23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(D)(ii) requires, to the extent practicable, that grant recipients represent diverse geographic areas of the United States, including urban and rural areas.

C. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1. PROGRAM PURPOSE

The ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program, codified in Section 503(c)(4) of Title 23, U.S.C., directs FHWA to award grants to eligible entities to deploy, install, and operate advanced transportation technologies to improve safety, mobility, efficiency, system performance, intermodal connectivity, and infrastructure return on investment.

2. PROGRAM GOALS AND ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES

The goals of the ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program are to improve core infrastructure and promote innovation and economic competitiveness through the deployment of advanced transportation and congestion management technologies.

DOT seeks to fund projects advancing the priorities of the Trump Administration as described in

DOT’s mission statement and across President Trump’s E.O.s. DOT intends to apply principles from DOT Order 2100.7, (Ensuring Reliance Upon Sound Economic Analysis in DOT’s

Policies, Programs and Activities) when evaluating applications and making award selections.

Such principles include maximizing, to the extent practicable, relevant, appropriate, and consistent with law, benefits for families and communities. These benefits may include, but are not limited to, economic opportunities, increased access to jobs, commercial activities or any project components that will help alleviate poverty, enhance safety and primarily benefit families and communities by improving the quality of their lives, raising their standard of living, or enabling them to participate more fully in our economy. DOT will prioritize projects that further the Trump Administration priorities of addressing core infrastructure, supporting economic competitiveness, reducing roadway congestion, promoting innovation and reinvesting in the

American family. Section F of this NOFO describes the process for selecting projects furthering the goals and priorities for this program and the administration. Section H describes progress and performance reporting requirements for selected projects, including the relationship between reporting and the program’s selection criteria.

3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION AND FUNDING

Section 13006 of the IIJA (Public Law 117-58); amended Section 503 of Title 23 U.S.C. and established the ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program formerly the Advanced Transportation and

Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Grant Program.

https://www.transportation.gov/mission/ensuring-reliance-upon-sound-economic-analysis-department-transportation-policies-programs https://www.transportation.gov/mission/ensuring-reliance-upon-sound-economic-analysis-department-transportation-policies-programs

This NOFO includes funding for FYs 2025 and 2026. A total of up to $120 million (up to $60 million per FY) will be available to ATTAIN grant awards under this NOFO.

The Secretary shall award grants to not less than 5 and not more than 10 eligible entities for each

FY of funding. In accordance with 23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(D)(ii), not less than 20 percent of the amounts made available to carry out this program shall be reserved for projects serving rural areas.

Funds for the ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program are authorized by the Highway Trust Fund and have an obligation deadline as shown below.

FY Funding FY 2025 FY 2026

Obligation Deadline September 30, 2028 September 30, 2029

Once obligated, funding under this opportunity does not have an expenditure deadline, but the total period of performance for the award(s) is anticipated to be between 1 and 4 years. The start of the period of performance will begin on the date of grant agreement execution.

This NOFO is subject to the availability of funding. The Government’s obligation under any resulting award is contingent upon the availability of funding. There is no legal liability on the part of the Government for any payment that may arise until funds are available and obligated to an award via a project agreement approved by DOT. DOT is not obligated to make any award because of this notice.

4. AWARD SIZE

There is no statutory minimum grant amount; however, there is a maximum amount of $12 million per recipient per FY, and the number of smaller awards may be limited.

5. TYPE OF AWARD

The anticipated award(s) will be cost-reimbursable grant agreements. See Section G for additional information on cost reimbursement.

6. PERFORMANCE GOALS

For details on performance reporting requirements and goals, see Section H.

7. PREVIOUS AWARDS

Previous program awards are available at https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act/index.htm.

https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act/index.htm

8. BUY AMERICA REQUIREMENTS

If an applicant is proposing to deploy automated vehicles or other innovative motor vehicle technology, the application should demonstrate how all vehicles will comply with applicable

Buy America requirements, see 23 U.S.C. 313 and 23 CFR 635.410.

Funds made available under this NOFO are subject to domestic preference requirements. See

Section H of this NOFO for additional details. Applicants can also refer to the FHWA

Construction Program Guide for more information about addressing FHWA’s Buy America requirements and Build America Buy America requirements.

D. APPLICATION CONTENT AND FORMAT

1. APPLICATION FORMAT

All applications must be submitted electronically through www.Grants.gov.

Application files should be single-spaced, 12-point standard font (e.g., Times New Roman). Files should be in PDF unless otherwise specified (e.g., Excel based forms and location files such as

Shapefile or KML/KMZ).

DOT recommends that applicants use a file naming format of: “[Applicant organization#]-2026-

ATTAIN” where “Applicant organization” reflects the applicant’s legal name, abbreviated as appropriate, and where “#” represents the order of applicant priority for the grant, if more than one application is submitted. If necessary, the workspace title can be edited per the instructions on Grants.gov.

The application package must consist of the following:

All Project Types Non-Construction

Projects-Only

Construction

Projects-Only

Standard Form (SF) 424

(Application for Federal Assistance)

SF-424A (Budget

Information for Non-

Construction Projects)

SF-424C (Budget

Information for

Construction Projects)

Grants.gov Lobbying Form

(Certification Regarding Lobbying)

SF-424B (Assurances for

Non-Construction

Programs)

SF-424D (Assurances for Construction

Programs)

SF-LLL (Disclosure of Lobbying

Activities form)

The ATTAIN Competitive Grant

Program Application Template

(see Section D.2) must be added as an attachment to item 15 of the SF-424.

This notice contains collection-of-information requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction

Act. This information collection is pending review by the Office of Management and Budget https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/construction/cqit/buyam.cfm https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/construction/cqit/buyam.cfm http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424_Mandatory_3_0-V3.0.pdf https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424A-V1.0.pdf https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424C_2_0-V2.0.pdf https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/GG_LobbyingForm-V1.1.pdf https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/Individual_SF424B-V1.1.pdf https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/Individual_SF424D-V1.1.pdf https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SFLLL_2_0-V2.0.pdf

(OMB). The use of SFs 424, 424A, 424B, 424C, 424D, and SF-LLL has been approved by

OMB.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless the collection displays a currently valid OMB control number.

2. APPLICATION CONTENT

Standard Forms

For more information on SF, please see: Competitive Grant Program information on Standard

Forms.

The ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program Application Template

Applicants must complete the ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program Application Template and include it as an attachment to Item 15 of their SF-424. The Application Template should provide all information necessary for DOT to determine the project satisfies the eligibility requirements described in Section B and to evaluate the criteria specified in Section F.

DOT will only review the completed Application Template and the allowable supplemental documents (e.g., budget, schedule, design plans, etc.) specified within the Application Template instructions.

The application must provide a budget for the project, either within the Application Template itself, or as an attachment. The budget must list the amount and percentage of both the Federal funding requested and any additional non-Federal funds, if any, to be used to pay for the project.

The Application Template can be found on Grants.gov.

Applicants are required to provide with their application the following elements described in [23

U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(C)(ii)]:

● A plan to deploy and provide for the long-term operation and maintenance of advanced transportation and congestion management technologies to improve safety, mobility, efficiency, system performance, and return on investment.

● A plan for partnering with the private sector or public agencies, including multimodal and multijurisdictional entities, research institutions, organizations representing transportation and technology leaders, or other transportation stakeholders.

● A plan to leverage and optimize existing local and regional advanced transportation technology investments.

● Objectives—Quantifiable system performance improvements, such as reducing traffic-related crashes, congestion, and costs; optimizing system efficiency; improving access to transportation services; and facilitating payment for transportation services.

https://highways.dot.gov/resources/competitive-grants/standard-forms-1 https://highways.dot.gov/resources/competitive-grants/standard-forms-1 http://www.grants.gov/

● Results—Quantifiable safety, mobility, and environmental benefit projections such as data-driven estimates of how the project will improve the region’s transportation system efficiency and reduce traffic congestion.

3. SHARING APPLICATION INFORMATION

DOT may share application information within DOT or with other Federal Agencies if DOT determines that such sharing is relevant to the respective program’s goals.

E. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINE

1. ADDRESS TO REQUEST APPLICATION PACKAGE

Applicants may obtain application forms, including the Application Template, on Grants.gov under the Funding Opportunity Number under Section A.

Once at Grants.gov select the Search Grants tab. Then enter one of the following:

● Opportunity Number: FHWA-ATTI-26-001

● Opportunity Name: Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026 Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation (ATTAIN) Competitive Grant Program

● Assistance Listing Number: 20.226

Select the opportunity option, which will open to a page with several tabs. The first tab is a synopsis of the Opportunity. Select the Application Package tab to download the forms needed to submit FYs 2025 and 2026 ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program application. The applicant must complete and submit all forms included in the application package for this notice, as contained at Grants.gov.

Should applicants have any difficulties in accessing any SFs and require paper copies, please contact the Agency contact provided in Section A of this NOFO.

2. UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER AND SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT

Each applicant must:

● Be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at SAM.gov before submitting their application;

● Provide a valid Unique Entity Identifier in its application; and

● Continue to maintain an active registration in SAM.gov with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration by a Federal Agency.

Please note the SAM registration process takes several weeks to complete, if not longer.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=23-USC-909893934-69265795&term_occur=999&term_src= https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=23-USC-309310695-69265796&term_occur=999&term_src= https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://sam.gov/content/home https://sam.gov/content/home

3. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

All applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. DOT does not accept applications via mail, fax, email, or any other means. Additional resources on applying through

Grants.gov can be found at https://www.grants.gov/applicants.

4. SUBMISSION DEADLINE

FYs 2025 and 2026 ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by 11:59:59 PM EST on July 27August 11, 2026. Grants.gov attaches a time stamp to each application at the time submission is complete.

5. CONSIDERATION OF APPLICATIONS

Only applicants who comply with all submission deadlines described in this notice and electronically submit valid, on-time applications through Grants.gov will be eligible for evaluation and possible selection for award.

To the extent practicable, applicants should provide supporting data and documentation in a form directly verifiable by DOT. DOT may, but is not required to, contact applicants for the purpose of clarifying application information. DOT will not request additional information for applications submitted in an incomplete form.

6. SUBMISSION ISSUES

For information on submission issues and more information on late applications, please see:

ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program submission issues information.

7. INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW

This program is not subject to E.O. 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.

8. COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 508 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973

The Department encourages applicants to submit documents compliant with Section 508 of the

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (see Section 508 guidelines).

F. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. MERIT CRITERIA

DOT will evaluate applications submitted in response to this notice using the merit criteria listed below. The ratings for each merit criterion will also be assigned a label of Highly Responsive, Responsive, or non-Responsive. FHWA will consider the applicant’s response to each merit criterion, the project as described in the application, and the plans, system performance https://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/applicants https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://acquia-stage-fhwa.dot.gov/resources/competitive-grants/submission-issues https://acquia-stage-fhwa.dot.gov/resources/competitive-grants/submission-issues https://acquia-stage-fhwa.dot.gov/resources/competitive-grants/submission-issues https://www.access-board.gov/ict/ improvements, and benefit projections submitted by the applicant (see Section D.2) when rating the applicant’s responsiveness to each criterion. These ratings will be used at the conclusion of the merit criteria evaluation to assign the application an overall merit criteria rating of High, Medium or Low.

Merit Criterion 1: Addressing Core Infrastructure

Under this merit criterion, DOT shall consider the extent to which the project aligns with certain infrastructure statutory requirements and the Trump Administration’s priority to improve core infrastructure, as demonstrated in the table below.

Merit Criteria Highly

Responsive

Responsive Non-Responsive

Criterion 1 Objectives.-The application demonstrates the project will:

A. Improve the mobility of people and goods, including

Reinvesting in American

Families through activities such as improving wayfinding and user experience (e.g., clear signage, intuitive layouts, and predictable operations for caregivers);

B. Improve durability and extend the life of transportation infrastructure;

C. Reduce the number and severity of traffic crashes and increase driver, passenger, and pedestrian safety;

D. Monitor transportation assets to improve infrastructure management, reduce maintenance costs, prioritize investment decisions, and ensure a state of good repair;

or

E. Improve mobility and safety along a multi-state corridor through coordinated actions across multiple jurisdictions.

The project aligns with at least two of five criterion

Objectives.

The project aligns with at least one of five criterion

Objectives.

The project does not align with any criterion

Objectives.

Merit Criterion 2: Economic Competitiveness economic statutory requirements and the Trump Administration’s priority to promote economic competitiveness, as demonstrated in the table below.

Responsive Non-

Responsive

Criterion 2 Objectives.-

The application demonstrates the project will:

A. Reduce costs and improve return on investments, including through optimization of existing transportation capacity or systems;

B. Support economic competitiveness through the improvement of intermodal and multimodal freight mobility;

C. Deliver economic benefits by reducing delays, improving system performance, and providing for the efficient and reliable movement of goods and services; or

D. Facilitate account-based payments for transportation access and services and integrate payment systems across modes.

The project aligns with objective A, and one or more of the remaining three criterion

The project aligns only with objective A.

The project does not align with objective

A.

Merit Criterion 3: Reducing Roadway Traffic Congestion congestion statutory requirements and the Trump Administration’s priority to decrease traffic congestion, as demonstrated in the table below.

Responsive Non-Responsive

Criterion 3 Objectives. The application demonstrates the project will:

A. Incentivize travelers:

● To share trips during periods in which travel demand exceeds system capacity; or

● To shift trips to periods in which travel demand does not exceed system capacity;

B. Address congestion, including bottlenecks as identified in the

National Freight Strategic Plan, a

State Freight Plan, a congestion management plan, an ITS architecture plan, or as measured by relevant freight industry associations;

C. Measure and improve the operational performance of the applicable transportation network;

or, D. Not decreasing the number of travel lanes for motor vehicles or creating artificial chokepoints for motor vehicles.

The project aligns with at least three of the four

The project aligns with at least one of the four

The project does not align with any criterion

Merit Criterion 4: Innovation innovation statutory requirements and the Trump Administration’s priority to increase innovation, as demonstrated in the table below.

Merit Criteria Highly Responsive Responsive Non-Responsive

Criterion 4 Objectives.

The application demonstrates the project will increase innovation through the deployment of technologies that will:

The project aligns with Objective A and one or more additional criterion

The project only aligns with

Objective A.

The project does not align with

Objective A.

A. Improve the efficiency, safety, or state of good repair of surface transportation systems, including intelligent transportation systems;

B. Accelerate the deployment of vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, vehicle-to-pedestrian, autonomous vehicles, and other technologies;

C. Collect, disseminate, and use real-time traffic, work zone, weather, transit, paratransit, parking, and other transportation-related information to improve mobility, reduce congestion, and provide for more efficient, accessible, and integrated transportation and transportation services;

D. Protect the environment and deliver environmental benefits that alleviate congestion and streamline traffic flow; or

E. Support America’s truck drivers by actions including, but not limited to, modernizing driver resources and data systems; creating opportunities to develop and conduct responsible early deployments of innovative and emerging transportation technologies in the

United States, and reinforcing the Nation’s leadership in technology and innovation.

Merit Criteria Ratings

Based on the assessment described above, DOT will assign a merit criteria rating as shown in the table below.

Merit Criteria Rating Description

High At least three of four merit criterion are rated Highly Responsive, and all other merit criteria are rated at least Responsive.

Medium All merit criterion are rated at least Responsive, and two or fewer merit criterion are rated Highly Responsive.

Low Any of the merit criterion are rated as Non-Responsive.

2. PROJECT REDINESS ASSESSMENT

To assess the likelihood of a successful project, FHWA will consider project readiness for

Highly Responsive and Responsive applications. FHWA will use information contained throughout the application to complete the readiness assessment.

For the readiness analysis, FHWA will consider three evaluation ratings: Technical Assessment, Financial Completeness Assessment, and Permitting Risk Assessment. FHWA will use information from the Readiness Assessment portion of the application as well as information contained throughout the application to complete the Readiness Assessment.

Readiness: Technical Assessment

The Technical Assessment will evaluate the applicant’s capacity to successfully deliver the project in compliance with applicable Federal requirements and will also assess the technical feasibility of the project as described in the application. Technical Assessment ratings will be one of the following: Certain (3), Somewhat Certain (2), or Unknown or Uncertain (1), as defined in the table below.

Technical Assessment ratings will be based on:

Rating Certain (3) Somewhat Certain (2) Unknown or

Uncertain (1)

Technical Assessment

Elements:

A. The applicant has the technical and staffing resources to deliver the project.

B. The project will comply with all applicable Federal requirements.

C. The applicant demonstrates a commitment to timely project delivery, as demonstrated by the schedule information in the application.

D. The applicant demonstrates the technical feasibility of the project.

E. The applicant has provided a plan to deploy and provide for the long-term operation and maintenance of advanced transportation and congestion management technologies to improve safety, mobility, efficiency, system performance, and return on investment.

The application demonstrates that the applicant and project will meet

Technical

Assessment

Elements A, B, C, D, and E.

The application demonstrates that the applicant and project will meet Technical

Assessment Elements

B, C, D, and E, but may not currently have the technical or staffing resources to deliver the project but will obtain the needed resources to deliver the project if awarded.

does not demonstrate that the applicant or project will meet

Technical

Assessment

Elements B, C, D, or E. It may also lack the resources needed to deliver the project and does not commit to obtaining those resources.

Readiness: Financial Completeness Assessment

The Financial Completeness Assessment evaluates the availability of matching funds and whether the applicant presented a complete funding package and will receive a rating of

Complete (3), Partially Complete (2), or Incomplete (1), as defined in the table below.

Financial Completeness ratings will be based on:

Rating Complete (3) Partially Complete

(2)

Incomplete (1)

Financial Completeness

Assessment Elements:

A. The application demonstrates the costs in the estimate are reasonable and necessary to complete the project.

B. The application demonstrates reasonable availability of all funding needed to complete the project with an award.

C. The application includes a plan to address potential cost overruns.

D. The application includes information on how future operation, maintenance, and preservation costs will be funded.

The application demonstrates that the applicant and project will meet

Financial

Completeness

Assessment

Elements A, B, C, and D.

demonstrates that the applicant and project will meet

Financial

Completeness

Assessment

Elements A and B.

However, while a plan for cost overruns is provided, it is incomplete or based on approaches or funding sources not reasonably assumed available to the applicant; or the funding described for future operation, maintenance, or preservation costs is not reasonably assumed available to the applicant.

The application does not demonstrate that the applicant or project will meet

Financial

Completeness

Assessment

Elements A or B; or the application does not demonstrate that the applicant or project will meet

Elements C or D, or the methods or funding sources for

C or D, are not reasonably assumed available to the applicant.

Readiness: Permitting Risk Assessment

The Permitting Risk Assessment reviews the project’s environmental approvals and likelihood of the necessary approvals affecting project obligation, and results in a rating of “High Risk,”

“Moderate Risk,” or “Low Risk.” The applicant must disclose if there is open litigation concerning the project; if there is known, public controversy, or agency opposition to the project on environmental grounds, that will be difficult to resolve.

Permitting ratings will be based on:

Rating Low Risk (3) Moderate Risk (2) High Risk (1)

Permitting Risk

Assessment Elements:

A. National

Environment Policy

The application demonstrates the project will meet permitting Elements

The application demonstrates the project will meet permitting

The application indicates risk as described in permitting Element

Act (NEPA) is complete or the application demonstrates NEPA will be complete in time to meet the project schedule;

B. All necessary permits have been obtained or the application demonstrates permits and approvals will be obtained in time to meet the project schedule; and

C. Public engagement has occurred or will occur, and any known public controversy has been or will be addressed or mitigated.

D. The application discloses any known and unmitigated issues that pose a high risk to project delivery. Examples include litigation, known public controversy, or agency opposition to the project on environmental grounds.

A, B, and C, and does not have any known unmitigated risks to project delivery as shown in

Element D.

Elements A, B, and

C, but there is risk of schedule delay because of either:

● An

Environmental

Assessment or

Environmental

Impact

Statement is needed and the

NEPA document has not been released for public review; or

● Permit work has not started and the schedule does not include time for schedule delays;

or

● Public engagement has not started and the schedule does not include time to address public input.

-and-

The project or program does not have any known unmitigated risks to project delivery as shown in Element

D.

D; or the application does not meet

Elements A, B, or

C.

The Project Readiness Ratings described above will be translated to a High, Medium-High, Medium, or Low rating using the table below:

Project Readiness

Assessment Rating

Description

High All readiness assessment items rated as a 3.

Medium-High Two readiness assessment items rated as a 3, with one readiness assessment item rated as a 2.

Medium One readiness assessment item rated as a 3, with two readiness assessment items rated as a 2.

Low All readiness assessment items rated as either a 2 or a 1.

Overall Rating of the Application

FHWA will assign each eligible application an overall rating of Highly Recommended, Recommended, or Not Recommended. The rating will be assigned on the following basis:

• A rating of Highly Recommended will be assigned to an application that receives no less than a Highly Responsive rating for Merit Criteria and a Medium-High rating for Project

Readiness.

• A rating of Recommended will be assigned to an application that receives no less than a

Responsive rating for Merit Criteria and a Medium for Project Readiness.

• A rating of Not Recommended will be assigned to an application that is not otherwise assigned a Highly Recommended or Recommended rating.

3. STATUTORY AND DOT PRIORITY CONSIDERATIONS

After completing the merit criteria review and project readiness assessment, among projects of similar application rating of Highly Recommended or Recommended, DOT will first prioritize projects based on the statutory priority considerations, then may prioritize projects by one or more of the DOT priority considerations as described below.

Statutory Selection Considerations

● In accordance with 23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(D)(ii), the Secretary shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that grant recipients represent diverse geographic areas of the United States, including urban and rural areas.

● In accordance with 23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(D)(iii), the Secretary shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that grant recipients represent diverse technology solutions.

DOT Priority Considerations

● DOT may prioritize awards to applications receiving a high readiness rating.

● DOT may prioritize awards to applications that support industries of national interest.

● DOT may prioritize awards to applications that provide real-time information on truck parking availability.

4. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

FHWA will review applications received by the deadline first for completeness, then for eligibility based on the information found in Section B of this notice. This review phase is referred to as the Intake and Eligibility review. Next, all eligible, complete, and timely applications will be evaluated by the Technical Review Team (TRT) as described below.

FHWA may, during the selection process, enter discussions with an applicant that may include mutually agreeing upon a lesser amount of a potential award than originally requested in the application, if necessary, because of the quantity, size and scope of the applications received in response to this notice and the results of the application review process.

Technical Review Team

The evaluation of eligible applications will be conducted by a TRT, comprised of DOT and interagency staff, including FHWA employees, other DOT modal administration staff, or contractors. TRT will evaluate each eligible application against the merit criteria under Section F and for readiness, to determine which applications are rated as Highly Recommended, Recommended, or Not Recommended in accordance with Section F.

TRT will then evaluate each Highly Recommended and Recommended application for its responsiveness to the statutory priority considerations and the DOT priority considerations. The

TRT will send the FHWA Senior Review Team (SRT) information on all eligible applications, including the rating for each merit criterion, the project readiness assessment rating, and the evaluation of responsiveness to the Statutory Priority Considerations and the DOT priority consideration.

Senior Review Team

FHWA SRT may consist of officials from the Office of the Secretary of Transportation, the

FHWA Administrator, and others in senior leadership positions requested to serve by the FHWA

Administrator. FHWA SRT will determine which projects advance to DOT Leadership for final selection. DOT leadership has the discretion to determine which applications best address the

ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program merit criteria, project readiness assessment, and selection considerations and should be selected. DOT is not obligated to make any award because of this

NOFO.

DOT intends to apply principles from DOT Order 2100.7, (Ensuring Reliance Upon Sound

Economic Analysis in DOT’s Policies, Programs and Activities) when evaluating applications and making award selections. To the maximum extent permitted by law, DOT will prioritize projects in alignment with the principles outlined in DOT Order 2100.7.

5. APPLICANT RISK ASSESSMENT

https://www.transportation.gov/mission/ensuring-reliance-upon-sound-economic-analysis-department-transportation-policies-programs https://www.transportation.gov/mission/ensuring-reliance-upon-sound-economic-analysis-department-transportation-policies-programs

Prior to award, each selected applicant will be subject to a risk assessment required by 2 CFR

200.206. DOT must review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM. An applicant may review information in SAM.gov and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding

Agency previously entered. DOT will consider comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in SAM.gov, in making a judgment about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the risk assessment. DOT reserves the right to deny an award based on the results of the risk assessment or include special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed may be applied to the Federal award in accordance with 2 CFR 200.206.

DOT will consider the following factors in its risk assessment in accordance with 2 CFR

200.206:

● Financial stability—the applicant’s record of effectively managing financial risks, assets, and resources;

● Management systems and standards—quality of management systems and ability to meet the management standards prescribed in this part;

● History of performance, if applicable—the applicant’s record of managing previous and current Federal awards, including compliance with reporting requirements and conformance to the terms and conditions of Federal awards, if applicable;

● Audit reports and findings—reports and findings from audits performed under subpart

F or the reports and findings of any other available audits, if applicable; and

● Ability to effectively implement requirements—the applicant’s ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements imposed on recipients of

Federal awards.

G. AWARD NOTICES

1. HOW PROJECT SELECTIONS ARE ANNOUNCED

Following the evaluation outlined in Section F, DOT will announce awarded projects by posting a list of selected projects at https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act/index.htm. Notice of selection is not authorization to begin performance or to incur costs for the proposed project. Following that announcement, DOT will contact the POC listed in the SF-

424 to initiate negotiation of the project agreement for authorization.

The ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program will be awarded upon the execution of a grant agreement between DOT and the recipient. Determination of which DOT modal administration will administer the grant will occur after selections are announced.

Unsuccessful applicants may request a debriefing up to 90 days after the selected funding recipients are publicly announced. The request must be submitted by the applicant identified on the SF-424. The debrief will be limited to how the application responded to the grant program evaluation criteria described in Section F of the NOFO. All debrief requests should be submitted to ATTAIN@dot.gov.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.206 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.206 https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act/index.htm mailto:ATTAIN@dot.gov

2. REIMBURSEMENTS AND COSTS INCURRED PRIOR TO AWARD AND

OBLIGATION OF GRANTS

Unless authorized by DOT in writing after announcement of the FYs 2025 and 2026 ATTAIN

Competitive Grant Program selections, any costs incurred prior to DOT’s obligation of funds for a project are ineligible for reimbursement and are ineligible for cost share requirements. DOT will primarily administer grants on a reimbursement basis. Under the reimbursement approach, DOT funds will reimburse recipients only for costs incurred after execution of a grant agreement for costs DOT determines to be allowable, reasonable, and allocable, as defined under 2 CFR

Part 200, and after the recipient submits valid requests for reimbursement.

If a recipient cannot complete a project on a reimbursable basis, DOT will, on a case-by-case basis, consider recipient requests to use alternative payment methods as described under 2 CFR

200.305(b).

H. POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION

1. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

Administrative Requirements

All awards will be administered pursuant to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost

Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal awards found in 2 CFR Part 200, as adopted by

DOT at 2 CFR Part 1201. Applicable Federal laws, rules, and regulations set forth in Title 23, U.S.C., and Titles 23 and 49 of the CFR, shall apply to awards provided under this program.

In connection with any program or activity conducted with or benefiting from funds awarded under this notice, recipients of funds must comply with all applicable requirements of Federal law, including, without limitation, the Constitution of the United States; the conditions of performance, non-discrimination requirements, and other assurances made applicable to the award of funds in accordance with regulations of DOT and FHWA; and applicable Federal financial assistance and contracting principles promulgated by OMB. In complying with these requirements, recipients must ensure that no concession agreements are denied, or other contracting decisions made on the basis of speech or other activities protected by the First

Amendment. If DOT determines that a recipient has failed to comply with applicable Federal requirements, DOT may terminate the award of funds and disallow previously incurred costs, requiring the recipient to reimburse any expended award funds.

Program Requirements

Critical Infrastructure Security, Cybersecurity and Resilience

It is the policy of the U.S. Government to strengthen the security and resilience of its critical infrastructure against all threats and hazards, including physical and cyber risks, consistent with

National Security Memorandum 22, to secure and enhance the resilience of United States critical infrastructure. Each applicant selected for Federal funding must demonstrate, prior to the signing of the grant agreement, an effort to consider and address physical and cyber security risks https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/section-200.305 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/section-200.305 relevant to the transportation mode and type and scale of the project. Projects that have not appropriately considered and addressed physical and cyber security and resilience in their planning, design, and project oversight, as determined by DOT and the U.S. Department of

Homeland Security, will be required to do so before receiving funds.

Domestic Preference Requirements

As expressed in E.O.s 14005, Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America’s

Workers (86 FR 7475), the executive branch should maximize, consistent with law, the use of goods, products, and materials produced, and services offered in the United States. Funds made available under this notice are subject to FHWA’s steel, iron, and manufactured product domestic requirements at 23 U.S.C. 313 and 23 CFR 635.410, and the construction materials domestic preference requirement at Pub. L. No 117-58, div. G §§ 70901–70927, as implemented by OMB at 2 CFR part 184. DOT expects all applicants to comply with those requirements.

Federal Anti-Discrimination

● Except where prohibited by court order, pursuant to E.O. 14173, Ending Illegal

Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, as a condition of grant award, each Recipient must agree its compliance in all respects with all applicable

Federal anti-discrimination laws is material to the Government’s payment decisions for purposes of section 3729(b)(4) of Title 31, U.S.C.

● Except where prohibited by court order, pursuant to E.O. 14173, Ending Illegal

Discrimination and Restoring Merit- Based Opportunity, as a condition of grant award, each Recipient must certify it does not operate any programs promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws.

To the extent a court order bars the implementation or enforcement of one or more of these provisions with respect to a particular applicant or recipient, DOT will not implement or enforce the relevant provision(s) against that applicant or recipient for as long as the order remains in place.

Compliance with Federal Law and Policies

Except where prohibited by court order, the applicant assures and certifies, with respect to any application and awarded project under this NOFO it will comply with all applicable Federal laws, regulations, E.O.s, policies, guidelines, and requirements as they relate to the application, acceptance, and use of Federal funds.

2. REPORTING

Each applicant selected for the ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program funding must submit semi-annual progress reports and semi-annual Federal Financial Reports (SF-425) to monitor project progress and ensure accountability and financial transparency in the program.

Each ATTAIN Competitive Grant Program awardee…