MITRE Notice of Intent_9.14.26.pdf

Notice of Intent to Award a Sole-Source IDIQ Contract Notice Type: Special Notice

Solicitation Number: 693JJ326R000019

1. Background & Authority

This notice is issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Office of Acquisition and Grants Management.

Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1) and 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(3), as implemented by FAR 6.103-1 (Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements) and FAR 6.103-3 (Industrial mobilization; engineering, developmental, or research capability; or expert services), the Government intends to negotiate and award a single-award, Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract to:

The MITRE Corporation 7525 Colshire Drive McLean, VA 22102

MITRE operates the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC). Non-FAA government sponsors, including FHWA, are authorized to engage with and access the FFRDC's unique technical capabilities under Section V.C. of the CAASD FFRDC Sponsoring Agreement.

2. Description of Requirement

FHWA requires non-personal systems engineering development, testing, and research services to support the Office of Safety and Operations Research & Development (HRSO) at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) in McLean, VA.

The effort, titled "Surface Transportation Systems Engineering for Enabling Technologies Research and Development," focuses on investigating and evaluating emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence (AI), edge computing, radio frequency (RF) spectrum and communications, network engineering, position, navigation, and timing (PNT), and cybersecurity—to improve safety and efficiency across surface transportation systems.

Work under the resulting IDIQ will encompass three primary Task Areas:

Task Area A: Systems Engineering and Technical Support: Interdisciplinary systems engineering, advanced concept development, model-based systems engineering (MBSE), RF spectrum analysis, and safety assurance for emerging roadway technologies.

Task Area B: Interoperable Digital Exchanges: Prototyping, testing, and technology transfer of neutral, interoperable digital exchange platforms (leveraging prior FHWA VOICES and FRA RISE platform concepts).

Task Area C: Communications and Stakeholder Engagement: Technical dissemination, public-private partnership facilitation, white papers, and multi-modal stakeholder outreach.

3. Contract Details

Contract Type: Single-Award IDIQ with Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) and Time-and-Materials (T&M) / Labor-Hour task orders.

Ordering Period: 60 months (5 years) from effective date of award.

Minimum Ceiling: $25,000.

Maximum Ceiling: $9,800,000 (inclusive of labor, travel, and materials).

4. Justification for Sole Source

MITRE, as operator of the CAASD FFRDC, possesses unique statutory standing, specialized independence, and cross-modal safety capabilities required to serve as an objective technical agent for FHWA. FHWA requires a conflict-free entity capable of accessing sensitive planning data, conducting pre-competitive analyses, and supporting public commons data governance without commercial bias. Market research confirmed that no commercial or university source offers an equivalent high-assurance, "quasi-governmental" capability

5. Submission Instructions

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. A formal Request for Proposals (RFP No.

693JJ326R000019) is being issued directly to The MITRE Corporation.

However, any responsible source that believes it can provide the required multi-disciplinary research, systems engineering, and neutral FFRDC-equivalent capabilities without severe mission disruption or organizational conflicts of interest may submit a capability statement.

Response Deadline: Capability statements must be received electronically no later than October 1, 2026, at 2:00 PM Eastern Time.

Submission Email: Malik Arnold, Contract Specialist, at malik.arnold@dot.gov.

Subject Line: "Capability Statement Response - RFP 693JJ326R000019 (MITRE)"

Capability statements received will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed action based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Contracting Officer.