Source Sought Notice_693JJ3-26-SS-0015.pdf

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE 693JJ3-26-SS-0015

For

“Collecting Eye Tracking and Vehicle Kinematics Data from Alternative Intersection and Interchange Sites”

1. SUBMITTAL INFORMATION

ISSUE DATE:

DUE DATE FOR RESPONSES:

SUBMIT RESPONSES TO:

SUBMIT QUESTIONS TO:

May 28, 2026 June 9, 2026 jason.motala@dot.gov jason.motala@dot.gov

See below Section 4 entitled “REQUESTED CONTENT OF RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE” for submittal content instructions.

2. INTRODUCTION

This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations.

The purpose of this notice is to obtain information, for planning purposes, regarding: the availability and capability of qualified sources to perform the work, as well as the size and status of potential sources. The NAICS Code for this planned acquisition for “Collecting Eye Tracking and Vehicle Kinematics Data from Alternative Intersection and Interchange Sites” is 541990 – All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services – with a Small Business Size Standard of up to $19,500,000.

All potential sources, regardless of whether they are large or small in accordance with the NAICS size standard are encouraged to submit a capabilities statement in response to this Sources Sought notice.

It is anticipated that the potential resulting solicitation will result in a single award Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) purchase order, with a Cost-Reimbursable (no fee) travel Contract Line Item Number (CLIN).

mailto:amy.morrissette@dot.gov mailto:jason.motala@dot.gov

3. BACKGROUND – DRAFT Performance Work Statement

Performance Work Statment

Entitled

Collecting Eye Tracking and Vehicle Kinematics Data from Alternative Intersection and Interchange Sites

1.0 Overview

This is a non-personal services purchase order for the collection of eye-tracking and vehicle kinematics data at Alternative Intersection and Interchange (AII) sites. The objective is to develop a naturalistic driving dataset to support future research evaluating the safety and operational performance of selected AII designs and to determine corresponding optimal design parameters.

The Government will not exercise supervision or control over the service providers performing these tasks. Such individuals shall be accountable solely to the Contractor, who, in turn, is responsible to the Government as specified in this Performance Work Statement (PWS). The Contractor shall perform all work in accordance with the standards set forth herein.

2.0 Background

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) advocates for AII designs, such as the diverging diamond interchange, continuous flow intersection, turbo roundabout, and protected intersection, etc., as cost-effective solutions for improving safety and alleviating congestion at junctions with consistent traffic patterns. In general, AII designs consist of multiple intersections working together as integrated facilities, are optimized for specific recurring traffic patterns, have less conflict points, and usually outperform conventional designs by substantial margins when implemented in the appropriate environment.

Navigating AII sites is an active process requiring close coordination between cognitive functions (guidance detection, information processing, and decision-making) and physical control actions (steering, braking, and acceleration) all executed within constrained time and space. Various technologies may be employed to evaluate the safety and operational performance of AII designs and to assess the workload imposed on road users by different geometric and traffic control configurations.

Eye tracking is a research methodology used to capture drivers’ visual search behavior, decision-making processes, and action execution patterns. The resulting eye-tracking data provide insight into drivers’ wayfinding strategies and navigation-related decisions. Analysis of these data enables researchers to better understand how drivers seek and interpret navigational guidance and to evaluate the cognitive and physical workloads associated with information processing and driving task execution.

Based on market research, at least three types of eye-tracking platforms are currently available:

• Head-mounted eye tracker: This device is worn on the participant’s head. As a vision-based system, it records eye movements relative to a scene that moves with the participant’s head, thereby capturing gaze behavior in dynamic viewing conditions.

• Dash-mounted eye tracker: This device is mounted on a table or vehicle dashboard in front of the participant. Also vision-based, it records eye movements relative to a stable scene that does not move with the participant’s head, making it suitable for controlled environments.

• Electrooculogram (EOG) eye tracker: This system uses electrodes or sensors attached to the participant’s facial muscles. Unlike vision-based systems, it determines eye movements by measuring the electrical signals generated by ocular muscle activity.

For the purposes of this purchase order, a dash-mounted eye tracker is the required platform for recording drivers’ wayfinding and decision-making processes.

Drivers may exhibit varying levels of confidence when navigating specific AII sites, and their collective experiences provide insight into how effectively these facilities are perceived and utilized. By analyzing eye-tracking data and the corresponding vehicle kinematics data collected across multiple AII sites, the Sponsor aims to identify design deficiencies at selected sites and to establish optimal ranges for key geometric design parameters across selected AII configurations.

The qualified contractor may use either their own dash-mounted eye tracker or the Government-furnished Smart Eye Pro 3 dash-mounted eye tracker, which includes a GPS module.

3.0 Objective and Scope

The objective of this purchase order is to collect eye-tracking and vehicle kinematics data from 15 AII sites in the United States. These data will support subsequent studies aimed at defining optimal ranges for key design parameters, including geometric features as well as the placement and content of guidance signs and pavement markings under expected traffic demand conditions.

The 15 AII sites may be distributed across up to three geographic regions, with sites in each region clustered within approximately a 20-mile radius. In each region, a minimum of 25 local drivers need to be recruited to participate in the data collection trips.

Note: The limitation to 15 sites across up to three regions is scoped for practicality and budgetary control. Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, and Utah each have a substantial number of AII sites.

4.0 Detailed Requirements

Offerors responding to this purchase order shall demonstrate expertise in collecting vehicle kinematics and GPS location data at a sampling rate of 10 Hz or higher. Experience in collecting dash-mounted eye-tracking data is desirable but not mandatory.

The Sponsor considers developing proficiency with the Smart Eye Pro 3 system to be minimally to moderately challenging for personnel already experienced in developing data acquisition systems for collecting and archiving vehicle kinematics and GPS data and is willing to cover the cost of technical training on this system for the selected contractor’s staff.

The Sponsor retains all rights to data collected, generated, or otherwise obtained under this purchase order. The contractor may keep a copy of the dataset (excluding any personally identifiable information) but shall not disclose or share the data with any third parties without prior written permission from the Sponsor.

The Contractor shall participate in monthly meetings, scheduled by the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC), to report on progress, receive technical feedback, and discuss guidance from the technical panel regarding the research direction.

Task 1: Attend Kick-Off Meeting

Within two weeks of contract award, the Contractor shall attend a kick-off meeting. Government attendees will include the TPOC, members of the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP), and optional participants from the FHWA Program Office.

The FHWA representatives will explain key contractual elements, the responsibilities of each party, supporting documentation required for invoice submissions, and key technical directions and project management approaches, etc. The contractor representatives are expected to present the following:

• Key team members, their expertise, and roles in the project

• Understanding of the Performance Work Statement (PWS)

• Major functionalities of its vehicle kinematics data acquisition system

• Relevant experience, if any, in collecting eye-tracking data for traffic or safety studies

• Draft work plan with timelines for:

o Readying the data acquisition systems (eye-tracking and vehicle kinematics) o Selecting AII sites o Obtaining IRB approval for using local drivers in data collection o Planning data collection routes by region o Collecting eye-tracking and vehicle kinematics data

The Contractor shall document feedback and inputs provided by the TAP and other FHWA attendees during the meeting and submit a meeting summary along with a revised work plan within one week following the meeting.

Task 1 Completion Timeline:

Task 1 shall be completed within three weeks of award.

Task 1 Deliverables:

• Participation in the kick-off meeting

• Presentation of the research team’s key personnel, technical approaches, key functions of the contractor’s vehicle kinematics data acquisition system, revised work plan based on feedbacks received before or during the kick-off meeting.

• Submission of key meeting notes and revised work plan.

Task 2: Get Technical and Regulatory Approvals for Field Data Collection

Task 2.1 Get Technical Approval

The contractor shall consult the TAP to determine if the data elements in their vehicle kinematics data acquisition system are sufficient to support the requirements of this purchase order. If not, the contractor shall update their system to achieve compliance. For the eye-tracking data acquisition system, the contractor may, if necessary, obtain on-site technical training from Smart Eye to become familiar with system setup and operation. The vehicle kinematics and eye-tracking systems may operate as independent data acquisition systems within the same research vehicle. Both systems shall include time stamps, GPS coordinates, vehicle speeds, and vehicle accelerations, etc. to enable cross-verification of accuracy and consistency across time intervals, vehicle locations, and speeds.

After the data elements are approved by TAP and all necessary training is completed, the contractor team shall include at least two personnel capable of independently setting up and operating both data acquisition systems. The contractor shall do a test run of the two systems to collect one-hour sample eye-tracking (text and video) and vehicle kinematics data. The contractor shall work with TAP to examine the consistency in data trends between the two datasets. If discrepancies are found, the contractor shall identify the sources of errors and update the system(s) until consistency is established, prior to commencing formal field data collection.

The contractor shall deliver to the Government a copy of the sample dataset, which can be used for estimating data storage needs; a data dictionary, and a data file structure and naming convention for the datasets to be accumulated.

Task 2.2 Get Regulatory Approval

On the regulatory side, the contractor shall identify up to three regions in which different forms of AIIs exist within a (suggested) 20-mile zone, then develop an experiment design outlining the desired mix in driver demographics. The Contractor shall develop an IRB application outlining the number of participants to be recruited for this study, what information will be collected from each participant, and possible risks and compensation to participants, etc., then submit it to IRB for review and approval.

Task 2 Completion Timeline:

Task 2.1 shall be completed within three months of award.

Task 2.2 shall be completed within six months of award.

Task 2 Deliverables:

• Eye-tracking and vehicle kinematics data acquisition systems readied and approved.

• One-hour sample eye-tracking and vehicle telematics data collected; consistencies between common data elements in the two datasets established; data dictionary created;

file directory structure and naming conventions proposed.

• Up to three regions with enough AII sites identified.

• Experimental design and field data collection plan submitted to and approved by IRB.

Task 3. Identify AII Sites and Design Data Collection Routes Based on the three regions identified in Task 2.2 and the available AII sites within them, the Contractor shall coordinate with TAP to determine which types of AIIs will be included in the study. Following this coordination, the Contractor shall identify 15 AII sites for field data collection. It is desirable to include at least three sites for each type of selected AII design;

however, for less commonly implemented designs such as turbo roundabouts, the inclusion of only one site will be acceptable.

For each AII site, the Contractor shall understand the key design features and the traffic movements that are significantly altered or affected by the design. These critical movements shall be incorporated into the design of the data collection routes. The Contractor shall plan a minimum of four distinct data collection traversals through each AII site. Each traversal shall approach the AII from a different direction and the points of both entering and exiting the AII site shall be at least 0.25 mile beyond the AII footprint.

For each data collection region, the Contractor shall schedule one meeting with TAP to present the selected AII sites and the planned data collection routes. During the meeting, the Contractor shall explain the methodology for randomly sequencing the routes for test subjects if needed.

Based on feedback provided by TAP, the Contractor shall revise the data collection routes as necessary.

Task 3 Completion Timeline:

Task 3 shall be completed within 9 months of award.

Task 3 Deliverables:

• Up to three regions and a total of 15 AII sites selected and approved by TAP.

• Data collection routes through each AII site planned, mapped, and approved by TAP.

Task 4. Collect Eye-Tracking and Vehicle Kinematics Data A team of three to four personnel shall be dispatched to each data collection region. The team shall include at least two technical members who are fully trained to independently set up and operate the data acquisition systems, supervise the data collection trips, and inspect and archive the collected data. The remaining team member(s) may assist with scheduling interviews and data collection trips and conducting pre-trip orientations and post-trip interviews.

Task 4.1 Recruit Participants Based on the experimental design developed in Task 2.2, the Contractor shall define the required range of vision capabilities, driving skills, demographic characteristics, and mental and physical abilities for study participants, and use appropriate platforms to recruit a minimum of 25 local drivers in each region.

The Contractor shall develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the recruitment and screening of candidates. The SOP shall describe procedures for interviewing applicants, assessing required capabilities, communicating the study’s potential benefits and risks, and obtaining informed consent and participation commitments from qualified candidates. The recruitment process may include both virtual and in-person interactions, as appropriate.

Task 4.2 Collect Eye-Tracking and Vehicle Kinematics Data Collection of eye-tracking and vehicle kinematics data may be carried out in up to three regions, encompassing a total of 15 AII sites as well as other intersections in between. In each region, 25 local drivers shall participate, each driver traverses each AII site four times. Each traversal shall represent a different traffic movement, approaching and exiting the AII site from a distance of at least 0.25 mile beyond the site’s footprint.

Each region consists of multiple AII sites. Data collection trips shall be planned to emulate naturalistic driving conditions throughout the entire trip. To minimize fatigue for both test subjects and Contractor staff, each data collection trip is recommended to be limited to two hours or less, excluding the time participants spend in orientation and waiting. Technical staff shall rotate responsibilities in supervising the data collection trips.

While supervising a participant operating the research vehicle, a printed checklist may be used to ensure that all designated data collection routes are traversed. The sequence of routes may be varied for each participant. For each participant, once the trip begins, the collection of eye-tracking and vehicle kinematics data shall remain continuous throughout the entire trip.

Data collection trips shall be scheduled throughout the day each week, including weekends, to capture both peak and non-peak traffic conditions. Field data collection shall be suspended during inclement weather. Following each trip, on-site staff shall conduct post-trip interviews to document the local drivers’ experiences. The trip supervisor shall perform a quality inspection of the collected data and archive all data generated by test participants on a daily basis.

The Contractor shall deliver to the Government a copy of the collected eye-tracking and vehicle kinematics data, including anonymized participates demographics data (gender, age, years of driving experience, level of driving skills), within one month after completing data collection in each region.

Task 4 Completion Timeline:

Task 4 shall be completed within 18 months of award.

Task 4 Deliverables:

• 25 local drivers recruited from each region and completed assigned field data collections

• Eye-tracking and vehicle kinematics data from 15 AII sites in up to three geographic regions collected, quality checked, archived, and delivered to the Government.

Task 5 Write Final Report The Contractor shall produce a final report documenting the work performed under this project, key contents of the report may include but not limited to:

• Key features of the eye-tracking and vehicle kinematics data acquisition systems

• Types of alternative intersections selected

• Maps of data collection regions and the GIS coordinates of the 15 AII sites, if available, including key information of each AII site

• Data collection routes in each region and traversals planned across each AII site

• Screening and selection of participants, and their anonymized demographics data

• Challenges encountered in any part of this project.

• Appendix, o Application submitted to IRB o Data dictionary of all text data collected o Samples of each data type.

The Contractor shall submit the draft final report within 20 months of award, allow TAP one month to review and comment, and submit the revised final report with 508 text within 22 months of award, and stay available to respond to editorial comments.

Task 5 Completion Timeline:

Task 5 shall be completed within 24 months of award.

Task 5 Deliverables:

• Draft final report submitted

• Revised final report with 508 text submitted

5.0 Period of Performance

The period of performance shall be for one (1) Base period of 24 months from date of award.

4. REQUESTED CONTENT OF RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform or subcontract the above-listed services are invited to submit a response to this sources sought notice as indicated in section 1 entitled “SUBMITTAL INFORMATION”.

Interested businesses should submit a brief capabilities statement package – NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES, one-sided, 8.5x11 inch pages in length with font no smaller than 10 point, responding to the below questions.

All data received in response to this sources sought notice, marked or designated as corporate or proprietary, will be fully protected from release outside the Government. Information and materials submitted in response to this request WILL NOT be returned. Classified material MUST NOT be submitted as well as marketing materials, slide presentations, or technical papers.

Vendor responses must include the following administrative information:

1. Is NAICS 541990 appropriate for this commercially available service requirement?

2. Can this service be provided off your GSA contract? Please provide GSA contract number if able.

3. Respondents to this notice also must indicate whether they are a large business or qualify as a Small Business (SB), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) certified under the SBA 8 (a) Program, Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), HUBZone Small Business (HUBZone), or Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Concern.

Note: Under a Small-Business Set-Aside, in accordance with FAR 52.219-14, the small business prime must perform at least 50% of the work themselves in terms of the cost performance.

4. Any additional information would you like to have to submit a quote for this project?

5. Company name, Company address, Company Unique Entity ID, and point(s) of contact including name, telephone number(s), and email address(es).

Note: This sources sought notice is not construed as a commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract nor does the Government intend to pay for any information or responses as the result of this sources sought notice.