Office of Hazardous Materials Safety Research Initiative – FY2026 BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA)

Open Solicitation Posted

Solicitation number
PHMSA-26HM-BAA
Agency
Responses due
Set-aside
No set-aside

Opportunity facts

Place of performance
Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .

About this opportunity

Written by GovTribe AI ·

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), within the Department of Transportation's Office of Hazardous Materials Safety, is soliciting white papers and full proposals under BAA PHMSA-26HM-BAA for competitive research contracts on hazardous materials transportation safety. Phase I white papers are due November 18, 2026, at 11:59 AM Eastern Time, per Amendment 01, which moved the deadline from December 22, 2026. Amendment 0004, dated November 2, 2026, is the most recent update. No set-aside is used. Eligible offerors are U.S.-based industry (including small businesses), accredited universities, non-profits, and federally affiliated research centers. Federal, state, and local government bodies cannot serve as prime offerors. Foreign entities may participate only as subcontractors, and foreign universities qualify if not located in comprehensively sanctioned countries. The prime offeror must be U.S.-based.

Place of performance is listed as Washington, DC, USA. Offerors address one or more of five topic areas: 26HM-ESS (Efficient Safety Standards), 26HM-SST (Safe Energy Storage Technologies), 26HM-IPG (Innovative Packaging), 26HM-RER (Risk Reduction for Emergency Response), and 26HM-RTS (Hazardous Materials Rail Transportation Safety). Amendment 0004 sets no minimum or preferred Technology Readiness Level, and critical-mineral recovery is in scope where it addresses energy storage safety. White papers are limited to nine pages in PDF and must contain five components: cover page, summary page, technical concept, expected outcomes and impacts, and cost estimate. Each topic requires a separate white paper with a standalone cost proposal. Organizations may submit up to five white papers per research group. Submissions must disclose AI tool use and comply with Section 508 accessibility standards. Submissions go to tremayne.terry@dot.gov.

Awards are procurement contracts, not grants, as Firm-Fixed-Price or Cost-Reimbursement instruments up to $2.0 million per project. The $2.0 million ceiling applies individually to each selected project, and a single entity may receive multiple awards. The base performance period is up to 24 months, with optional extensions for a total not exceeding 36 months. Cost sharing is permitted but not required.

Phase I white papers are scored on technical merit and feasibility (35%), relevance to program mission (35%), experience and qualifications (20%), and submission quality (10%). Phase II invited full proposals are scored on technical merit (30%), mission relevance (30%), qualifications (20%), cost realism (10%), and submission quality (10%), with past performance evaluated separately. Core deliverables include a data management plan, monthly or quarterly progress reports, final technical reports, and closeout documentation.

Notice text

5 versions

Update #5 · Latest ·

AMENDMENT 04 (11/02/2026): The purpose of this Amendment 0004 is to incorporate additional responses to inquiries concerning the solicitation as a continuation of questions 14 through 18 under Amendment 0003 (See attached). All other terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged.

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AMENDMENT 03 (10/13/2026): The purpose of this Amendment 0003 is to incorporate additional responses to inquiries concerning the solicitation as a continuation of questions 1 through 13 under Amendment 0002 (See attached). All other terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged.

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AMENDMENT 02 (09/21/2026): The purpose of this amendment is to incorporate PHMSA’s Responses to Vendor Inquiries regarding Phase I white paper submissions, subcontractor eligibility for foreign entities, submission limits, deadlines, and multi-topic proposals under the solicitation (See attached). All other terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged.

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AMENDMENT 01 (08/24/2026): The purpose of this amendment is to (1) change the Phase I White Paper due date from December 22, 2026, to November 18, 2026, and (2) add the contact email address tremayne.terry@dot.gov to Section X.A. in Attachment 1- BAA Solicitation_PHMSA-26HM-BAA. All other terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged.

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The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS), is soliciting white papers and full proposals under Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) PHMSA-26HM-BAA pursuant to FAR 35.016.

The objective of this announcement is to award competitive research contracts that advance scientific, technical, engineering, and policy solutions to prevent incidents and enhance safety during the transportation of hazardous materials across all modes. Offerors are invited to submit innovative research proposals addressing one or more of the following core topic areas:

  • 26HM-ESS (Efficient Safety Standards): Research to modernize safety standards and testing, streamline certification, leverage safety data, and evaluate risk landscapes to reduce regulatory burden while maintaining safety.

  • 26HM-SST (Safe Energy Storage Technologies): Research assessing transportation risks of energy storage systems, battery chemistries, thermal runaway detection and mitigation, and critical mineral recovery.

  • 26HM-IPG (Innovative Packaging): Development and evaluation of advanced packaging materials, containment designs, integrity monitoring, and predictive failure simulations.

  • 26HM-RER (Risk Reduction for Emergency Response): Innovations, technologies, data analysis, and materials to enhance emergency responder safety, communication, and preparedness.

  • 26HM-RTS (Hazardous Materials Rail Transportation Safety): Research advancing scientific understanding of rail tank car performance under derailment conditions, crashworthiness materials, thermal shielding, and predictive risk modeling.

A two-phase selection process (Phase I: White Paper; Phase II: Invited Full Proposal) will be used. Awards will be procurement contracts (Firm-Fixed-Price or Cost-Reimbursement) up to $2,000,000 with a total performance period of up to 36 months. Full eligibility, formatting, and submission instructions are detailed in the solicitation document attached to this notice.

Update #4 ·

AMENDMENT 03 (10/13/2026): The purpose of this Amendment 0003 is to incorporate additional responses to inquiries concerning the solicitation as a continuation of questions 1 through 13 under Amendment 0002 (See attached). All other terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged.

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AMENDMENT 02 (09/21/2026): The purpose of this amendment is to incorporate PHMSA’s Responses to Vendor Inquiries regarding Phase I white paper submissions, subcontractor eligibility for foreign entities, submission limits, deadlines, and multi-topic proposals under the solicitation (See attached). All other terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged.

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AMENDMENT 01 (08/24/2026): The purpose of this amendment is to (1) change the Phase I White Paper due date from December 22, 2026, to November 18, 2026, and (2) add the contact email address tremayne.terry@dot.gov to Section X.A. in Attachment 1- BAA Solicitation_PHMSA-26HM-BAA. All other terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS), is soliciting white papers and full proposals under Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) PHMSA-26HM-BAA pursuant to FAR 35.016.

The objective of this announcement is to award competitive research contracts that advance scientific, technical, engineering, and policy solutions to prevent incidents and enhance safety during the transportation of hazardous materials across all modes. Offerors are invited to submit innovative research proposals addressing one or more of the following core topic areas:

  • 26HM-ESS (Efficient Safety Standards): Research to modernize safety standards and testing, streamline certification, leverage safety data, and evaluate risk landscapes to reduce regulatory burden while maintaining safety.

  • 26HM-SST (Safe Energy Storage Technologies): Research assessing transportation risks of energy storage systems, battery chemistries, thermal runaway detection and mitigation, and critical mineral recovery.

  • 26HM-IPG (Innovative Packaging): Development and evaluation of advanced packaging materials, containment designs, integrity monitoring, and predictive failure simulations.

  • 26HM-RER (Risk Reduction for Emergency Response): Innovations, technologies, data analysis, and materials to enhance emergency responder safety, communication, and preparedness.

  • 26HM-RTS (Hazardous Materials Rail Transportation Safety): Research advancing scientific understanding of rail tank car performance under derailment conditions, crashworthiness materials, thermal shielding, and predictive risk modeling.

A two-phase selection process (Phase I: White Paper; Phase II: Invited Full Proposal) will be used. Awards will be procurement contracts (Firm-Fixed-Price or Cost-Reimbursement) up to $2,000,000 with a total performance period of up to 36 months. Full eligibility, formatting, and submission instructions are detailed in the solicitation document attached to this notice.

Update #3 ·

AMENDMENT 02 (09/21/2026): The purpose of this amendment is to incorporate PHMSA’s Responses to Vendor Inquiries regarding Phase I white paper submissions, subcontractor eligibility for foreign entities, submission limits, deadlines, and multi-topic proposals under the solicitation (See attached). All other terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AMENDMENT 01 (08/24/2026): The purpose of this amendment is to (1) change the Phase I White Paper due date from December 22, 2026, to November 18, 2026, and (2) add the contact email address tremayne.terry@dot.gov to Section X.A. in Attachment 1- BAA Solicitation_PHMSA-26HM-BAA. All other terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS), is soliciting white papers and full proposals under Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) PHMSA-26HM-BAA pursuant to FAR 35.016.

The objective of this announcement is to award competitive research contracts that advance scientific, technical, engineering, and policy solutions to prevent incidents and enhance safety during the transportation of hazardous materials across all modes. Offerors are invited to submit innovative research proposals addressing one or more of the following core topic areas:

  • 26HM-ESS (Efficient Safety Standards): Research to modernize safety standards and testing, streamline certification, leverage safety data, and evaluate risk landscapes to reduce regulatory burden while maintaining safety.

  • 26HM-SST (Safe Energy Storage Technologies): Research assessing transportation risks of energy storage systems, battery chemistries, thermal runaway detection and mitigation, and critical mineral recovery.

  • 26HM-IPG (Innovative Packaging): Development and evaluation of advanced packaging materials, containment designs, integrity monitoring, and predictive failure simulations.

  • 26HM-RER (Risk Reduction for Emergency Response): Innovations, technologies, data analysis, and materials to enhance emergency responder safety, communication, and preparedness.

  • 26HM-RTS (Hazardous Materials Rail Transportation Safety): Research advancing scientific understanding of rail tank car performance under derailment conditions, crashworthiness materials, thermal shielding, and predictive risk modeling.

A two-phase selection process (Phase I: White Paper; Phase II: Invited Full Proposal) will be used. Awards will be procurement contracts (Firm-Fixed-Price or Cost-Reimbursement) up to $2,000,000 with a total performance period of up to 36 months. Full eligibility, formatting, and submission instructions are detailed in the solicitation document attached to this notice.

Update #2 ·

AMENDMENT 01 (08/24/2026): The purpose of this amendment is to (1) change the Phase I White Paper due date from December 22, 2026, to November 18, 2026, and (2) add the contact email address tremayne.terry@dot.gov to Section X.A. in Attachment 1- BAA Solicitation_PHMSA-26HM-BAA. All other terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS), is soliciting white papers and full proposals under Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) PHMSA-26HM-BAA pursuant to FAR 35.016.

The objective of this announcement is to award competitive research contracts that advance scientific, technical, engineering, and policy solutions to prevent incidents and enhance safety during the transportation of hazardous materials across all modes. Offerors are invited to submit innovative research proposals addressing one or more of the following core topic areas:

  • 26HM-ESS (Efficient Safety Standards): Research to modernize safety standards and testing, streamline certification, leverage safety data, and evaluate risk landscapes to reduce regulatory burden while maintaining safety.

  • 26HM-SST (Safe Energy Storage Technologies): Research assessing transportation risks of energy storage systems, battery chemistries, thermal runaway detection and mitigation, and critical mineral recovery.

  • 26HM-IPG (Innovative Packaging): Development and evaluation of advanced packaging materials, containment designs, integrity monitoring, and predictive failure simulations.

  • 26HM-RER (Risk Reduction for Emergency Response): Innovations, technologies, data analysis, and materials to enhance emergency responder safety, communication, and preparedness.

  • 26HM-RTS (Hazardous Materials Rail Transportation Safety): Research advancing scientific understanding of rail tank car performance under derailment conditions, crashworthiness materials, thermal shielding, and predictive risk modeling.

A two-phase selection process (Phase I: White Paper; Phase II: Invited Full Proposal) will be used. Awards will be procurement contracts (Firm-Fixed-Price or Cost-Reimbursement) up to $2,000,000 with a total performance period of up to 36 months. Full eligibility, formatting, and submission instructions are detailed in the solicitation document attached to this notice.

Update #1 ·

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS), is soliciting white papers and full proposals under Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) PHMSA-26HM-BAA pursuant to FAR 35.016.

The objective of this announcement is to award competitive research contracts that advance scientific, technical, engineering, and policy solutions to prevent incidents and enhance safety during the transportation of hazardous materials across all modes. Offerors are invited to submit innovative research proposals addressing one or more of the following core topic areas:

  • 26HM-ESS (Efficient Safety Standards): Research to modernize safety standards and testing, streamline certification, leverage safety data, and evaluate risk landscapes to reduce regulatory burden while maintaining safety.

  • 26HM-SST (Safe Energy Storage Technologies): Research assessing transportation risks of energy storage systems, battery chemistries, thermal runaway detection and mitigation, and critical mineral recovery.

  • 26HM-IPG (Innovative Packaging): Development and evaluation of advanced packaging materials, containment designs, integrity monitoring, and predictive failure simulations.

  • 26HM-RER (Risk Reduction for Emergency Response): Innovations, technologies, data analysis, and materials to enhance emergency responder safety, communication, and preparedness.

  • 26HM-RTS (Hazardous Materials Rail Transportation Safety): Research advancing scientific understanding of rail tank car performance under derailment conditions, crashworthiness materials, thermal shielding, and predictive risk modeling.

A two-phase selection process (Phase I: White Paper; Phase II: Invited Full Proposal) will be used. Awards will be procurement contracts (Firm-Fixed-Price or Cost-Reimbursement) up to $2,000,000 with a total performance period of up to 36 months. Full eligibility, formatting, and submission instructions are detailed in the solicitation document attached to this notice.

Files

File Type Posted
1-BAA_Solicitation_PHMSA-26HM-BAA_AMD_0004.docx DOCX document
1- BAA Solicitation_PHMSA-26HM-BAA.docx DOCX document
1-BAA_Solicitation_PHMSA-26HM-BAA_AMD_0003.docx DOCX document
1-BAA_Solicitation_PHMSA-26HM-BAA_AMD_0002.docx DOCX document
1-BAA_Solicitation_PHMSA-26HM-BAA_AMD_0001.docx DOCX document
4- Final Proposal Template.docx DOCX document
3- Final White Paper Template.docx DOCX document
2- Clauses and Contract Requirements.docx DOCX document
1- BAA Solicitation_PHMSA-26HM-BAA.docx DOCX document
5- Cost Proposal Template.xlsx XLSX spreadsheet

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