Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety (PARTS) Continued Research

The U.S. Department of Transportation's John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center is seeking a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) to serve as the trusted third party for the Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety (PARTS) program. The FFRDC will collaborate with the Volpe Center, USDOT, and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to manage and execute traffic safety research initiatives. Qualified respondents must demonstrate experience providing services across multiple simultaneous nationwide sites with relevant past performance from the previous five years, including detailed contract history, technical capabilities, customer references, and contracting officer representative contact information. The evaluation will assess technical capabilities, past performance, and organizational capacity to manage complex, multi-stakeholder research partnerships. Interested FFRDCs must submit a Statement of Capabilities limited to five pages (8 x 11 format, 11-point minimum font) in Microsoft Office 2007 or later format by February 12, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time to Andrew.Josephs@dot.gov; this is a sources sought notice for market research purposes only and does not constitute a formal solicitation.

No set-aside designation has been applied to this opportunity. The FFRDC will perform five primary tasks beginning in Calendar Year 2026, including partnership and project management, data ingestion and analysis, communications and stakeholder engagement, novel research development for PARTS integration, and infrastructure-focused research with monthly updates and publishable outputs. The notice does not identify any current incumbent or provide specific budget information or award values. Respondents should be prepared to convey their capabilities to execute collaborative research across multiple sites simultaneously, produce publishable research reports, convene national all-hands meetings, and provide briefings to senior USDOT executives. The government will not compensate respondents for effort expended in responding to this sources sought inquiry.