Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Practices

NCHRP Announces a Supplemental FY 2022 Synthesis Study Topic - Seeking Panel Member Nominations

16 November, 2021

Due by December 15, 2021

NCHRP announces a supplemental synthesis study topic for the FY 2022 program. The new project number, title, and preliminary scope of work are available here: 20-05/Topic 53-19 State DOT Product Evaluation Processes.

NCHRP invites you to nominate yourself or other candidates to serve on the expert panel that will oversee the technical content of this study. Nominees should be knowledgeable in the topic and willing to serve on a panel that will meet twice in a 10-month period and review materials developed by the consultant. The panel for the new project will meet virtually January 20, 2022.

Nominations must be submitted online from the TRB website at the MyTRB portal at this link: Online Panel Nominations.

You will be asked to login to MyTRB. If you do not already have an account, you will be asked to quickly create one using your email and a password.

Please submit nominations by December 15, 2021. If you have any questions, please contact Jo Allen Gause at jagause@nas.edu.

Contacts to determine an individual’s interest in serving will be made from this office after we have matched available expertise with that required by the nature of the project.

We are grateful for your support of the NCHRP Synthesis Program by providing nominees each year. With the nominees continuing to outnumber the available positions, we have been able to establish panels outstanding in their ability to play a critical role in the accomplishment of successful research. Please know that if your nominee(s) is not selected, there are several factors to be considered when forming well balanced and objective panels. Although expertise is the primary factor, we also attempt a proper balance in terms of organization or agency types (e.g., state departments of transportation, private consulting firms, universities), geographic areas, gender, and ethnic diversity.

Seeking Principal Investigators for a Supplemental FY 2022 Synthesis Study Topic

15 November, 2021

Due by January 4, 2022

NCHRP is looking for a consultant to perform as a synthesis principal investigator for a supplemental FY2022 synthesis study topic. The new project number, title, and preliminary scope of work are available here: 20-05/Topic 53-19 State DOT Product Evaluation Processes.

A cover letter plus a resume or CV should convey a concise idea of your knowledge of the topic, and your related work and experience in the subject area. The deadline for letters of interest is January 4, 2022. The panel meeting will be held in January 2022. During the meeting, the scope of work will be finalized and principal investigator chosen.

Please note the following information for consultants:

1. View a sample of our consultant contract. (There is a modified version of this for state entities.) Please note that TRB does not negotiate the terms of these fixed-price contracts.
2. The eleven-month contract period is based on the following milestones:
• TRB Notice to Proceed.
• Detailed Work Plan, Report Outline, and Survey Questionnaire - Due 1 month after Notice to Proceed.
• Report First Draft- Due 7 months after TRB Notice to Proceed.
• Report Second Draft- Due 9 months after Notice to Proceed.
• Report Final Draft- Due 11 months after Notice to Proceed.
3. The principal investigator will be participate in a conference call with panel members at the start of the project and a meeting with the panel to review the first draft report. NCHRP will pay consultant’s travel cost.
4. Consultants will be paid $45,000 on a fixed-price basis.
5. To propose, please send a single pdf containing a one-to-two page letter of interest, a resume providing the principal investigator's qualifications, and a statement that you can comply with the terms of our contract. Note: the statement of compliance should be signed by the contracting entity (e.g., university, company, or an individual sole proprietor). This is the only requirement for expression of consultant interest. The file containing consultant letters of interest, resumes, and statements of compliance should be submitted by COB on January 4, 2022.

Please submit letters of interest to the Letters of Interest Submission Portal.

For further information on the NCHRP synthesis program and processes, see Information for Principal Investigators Preparing Syntheses.

Propose New Topics for the FY 2023 NCHRP Synthesis Program

26 October, 2021

Due by February 17, 2022

You are invited to propose a new NCHRP Synthesis topic. Upload your synthesis topic statement in a Word document to the NCHRP Synthesis Topic Submission Portal by February 17, 2022.

An outline to guide you in creating your synthesis topic statement is available here: Synthesis Topic Outline.

A synthesis study documents current practice for specific highway topics. The following factors are considered in the selection of a synthesis topic:

• The objective of the scope of work is to document current highway practice in state departments of transportation (DOTs);
• The synthesis documents current practice not best practice; it is not a research project or a guidebook;
• The topic addresses an area of practice that is widespread and of general interest to state DOTs; and
• The topic should be timely and critical for expediting delivery, improving the quality, or lowering the cost of highway programs.

New topics will be selected in May 2022 and will be posted on this website.

For further information on the NCHRP synthesis program, please see the Background section of this website. Scroll down to view links to NCHRP Synthesis topics currently under study and completed.

Questions can be directed to Jo Allen Gause by email at jagause@nas.edu