Opportunity Information: Apply for 693JJ323NF00006
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), within the U.S. Department of Transportation, released a discretionary funding opportunity titled "Advancing Sustainability and Resilience in Pavements" (Funding Opportunity Number 693JJ323NF00006). The award is planned as a single Cooperative Agreement under Assistance Listing (CFDA) 20.200, Highway Research and Development. The agency anticipated making 1 award with a funding ceiling of up to $7,500,000. The application deadline was June 26, 2023, at 11:59 PM Eastern, and questions about the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) were due by May 22, 2023, at 4:00 PM Eastern to the FHWA point of contact, Freida Byrd (Freida.Byrd@dot.gov).
Applications were required to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. Because Grants.gov registration and user approvals can take weeks, the notice emphasized registering early and monitoring the posting for amendments or updates. This is important because, in practice, late registration issues can prevent timely submission even if the application package is otherwise complete.
At its core, the NOFO is meant to expand and strengthen FHWA's Sustainable Pavements Program (SPP), a long-running effort (over a decade) to make pavement systems more sustainable and to improve how transportation agencies measure and reduce environmental impacts. A central theme is moving sustainability from a general goal to a measurable, decision-driving practice, especially through life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental product declarations (EPDs). LCAs are used to quantify environmental impacts across stages such as material extraction, manufacturing, transport, construction, use, maintenance, and end-of-life, while EPDs provide standardized disclosures of product-specific environmental impacts that can be used to compare materials and support procurement and design decisions.
The opportunity is also positioned within the broader federal push to reduce transportation-related emissions and improve climate resilience. The NOFO references the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), which included a Carbon Reduction Program, and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which included a $2 billion grant program focused on low-carbon transportation materials. FHWA also cited its earlier "Climate Challenge, Quantifying Emissions of Sustainable Pavements," which provided funding and technical resources to 27 agencies to help them adopt LCA and EPDs as common practice for selecting pavement materials and designs. This cooperative agreement is framed as a way to build on that momentum and complement related FHWA efforts like the Every Day Counts initiative on EPDs for sustainable project delivery, while also supporting the direction of the newer Low-Carbon Materials Grant Program authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act.
The technical scope described in the NOFO is broad and intentionally flexible, reflecting the idea that sustainable pavements are not only about reducing embodied carbon in materials, but also about long-term performance under stressors like heat, flooding, and changing precipitation patterns. Topics of interest include sustainability and resilience in infrastructure, equity considerations, life cycle cost analysis (LCCA), LCA (including social LCA), vulnerability assessment approaches, and the evaluation or advancement of low-carbon materials that are suitable for use on U.S. public road systems. The inclusion of equity and social LCA signals that FHWA is interested not only in environmental metrics, but also in how pavement choices can affect communities through factors like health burdens, local impacts, and distribution of benefits and risks.
Because the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, the intent is typically more collaborative, with substantial federal involvement expected during the period of performance. In other words, the recipient is not just being funded to run an independent project; the work is expected to be coordinated closely with FHWA priorities, inputs, and stakeholder engagement needs as the program develops practical outputs for the field.
The NOFO also makes clear that this effort is meant to generate usable products that can be deployed by agencies and practitioners, not just research reports. Example deliverables mentioned include technical documents, case studies, and tech briefs; marketing or implementation plans to move innovations into routine practice; convening or engaging subject matter experts; training tools and materials; outreach and promotion of case studies; data analysis and synthesis; compilation of findings; and support for stakeholder engagement. Taken together, these deliverables point toward a program that blends research, standard-setting, real-world demonstrations, and practitioner-focused guidance to accelerate adoption of sustainable and resilient pavement practices across transportation agencies.Apply for 693JJ323NF00006
- The Department of Transportation, DOT Federal Highway Administration in the transportation sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "ADVANCING SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE IN PAVEMENTS" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 20.200.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 11, 2023.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 26, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $7,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Advancing Sustainability and Resilience in Pavements (FHWA)
1. What is this funding opportunity called?
The discretionary funding opportunity is titled "Advancing Sustainability and Resilience in Pavements".
2. Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
The opportunity was released by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) within the U.S. Department of Transportation.
3. What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is 693JJ323NF00006.
4. What Assistance Listing (CFDA) does this opportunity fall under?
This opportunity is under Assistance Listing (CFDA) 20.200, Highway Research and Development.
5. What type of award is FHWA planning to make?
FHWA planned a single Cooperative Agreement award under this notice.
6. How many awards were anticipated?
FHWA anticipated making 1 award.
7. What is the maximum funding amount available?
The funding ceiling was stated as up to $7,500,000.
8. When was the application deadline?
The application deadline was June 26, 2023, at 11:59 PM Eastern.
9. How were applications required to be submitted?
Applications were required to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov.
10. Why did the notice emphasize registering early on Grants.gov?
The notice emphasized early registration because Grants.gov registration and user approvals can take weeks. The notice also highlighted that late registration issues can prevent timely submission even if the application materials are otherwise complete.
11. Should applicants watch for amendments or updates to the posting?
Yes. The notice advised applicants to monitor the posting for amendments or updates.
12. What was the deadline for submitting questions about the NOFO?
Questions about the NOFO were due by May 22, 2023, at 4:00 PM Eastern.
13. Who was the FHWA point of contact for NOFO questions?
The FHWA point of contact listed was Freida Byrd.
14. What email address was provided for the point of contact?
The email provided was Freida.Byrd@dot.gov.
15. What is the main purpose of the NOFO?
The NOFO is intended to expand and strengthen FHWA's Sustainable Pavements Program (SPP), supporting efforts to make pavement systems more sustainable and to improve how transportation agencies measure and reduce environmental impacts.
16. What is the Sustainable Pavements Program (SPP)?
SPP is described as a long-running FHWA effort (over a decade) focused on improving pavement sustainability and strengthening the ability of transportation agencies to measure and reduce environmental impacts linked to pavement systems.
17. What is a central theme of the NOFO's technical direction?
A central theme is moving sustainability from a general goal to a measurable, decision-driving practice, particularly through life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental product declarations (EPDs).
18. What is a life cycle assessment (LCA) in the context described?
In the context provided, an LCA is used to quantify environmental impacts across stages such as material extraction, manufacturing, transport, construction, use, maintenance, and end-of-life.
19. What is an environmental product declaration (EPD) in the context described?
In the context provided, EPDs are standardized disclosures of product-specific environmental impacts that can be used to compare materials and support procurement and design decisions.
20. How does this opportunity connect to broader federal climate and emissions priorities?
The NOFO is positioned within a broader federal push to reduce transportation-related emissions and improve climate resilience, referencing major legislation and FHWA initiatives related to carbon reduction and low-carbon materials.
21. Which federal laws or initiatives were referenced in the NOFO description provided?
The description references the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) including a Carbon Reduction Program, and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act including a $2 billion grant program focused on low-carbon transportation materials.
22. What FHWA effort was mentioned as a related precedent or foundation for this work?
FHWA cited "Climate Challenge, Quantifying Emissions of Sustainable Pavements", which provided funding and technical resources to 27 agencies to help adopt LCA and EPDs as common practice for selecting pavement materials and designs.
23. How is the cooperative agreement intended to build on prior FHWA work?
The cooperative agreement is framed as a way to build on existing momentum from FHWA efforts promoting LCA and EPD adoption, and to complement related activities such as FHWA's work on EPDs for sustainable project delivery and the direction of the Low-Carbon Materials Grant Program authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act.
24. What does it mean that the award instrument is a Cooperative Agreement (as described here)?
As described, a cooperative agreement indicates the work is expected to be more collaborative than a standard grant, with substantial federal involvement during the period of performance. The recipient is expected to coordinate closely with FHWA priorities, inputs, and stakeholder engagement needs.
25. Is the technical scope narrow or flexible?
The technical scope is described as broad and intentionally flexible.
26. What are example topic areas of interest under this NOFO?
Topics of interest mentioned include sustainability and resilience in infrastructure, equity considerations, life cycle cost analysis (LCCA), life cycle assessment (LCA) (including social LCA), vulnerability assessment approaches, and the evaluation or advancement of low-carbon materials suitable for use on U.S. public road systems.
27. How does the NOFO define the scope of "sustainable pavements" beyond materials?
The description emphasizes that sustainable pavements are not only about reducing embodied carbon in materials, but also about long-term performance under stressors such as heat, flooding, and changing precipitation patterns.
28. Why are equity and social LCA mentioned as part of the scope?
The inclusion of equity and social LCA indicates FHWA interest not only in environmental metrics, but also in how pavement choices can affect communities through factors like health burdens, local impacts, and the distribution of benefits and risks.
29. What kinds of deliverables does FHWA expect from this effort?
The NOFO emphasizes producing usable products for agencies and practitioners, with example deliverables including technical documents, case studies, tech briefs, marketing or implementation plans to move innovations into routine practice, convening or engaging subject matter experts, training tools and materials, outreach and promotion of case studies, data analysis and synthesis, compilation of findings, and support for stakeholder engagement.
30. Is this opportunity focused only on producing research reports?
No. The notice makes clear the effort is meant to generate deployable, practitioner-focused outputs and not only stand-alone research reports.
31. What overall approach does the deliverables list suggest?
Taken together, the deliverables suggest a blended program that includes research, standard-setting, real-world demonstrations, and practitioner-focused guidance to accelerate adoption of sustainable and resilient pavement practices across transportation agencies.
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