Pipeline Safety Research and Development (R&D) - Research Announcement 12

Through this Research Announcement (RA), the Office of Pipeline Safety, at the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), an operating administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation, solicits applications for research projects awarded and funded as Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs).

A comprehensive administrative and technical review will be conducted to determine the merits of the proposals and their relevance to the topic areas of focus.  All proposals will be evaluated using only the materials provided in each proposal. PHMSA will reject proposals that duplicate work already planned, completed, or validated under recent initiatives.

PHMSA reserves the right to fund all, some, or none of the proposals submitted in response to this RA.  PHMSA will not reimburse any proposal development costs.  All proposals will be treated as sensitive, competitive information and their contents will be used for evaluation and award purposes only.

Any questions are to be directed at the PHMSA Acquisition Services Division as listed in this solicitation.  Any questions on solicitation content, issues, or procedures must be submitted via email to Stephen Jones at stephen.jones@dot.gov with a cc to Tremayne Terry at Tremayne.Terry@dot.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. EST, Friday, October 9, 2026.  The research announcement number (693JK326RA001) must be included in the subject line.  Responses to questions submitted on time will be posted publicly on SAM.gov within 2-3 business days after questions deadline.

A full proposal package is defined as the proposal that includes Appendices A and B, and the proposal attachments.  No award will be made if any of the above documents are missing from the full proposal package.  Please submit the proposal and the proposal attachments in PDF format, except for Attachment #3 “Technical and Deliverable Milestone Schedule,” which should be submitted as an editable Excel document.

The procedure for submitting a proposal is as follows:

1. Prior to submitting a proposal package: All offerors must be registered in the Federal Government’s System for Award Management (SAM) (www.sam.gov).
2. Each organization must complete an online registration form to access PHMSA’s Pipeline Safety R&D Management Information System (MIS).  More information can be found at:  https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/matrix/RfpHome.rdm?rfp=109.  Credentials from past registration will still be valid.  To avoid account duplications and for questions or concerns with the registration or application, please submit an e-mail to rd-support@dot.gov prior to starting your submittal to ensure you don’t already have an existing account.
3. Submit Proposal Package: Only electronic submissions, through MIS, will be accepted. Additional instructions regarding the preparation and electronic submission of proposals along with individual questions and answers are available on the website above. Proposals must be uploaded by 5:00 p.m. EST, Monday, November 2, 2026.  Late or incomplete submittals will not be considered.