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PROGRAM SOLICITATION
Small Business Innovation Research Program

IV.    Method of Selection and Evaluation Criteria

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A.    General

All Phase I and Phase II proposals will be evaluated and judged on a competitive basis. Initially, all proposals will be screened to determine responsiveness to the solicitation. Proposals passing this screening will be evaluated to determine the most promising technical and scientific approaches. Each proposal will be judged on its own merit. The DOT is under no obligation to fund any proposal or any specific number of proposals on a given topic or subtopic. It may elect to fund several or none of the proposed approaches to the same topic or subtopic.

B.    Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation process involves the following factors:

1. Scientific and technical merit and the feasibility of the proposal's commercial potential, as evidenced by:
1. Past record of successful commercialization of SBIR or other research;
2. Existence of Phase III funding commitments from private sector or non–SBIR funding sources; and
3. Presence of other indicators of the commercial potential of the idea.
2. The adequacy of the work plan and approach to achieve specified work tasks and stated objectives of the proposed effort within budgetary constraints and on a timely schedule.
3. Qualifications of the proposed principal/key investigator(s) including demonstrated expertise in a disciplinary field related to the particular R/R&D topic that is proposed for investigation.
4. Adequacy of supporting staff and facilities, equipment, and data for the successful completion of the proposed R/R&D.

C.    Prescreening

Each proposal submission will be examined to determine if it is complete and contains adequate technical and pricing data. Proposals that do not meet the basic requirements of the solicitation will be excluded from further consideration. Each offeror will be notified promptly by email of such action.

D.    Schedule

All DOT reviews shall be completed and awards recommended within twelve weeks of the closing date for Phase I proposals.

E.    Program Selection

A Proposal Review Panel, chaired by the DOT SBIR Program Director and comprising senior management officials representing the Department’s Operating Administrations and the Office of the Secretary, will arrange for review and evaluation of proposals by professionals, in their respective organizations, of all Phase I proposals that meet the requirements of this solicitation. The Proposal Review Panel will review the technical evaluations by the engineers and/or scientists and recommend to the DOT SBIR Program Director the proposals for awards. The DOT SBIR Program Director will announce the awards.

F.    Contact with DOT

Contact with DOT relative to this solicitation during the Phase I proposal preparation and evaluation period is restricted for reasons of competitive fairness. Technical questions pertaining to the 2008 DOT SBIR solicitation research topics must be submitted to the DOT SBIR Program Office by e–mail to: henebury@volpe.dot.gov. Technical questions will be researched and answers provided in as timely a manner as possible. Technical questions submitted to the DOT SBIR Program Office during the few weeks prior to the closing date for receipt of Phase I proposals may not be able to be answered before the closing date.

No information on proposal status will be available until the complete list of 2008 Phase I Award Recommendations is posted on the DOT SBIR Program Webpage: http://www.volpe.dot.gov/sbir. For planning purposes, the notification of 2008 Phase I Award Recommendations is expected to be posted on the DOT SBIR Program Webpage by September 8, 2008. Phase I proposals which are not included in the September 8 list of 2008 Phase I Award Recommendations will not receive an award. NO WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING PROPOSAL STATUS WILL BE ANSWERED.

After the 2008 Phase I Award Recommendations are posted on the DOT SBIR Program Webpage, a debriefing comprised of the overall comments on the proposal may be provided to the offeror upon request.

Debriefing requests should be submitted to the Contracting Officer by e–mail to: Orin.D.Cook@volpe.dot.gov, and must include the offeror’s name, address, research topic number, and the proposal identification number assigned on the acknowledgement of receipt card. The identity of the evaluators will not be disclosed.