Notice of Intent to Sole Source AASHTO Software

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) intends to negotiate and award a sole source purchase order to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) for a subscription to the FHWA licensed AASHTO Pavement ME Design software. This action is being conducted pursuant to the authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.106-1(b), soliciting from a single source. The AASHTO Pavement ME Design software implements the current, official AASHTO pavement-design procedure.

Due to the complexity and extensive computational requirements inherent in the design procedure, it is implemented solely through this unique and proprietary computer software. The AASHTO Pavement ME Design software is a sole proprietary product of AASHTO. This software is licensed by over 40 State Departments of Transportation (DOTs), and the design procedure itself is the official standard in approximately 15 States.

FHWA requires this specific, proprietary software subscription to effectively evaluate pavement designs developed by State DOTs and to provide necessary technical assistance and support that is compatible with the widely adopted AASHTO standard used across the nation. As the AASHTO Pavement ME Design software is a proprietary product owned and distributed exclusively by AASHTO, AASHTO is the only available source for this required software subscription. Therefore, FHWA has determined that AASHTO is the sole source capable of meeting this requirement.

Response Procedures: This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(i), interested parties who believe they can satisfy the requirement described herein may submit a written description of their firm's capabilities.

Responses must clearly demonstrate the firm's ability to provide software equivalent to the AASHTO Pavement ME Design software, including meeting the critical requirement for compatibility with the official AASHTO design standard used by state DOTs for evaluation purposes by FHWA. Information received from interested parties will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether a competitive procurement should be conducted in the future. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed acquisition based on the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.

Submission Deadline: Responses must be received no later than May 29th, 2025 at 12:00 AM Eastern Time.

Contact Information: All questions concerning this notice and any capability statements must be submitted via email to:

Jerrett Solven Email: Jerrett.solven@dot.gov