Development
- Planning and Development
- Strategic Research Documents
- Unfunded and Partially Funded Research Needs
- Research Funding Guidebook
- Federal Research Programs
- International Research Programs
- State Departments of Transportation Programs
- Transportation Research Board
- University Transportation Centers
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 2: What Are the Characteristics of the Research You Would Like to Have Funded?
- Chapter 3: Which Research Program is the Best Fit for Your Research Statement?
- Chapter 4: More About Proposed, Ongoing, and Completed Research
- Chapter 5: General Advice and Summary
- Appendix A: How to Write an Effective Research Statement
- Appendix B: How to Submit Updates to this Guidebook
- Appendix C: Contributors
Performance Specifications Strategic Roadmap: A Vision for the Future
In May 2000, the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the National Partnership for Highway Quality, conducted a workshop on the future of performance-related specifications (PRS) in the highway industry. More than 50 Federal, State, and private sector engineers met to discuss the background, history, and future of this topic. The attendees agreed that the subject was important, extremely complex, and had to be addressed. They recommended a national strategy to identify and coordinate efforts, and FHWA agreed to initiate the process.
In December 2001, FHWA, in cooperation with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and various industry associations, sponsored the first national PRS Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to establish the foundation for a PRS movement to foster the development and application of performance-related specifications. The PRS TWG identified a series of activities that lead to continued development and implementation of PRS. At that meeting, the mission was expanded to include the formation of expert task groups in various technical disciplines and to include warranties, which are clear and growing alternatives to PRS.
In November 2002, the PRS TWG met again to review work accomplished by the expert task groups and to discuss several additional aspects of PRS. The attendees reemphasized their support for the effort and suggested that method specifications be addressed in some format in the PRS mission. Noting that the mission had been expanded to include method specifications and warranties along with performance-related and performance-based specifications, the attendees also recommended that the name of the effort be changed to the Performance Specification Program.
This Performance Specifications Strategic Road Map is intended to be used as a tool to guide the highway community in developing, implementing, and accepting performance specifications as viable alternatives for highway construction. It is a working document that will be maintained by the FHWA on its website and periodically updated.