Department of Transportation Government Contracts — Contractor Guide
Researched by the BidStride Research Team
The Department of Transportation oversees the safety of aviation, highways, rail, transit, maritime, and pipeline infrastructure. DOT components include the FAA (aviation), FHWA (highways), FTA (transit), FRA (rail), FMCSA (motor carriers), MARAD (maritime), and PHMSA (pipeline safety). DOT contracts for IT systems, research, safety studies, infrastructure consulting, and training. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law significantly increased DOT spending.
Department of Transportation awards approximately $8B+ in contracts annually with a 23% small business contracting goal. Typical contract types used include IDIQ, FFP, T&M, SBIR. All DOT solicitations above the simplified acquisition threshold are posted on SAM.gov.
$8B+
23%
of prime contract dollars
Key Procurement Offices
Department of Transportation contracting is distributed across these offices and commands. Target your business development toward the offices most aligned with your capabilities, and build relationships before solicitations are released.
- FAA Acquisition (FAACO)
- FHWA Office of Acquisition Management
- FTA Headquarters Contracting
- OST (Office of the Secretary of Transportation)
Top NAICS Codes — DOT Contracting
These NAICS codes appear most frequently in Department of Transportation solicitations. Ensure your SAM.gov registration includes the codes matching your services.
Small Business Goals — DOT
Department of Transportation has a statutory small business prime contracting goal of 23% of annual contract dollars. This applies across all socioeconomic categories including 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, and SDVOSB.
Ensure your certifications are current on SAM.gov to qualify for set-aside competitions. Contracting officers are required by law to first consider whether requirements can be met by small businesses before opening competition to all offerors.
Key Regulations — DOT Contracts
Contractors bidding on Department of Transportation contracts should understand these regulations and clauses. Review them before submitting any proposal.
- TAR (Transportation Acquisition Regulation)
- FAR
- FAA Acquisition Management System (AMS)
- DBE Requirements (49 CFR Part 26)
Always verify applicable clauses in the actual solicitation. Clause applicability depends on contract type, value, and specific program requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions — DOT Contracting
The FAA uses its own acquisition system (not the standard FAR process for most contracts) and awards extensively for air traffic control technology, cybersecurity, IT systems, research, and professional services. FAA's Acquisition Management System (AMS) governs its procurement. FAA is one of the few agencies that does not follow standard FAR for many of its acquisitions, which means different proposal and contract requirements.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021) allocated over $1.2 trillion in infrastructure spending, with a significant portion flowing through DOT to FHWA, FTA, FRA, and the Appalachian Regional Commission. This created a multi-year surge in transportation engineering, planning, project management, and construction management contracts. The law includes strong DBE and small business participation requirements.
All DOT recipients of federal financial assistance must have DBE programs under 49 CFR Part 26. State DOTs, transit agencies, and airports receiving federal grants must set DBE participation goals for their contracts. This creates cascading DBE subcontracting requirements in state transportation contracts funded by federal money — not just direct federal contracts.
DOT contracts heavily for IT systems supporting air traffic management, highway management systems, railroad safety systems, and departmental administrative IT. DOT uses CIO-SP3, SEWP, and OASIS for many IT and professional services needs. FAA uses its own FIRSTNET-adjacent communication systems and is a significant buyer of telecom infrastructure.
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