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U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A



5/29/26 Update: The Pre-solicitation is now closed. Topic questions are no longer being accepted. * * *

This U.S. DOT Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Pre-solicitation Q&A Forum provides small businesses an opportunity to submit clarifying questions on the topics published in the U.S. DOT Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation. Questions will be answered by the Technical Experts/Topic Authors at the U.S. DOT Operating Administrations during this period. Questions shall be limited to improving the understanding of a particular topic's requirements and should not share proposal ideas nor proprietary information.

The U.S. DOT’s FY 2026 Pre-Solicitation period is April 29, 2026, through May 29, 2026, at 5:00 pm Eastern Time (ET). Only questions posted within this period will be responded to.

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Search: Browse the existing questions by category to find the topic you are interested in and to see if your question has already been addressed. If you see a question, you are also interested in, you can add a vote to the question, or leave a comment.

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18 results found

  1. Fixed sensors for catch basin inspection?

    Would a miniature sensor mounted to catch basin grates and networked via cell and/or satellite be considered or is the solution required to use a vehicle mounted sensing system?

    4 votes

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  2. What are the expected data deliverables

    Would it be raw sensor data, processed reports, GIS-integrated condition assessments, or a combination? Does the DOT have an existing asset management system or database that the inspection data must integrate with?

    3 votes

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  3. 2 votes

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  4. What catch basin localities are we going to perform operation on?

    Is it going to be Freeways, Streets, Residential Communities, Commercial Communities, Local Roads, Parking Lots?

    2 votes

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  5. Will a traffic management crew be deployed alongside the inspection platform?

    Will a crew be deployed during field operations, including personnel responsible for setting up cones, lane dividers, road work signage, dynamic message displays, and lane closure coordination?

    2 votes

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  6. Does the DOT have baseline data for all five proposed sensor modalities

    Will the baseline data for optical, LiDAR, RADAR, thermal, and radiation sensors relevant to the catch basin inspection be provided as Government-Furnished Information?

    2 votes

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  7. What is the expected size of the sensor boom?

    Are there any dimensional constraints related to roadway clearance, vehicle footprint, or sensor proximity to the catch basins?

    2 votes

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  8. 2 votes

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  9. 2 votes

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  10. 2 votes

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  11. For 26-FH2, is vehicle road testing expected in Phase I or Phase II?

    Develop a low-cost mobile screening system that uses a modular multi-sensor array and AI processing to flag catch basins likely needing maintenance without opening the grate.

    2 votes

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  12. Autonomous vehicle-deployed aerial robotic inspection

    Would an autonomous vehicle-deployed aerial robotic inspection module be considered responsive if it performs multi-sensor catch-basin inspection without grate removal and produces AI-based condition assessments, or is the solution required to use a fixed vehicle-mounted boom?

    2 votes

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  13. Minimum vehicle speed during inspections?

    Is there a minimum vehicle speed that the proposed solution should maintain during inspections?

    1 vote

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  14. Maximum total cost of proposed inspection system?

    Is there a target cost threshold for the sensor suite and data collection and processing system that the proposed solution should not exceed to be considered economically viable for state DOT deployment?

    1 vote

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  15. Specific Geometric Constraints?

    Are there specific geometric constraints or dimensional ranges – such as grate aperture size, basin depth, or internal geometry variation across common US designs – that the proposed solution must accommodate to be considered broadly applicable across a typical state DOT inventory?

    1 vote

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  16. Is there a desired maximum inspection time?

    Is there a desired inspection throughput or cycle time that the proposed solution should target, such as a minimum number of catch basins per day or a maximum time per basin, that would represent a meaningful improvement over current inspection methods?

    1 vote

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  17. Do we need to build a new vehicle with a crash attenuator equipped with the detection array?

    Or should we develop a modular detection system that mounts onto existing freeway crash attenuator vehicles?

    2 votes

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  18. Catch Basin Observation system requirements

    Is it required that the catch basin observation sensor-package base station be attached to a human operated vehicle? Are the the crash atenuator and sensor boom strictly necessary, or are other solutions to measuring catch-basin water, sediment, trash levels, and conditions such as clogging and
    stormwater ponding- acceptable?

    1 vote

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