The US Department of Transportation’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office has appointed Booz Allen to a spot on its $202 million, five-year, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for the development of automated vehicle issues on US roads. The spot will see the firm support the body through regulatory compliance issues as well as research, development and deployment activities.
Automated transport systems, particularly if fully electrolysed, have the potential to drastically reduce accidents, reduce congestion, transform the built environment away from car parking, as well as improve overall transport net efficiency – where public transport options are impractical. The technology continues to evolve, with a range of parties, from automotive OEMs to tech giants, actively seeking to create the first fully autonomous vehicles in what may become a $40 billion market.
While the final development remains a few years off, key government parties – some of which will be charged with developing a built environment that supports the vehicles, as well as the regulatory criteria and rules that will govern their deployment – are beginning to take an active interest in developments.
One of the bodies in the US working on the technology is the US Department of Transportation’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO). The office is an independent organisation, whose goal is to conduct research, development, and education activities through which the transportation network becomes safer and more efficient.
The ITS JPO recently announced that it has appointed Booz Allen to one of two spots on a $202 million, five-year, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. The contract will see the firm provide ITS JPO with research, development and deployment activities, as well as support the organisation to meet legislative and regulatory compliance requirements – in a fast changing environment.
Regarding the win of the spot on the contract, Booz Allen’s Principal Christopher Hill, who heads up the firm’s surface transportation business, says, “The ITS JPO brings together a number of federal agencies to address some of the key transportation challenges facing our country today. Booz Allen is proud to continue our relationship with the ITS JPO and to support the office as it works to achieve its key objectives for the coming years. Intelligent systems hold the potential to alleviate a wide range of issues associated with transportation, from traffic accidents and fatalities, to congestion and environmental pollution. Our team is excited about the opportunity to be at the forefront of progress in the ITS field.”
Booz Allen has worked extensively with the ITS JPO in the past, including the development of their 2015-2019 strategic plan, and various technical questions for the Transportation Department’s efforts, over the past five years, to support the development of connected vehicles.