Section 2: Personnel Responsibilities
Anchor: #i1002559Research Oversight Committee
Composition:
- Chair and Vice-Chair, appointed by the TxDOT Executive Director,
- Chairs of each Research Management Committee (RMC),
- Director, Bridge Division,
- Director, Construction Division,
- Director, Design Division,
- Director, Finance Division,
- Director, Government and Public Affairs Division,
- Director, Information Systems Division,
- Director, Maintenance Division,
- Director, Traffic Operations Division,
- Director, Transportation Planning and Programming Division,
- Director, Research and Technology Implementation Office,
- Director, Training, Quality and Development Section, Human Resources Division, and
- FHWA representative, appointed by the FHWA Division Administrator.
Responsibilities:
The Research Oversight Committee:
- recommends research and implementation policy to the Executive Director. The ROC meets during the year as necessary, at the discretion of the ROC chair, for this purpose.
- meets after the fall RMC meetings to:
- review and approve new implementation projects, and
- discuss research and implementation program procedures, policies, or other research business,
- meets after the spring RMC meeting to:
- select research projects for funding from among nominations from all RMCs, if required, using a ROC funding allocation,
- set the contingency account funding for the next fiscal year,
- consider adjustments in the RMCs’ basic annual budgets,
- review and approve new implementation projects, and
- discuss other research business,
- reviews and approves research projects during the year which are recommended to be funded from the research contingency account.
The ROC chair:
- reviews and approves new research and implementation projects arising between ROC meetings, and
- approves all sole-source selections of universities. These are research or implementation projects where competitive proposals are not requested, but, instead, a uniquely qualified research agency (university) is selected to perform the project.
Information Resource Council (IRC)
General Responsibilities:
The Information Resource Council is an executive committee of TxDOT that:
- sets information technology (IT) strategic direction and policy,
- authorizes and re-authorizes all other TxDOT IT standing committees, and
- meets quarterly (or at the call of the chairperson) to review, approve, and prioritize IT projects.
Research-Related Responsibilities:
- reviews research project statements and implementation project recommendations with IT deliverables, as determined necessary by department procedures, and
- approves IT deliverables based on cost and impact on the department, as described in the department’s IT policies and procedures, before the project begins.
Research Management Committees (RMCs)
Composition:
- Each RMC consists of a chair, a vice chair, and individual members.
- Members are selected by, and serve at the discretion of, the Executive Director or designee. Each appointment to the RMCs is made or approved by the ROC chair.
- RMC chairs are district engineers and normally serve at least a two-year term. New chairs should have served on the RMC for at least one year prior to appointment as chair. RMC chairs who desire to terminate their chairmanship should contact the ROC chair with a courtesy copy to RTI.
- RMC vice chairs are district engineers selected by the ROC chair.
- Each district engineer normally serves three years on a particular RMC before rotation. District engineers occasionally serve longer terms on an RMC, particularly those serving as the chair during their term.
- Division, office, and district staff RMC members serve on the RMC until removed or replaced by the ROC chair. RMC members who desire a change in membership status should contact the ROC chair with a courtesy copy to their RMC chair and to RTI.
- Recommendations for changes or additions to RMC membership should be made by the RMC chair to the ROC chair. A courtesy copy should be provided to RTI.
Responsibilities of Each RMC:
- provides program oversight for
one area of research, as follows:
- RMC 1 – Construction, Pavements, and Maintenance,
- RMC 2 – Transportation Planning,
- RMC 3 – Geometric Design, Right of Way, Environment, and Hydraulics,
- RMC 4 – Traffic Operations, and
- RMC 5 – Structures,
- maintains and updates a Long-Range Research Plan (LRRP), with input from the Technical Assistance Panel (TAP), (see chapter 3),
- develops annual programs of research in their area of research,
- provides program and project oversight by their members:
- serving as Program Coordinators (PCs) of LRRP goals, objectives, or projects,
- developing project statements and reviewing project statements submitted by the TAPs,
- reviewing and selecting proposals submitted by the universities in response to a project statement,
- attending Research Management Committee meetings,
- appointing Project Directors, and
- providing feedback, as necessary, regarding project progress and direction,
- ensures and encourages implementation by:
- assisting in tracking delivery of products from research projects,
- encouraging adoption of new materials and techniques for TxDOT use, and
- encouraging the D/D/Os to engage in pilot projects to
demonstrate new research findings.
NOTE: Funding may be requested from the implementation program to offset costs of placing innovations into daily TxDOT operations.
Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs)
Composition:
- The chair of the TAP will be a TxDOT employee.
- The size of the panel is determined by the RMC chair and should have no more members than necessary.
- Panel members may be solicited from TxDOT, academia, and FHWA. (The ROC chair may approve members from local governments, private industry, trade groups, etc., on a specific-need basis. Private industry members will be selected, whenever possible, from trade groups rather than individual companies to provide an industry-wide perspective, and prevent providing advantage to one company over others.)
- Panel membership includes representation from any interested Texas state-supported university.
- Panel membership includes an ISD representative. The ISD TAP member will assist the TAP in developing project statements containing IT deliverables, and when necessary will assist the Project Director in obtaining an ISD Project Advisor.
- Membership on a TAP is voluntary and is approved by the RMC chair.
Responsibilities of each TAP:
- provides technical support and assistance to the respective Research Management Committee (RMC),
- assists the RMC in identifying and refining Long-Range Research Plan (LRRP) goals and objectives,
- assists the RMC by preparing, reviewing, rewriting, and combining project statements for review at the fall RMC meeting,
- provides expertise from the various disciplines in technical matters, and
- identifies project statements containing Information Technology
(IT) deliverables, and provides initial coordination with ISD as
these project statements are developed.
NOTE: RTI may provide funding for TAP member travel and other associated costs. Travel costs are subject to state reimbursable limits. Private industry TAP members are ineligible for reimbursement of travel and other expenses.
Project Monitoring Committee (PMC)
Composition:
A Project Monitoring Committee is appointed for each research project and is composed of:
- Project Director, who chairs the PMC,
- Program Coordinator,
- selected Project Advisors, and
- RTI research engineer assigned to the RMC under which the project is funded.
Members of the PMC are expected to avoid conflicts of interest. Should a conflict of interest arise, a Project Advisor should notify the Project Director and remove themselves from deliberations involving the issue giving rise to the conflict of interest. If the Program Coordinator, Project Director, or RTI research engineer has a conflict of interest, they should notify the RTI Director.
Anchor: #i1003017Research and Technology Implementation Office (RTI)
Responsibilities:
- coordinates and administers the research and implementation programs and other TxDOT research-related activities, and
- supports a team of employees throughout TxDOT who serve
as:
- Research Oversight Committee members,
- Research Management Committee members,
- Technical Assistance Panel members,
- Program Coordinators,
- Project Directors,
- Project Advisors, and
- Implementation Directors.
RTI Director
Responsibilities:
- executes new Project Agreements after RMC or ROC approval,
- executes modifications to Research Project Agreements upon RMC approval, and
- executes modifications to Implementation Project Agreements under the conditions described in Chapter 6, Section 3, under “Modifications to Implementation Contracts”.
RTI Research Engineer
The research engineer is directly responsible for the development of TxDOT’s annual research and implementation programs under their respective RMC. In doing so, the research engineer provides leadership to a large statewide group of transportation professionals from Universities and TxDOT to assure that immediate and future needs of the department are addressed.
At the project level, the research engineer is very active in the conduct of research and implementation activities, and strongly supports the efforts of the Research Supervisor and Project Director. Further, to maximize program efficiency and effectiveness, the research engineer maintains close communication and coordination with the Research Supervisor and Project Director throughout the life of the project. These reciprocal coordination and communication efforts are critical elements in contributing to successful research and implementation. Figure 2.1 depicts the triangular linkages and functional relationships that should exist between the research engineer, Project Director, and Research Supervisor.
Figure 2-1. The Communication and Coordination Linkages on a TxDOT Research Project
Responsibilities:
- serves as a member of the Technical Assistance Panel and Research Management Committee,
- serves as a member of each Project Monitoring Committee under their RMC,
- serves as a resource for PCs, PDs, RSs, and IDs in fulfilling their research and implementation program responsibilities. The research engineer provides technical insight and advice to PCs, PDs, and IDs. Other technical assistance is provided upon request.
- assists the RMC Chair in:
- preparing RMC meeting agendas,
- coordinating with PDs and researchers for projects to be presented at RMC meetings,
- selecting top innovations, Research Supervisors (RSs), and PDs for recognition,
- approving or coordinating research and implementation projects and activities, and
- preparing for ROC meeting presentations, as applicable, and
- provides an element of independent quality assurance for
work provided under the research and implementation programs by:
- monitoring progress and quality of work on research and implementation projects,
- providing the PD with assessments of project direction and quality, as required, and
- communicating serious concerns with project direction
or quality with the PC, when necessary.
NOTE: The RTI research engineer does not give direction to researchers concerning project activities or otherwise supplant the PD as director of the research or implementation project.
In developing the project, the RTI research engineer:
- meets and works with the TAP in developing Project Statements that address all priority research needs of the department,
- provides an information link to national research efforts,
- assists the PD and PC in refining Project Statements,
- identifies qualified PDs and PAs for PC consideration, upon request,
- reviews proposals and provides comments to the PC, and
- assists the PC and PD in scheduling pre-proposal and project kick-off meetings, as requested.
During the course of the project, the RTI research engineer:
- attends the PMC meetings,
- visits universities and field test sites to view work in progress, reporting observations as necessary to keep the PD fully informed,
- reviews semi-annual reports, providing input to the PD,
- reviews requests for project modifications, providing input to the PD, and recommendations to the PC, and
- assists the PC and PD in all other technical areas, as requested.
After project completion, the RTI research engineer:
- reviews reports and products and provides comments to the PD and/or PC,
- assumes responsibility for deliverable review and approval in cases where the PD is unable to provide review comments by established deadlines,
- assists in preparing an Implementation Project Recommendation, when applicable,
- participates actively in implementation activities, when appropriate, and