| Terms Full Name | Abbreviation | Definition | Resources |
| 5333(b) Warranty | --
| When federal funds are used to acquire, improve, or operate a mass transit system (public transportation), federal law requires arrangements to protect the interests of mass transit employees. 49 U.S.C. § 5333(b) (formerly Section 13(c) of the Urban Mass Transportation Act). Section 5333(b) specifies that these protective arrangements must provide for the preservation of rights and benefits of employees under existing collective bargaining agreements, the continuation of collective bargaining rights, the protection of individual employees against a worsening of their positions in relation to their employment, assurances of employment to employees of acquired transit systems, priority of reemployment, and paid training or retraining programs. 49 U.S.C. § 5333(b) (2) | 49 U.S.C. § 5333(b)
|
| Accountable Executive | AE | Accountable Executive means a single, identifiable person who has ultimate responsibility for carrying out the safety management system of a public transportation agency; responsibility for carrying out transit asset management practices; and control or direction over the human and capital resources needed to develop and maintain both the agency's public transportation agency safety plan, in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5329(d), and the agency's transit asset management plan in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5326. | FTA 49 CFR 625.5
|
| Americans with Disabilities Act | ADA | The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prohibits discrimination and ensures equal opportunity and access for persons with disabilities. | Americans with Disabilities Act: Guidance (PDF)
|
| ADA Paratransit | -- | Public entities that provide fixed route services must also provide ADA complementary paratransit services for persons whose disabilities prevent them from using the fixed route system. (ADA complementary paratransit requirements do not apply to commuter bus, commuter rail, or intercity rail service, however.) This includes a rider's inability to access vehicles, transit stops, or facilities, or to independently navigate through the system. Complementary paratransit must be origin-to-destination service, providing service from a passenger's origin to the passenger's destination. | RTAP Tool Kit
FTA Circular 4710.1 - Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA)
49 CFR Part 37- Transportation Services for Individuals
with Disabilities (ADA)
|
| Buy America | -- | FTA's Buy America requirements prevent FTA from obligating an amount that may be appropriated to carry out its program for a project unless "the steel, iron, and manufactured goods used in the project are produced in the United States" (49 U.S.C. § 5323(j)(1)). FTA's Buy America requirements apply to third-party procurements by FTA grant recipients. A grantee must include in its bid or request for proposal (RFP) specification for procurement of steel, iron or manufactured goods (including rolling stock) an appropriate notice of the Buy America provision and require, as a condition of responsiveness, that the bidder or offeror submit with the bid or offer a completed Buy America certificate in accordance with 49 CFR §§661.6 or 661.12. | Buy America
|
| Certifications and Assurances | -- | Subrecipients must certify annually to FTA that they will comply with the applicable federal requirements and that they have met the statutory and program requirements. This means that subrecipients must have signed their annual certification and assurances required by FTA; generally as part of the annual grant application and that the person signing is an authorized individual. Opinions of Counsel must accompany the certifications and assurances.
These certifications are provided by subrecipients for all grant programs – although IMD only requires one set of certifications from a single subrecipient (these may cover multiple grants from Section 5307, 5339, 5311, 5310, CARES Act), a copy of the original certifications/assurances must be included in each grant module on NC Enterprise Business Services (EBS) – formerly Partner Connect. | |
| Charter | -- | FTA's Charter Service Regulations (49 CFR Part 604), which implement 49 U.S.C. 5323(d), protect private charter operators from unauthorized competition from FTA grant recipients. In essence, the charter regulations were implemented to ensure that transit agencies, subsidized with federal money, do not unfairly compete with privately owned bus companies. Under the charter rules, with limited exceptions, local transit agencies are restricted from operating chartered services. | Charter Bus Service Regulations
49 CFR Part 604 et. al.
49 U.S.C. 5323(d)
|
| Chief Safety Officer or Safety Officer | CSO OR SO | Part 673.5 -Chief Safety Officer means an adequately trained individual who has responsibility for safety and reports directly to a transit agency's chief executive officer, general manager, president, or equivalent officer. A Chief Safety Officer may not serve in other operational or maintenance capacities, unless the Chief Safety Officer is employed by a transit agency that is a small public transportation provider as defined in this part, or a public transportation provider that does not operate a rail fixed guideway public transportation system.
NOTE: This leaves up to the agency to decide what 'adequately trained' is. SO job descriptions vary considerably; however, generally the job description identifies the position such as ie., Operations Manager/Safety Officer that reports to Director…with a line-item responsibility for safety training which is sufficient to meet the requirement. | FTA Part 673.5
FTA Role of Chief Safety Officer – PPT
|
| Competitive Proposals/Request for Proposals | RFP | According to FTA Circular 4220.1F, the competitive proposal process should be used when “the nature of the procurement does not lend itself to sealed bidding and the recipient expects that more than one source will be willing and able to submit an offer or proposal." | Procurement - Beyond 101
Third Party Contracting Guidance
FTA Best Practices Procurement & Lessons
Learned Manual (Report 0105)
|
| Compliance Review | CR | North Carolina General Statute 136-44.20 gives the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Integrated Mobility Division (IMD) the authority to administer federal and state public transportation funding programs. IMD performs compliance reviews of its Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Sections 5307, 5311, 5339, 5310, ARP, Discretionary Grants and CARES Act programs subrecipients. The review is to ensure that transit agencies/subrecipients are able to manage the FTA funded programs in accordance with the grant application, the grant agreement, and the FTA approved State Management Plan and all applicable laws and regulations using sound management practices. | |
| Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act | CARES | The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided emergency assistance and health care response for individuals, families and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. | CARES
|
| Cost Allocation Plan | CAP | The act of taking a sum of operating costs and distributing that sum to individual transit routes, transit services, or jurisdictions. | CAP Calculator
|
| Deviated Fixed Route | -- | Transit service that operates along a fixed alignment or path at generally fixed times but may deviate from the route alignment to collect or drop off passengers who have requested the deviation. | Deviated Fixed Route
|
| Disadvantaged Business Enterprise | DBE | Subrecipients must not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, or sex in the award and performance of FTA-assisted contracts. All Subrecipients must provide Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) the maximum opportunity to compete for and perform contracts and subcontracts financed in whole or in part with federal funds.
Subrecipients must submit DBE reports with each Request for Reimbursement. | |
| Disposition | -- | The settlement of the federal interest in project property that is no longer needed for the originally authorized purpose. | |
| Drug and Alcohol Management Information System | DAMIS | The FTA's Drug and Alcohol Management Information System. | DAMIS
|
| Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 | DFWA | The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 (41 U.S.C. 81) is an act of the United States which requires some Federal contractors and all Federal grantees to agree that they will provide drug-free workplaces as a precondition of receiving a contract or grant from a Federal agency. | |
| Environmental Justice | EJ | Environmental Justice (EJ) is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, national origin, or educational level with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies | FTA C 4703.1
|
| Equal Employment Opportunity | EEO | The Federal Transit Laws, 49 U.S.C. 5332(b), provide that "no person in the United States shall on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, or age be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any project, program or activity funded in whole or in part through financial assistance under this Act." This applies to employment and business opportunities and is considered to be in addition to the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. | https://www.transit.dot.gov/eeo |
| Excluded Parties Listing System | EPLS | Even though the recipient may collect a debarment and suspension certification from the prospective third party contractor, or include a clause in the third party contract requiring disclosure, FTA strongly recommends that the recipient check the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS). Now a part of the System for Awards Management (SAM), the EPLS is an electronic, web-based system that identifies those parties excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and certain types of Federal financial and nonfinancial assistance and benefits. The EPLS keeps its user community aware of administrative and statutory exclusions across the entire government, and individuals barred from entering the United States. Go to www.sam.gov and the Extracts and Data Access area and click on the Public Data Access box to find the individual firm, individual or vessel you may seek. | http://www.sam.gov/ |
| Federal Highway Administration | FHWA | The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation that supports State and local governments in the design, construction, and maintenance of the Nation's highway system (Federal Aid Highway Program) and various federally and tribal owned lands (Federal Lands Highway Program). | https://highways.dot.gov/ |
| Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration | FMCSA | The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000, pursuant to the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 (49 U.S.C. 113). Formerly a part of the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries. Activities of the Administration contribute to ensuring safety in motor carrier operations through strong enforcement of safety regulations; targeting high-risk carriers and commercial motor vehicle drivers; improving safety information systems and commercial motor vehicle technologies; strengthening commercial motor vehicle equipment and operating standards; and increasing safety awareness. To accomplish these activities, the Administration works with Federal, State, and local enforcement agencies, the motor carrier industry, labor and safety interest groups, and others. | https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ |
| Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards | FMVSS | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issues Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) to implement laws from Congress. | FMVSS Laws
|
| Federal Transit Administration | FTA | The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) provides financial and technical assistance to local public transit systems, including buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, trolleys and ferries. | https://www.transit.dot.gov/ |
| Fiscal Year | FY | A year as reckoned for taxing or accounting purposes. The Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) begins October 1 and ends September 30 of the following year. The North Carolina state fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30 of the following year. | |
| Fixed Route | -- | Services provided on a repetitive, fixed schedule basis along a specific route with vehicles stopping to pick up and deliver passengers to specific locations; each fixed route trip serves the same origins and destinations, such as rail and bus (MB); unlike demand responsive (DR) and vanpool (VP) services. | Fixed Route
|
| Fully Allocated Cost Model | FACM | A fully allocated cost means a cost that represents the full cost of a transit route or service, including all costs incurred by the transit agency—both variable and fixed. | RTAP Tools/Cost Allocation
|
| Generally Accepted Accounting Principles | GAAP | GAAP consists of a common set of accounting rules, requirements, and practices issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). GAAP sets out to standardize the classifications, assumptions and procedures used in accounting in industries across the US. | |
| Independent Cost Estimate | ICE | The independent cost estimate is a tool to assist in determining the reasonableness or unreasonableness of the bid or proposal being evaluated and is required for all procurements regardless of dollar amount. FTA Circular 4220.1F, Ch. VI, Para. 6, advises grantees to "perform a cost or price analysis in connection with every procurement action, including contract modifications . . . the starting point for these cost/price analyses is an independent cost estimate which is made before receiving bids or proposals." | ICE
|
| Indirect Cost Rate Proposal | ICRP | Indirect cost rate proposal means the documents prepared by or for the recipient or subrecipient to substantiate its request for the establishment of an indirect cost rate as described in 2 CFR part 200, appendices III, IV, and VII. | Award Management Requirements
Circular (5010.1E)
|
| Interactive Purchasing System | IPS | State of North Carolina's Interactive Purchasing System | IPS
|
| Language Assistance Plan | LAP | After completing the Four Factor Analysis, the recipient shall use the results of the analyses to determine which language assistance services are appropriate. Additionally, the recipient shall develop an assistance plan to address the identified needs of the LEP population(s) it serves. | Title VI Requirements and Guidelines
for Federal Transit Administration Recipients
|
| Limited English Proficiency | LEP | Individuals who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited ability to read, speak, write, or understand English can be limited English proficient, or "LEP." These individuals may be entitled language assistance with respect to a particular type of service, benefit, or encounter to prevent employment discrimination in the DOT. | LEP
|
| Lobbying | -- | No federal funds can be used for lobbying activities. Recipients of grants and contracts exceeding $100,000 must certify that they have not and will not use federal appropriated funds to pay for lobbying. Subrecipients certify to NCDOT and Contractors certify to the Subrecipient. | |
| Local Government Commission | LGC | The staff of the Local Government Commission is responsible for fulfilling the obligations of the Commission found in Chapter 159 of the North Carolina General Statutes. Staff provides resources, guidance, and oversight to over 1,100 units of local government subject to the provisions of Chapter 159 on a variety of topics including annual budgets, internal controls, debt management, and pension and OPEB reporting. | LGC
|
| Locally Coordinated Plan | LCP | The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requires a locally developed Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan (also referred to as a Locally Coordinated Plan). This plan is required for programming of funding under Section 5310 Program—Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities, and is relevant to other transportation programs, such as the 5311 program that addresses transportation for rural areas and the 5307 program for small urbanized areas. | LCP
|
| Low or No Emission Vehicle | -- | A low or no emission bus is defined as a passenger vehicle used to provide public transportation that sufficiently reduces energy consumption or harmful emissions, including direct carbon emissions, when compared to a standard vehicle. The statutory definition includes zero-emission transit buses, which are defined as buses that produce no direct carbon emissions and no particulate matter emissions under any and all possible operational modes and conditions. Examples of zero-emission bus technologies include, but are not limited to, hydrogen fuel-cell buses, battery-electric buses, and rubber tire trolley buses powered by overhead catenaries. All new transit bus models must successfully complete FTA bus testing for production transit buses pursuant to FTA's Bus Testing regulation (49 CFR part 665) in order to be procured with funds awarded under the Low-No Program. All transit vehicles must be procured from certified transit vehicle manufacturers in accordance with the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) regulations (49 CFR part 26). The development or deployment of prototype vehicles is not eligible for funding under the Low-No Program. | Low or No Emission
|
| Metropolitan Planning Organizations | MPO | A Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is the policy board of an organization created and designated to carry out the metropolitan transportation planning process. MPOs are required to represent localities in all urbanized areas (UZAs) with populations over 50,000, as determined by the U.S. Census. MPOs are designated by agreement between the governor and local governments that together represent at least 75 percent of the affected population (including the largest incorporated city, based on population) or in accordance with procedures established by applicable state or local law. When submitting a transportation improvement program to the state for inclusion in the statewide program, MPOs self-certify that they have met all federal requirements. | MPO
|
| Micro-Purchase | -- | The micro-purchase procedures apply to individual purchases of $3,000 or less. The dollar threshold does not apply to all purchases made from a particular vendor during a calendar year. However, purchases must not be split to avoid the requirement for competition. | Micro-Purchase
|
| National Environmental Policy Act | NEPA | NEPA is the primary law governing the environmental review process for all federal agencies. NEPA establishes a decision-making process that agencies must follow to study the environmental impacts of proposed projects, both large and small. | NEPA
|
| National Transit Database | NTD | After data reporting was required by Congress in 1974, the FTA's National Transit Database (NTD) was set up to be the repository of data about the financial, operating and asset conditions of American transit systems. The NTD records the financial, operating, and asset condition of transit systems helping to keep track of the industry and provide public information and statistics. The NTD is designed to support local, state and regional planning efforts and help governments and other decision-makers make multi-year comparisons and perform trend analyses. It contains a wealth of information such as agency funding sources, inventories of vehicles and maintenance facilities, safety event reports, measures of transit service provided and consumed, and data on transit employees.
FTA uses NTD data to apportion funding to urbanized and rural areas in the United States. Transit agencies report data on a number of key metrics including Vehicle Revenue Miles (VRM), Vehicle Revenue Hours (VRH), Passenger Miles Traveled (PMT), Unlinked Passenger Trips (UPT), and Operating Expenses (OE). This website provides reference materials to support reporting to the NTD and links to NTD data products. | NTD
|
| Office of Civil Rights (FTA) | OCR | The Departmental Office of Civil Rights (DOCR) enforces civil rights laws and regulations, which prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, genetic information, equal pay compensation, and reprisal in employment and the provision of government services. | FTA OCR
FTA OCR Awareness
|
| Office of Civil Rights (NCDOT) | OCR | The N.C. Department of Transportation's Office of Civil Rights promotes and ensures equal access and equal opportunity for customers and employees participating in North Carolina transportation programs that receive federal and/or state funding.
The office enforces federal and state laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age and, in certain circumstances, genetics, sex and religion. | NCDOT OCR
|
| Office of Inspector General | OIG | Charged with improving the N.C. Department of Transportation's effectiveness and governance, the Office of Inspector General monitors the Department's activities and upholds its ongoing commitment to transparency, integrity and accountability in all operations. | OIG
|
| Office of Management and Budget | OMB | The North Carolina Office of State Budget & Management (OSBM) delivers the highest quality budget development and management services for state government. Overseeing the state's budget process is at the heart of much of what we do. Yet OSBM is much more than budgets. | https://www.osbm.nc.gov/ |
| Original Equipment Manufacturer | OEM | The original manufacturer of a chassis or van supplied as a complete or incomplete vehicle to a bus manufacturer. | OEM
|
| Period of Performance | POP | Period of performance means the time during which the recipient or subrecipient may incur new obligations to carry out the scope of work authorized under the Grant or Cooperative Agreement. FTA, or the pass-through entity, must include the start and end dates of the period of performance in the Grant or Cooperative Agreement, regardless of whether pre-award authority has been exercised. The start date is the Federal Award Date of an Award. | Award Management Requirements Circular
(5010.1E)
|
| Piggybacking | -- | When a recipient finds that it has inadvertently acquired contract rights in excess of its needs. The recipient may assign those contract rights to other recipients if the original contract contains an assignability provision that permits the assignment of all or a portion of the specified deliverables under the terms originally advertised, competed, evaluated, and awarded, or contains other appropriate assignment provisions.
In the State of North Carolina, if a year has passed from the date of the contract, this is no longer allowed. | Third Party Contracting Guidance
|
| Planning Certification Review | PCR | Every four years, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) must certify that each metropolitan planning organization (MPO) serving a transportation management area (TMA) – a designation by DOT of an urbanized area with a population over 200,000 as defined by the Bureau of the Census or smaller urbanized areas on request by the Governor and MPO – is carrying out the metropolitan planning process in adherence with federal statutes and regulations. FTA and FHWA conduct a review of the metropolitan planning process within each TMA and jointly issue this certification on behalf of the DOT Secretary, in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5303(k). | PCR
|
| Pre-Award Authority | -- | In the spring of 2014, FTA extended pre-award authority for costs associated with the environmental review, as well as design and engineering expenses for selected projects. These costs may remain eligible for reimbursement or may count towards the local match, regardless of the date incurred. Pre-award authority for other costs is extended as of September 22, 2014.
Consistent with FTA policy on pre-award authority, a project must have met all applicable Federal requirements prior to incurring expenses. The recipient assumes all risk and is responsible for ensuring that all applicable federal program and grant requirements are met to retain eligibility. Recipients are also advised that incurring certain project costs prior to NEPA completion may render the entire project ineligible for Federal assistance. Therefore, FTA strongly encourages all recipients to consult with the appropriate FTA regional office regarding the anticipated environmental review requirements and the applicability of Federal conditions and requirements before incurring expenses under pre-award authority with the hope of future reimbursement.
Note that any expenses incurred for projects that were NOT selected may not be reimbursed under the Emergency Relief program, but may be eligible for reimbursement under FTA formula programs such as Section 5307. | Pre-Award Authority
|
| Procurement | -- | When procuring (purchasing) supplies, equipment, or services using FTA funds, subrecipients can follow the same policies and procedures it uses for procurements with non-federal funds but must comply with the requirements and regulations of the FTA Circular 4220.1F, 2 CFR Part 200/1201 and the N.C.G.S. 143-129. | |
| Public Involvement | -- | Subrecipients must participate in the transportation planning process in accordance with FTA requirements, Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, and the metropolitan and statewide planning regulations.
Subrecipients must coordinate to the maximum extent feasible with transportation assisted from other federal sources. Subrecipients must involve the public in service planning. Services also must be planned and delivered in a manner that is non-discriminatory (see section on Title VI).
An effective public involvement program has an educational and outreach component, and addresses transit riders, the non-riding public, special populations, community leaders, and civic groups. The State requires that applicants for FTA and State transit funding conduct public hearing annually as part of the grant application process: NCDOT requires that all applicants for S.5311and S.5310 hold a public hearing in front of the applicant's governing body so the public is afforded an opportunity to have input. Subrecipients must document that the requirement has been met (including a copy of the published notice, hearing record and summary of efforts to involve the public and private sector in to the extent feasible). They must also document that adequate outreach has been conducted for low income, minority and special needs populations. | |
| Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan | PTASP | PTASP stands for Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan, which is a requirement for certain operators of public transportation systems that receive federal funds under FTA's Urbanized Area Formula Grants to develop safety plans that include the processes and procedures to implement Safety Management Systems (SMS).
The rule applies to:
Recipients or sub-recipients of financial assistance
under 49 U.S.C. § 5307 that operate a public
transportation system.
· Operators of rail systems subject to FTA's State
Safety Oversight Program.
The rule does not apply to:
· Commuter rail service that is regulated by the Federal
Railroad Administration.
· Passenger ferry service that is regulated by the U.S.
Coast Guard.
· An operator of a public transportation system that
only receives financial assistance under the Formula
Grants for Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and
Individuals with Disabilities Program (49 U.S.C. §
5310) and/or Formula Grants for Rural Areas
Program (49 U.S.C. § 5311). | FTA 49 C.F.R. Part 673
|
| Public Transportation Authority | -- | The North Carolina Public Transportation Authorities Act (Article 25 of Chapter 160A of the General Statutes) authorizes a municipality (defined to include any county, city or town) to create a transportation authority for the purpose of providing an adequate and convenient public transportation system for the municipality. G.S. 160A-579 sets forth the general powers of such a transportation authority, and those powers include the right to sue and be sued and the right to purchase, hold, and sell property, both real and personal.
The Act provides that any public transportation authority created thereunder is fiscally accountable to the municipality that creates it. Funds for the operation of the transportation authority are provided by the municipality, and in addition, in order for a transportation authority to enter into and perform contracts with other units of local government, the authority must have specific authorization from the governing body of the municipality. | Article 25 of Chapter 106A
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| Qualified Human Service Organization | QHSO | ''Qualified human service organization'' [QHSO] means an organization that serves persons who qualify for human service or transportation-related programs or services due to disability, income, or advanced age. This term is used consistent with the President's Executive Order on Human Service Transportation Coordination. | QHSO
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| Regional Civil Rights Officer (FTA) | RCRO | The Regional Office's Civil Rights Officer is in charge of the agencies' compliance. That Officer has to approve every agency's eligibility to be an FTA Grantee before its Applications can even be accepted for review. | RCRO
|
| Rural Planning Organization | RPO | Rural Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPOs) are designated to develop transportation improvement programs and long-range plans for non-metropolitan areas. Federal transit law (49 U.S.C. § 5301 et seq) and the final rule on Statewide and Nonmetropolitan Transportation Planning and Metropolitan Transportation Planning spell out provisions for the organizations. | RPO
|
| Simplified Acquisition (small purchase) | -- | Small purchase procedures may be used to acquire services, supplies, or other property valued at more than the micro-purchase threshold (currently, $3,000) but less than the Federal simplified acquisition threshold at 41 U.S.C. Section 403(11), currently $100,000. (FTA recognizes the small purchase threshold to be the same as the simplified acquisition threshold.) Also see, Chapter II, Subsection 3.b. These purchases are also exempt from FTA's Buy America requirements. FTA does not intend to imply that any purchase of $100,000 or less must be treated as a small purchase. The recipient may set lower thresholds for small purchases in compliance with State and local law, or otherwise as it considers appropriate. | Third Party Contracting Guidance
|
| Sole-Source | -- | The FTA Procurement Circular 4220.1F, Chapter VI, page VI-17 (http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/C_4220_1F.pdf), recognizes that a sole source situation exists when the supplies are available from only one source. If that is the case, as you say, with the diesel engines for buses, then a sole source award is justified. | Third Party Contracting Guidance
|
| Spare Ratio | -- | Spare ratio is defined as the number of spare vehicles divided by the vehicles required for annual maximum service. Spare ratio is usually expressed as a percentage, e.g., 100 vehicles required and 20 spare vehicles is a 20 percent spare ratio. | |
| State Management Review | SMR | FTA's State Management Review (SMR) is a comprehensive oversight review of recipients designed to assess management practices and program implementation of the following:
Metropolitan Planning and State Planning and Research programs (49 U.S.C. § 5305)
Capital Investment program (49 U.S.C. § 5309)
Elderly Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities program (49 U.S.C. § 5310)
Non-urbanized Area Formula program (49 U.S.C. § 5311)
Job Access and Reverse Commute program (49 U.S.C. § 5316)
New Freedom program (49 U.S.C. § 5317)
SMRs also ensure the programs are administered in accordance with federal public transportation law (49 U.S.C. Chapter 53), federal transportation law provisions, and FTA requirements, and are meeting program objectives. | SMR
|
| State Safety Oversight | SSO | The purpose of the State Safety Oversight program is to oversee safety at rail transit systems. The SSO program is administered by eligible states with rail transit systems in their jurisdiction. FTA provides federal funds through the SSO Formula Grant Program for eligible states to develop or carry out their SSO programs. Under 49 U.S.C. Section 5329(e), as amended by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), FTA is required to certify each state's program to ensure compliance with MAP-21. | SSO
|
| Statewide Transportation Improvement Program | STIP | Each state is required under 49 U.S.C. 5304(g) to develop a statewide transportation improvement program (STIP) covering a period of at least four years. The STIP is a staged, multi-year, statewide intermodal program of transportation projects, consistent with the statewide transportation plan and planning processes as well as metropolitan plans, transportation improvement programs (TIPs), and planning processes. The STIP must be developed in cooperation with the metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), public transit providers, and any Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO) in the state, and must be compatible with the TIPs for the state's metropolitan areas. | STIP
|
| Suspension/Debarrment | -- | Subrecipients are prohibited from contracting for goods and services from individuals or organizations that have been suspended or debarred from receiving federally assisted contracts. | |
| System for Award Management | SAM | The System for Award Management (SAM) is the Official U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS. | https://sam.gov/content/home |
| Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 | Title VI | FTA: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects people from discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. The Federal Transit Administration works to ensure nondiscriminatory transportation in support of our mission to enhance the social and economic quality of life for all Americans.
OCR's Title VI POLICY TEMPLATE: In accordance with DOT Order 1050.2A, the Organization Name (Abbreviation) assures the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) that no person shall, on the ground of race, color, national origin, sex, creed, age, or disability, as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 and related nondiscrimination authorities, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination or retaliation under any program or activity undertaken by the Organization Name or Abbreviation . | Title VI - Civil Right Act
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| Transit Asset Management | TAM | Develop TAM plan. All transit agencies that own, operate, or manage capital assets used in the provision of public transportation and receive federal financial assistance under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53 either as recipients or subrecipients must develop a TAM plan. A TAM plan is a tool that will aid transit providers in:
1. Assessing the current condition of its capital assets
2. Determining what the condition and performance of its assets should be (if they are not already in a state of good repair)
3. Identifying the unacceptable risks, including safety risks, in continuing to use an asset that is not in a state of good repair
4. Deciding how to best balance and prioritize reasonably anticipated funds (revenues from all sources) towards improving asset condition and achieving a sufficient level of performance within those means | 49 U.S.C. Chapter 5 and 49 CFR part 625
|
| Transit Asset Management Plan | TAM | Every agency must develop a transit asset management (TAM) plan if it owns, operates, or manages capital assets used to provide public transportation and receives federal financial assistance under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53 as a recipient or subrecipient. Each transit provider must designate an Accountable Executive (49 CFR 625.5) to ensure appropriate resources for implementing the agency's TAM plan and the Transit Agency Safety Plan. | TAM
|
| Transit Awards Management System | TrAMS | FTA's platform to award and manage federal grants. TrAMS was created to provide greater efficiency and improved transparency and accountability.
FTA deployed TrAMS in February 2016 to provide an efficient, user-friendly, and flexible tool to award and manage grants and cooperative agreements and to strengthen the integrity and consistency of our award and management financial and programmatic information. TrAMS replaced the Transit Electronic Award Management (TEAM) system, which had been in operation since 1998. | TrAMS
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| Transit Vehicle Manufacturer | TVM | If you are an FTA recipient, you must require in your DBE program that each transit vehicle manufacturer, as a condition of being authorized to bid or propose on FTA-assisted transit vehicle procurements, certify that it has complied with the DBE program requirements. You do not include FTA assistance used in transit vehicle procurements in the base amount from which your overall goal is calculated.
Under the U.S. DOT DBE regulations, a transit vehicle manufacturer means any manufacturer whose primary business purpose is to build vehicles specifically for public mass transportation. | TVM
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| Transportation Advisory Board | TAB | Each subrecipient is required to have a Transportation Advisory Board (TAB). If the subrecipient agency serves as an “umbrella" agency for programs in addition to transportation services, then the Governing Board may not serve as the TAB. There may be overlapping of members with the Governing Board but there must be a separate TAB. If the subrecipient is a transportation authority or a non-profit organization that only provides transportation, the Governing Board can serve as the TAB. In this case, the composition of the Governing Board must meet the S.5311/5307 program requirements to serve as the TAB or consider creating a separate TAB that does meet the requirements. The TAB must be both representative of the community to provide the service area community a mechanism to advise and bring to management the mobility concerns and needs of the entire service community. The TAB should meet regularly, be “actively engaged" and must conduct business in an open and transparent manner. The TAB should have input into appropriate policy decisions, planning, service delivery and budget preparation items. This input will service to assist the organization in meeting its goals and objectives for the system. This board should not be involved in day-to-day operations. | |
| Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act | TIFIA | The Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program provides credit assistance for qualified projects of regional and national significance. Many large-scale, surface transportation projects - highway, transit, railroad, intermodal freight, and port access - are eligible for assistance. Eligible applicants include state and local governments, transit agencies, railroad companies, special authorities, special districts, and private entities. | TIFIA
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| Transportation Management Area | TMA | An urbanized area with a population over 200,000, as defined by the Bureau of the Census and designated by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), is called a Transportation Management Area (TMA). As described in 49 U.S.C. 5303(k), and in recognition of the greater complexity of transportation issues in large urban areas, an MPO in a TMA has a stronger voice in setting priorities for implementing projects listed in the transportation improvement program and are responsible for additional planning products. The planning processes in MPOs in TMAs also must be certified by the Secretary of DOT as being in compliance with federal requirements. | TMA - MPO
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| Unified Certification Program | UCP | Each state has its own Unified Certification Program (UCP), which is administered by their Department of Transportation. The purpose of the UCP is to provide "one-stop shopping" for applicants to apply for DBE certification, such that an applicant is required to apply only once for a DBE certification that and it will be honored by all agencies that are recipients of Federal DOT funding in the state.
State and local recipients of Federal Ddepartment of Transportation money often set DBE participation goals on their contracts. Prime bidders must either meet of make a good faith effort to meet these goals. When a DBE is certified through the UCP, it is included in the UCP Directory. Prime bidders needing to perform outreach to DBEs for their bid can use the UCP Directory to locate potential DBE subcontractors and suppliers.
| UCP Certification Process
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| Unified Planning Work Program | UPWP | A Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) is an annual or biennial statement of work identifying the planning priorities and activities to be carried out within a metropolitan planning area. At a minimum, a UPWP includes a description of the planning work and resulting products, who will perform the work, time frames for completing the work, the cost of the work, and the source(s) of funds. Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are required to develop UPWPs to govern work programs for the expenditure of FHWA and FTA planning funds. [23 CFR 450.308)(b)] | UPWP
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| United States Code of Federal Regulations | CFR | 1.1 C.F.R. : The acronym referring to the United States Code of Federal Regulations, which contains regulations applicable to FTA grant recipients and their Vendors and subcontractors. | United States Code of Federal Regulations
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| Urbanized Area | UZA | An urbanized area is an incorporated area with a population of 50,000 or more that is designated as such by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. The Census Bureau delineates urban areas after each decennial census by applying specified criteria to decennial census and other data. | NTD Glossary
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| Useful Life | -- | The expected lifetime of property, or the acceptable period of use in service. Useful life of revenue rolling stock begins on the date the vehicle is placed in revenue service and continues until it is removed from service. | |
| Vehicle Revenue Hours | VRH | The hours that vehicles are scheduled to or actually travel while in revenue service. Vehicle revenue hours include:
• Layover / recovery time.
Vehicle revenue hours exclude:
• Deadhead;
• Operator training;
• Vehicle maintenance testing; and
• Other non-revenue uses of vehicles. | |
| Vehicle Revenue Miles | VRM | The miles that vehicles are scheduled to or actually travel while in revenue service. Vehicle revenue miles include:
• Layover / recovery time.
Vehicle revenue miles exclude:
• Deadhead;
• Operator training;
• Vehicle maintenance testing; and
• Other non-revenue uses of vehicles. |
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