Transportation Infrastructure
Federal, state, and local transportation infrastructure procurement — highways, bridges, transit, rail, ports, airports — represents over $200 billion annually with significant growth from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Who buys
Federal: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Army Corps of Engineers (USACE for navigation channels). State: 50 state DOTs (Caltrans, TxDOT, FDOT, NYSDOT, etc.). Local: county public works, city transportation departments, transit authorities (MTA, BART, LA Metro, MARTA), port authorities.
What they buy
Highway construction (asphalt, concrete, structural steel), bridge construction and rehabilitation, traffic signals and ITS systems, transit buses and rail vehicles, transit station construction, airport terminal and runway work, rail track and signaling, port and harbor dredging, snow removal services, fleet vehicles, engineering design services, and traffic engineering studies.
How to break in
State DOT procurement is the primary path for transportation infrastructure contractors. Each state DOT has its own prequalification system — typically requiring financial documentation, work history, and bonding capacity before you can bid on state-funded construction. Federal-aid highway contracts (federally funded but state-administered) apply Davis-Bacon and require DBE participation. USACE has a separate procurement portal for federal navigation projects.
Set-aside angle
Federal-aid transportation projects require Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation — typically 10-15% of contract value. State DOTs maintain DBE certification programs. Some states (Caltrans, NYSDOT) also have state-specific MBE/WBE programs above federal DBE requirements. SDVOSB and HUBZone preferences apply to direct federal transportation procurement.
Key NAICS codes for Transportation
- 237310 — Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction
- 237120 — Oil and Gas Pipeline Construction
- 237990 — Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
- 541330 — Engineering Services
- 485113 — Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit
- 336211 — Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
Where to register
Vendors in this vertical typically register on:
- SAM.gov — Federal
- Bonfire — Multi-tenant platform
- PlanetBids — Multi-tenant platform