DCCM serves as a key member of the consultant team supporting the TxDOT Federal Affairs Division in the development of competitive applications for federal discretionary grant programs. These efforts span major programs such as Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD), Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA), Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE), and Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT). 

DCCM’s role encompasses four primary areas of responsibility: 1

1. Project Evaluation and Eligibility Review: DCCM evaluates candidate projects submitted by TxDOT districts and divisions to determine eligibility under federal funding notices. This includes assessing project readiness, alignment with federal priorities, and consistency with TxDOT’s statewide goals and strategic objectives.
2. Grant Application Development: For projects meeting eligibility criteria, DCCM prepares full grant applications, including narrative development, technical documentation, and supporting analyses. Notably, DCCM prepared a 2023 PROTECT grant application for a Statewide Flood Warning System valued at $3.4 million.
3. Analytical Support and Project Justification: DCCM conducts the technical analyses required to strengthen and justify grant applications, including economic impact assessments, travel demand forecasts, sensitivity analyses, and other economic studies. In 2021, DCCM contributed to the successful RAISE grant application for The Loop – Trinity Forest Spine Trail in Dallas, securing funding to advance a 50‑mile urban trail network.
4. Project Pipeline Development: DCCM supports the creation of a statewide “project pipeline,” a dashboard tool designed to identify, filter, and prioritize strong candidates for future federal grant opportunities. This tool streamlines decision‑making and enhances TxDOT’s ability to strategically position projects for competitive funding.

Beyond these core tasks, DCCM planners and data analysts apply their expertise in FAST Act performance measures to track and report project outcomes relative to national goals and federal performance management requirements, key components of the discretionary grant selection process.

DCCM also prepares program‑level opinions of probable cost (OPCC) and integrates these with project analyses to perform benefit‑cost analyses (BCA) consistent with BUILD and other federal grant criteria, ensuring that applications are both technically sound and competitively positioned.