112 STAT. 454 PUBLIC LAW 105-178-JUNE 9, 1998 transportation system program in cooperation with State and local governments and other public entities, the United States private sector, the Federal laboratories, and colleges and universities, including historically black colleges and universities and other minority institutions of higher education. (d) CONSULTATION WITH FEDERAL OFFICIALS. — In carrying out the intelligent transportation system program, the Secretary, as appropriate, shall consult with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of the National Science Foundation, and the heads of other Federal departments and agencies. (e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, TRAINING, AND INFORMATION. — The Secretary may provide technical assistance, training, and information to State and local governments seeking to implement, operate, maintain, or evaluate intelligent transportation system technologies and services. (f) TRANSPORTATION PLANNING. — The Secretary may provide funding to support adequate consideration of transportation system management and operations, including intelligent transportation systems, within metropolitan and statewide transportation planning processes. (g) INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE.— (1) IN GENERAL.— The Secretary shall— (A) maintain a repository for technical and safety data collected as a result of federally sponsored projects carried out under this subtitle; and (B) on request, make that information (except for proprietary information and data) readily available to all users of the repository at an appropriate cost. (2) DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY. — (A) IN GENERAL. —The Secretary may delegate the responsibility of the Secretary under this subsection, with continuing oversight by the Secretary, to an appropriate entity not within the Department of Transportation. (B) FEDERAL ASSISTANCE. — If the Secretary delegates the responsibility, the entity to which the responsibility is delegated shall be eligible for Federal assistance under this section. (h) ADVISORY COMMITTEES.— (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this subtitle, the Secretary may use 1 or more advisory committees. (2) APPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.— Any advisory committee so used shall be subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.). (i) PROCUREMENT METHODS. — (1) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— The Secretary shall develop appropriate technical assistance and guidance to assist State and local agencies in evaluating and selecting appropriate methods of procurement for intelligent transportation system projects carried out using funds made available from the Highway Trust Fund, including innovative and nontraditional methods such as the Information Technology Omnibus Procurement. (2) INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM SOFTWARE.—To the maximum extent practicable, contracting officials shall use as a critical evaluation criterion the Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model, or another similar recognized standard risk assessment methodology, to reduce the
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