Section 2: Product Evaluation Committee

Participation

The Research and Technology Implementation Division (RTI), TxDOT divisions, and districts provide employees to serve on the Product Evaluation Committee. These employees are selected for their expertise in performing preliminary evaluations of new products. The PEC typically includes representatives from:
  • Research and Technology Implementation Division (Chair),
  • Bridge Division,
  • Construction Division,
  • Design Division,
  • Environmental Affairs
    ,
  • Maintenance Division,
  • Maintenance Division (Veg)
    ,
  • Materials and Tests Division
    ,
  • Procurement Division
    ,
  • Traffic
    Safety
     Division, and
  • Districts.
For a list of current members,
please
 contact RTI.

Responsibilities

The Product Evaluation Committee (PEC) serves as TxDOT’s clearinghouse for coordinating the evaluation of commercially available products for which department specifications do not exist.
New
 Products evaluated by the PEC are generally assigned to a Division for review. The Division Subject Matter Expert review comments
are the
 basis for the final PEC determination.
The PEC does not endorse products. Their review and evaluation is limited to determining if a product may be useful in department operations, and whether it is a product the department may wish to procure.
A representative of the Division assigned to evaluate the product is responsible for the monitoring and final decision for the particular product assigned. This responsibility includes developing criteria by which to accept, reject, or defer a product for further testing. Either laboratory or field testing may be recommended. All conclusive evidence of the evaluation determination is submitted to RTI, to be maintained as records of the Product Evaluation Program.
All communications shall come from RTI
or the Division Reviewer; product evaluation initiation emails and letters communicating the new product review final determination
.
General Outcomes:
  • The Division identifies an existing specification that the product is already addressed by (which includes vendor instruction on how to submit a product for the Division's APL) and RTI responds to the submitter and closes out the new product evaluation.
  • The Division has no interest in the product and RTI replies to the submitter with a No Interest Letter: TxDOT is not interested in the product at this time (this does not mean that there is anything wrong with the product, just that TxDOT has no use for the product).
  • The Division completes their review process and RTI replies to the vendor with an Unfavorable Product Evaluation: TxDOT is not interested in the product because the product does not meet TxDOT requirements/industry standards or failed TxDOT testing after the product underwent testing in a District.
  • The Division completes their review process and approves the product for use at TxDOT. The product is placed on the New Product Evaluation
    Approved Product List
    (APL) with a District Specific Special Specification that is created by the Division/District to address use of the product; RTI replies to the submitter with a New Product Approval Letter and adds the product to the APL.