FHWA, AASHTO announce webinars regarding manufactured products and Buy America

FHWA, AASHTO announce webinars regarding manufactured products and Buy America

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Infrastructure is hosting a webinar at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday to address phased requirements regarding the Manufactured Products Final Rule for the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act.

The webinar is free but requires registration. Sign up here.

AASHTO will be holding a webinar Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. ET to introduce the Domestic Materials Self Certification Form, created in coordination with FHWA and state DOTs, to streamline documentation and help ensure products used on federally funded transportation projects meet the necessary domestic material standards.

Register for the AASHTO webinar here to get an introduction to the tool, learn how it works and get questions answered.

On Jan. 14, 2025, ATSSA reported that FHWA published its final rule regarding the Manufactured Products Waiver, which had been in place since 1983.

The Manufactured Products Final Rule, published in the Federal Register, confirmed the decision to rescind the waiver, a decision FHWA had originally proposed as part of its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) released in March of 2024.

Today, FHWA announced its webinar to address the Manufactured Products Final Rule standards regarding BABA requirements applicable to manufactured products on federal-aid projects and a phased schedule for implementing those standards.

Below is the phased schedule for implementation provided by FHWA:

• For projects obligated between March 20, 2025, and Sept. 30, 2025, FHWA’s general waiver of manufactured products continues to apply to manufactured products permanently incorporated in such projects.
• For projects obligated on or after Oct. 1, 2025, all manufactured products permanently incorporated into the project must be manufactured in the United States (known as the “final assembly requirement”).
• For projects obligated on or after Oct. 1, 2026, all manufactured products permanently incorporated into the project must meet the final assembly requirement and the cost of components of the manufactured products that are mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States must be greater than 55 percent of the total cost of all components of the manufactured product (known as the “55 percent requirement”).