What Build America Center does

Build America Center (BAC) is a federally-funded technical assistance center established in April 2022 at the University of Maryland's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, operating under FHWA Cooperative Agreement No. 693JJ32250002. It functions as a multi-institutional partnership with Georgia Tech, Purdue, Virginia Tech, Stanford, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Build America Bureau. The center's mission is to mobilize innovative finance, funding, and project delivery solutions for transportation infrastructure, supporting state DOTs, local governments, MPOs, tribal governments, and State Infrastructure Banks in accessing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL/IIJA). All services and tools are provided free of charge to eligible government entities.

The center's core product portfolio centers on three web-based platforms: the BIL/IIJA Launchpad (a funding opportunity dashboard with 10,000+ users and 250+ successful application examples), the US Major Transportation Projects Database (140+ projects, $200B+ in total value, with benchmarking and risk registry tools), and the Grants+ tool (launched June 2025, featuring four Strategy Corridors and an AI-powered chatbot). Supporting these are research publications (Value for Money Analysis Principles, Status of Major State Infrastructure Banks Report, Risk Allocation and Sharing in Transportation P3s Report, Crowdfunding for EV Infrastructure Report), an educational video series, workshops, and an annual Build Infrastructure Better Symposium. Director Qingbin Cui leads the center, supported by Senior Advisor Sam Beydoun and embedded researchers at partner universities.

The business model is non-commercial: BAC does not sell products or services. It is funded entirely through its FHWA cooperative agreement and delivers personalized technical assistance, training, and digital tools at no cost to public-sector beneficiaries. Distribution is direct-to-government via established relationships with governor, county, city, tribal, and minority contractor associations, supplemented by digital channels (website, YouTube, LinkedIn, monthly newsletter, webinars). To date, the center reports assisting with 10+ grant applications that secured $75 million in BIL funding, delivering 27+ training activities, and collaborating with 15+ local governments.

Name

Build America Center

Legal name

Build America Center

Website

https://bac.umd.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Build America Center is a federally-funded technical assistance center at the University of Maryland that helps state DOTs, local governments, MPOs, and tribal governments access Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding through free web tools, training, and research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Transportation Infrastructure Technical Assistance

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Institutional Capacity Building & Training (Workforce/Systems Strengthening) (BPADAEAC)

Keywords

• Transportation infrastructure funding
• Innovative project finance
• Federal grant technical assistance
• P3 project delivery
• Transportation engineering consulting

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Build America Center provides no-cost technical assistance, training, and web-based tools to U.S. state, local, MPO, and tribal government agencies to help them access and implement federal transportation infrastructure funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Its core offerings include the Grants+ AI-powered funding navigation platform, the BIL/IIJA Launchpad dashboard with 10,000+ users, the US Major Transportation Projects Database covering $200+ billion in projects, standardized research publications on Value for Money analysis and P3 risk allocation, and personalized expert consultations and workshops.

Product overview

Build America Center operates as a knowledge hub and technical assistance center at the University of Maryland, offering a portfolio of web-based tools, publications, and training services focused on innovative infrastructure financing and project delivery. The core product offerings include: Grants+ (a web-based platform for identifying funding and financing solutions), the US Major Transportation Projects Database (a benchmarking resource with over 140 major projects), and the IIJA/BIL Launchpad (a dashboard for navigating Bipartisan Infrastructure Law opportunities). Supporting these platforms are research publications including the Value for Money Analysis Principles, State Infrastructure Banks Report, Risk Allocation in P3s Report, and EV Infrastructure Crowdfunding Report. The Center also provides educational resources such as the IIJA Grant Spotlight Video Series, grant writing guidance, and P3 training courses—all designed to help state, local, and tribal governments access federal infrastructure funding and implement innovative delivery methods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Major Project Database: A comprehensive database sponsored by FHWA encompassing over 140 major surface transportation projects at a value of more than $200 billion, offering project analysis and benchmarking tools.
• IIJA Launchpad (BIL Launchpad)
• Grants+

Products and services

• Grants+ Tool User-friendly web-based platform that simplifies identifying funding, financing, and delivery solutions for transportation infrastructure projects for transportation agencies. Features four specialized Strategy Corridors (Local Match, Funding Source, Innovative Finance, Accelerated Delivery) and an AI-powered chatbot for personalized guidance.
• US Major Transportation Projects Database Comprehensive FHWA-sponsored database encompassing over 140 major surface transportation projects procured in the past two decades at a total value of more than $200 billion, offering structured and unstructured data including Environmental Impact Statements, Records of Decision, Benefit-Cost Analysis Reports, and Toll Feasibility Studies. Includes project delivery benchmarking tool, automatic risk registry tool, and supports Value for Money analysis parameter determination.
• BIL/IIJA Launchpad Web-based dashboard providing at-a-glance information about funding opportunities available under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL/IIJA) for local public agencies. Includes data analysis, visualization, software development capabilities, over 250 successful application examples, and an AI-powered chatbox (BILLAUNCHBOT) for instant access to BIL award data and expert advice.
• Value for Money Analysis Principles and Standards Standardized framework publication providing guidance for evaluating infrastructure project delivery models, helping agencies fulfill Value for Money (VfM) analysis requirements under IIJA Sections 11508 and 70701. Designed for state, local, and tribal transportation agencies implementing BIL-funded projects.
• Value for Money Analysis Principles Checklist Companion checklist document supporting the VfM Analysis Principles publication, helping agencies consistently apply the standardized framework when assessing infrastructure project delivery options.
• Status of Major State Infrastructure Banks Report Comprehensive report developed in partnership with Rebel, reviewing federally-capitalized State Infrastructure Banks, identifying persistent barriers and strategies that have enabled high-performing SIBs in states like Texas, Florida, and Ohio.
• Risk Allocation and Sharing in Transportation P3s Report Comprehensive research report examining 26 P3 transportation project contracts and interviewing 14 practitioners on how risks are allocated and shared between public and private sectors in P3 project delivery.
• Crowdfunding for EV Infrastructure Report Research report examining the viability of crowdfunding as a funding method for electric vehicle charging infrastructure to meet charging network needs and Justice40 compliance requirements.
• P3 Training for EV Charging Infrastructure One-day training course offered by FHWA through the National Highway Institute covering public-private partnerships (P3s) for delivering electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including screening tools and financial evaluation methods.

Quantifiable outcome

• Assisted with 10+ grant applications securing $75 million in BIL funding since late 2022, with 8 more applications under review
• +5 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Build America Bureau:

Emerging players

• Bipartisan Policy Center: Think tank with active infrastructure and transportation policy programs that produce research and recommendations on federal funding, P3s, and project delivery—an indirect peer whose work informs the same ecosystem BAC operates in.
• Eno Center for Transportation: Independent nonprofit think tank that produces research, policy analysis, and leadership development on U.S. transportation infrastructure financing and delivery, with a focus on innovation similar to BAC's agenda.
• National Governors Association (NGA): Bipartisan organization of U.S. governors that provides policy analysis, training, and technical assistance to state governments on federal funding and infrastructure—a complementary peer to BAC at the gubernatorial level.

Direct peers

• Results for America: Nonprofit that co-leads the Local Infrastructure Hub and provides technical assistance to state and local governments on accessing federal funds, evidence-based policymaking, and capacity building—directly comparable to BAC's mission.
• National League of Cities (NLC): Membership organization representing U.S. municipalities that provides federal funding navigation, advocacy, and training to local governments. NLC co-leads the Local Infrastructure Hub alongside BAC's overlapping audience, making it a direct peer in municipal capacity building for federal grants.
• U.S. Conference of Mayors: Nonpartisan organization of U.S. mayors that provides training, technical assistance, and advocacy on federal funding programs to city governments—overlapping directly with BAC's local-government and BIL navigation mandate.
• Bloomberg Cities Local Infrastructure Hub: A national technical assistance program (run by NLC, Results for America, and U.S. Conference of Mayors) that helps cities and towns access federal infrastructure funding. It is the most directly comparable peer to BAC—both serve the same state/local audience navigating BIL funding and are even cross-promoted on BAC's own homepage.
• AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials): Association representing state DOTs that delivers policy guidance, training, and technical resources on federal transportation funding, project delivery, and P3s to the same state-level audience BAC serves.
• FHWA Center for Innovative Finance Support: Federal Highway Administration program that provides technical assistance and resources on innovative finance, P3s, and project delivery to transportation agencies—directly comparable to and the parent program BAC was created to support.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@buildamericacenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/build-america-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Build America Center