Overview
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) plans, builds, operates, and maintains the state highway system — one of the largest transportation networks in the country, spanning roughly 80,000 centerline miles across 25 districts. Headquartered in Austin, it is a heavy edge and field organization: traffic management centers, roadside ITS and sensor infrastructure, signals, cameras, connected-vehicle pilots, and a large back-office data and applications estate.
Its capital program runs through the annually updated Unified Transportation Program (UTP), a 10-year 'road map' that the draft 2026 edition put at roughly $101.6B — the third straight year above $100B. On the technology side, TxDOT's Information Technology Division supports more than 700 IT professionals and the agency has moved aggressively on AI: its AI Strategic Plan, launched December 2024 and updated in February 2026, frames AI as a 'force multiplier' embedded in workflows under a 'human-led, AI-supported' governance model.
For a Dell SLG seller, TxDOT is an infrastructure-, edge-, and data-rich account whose buying runs through TxDOT's own procurement plus DIR Cooperative Contracts, gated by TX-RAMP and TxDOT's internal IS-RAMP requirements.
- IT buying center: CIO Anh Selissen's Information Technology Division (700+ IT professionals) spanning security, operations, applications, data governance, and traffic-technology operations.
- Funding shapers: the Texas Transportation Commission adopts the 10-year UTP and approves major contracts; ITS/traffic-technology dollars ride the capital program, not a standalone IT line.
- Approval gates: TxDOT's CISO reviews and approves technology proposals; TX-RAMP plus TxDOT's own IS-RAMP requirements apply to anything that touches TxDOT data.
- Fastest vehicle: DIR Cooperative Contracts for catalog IT hardware/software; larger program-specific buys run through TxDOT's own agency procurement.
Where Dell Can Play
- Confirm Dell's DIR Cooperative Contract coverage and reseller scope for TxDOT, and identify TxDOT's own agency procurement path for larger program-specific buys.
- Lead with AI-infrastructure, data-platform, and edge-compute messaging tied directly to TxDOT's AI Strategic Plan (pilots-to-operations) and its 'human-led, AI-supported' governance model.
- Map the ITS / connected-vehicle / traffic-technology buildout (the $264M+ in the draft 2026 UTP) to edge, ruggedized, sensor-data, and real-time-processing solutions.
- Engage CIO Anh Selissen's IT Division early and clear TX-RAMP plus TxDOT's internal IS-RAMP security requirements before pursuing any cloud / as-a-service deal.
- Track the adopted (final) 2026 UTP versus the draft, and the Texas Transportation Commission's approvals, to time forecasts and major program pursuits.
Budget & Fiscal
TxDOT's scale shows up in its capital program, not a small IT line. The draft 2026 UTP was about $101.6B over 10 years (roughly $7.5B of it new funding), and Governor Abbott has separately framed a broader transportation investment of over $146B. Embedded in the capital plan is a meaningful traffic-technology / ITS component — the kind of sensor, edge, and data infrastructure a compute and storage vendor maps to.
- The UTP is updated annually and approved by the Texas Transportation Commission — figures shift between draft and adopted versions, so confirm against the final adopted UTP before forecasting.
- TxDOT is a large direct technology spender in its own right (700+ IT pros, statewide ITS/edge), distinct from DIR, which is the procurement path rather than the end customer.
Initiatives & Priorities
Launched Dec 2024 and updated Feb 2026, TxDOT is moving AI from isolated pilots into everyday operations under a 'human-led, AI-supported' model. It has evaluated 200+ use cases via a Readiness Scorecard, with live examples like AI incident detection in Austin. Strong fit for AI-infrastructure, data-platform, and edge-compute conversations.
AI Data EdgeTxDOT runs a Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Task Force and a growing intelligent-transportation-systems footprint — roadside sensors, traffic management centers, signal tech, and connected-vehicle pilots. The draft 2026 UTP earmarks $264M+ in new traffic-management technology. This is an edge, sensor-data, and real-time-processing buildout.
ITS Connected Vehicle EdgePrograms such as the Texas Innovation Alliance (analytics and AI for smart transportation) and proposed neutral testing/proving-ground concepts position TxDOT as a public-private innovation buyer — a route for piloting compute, data, and AI solutions before scaling.
Innovation AnalyticsTxDOT operates its own Information Security Risk and Authorization Management Program (IS-RAMP) and a controls-standards catalog, with a CISO who reviews and approves technology proposals. Security and TX-RAMP posture is a gate to clear on any data-touching deal.
Cybersecurity ComplianceProcurement
TxDOT buys both through its own agency procurement and through statewide vehicles. Two early checks for any technology play: that Dell's DIR Cooperative Contracts are active and correctly scoped for TxDOT, and that any cloud / as-a-service offering meets TX-RAMP and TxDOT's internal IS-RAMP security requirements.
| Vehicle / gate | What it means for Dell |
|---|---|
| TxDOT agency procurement | TxDOT runs its own solicitations and contracts for goods, services, and IT — distinct from DIR. Larger and program-specific buys typically flow through the agency's own procurement and the Texas Transportation Commission's approvals. |
| DIR Cooperative Contracts | The statewide pre-competed vehicle TxDOT can buy IT hardware, software, and services through without running a separate RFP — a common path for technology purchases. |
| TX-RAMP / IS-RAMP certification | TX-RAMP is the statewide cloud-security gate; TxDOT additionally enforces its own IS-RAMP requirements for third parties that access, store, or transmit TxDOT data. Clear the right level before pursuing cloud / aaS deals. |
Spend Signals
GovSpend · as of Aug 10, 2026Dell vs. competitors (spend, payee)
Brand footprint — all channels (est.)
Higher of two conservative lenses: product-name match · manufacturer tag. Both undercount — treat as floors.
Top IT categories
Expiring contracts (re-compete)
| Contract | Vendor | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| Network Implementation and Maintenance | Accel BI Corporation | Aug 30, 2026 |
| Detection System, Vehicle, Intersection | Twincrest Technologies | Aug 31, 2026 |
| Vehicle Detectors | Abacus Computers Inc | Aug 31, 2026 |
| Maintenance and Support, Cloud-Based SaaS | Vue Robotics LLC | Aug 31, 2026 |
| Upgrading Services, Software, Hourly Rate | Rackspace US Inc | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Software as a Service | SHI Government Solutions | Dec 19, 2026 |
| Software, Microcomputer | Carahsoft Technology Corporation | Jan 20, 2027 |
Open bids / RFPs
| Solicitation | Due |
|---|---|
| Traffic Signal Poles for the TxDOT Corpus Christi District (CRP) Texas Department of Transportation | Aug 12, 2026 |
| Fast Falling Weight Deflectometer (FastFWD) Texas Department of Transportation | Aug 12, 2026 |
| Wavetronix SmartSensor Matrix, Advance Detection Systems and Accessories Texas Department of Transportation | Aug 13, 2026 |
| Moxa Networking Equipment BPO (Request For Offer) Texas Department of Transportation | Aug 14, 2026 |
| RFO — Traffic Sign Fabrication Printing Equipment, Software, and Services Texas Department of Transportation | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Pole Mounted Traffic Signal Controllers Texas Department of Transportation | Aug 19, 2026 |
- Payee lens (vendorSpend) counts dollars paid to each vendor; brand lens uses product-name text matching across all channels — conservative floors, and the lenses differ (Dell payee $16.7M vs $19.9M of Dell-branded items across all channels).
- Dell footprint excludes ~$2.8M from clearly non-IT vendors (fire-protection, flood-control, janitorial) whose line items matched generic terms like 'precision' and 'latitude'; Bullchase Inc is the dominant non-Dell channel for Dell-branded gear.
- Cisco brand footprint ($27.5M) far exceeds Cisco-direct payee spend ($13.4M) — much Cisco gear moves through resellers such as Netsync, Presidio, and CDW.
- Window is PO issue dates Oct 2022–Sep 2025 (hub-standard calendar window); Texas state FY runs Sep–Aug. Contract dollar values are largely unpublished in the source system.
- Competitor brand figures on this page were recomputed on 2026-08-05 after the same measurement error found in the Dell totals: the earlier method summed per-keyword buckets, so a line item naming two matched terms (e.g. “HPE ProLiant” or “Apple iPad”) was counted twice. Values here come from a single de-duplicated match over the same keyword set and supersede the earlier, overstated totals.
- expiringContracts/openBids refreshed 2026-08-10 (GovSpend agencyId 6978): contracts filtered to endDate 2026-08-24–2027-02-28, bids to dueDate on/after 2026-08-10. TxDOT's raw IT-relevant contract pipeline in this window is dominated by near-identical vehicle-detection-system awards (~15 separate 2026-08-31 contracts across Wavetronix, Twincrest, Abacus, Consolidated Traffic Controls and others); a representative sample is shown here alongside more IT-recognizable software/cloud entries (Rackspace, SHI, Carahsoft) rather than listing every detection-system award. A prior entry (Designs That Compute, Hardware/AV, endDate 2026-08-19) was dropped for falling inside the 2-week runway floor.
Power Structure
| Decision-maker | Why they matter |
|---|---|
| Marc D. Williams, P.E. Executive Director | Agency leader (22nd Executive Director); has publicly positioned AI as 'a strategic asset embedded in our workflows.' The top relationship for the account. |
| Anh Selissen Chief Information Officer & IT Division Director | Leads 700+ IT professionals across security, operations, applications, data governance, and traffic-technology operations; CIO since Sept 2019. Recognized CIO/State IT Leader of the Year and, in Nov 2025, appointed by Gov. Abbott to the state's Public Sector AI Systems Advisory Board (term to Sept 1, 2027) — the central technology relationship and a statewide-AI voice. |
| TxDOT IT Division — Cybersecurity / CISO Security policy, IS-RAMP, approvals | TxDOT's CISO function reviews and approves technology proposals and owns the IS-RAMP / controls-standards requirements vendors must meet. (Individual CISO name not publicly confirmed; reports up through the IT Division.) |
| Texas Transportation Commission Governing body (W. Alvin New, Acting Chair) | Five-member, Governor-appointed commission that adopts the UTP and approves major contracts and program funding. As of mid-2026 W. Alvin New is listed as Acting Chair (interim — verify current status); other commissioners: Robert C. Vaughn, Alejandro 'Alex' G. Meade III, Steven D. Alvis, Pat Gordon. |
News & Signals
Sources
- TxDOT — Unified Transportation Program (UTP)
- TxDOT — UTP seeks feedback on $101.6B 10-year plan
- Governor Abbott — Over $146B Texas transportation investment
- GovTech Insider — Draft 2026 UTP includes $264M+ in traffic tech
- TxDOT — Executive Director Marc D. Williams
- TxDOT — Chief Information Officer (Anh Selissen)
- TxDOT — Information Technology Division
- TxDOT — Updates AI Strategic Plan (Feb 2026)
- TxDOT — AI Strategic Plan update page
- TxDOT — Connected & Automated Vehicles Task Force
- TxDOT — Information Resources & Security Requirements (IS-RAMP)
- TxDOT — Launches operations of SH 130 Smart Corridor (May 2026)
- KVUE — SH 130 gets smart AI technology to spot crashes, hazards
- TxDOT — Inside Scoop: Transportation Commission June 2026 (draft 2027 UTP ~$95B)
- GovTech — Texas DOT Updates AI Strategic Plan (multi-cloud, Copilot, 30+ initiatives)
- Gov. Abbott — Appoints eight to Public Sector AI Systems Advisory Board (incl. Anh Selissen)
- TxDOT — Texas Transportation Commission (members / Acting Chair)