Survey of Consultant Services Provided for

Management and Inspection of

Construction Projects

Goal of SurveyDetermine how DOTs contract with

ConsultantsDOTs usage of Consultants for Management

and Inspection on Construction ProjectsDOTs Qualifications of ConsultantsAuthority and Responsibility DOTs delegated

to ConsultantsDOTs evaluation of Consultant PerformanceDetermine if Consultants are cost effective

Responses33 states responded to the survey

Contracting with ConsultantsAbout 70% of DOTs prequalify Consultants

Prequalification is generally by work categories

67% of DOTs use both project specific and on-call contracts21% use Project Specific only12% use On-Call only

Project Specific & Initial On Call contracts generally take 2-6 months for DOTs to negotiateOnce On-Call contract is in place it takes

less than 1 month to process work order

Types of contracts vary, the most typical types are:Cost Plus Fixed FeeHourly (with Additive)Fixed Fee (Lump Sum)

DOTs Construction Program60% of DOTs programs are under $500

Million23% over $500 Million but under $1Billion17% over $1 Billion

Usage of ConsultantsAbout 50% of DOTs allow Design Consultants

to pursue Management and Inspection of Construction Project contracts

For DOTs that use Consultants – All have their needs meet by existing firmsThe number of firms varies from 6 to 500Most states have less than 100 firms

Situations that warrant the need for Consultants

Insufficient DOT staffSpecialty ProjectsSpecialty ExpertiseSpike in WorkloadProject Size and Complexity

72% of DOTs consider Consultant usage during peak times to be cost effective and efficient alternative to increasing DOT full time employees

Consultants Scope of WorkIn order of DOT usageInspection, Management and Material TesterInspectorTesterProject Engineer/Manager

Experience, Expertise, Qualifications45% of DOTs require years of experience to

perform certain services65 % of DOTs require individual to

demonstrate specific expertise84% of DOT require specific training or

qualifications

Authority / Responsibility87% of DOTs do not allow Consultant to be in

“Responsible Charge” of projectsDOTs vary greatly in the Authority /

Responsibility given to ConsultantsGenerally it is less than DOT staff

Consultant PerformanceAbout 2/3 of DOTs evaluate performance with

company reviewsWhile the other 1/3 of DOTs use individual

review or a combination of company and individual reviews

CostsAverage DOT Labor Additive = 100%Average Consultant Labor Additive = 149%

Varies from 50% to 204%Consultant’s employees make an average of

47% more than DOT employees

Consultant staff is an average of 219% more expensive than DOT staff, based on a Hourly to Hourly comparison.

This is without taking into consideration the next slide

Inspection Costs - % of Construction Projects

Only DOT staff – Average 6.75%Only Consultant staff – Average 11.29%Combination of staff – Average 8.05%

Generally Inspected by Consultant and Managed by DOT

Decrease in DOT staffDOTs have decreased staff an average of 10%

in the last yearDOTs have decreased staff an average of 13%

over the last 5 years

Work GroupBren George - Indiana FHWABrian Lawrence – Maine FHWADennis Largent – Atkins North AmericaJohn Eddy - Colorado DOTJeff Wassenaar – Colorado DOTLewis Cannon – Connecticut DOTMichelle Page – Utah DOTSue Darling – Kansas DOT