Approach to Tracking Contract Maintenance Costs in Texas / Texas DOT
TxDOT provides an example of effective contract maintenance cost data collection processes. TxDOT contracts approximately 52 percent ($620 million) of its $1.2 billion maintenance budget for routine maintenance. Contracted work is interfaced into TxDOT’s MMS in two ways: from its enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and from its construction contract management software. TxDOT typically uses work orders (WO) for contracts less than $25,000. The process for capturing and reporting contract maintenance costs is shown in Figure 6-A.
Figure 6-A: TxDOT Contract Purchase Order Data Collection Process
Source: Texas DOT
For larger projects, TxDOT utilizes AASHTOWare Site Manager, including the Routine Maintenance Contract Administration module. Daily work reports allow inspectors to capture work performed at the job site such as personnel, equipment, work items, quantities, descriptions, etc. Over 3,700 pay items are used on routine maintenance contracts and the Maintenance Distribution Window, a custom upgrade to Site Manager, ties the pay item cost to the MMS function code (i.e., what work is being performed) and amount of work performed. The MMS then provides reports by function code for both in-house and contracted work and TxDOT actively monitors data quality to ensure accurate reporting and analysis” (Allen, et. al. 2023).
*Note: This practice example was derived from NCHRP Research Report 1076: A Guide to Incorporating Maintenance Costs into a Transportation Asset Management Plan.
Read more in the chapter: 6.6.1 Categorizing and Tracking Maintenance Activities and Costs