摘要: |
Transportation agencies continue to struggle with constrained resources, often resulting in staff reductions. At the same time, agencies are challenged to ensure that legal, environmental, and other requirements are met and documented for all federal- and state-funded projects. As a result, many agencies have decided to hire full- or part-time consultants, create limited-term positions, or recruit co-op or similar staff in order to supplement their workforce. In order to provide more unified and efficient use of resources, there is a need to analyze current staffing practices, the use of supplemental resources, and the types of work being outsourced. Research is needed to develop guidance to help transportation agencies understand alternative ways to effectively and efficiently balance program oversight responsibilities using agency staff, consultants, and contractors.
The objective of this research is to develop guidance for staffing transportation construction projects that (1) identifies current contracting methods and associated staffing used by transportation agencies; (2) identifies staffing strategies; (3) identifies knowledge, skills, abilities, and qualifications required for project inspection and testing staff; and (4) recommends best practices for balancing project oversight responsibilities using agency staff, consultants, and contractors for transportation construction projects. |