Current Performance-Based Maintenance Methods to Improve Virginia Highways

Abstract

This research was completed in two phases. Phase 1 involved a miniscan study of the highway maintenance industry to identify current state-of-practice in performance-based maintenance contracting (PBMC). Information was gathered on domestic and foreign agencies currently using performance-based maintenance on highways. Phase 2 used the miniscan study information to build, compare, and analyze agency time lines, comparing the Virginia Department of Transportation (DOT) with others. Time lines included major milestones at each agency, that is, milestones that enabled innovation in the field of performance-based contracting. The purpose of comparing the Virginia DOT with other agencies was to provide the Virginia DOT with industry best practices as well as recommendations for future contract evolutions. Time lines were constructed for the Florida DOT, Main Roads of Western Australia, the Highways Agency of England, and the New Zealand Transport Agency. Connection links were made between the Virginia DOT and the other four agencies on the basis of similarities in procurement laws and maintenance milestones (i.e., first design–build project). Time line linkages and collection of information on benefits associated with PBMC (compared with traditional method-based maintenance) were used to make five recommendations for the Virginia DOT's future maintenance program. The Virginia DOT's recommendations were to use performance-based contracting on secondary roads, use areawide contracts to cover additional facilities, shift the Virginia DOT Turnkey Asset Maintenance Services’ focus from a lowest-cost to best-value approach similar to England's managing-agent contractor, devise a strategic network of highways to prioritize maintenance, and use key performance indicators to align maintenance division objectives with overall Virginia DOT organization. Recommendations also considered current restrictions imposed by Virginia procurement laws.