How does NDOT control project costs?
When practical, NDOT uses public lands to reduce right-of-way costs and provide construction materials like earth fill and aggregates. In the design process, large projects are value engineered, whereby a multidisciplinary team brainstorms and evaluates creative ways to accomplish the project objective, usually resulting in substantial savings. NDOT’s greatest expenditure is construction contracts, which are awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. Rigorous specifications and testing assure that contractors deliver the product for which the public paid. Asset management systems are used to track and optimize the performance of our pavements, bridges, routine maintenance, and equipment. For both construction and maintenance activities, budgets are set, costs are rigorously tracked through audits and inspections, and changes to projects carefully scrutinized.
