Large-scale and extreme events can cause long-term disruptions in the use of transportation infrastructure. Many state departments of transportation (DOTs) have established procedures on how to address an emergency project. Recent events in Colorado involving multiple emergency projects across several geographic areas have identified the need for DOTs to have a plan for prioritizing and managing several concurrent emergency projects across multiple routes. NCHRP Legal Research Digest 49: Emergency Contracting: Flexibilities in Contracting Procedures During an Emergency provides a legal analysis for emergency contracting utilizing federal funds. For many DOTs, however, emergency contracting procedures are centered on a single emergency. When multiple infrastructure assets are compromised, DOTs do not have consistent guidelines on how to bring an overall system back online. The domestic scan on Best Practices in Accelerated Construction Techniques [NCHRP Project 20-68A (07-02)] developed case studies on seven emergency projects. It summarized operational techniques and made suggestions at the project level. However, it did not provide suggestions for a programmatic approach to facilitate the emergency contracting process. NCHRP Synthesis 438: Expedited Procurement Procedures for Emergency Construction Services identified this issue as a gap in the body of knowledge and recommended that research be undertaken to provide the necessary guidance to DOTs. The synthesis also identified the need to coordinate DOT plans with those of other state, local, and federal agencies in advance of a series of emergencies. Lastly, it recommended that the research investigate alternative contracting methods like indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts as potential sources for on-call emergency design and construction services as is done in New York and Florida.
There was a need for research to address the following questions:
- What are the effective practices for developing a contracting approach for the administration of concurrent regional emergency projects?
- How do roles and responsibilities in the field shift depending on the lead agency?
- How are multiple corridors prioritized related to materials, contractor, route availability, and fabricator prioritization?
The objective of this research was to develop a contracting strategies guidebook for concurrent regional emergencies. The primary audience is state DOTs administering multiple projects over a region involving multiple routes.
The agencys' final deliverables including a final research report documenting the entire research effort and findings, and a guidebook with appendices are available to download at:
