In 1995, Alberta Transportation and Utilities (AT&U) took its first steps of many to outsourcing the highway maintenance work. The task at hand was not easy, everything from deciding on the type of contract, lump sum versus unit price, to developing maintenance specifications and contractor selection process had to be done in a relatively short time frame. In the end, the department overcame the challenges and in 1996 a new industry emerged in Alberta. The department expected some savings from the first round and was quite pleased with the results when the re-tendering was complete. There were significant savings from the first round. The department is now about to embark on its third round of re-tendering. Maintaining a level playing field for all contractors, creating a competitive atmosphere, dealing with increased public expectation and issues on environment and insurance are just a few of the items that are being looked at in this round. For the covering abstract of this conference see ITRD number E211426.
Abstract