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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

About the U.S. DOT Project Delivery Center of Excellence

A project manager with a laptop looks at a crane working on completing an elevated highway

Accelerating Infrastructure 

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) makes historic investments in transportation and infrastructure development to improve public safety and create jobs across the country. 

The significant level of funding requires an equal investment of time and energy in ensuring efficient and effective project delivery. Delivering transportation infrastructure projects on time and on budget requires keeping projects on task at the earliest phases, such as the permitting, design, and public engagement processes. Getting the pre-implementation phase right is essential to keeping projects on time and on budget, as resolving issues early prevents later—and more expensive—disruptions. It also presents the opportunity to create projects that reflect U.S. DOT’s priorities. 

The Project Delivery Center of Excellence at the U.S. DOT Volpe Center aims to support and educate recipients of federal funds—transportation infrastructure project managers in state, Tribal, local, regional, and territorial governments— in delivering transportation infrastructure projects more efficiently and effectively from concept to completion. The Center of Excellence will serve as a central resource for innovative and effective practices and bring project managers together to enable knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer learning. 

Advancing On Time, On Task, and On Budget Project Delivery 

The U.S. DOT Volpe Center draws upon our multimodal, multidisciplinary expertise to advance U.S. DOT’s key priorities to improve our transportation system. The Project Delivery Center of Excellence will be uniquely informed by the U.S. DOT Volpe Center’s more than 50 years of advancing transportation innovation for the public good. 

Initial plans for the Project Delivery Center of Excellence include:   

  • Centralizing Project Delivery Methods Best Practices and Convening Information Exchanges 

    • Provide a central repository and disseminate national best practices and case studies in successful, innovative project development (planning, design, permitting, outreach, acquisition), project delivery (procurement and construction), and cost containment efforts.  

    • Provide peer-to-peer information exchange to share best project delivery methods and practices by organizing webinars and trainings.

  • Streamlining Transportation Construction Contracts 

    • Work in partnership with the American Society of Civil Engineers and Association of Consulting Engineering Companies to develop and distribute templates and model language for transportation construction contracts.  

    • Simplify the contracting process by providing newer, less experienced grant recipients with an off-the-shelf, high-quality model that they can use to ensure consistency and quality in design and construction contracts.

  • Addressing the Causes of and Preventing Construction Change Orders 

    • Convene a group of stakeholders to identify root causes of change orders, report back on best practices to minimize their use, and disseminate best practices with project sponsors. 

    • Lead this study in partnership with stakeholders including the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, and the American Public Transportation Association.