Do You Need to Outsource a Transportation Project? Widseth Can Help

Has this ever happened to you? Your list of projects was manageable – timelines were on target, budgets looked good, and your staff was firing on all cylinders. Then, your list of projects tripled because funding suddenly became available. What are you going to do now?

This scenario happens to Department of Transportation Project Managers from time-to-time and it can throw a giant wrench into their plans. If this sounds familiar, you know what happens next – it’s time to outsource some of the work during these peak times.

Outsourcing work can be tough. You don’t want to compromise budgets and deadlines, and that’s why it’s critical to have a trusted partner whenever these surprises pop up. Widseth is that partner.

Widseth has worked on many MnDOT projects that have been outsourced. We are familiar with how MnDOT operates and we’re pre-qualified in more than 20 categories. Our many disciplines can be called on at any time including aerial mapping, GIS, lidar, environmental services, civil engineering, transportation engineering, water resources engineering, structural engineering, and land surveying services among others.

Last spring, we were contacted by MnDOT’s District 8 in Willmar. Funding had just become available, which meant projects that were in the queue suddenly were moving forward. We immediately put together a proposal and were selected to perform highway design services on TH 75 from Ivanhoe to Canby, which included rural and urban design.

Our experience with MnDOT’s projects and lessons learned allow us to hit the ground running, which ensures quality and efficiency.

 We took the following steps to ensure the project ran smoothly.

1. Re-visited the scope of work and made sure it was current
2. Ensured safety items included in the project were addressed
3. Finalized the contract with MnDOT
4. Facilitated a project kickoff meeting
5. Reviewed the project delivery schedule
6. Began working on project tasks while communicating with MnDOT
7. Set milestone dates for the completion of tasks
8. Completed the design plans with high quality
9. Submitted the final plans to MnDOT for Central Office processing and letting

Our contact at MnDOT was able to deliver a project on time and within budget. The communication with MnDOT’s Kent Medalen was an excellent experience in producing a high-quality project plan and specifications.

Our experience with MnDOT’s projects and lessons learned allow us to hit the ground running, which ensures quality and efficiency.