Private consultants drive up costs of highway projects: state employees more efficient

As state employees, we have been challenged by the State to find ways to be more efficient and better utilize state funds.

Reducing the the use of private design consultants and using state employees would save money.

Talking Points

A recent study identifies that the proportion of transportation design projects in Washington State that are being done by private consultants has increased in the past five years from 17 percent of all state projects to over 40 percent. On some large-scale projects, that figure is as large as 75 percent.

The study also showed that using private consultants adds as much as 35 percent to the total cost of the project compared with utilizing state employees to do this work.

Reducing the percentage of private design contracts could provide a savings of hundreds of millions of dollars over the life of projects funded by the recent gas-tax!

Subject:
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Dear [ Decision Maker ],

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As a state employee, I have been challenged by the State to find ways to be more efficient and better utilize state funds.

Since you are a member of the Transportation Committee, I wanted to alert you of a way to use gas-tax dollars more efficiently. As a state employee working in transportation, I can identify millions of dollars in savings to the state or the potential use of these dollars for additional transportation improvements.

A recent study identified that the proportion of transportation design projects in Washington State that are being done by private consultants has increased in the past five years from 17 percent of all state projects to over 40 percent. On some large-scale projects that figure as large as 75 percent.

The study also showed that using private consultants adds as much as 35 percent to the total cost of the project compared with utilizing state employees to do this work.

Reducing the percentage of private design contracts could provide a savings of hundreds of millions of dollars over the life of the recent gas-tax!

At the national level, President Obama speaks about reducing our dependency on over-priced, lavish spending contractors. State governments across the nation are regularly reporting similar misuse of state funds.

I urge you to read the recent study, Value-Subtracted, conducted by the International Federation of Technical and Professional Engineers, Local 17, that provides detail to the problem here in Washington State. Then provide leadership to the Department of Transportation to mind the value of our gas-tax dollars and reform the manner in which so much money is needlessly wasted.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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