Concrete Pavement Progress 8 www.acpa.org P A V E M E N T T Y P E C O M P E T I T I O N » continued from page 7 State and local decision-makers also understand the importance of a competitive marketplace, said Mulder. “When an agency receives five different bids on the same project, it is obvious that a clear decision on the bid that offers the best value can be made,” said Mulder. “The Iowa concrete paving industry has worked with Iowa owner agencies for a long time, and representatives meet with, listen to, and respect the perspective of keeping the quality of the end product as the center of the discussion.” This collaborative and open approach to both pavement solutions has produced a number of benefits that go beyond cost savings and have affected the overall concrete pavement industry, said Mulder. “Our state culture of working with others has led to innovation,” he said. “We only get better as a pavement industry when we learn from each other.” Engagement & Education: Keys to Success Concrete pavement contractors and industry organizations are engaging state legislators and agency representatives in a variety of ways. In Pennsylvania, the Concrete Pavement Caucus— a group of state legislators who see the value in inter-industry competition—along with other legislators who serve on transportation committees and PennDOT representatives, joined industry members on a tour of concrete pavement projects that included mainline paving, a recently-constructed concrete roundabout, and a tour of a portable batch plant. “We also work with government affairs consultants touse research information fromtheCSHub to explain the benefit of competition,” said Becker. “With amonopsonistic highwaymarket (amarket dominated by one buyer), PennDOT is uniquely positioned to influence the paving market and the level of competition between the paving industries. And with true competition comes lower unit costs for both pavement types and better quality, which is a win-win for both the department and Pennsylvania taxpayers.” The need for competition between pavement types will increase as the funds from the BIL are distributed to states, said Wathne. “This anticipated increase in work will strain existing supply chains if only one pavement type is considered,” he said. “Diversifying the supply chain by awarding projects to both industries increases overall paving capacity with more contractors involved and keeps costs down by reducing the risk and likelihood of market saturation and a shortage of materials,” he said. What’s more, addressing the expertise gap in state and local agencies can easily be overcome with just-in-time training provided through local ACPA Chapter contacts and universities or by partnering with local engineers and designers who have the needed expertise. “Lack of training is not a reason to exclude one pavement type; it is more prudent and equitable to plan staff education if needed,” said Wathne. “Fundamentally, ensuring inter-industry competition is a critical component of good stewardship.” He added, “There are, of course, challenges, but none of them are insurmountable problems if we are willing to apply lessons learned from the past.”
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