A brief word from Gordon Dixon, VTCA Executive Vice President, on the importance of maintaining safety standards in and around work sites.

We are thrilled to announce that registration is now open for the 2024 VTCA Annual Meeting! This prestigious event will take place July 11-14 at Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront in Virginia Beach.

 

Join industry leaders, professionals, and innovators as we gather to discuss the latest trends, challenges, and advancements in transportation construction. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be part of shaping the future of transportation construction at this transformative event.

In early May, the Supreme Court of Virginia’s decision in Montalla, LLC v. Commonwealth, established some favorable legal precedent for contractors doing business with the Commonwealth of Virginia. Contractors dealing with the Commonwealth or its agencies (e.g., VDOT) should be aware that when they enter into valid contracts with the Commonwealth, they can hold the Commonwealth accountable for those contracts and seek lawful remedies that may otherwise be unavailable due to the doctrine of sovereign immunity.

In response to recent inflationary pressures, VDOT is temporarily suspending the escalation rate range limitation as set forth in Section 4.7.7. of the Manual for the Procurement and Management of Professional Services and raising the escalation rates for professional services contracts.

VDOT’s Design Technologies Support Group has issued an announcement regarding the renewal of design software licensing for the upcoming fiscal year. These renewals would apply to current licenses that expire June 3-7, 2024.

VDOT issued a memorandum in late 2023 announcing an update to its Flagger Certification program. The announcement introduced new certification requirements requiring that all flaggers be certified using ATSSA’s Flagger Certification program. Since the announcement, the Department has established steps and dates to transition to the new certification requirement.

VDOT had an incident with a contractor-owned portable message board on Friday, June 7, 2024. Someone gained access to the message board and reprogrammed it to include an inappropriate message. The issue was resolved quickly, but this is a great opportunity to ensure that we are following the proper procedures for securing these devices.