Are you interested in contracting with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)? This seminar is an excellent primer for firms just getting started and wanting to learn how to do business with CDOT. You will find out what they buy, how they let contracts for goods and services and where to find contract opportunities. This workshop will include a discussion of CDOT's small business programs and how they can help you become more competitive in bidding and teaming on CDOT projects.

1. Getting Connected with the
Colorado Department of
Transportation (CDOT)

2. INTRODUCTION

3. Who is CDOT?
• CDOT is responsible for 9,146 miles of Mission
highway including 3,447 bridges “To provide the
• State government agency with funding best multi-modal
transportation
from FHWA, FTA, FAA and the state of system for
Colorado Colorado that
most effectively
• Primarily “horizontal” highway and safely
construction and maintenance moves people,
goods, and
• Billion dollar multi-modal business with information.”
3,300 employees
• Approximately $400M spent annually
on highway construction projects and
$115M on design and engineering

4. Who is CDOT?
More than roads and bridges…
• Aeronautics support for local airports
• Grants for rural transit and rail systems
• Transportation safety programs
• Funding for municipal roadway projects
• Co-projects with other transportation agencies
(e.g., RTD)
• Rail interconnectivity future

5. Organization Structure

6. Transportation Regions

7. DOING BUSINESS WITH
CDOT

8. What CDOT Buys
There are 3 primary categories in which CDOT makes purchases
• Purchasing professional services, supplies and commodities
• Contracting for highway construction projects
• Contracting of design and engineering consultant services
CDOT also purchases other low-cost and special services
• General purchases of less than $25,000
• Safety grant programs
• Emergency maintenance services

9. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
SUPPLIES AND
COMMODITIES

10. Selling Professional Services,
Commodities and Supplies to CDOT
Goods and services for operations such as:
– Janitorial supplies and services
– Office supplies
– Heavy tow service
– Trailer mounted variable message signs
– Professional services
• Procurement managed by Colorado State Purchasing
Office
• Must be registered on Colorado Bid Information
Distribution System (BIDS)
• $40 annual registration fee

11. State Purchasing of Goods and
Services

12. Colorado BIDS Solicitation Listing

13. Colorado BIDS Solicitation Listing

14. Selling Professional Services,
Commodities and Supplies to CDOT
Construction and Design Notices:
– State government facility and building construction
– Professional services > $100,000
– Construction services > $25,000
• Office of the State Architect
• Notification system separate from BIDS
• No registration fee

15. State Office of the Architect
Purchasing

16. Construction and Design Notices

17. Types of Solicitations for Goods and
Services
• Documented Quote
• Invitation for Bid (IFB)
• Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
• Request for Proposal (RFP)
• State Commodity & Service Pricing Agreements
Each solicitation is different. The specifications, rules and
instructions for responding are outlined in the solicitation document.

18. HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION
CONTRACTS

19. Selling Highway Construction
Services to CDOT
Contracts to construct, improve, repair, and maintain
roads, bridges and other transportation facilities
• Projects range in size from small preventative
maintenance work to multi-year, multi-million dollar
highway construction
• CDOT terms these vendors “contractors” or “bidders”
• CDOT hires only prime contractors and the prime
contractor hires all other firms, including
subcontractors, material suppliers, truckers,
fabricators and manufacturers
• Prime contractors must be prequalified by CDOT
• Small business path to entry is typically through
subcontracting

20. Traditional Solicitations for
Highway Construction
Invitation for Bid (IFB)
• Advertised in bid notices and on the CDOT website
• Sealed competitive bid opening
• Electronic bid preparation using Electronic Bid
Software (EBS) called Expedite
• Online bid submission using Bid Express (BIDX)
System
• Award based upon lowest responsive and
responsible bid
• Bid tabulations posted on CDOT’s website

21. CDOT Construction Bid Listing

22. CDOT Construction Bid Tabulation

23. Basic Requirements
You must be prepared to work as a contractor for CDOT
• Prequalification (CDOT Form 66)
• Standard specifications
• Standard special provisions
• Project special provisions
• Bid rules
• Special contract requirements
– Insurance
– Licenses
– Bonding
– Prevailing wage
– Certified payroll

24. Finding Construction
Contracting Opportunities
• Advertisements (“Ad Notice”) of open solicitations
• “Go Sheet” of upcoming projects
• Prequalified prime contractor directory
• Plan holders listing
• Bid tabulations and cost data
• BIDX lettings and small business network
• Regional CDOT Project Engineers
• Regional Civil Rights Managers
• Pre-bid conferences and industry events
• Teaming and subcontracting

25. DESIGN & ENGINEERING
CONTRACTS

26. Selling Consultant Services to
CDOT
Professional consulting services that help construct, improve, repair,
and maintain roads, bridges and other transportation facilities
• Types of contracted services are diverse and include:
– Design
– Engineering
– Inspection
– Surveying
– Environmental
– Construction Management
– Intelligent Transportation Systems
– Traffic Studies
• CDOT terms these vendors “consultants” for design &
engineering projects
• Does NOT include professional services from attorneys,
accountants, insurance agents, brokers, information
technology, etc. These are contracted through the state
procurement process.

27. Traditional Solicitations
for Consultants
Request for Statement of Interest or Invitation for
Consultant Services
• Advertised in design notices on the CDOT website
• Project specific (PS) or Non-project specific (NPS)
• Submit of a Statement of Interest (SOI) and
Work Plan
• Scoring form and a tally of points used to
compare vendors
• Award based upon most qualified

28. CDOT Consultant Notices

29. Statement of Interest (SOI)

30. Basic Requirements
You must be prepared to work as a consultant for CDOT
• Prequalification (CDOT Form 1058)
• Statement of Interest
• Contract or subcontract requirements and
conditions
• Design bulletins and manuals
• Special contract requirements
– Professional insurance
– Auto insurance
– P.E. licenses
– Audited overhead rates

31. Finding Consulting
Contracting Opportunities
• Teaming and subcontracting
• Prequalified prime consultant directory
• Regional CDOT Project Engineers
• Industry and association events
• Advertised projects and upcoming consultant
service needs
• Innovative contracting project websites
Note: When you see a request for consultant services
listed publically, it is probably too late to be in a
position to compete for the work. Make sure to
establish your teaming role with the prime and/or
Project Engineer before the project is released.

32. ALTERNATIVE
PROCUREMENT TYPES

33. Alternative Procurement Types
• Purchase card
– Credit card purchases for less than $25,000
– Requires a merchant account to accept payment
• Emergency maintenance services
• Safety grant programs
• Innovative contracting

34. Innovative Contracting
• Most common method is Design-Build
• Combination of design (consultant) and build
(construction) projects
• Advertised in bid notices and on the CDOT website
• Request for Letters of Interest
• Request for Qualifications
• Request for Proposals
• Award based upon qualifications or low bid or
combination

35. CDOT Innovative Bid Listing

36. CDOT Innovative Bid Listing

37. CDOT CONTRACTING
SUMMARY

38. CDOT Contract Opportunities
Colorado State CDOT Contracts
Procurement and Market Analysis
• Janitorial supplies • Highway maintenance • Traffic control
• Office supplies • Project materials • Trucking
• Heavy tow service • Site prep and cleanup • Painting and striping
• Variable message signs • Professional services • Asphalt paving
• Parts and maintenance • Public involvement • Electrical installation
• Equipment and machinery • Traffic studies • Masonry
• Aggregates • Planning • Geotechnical services
• Professional services • Environmental mitigation
• Information technology • Construction management
• ITS
Certain types of opportunities may be listed by the State
or CDOT so you need to check both procurement systems

39. SMALL BUSINESS
PROGRAMS

40. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
(DBE)
Federally-Mandated Program
• U.S. DOT program administered by CDOT Center for EO
• Federal statute 49 CFR Part 26
• Helps disadvantaged businesses compete for transportation contracts
Qualifications
• Small for-profit business concern
• 51% owned and controlled by socially and economically
disadvantaged individual(s)
• Most minority and all women owners presumed to be disadvantaged
• SBA business size standard
• Maximum 3-year average revenue of $22.41M and
• Personal net worth cap of $1.3M

41. Unified Certification Program
(UCP)
• Application with supporting documentation and site
visit
• Certification by either CDOT or City and County of
Denver
• DBE certification recognized and used by other local
agencies (e.g., RTD, municipalities, regional airports)
• Other agencies may consider different types of
businesses for DBE certification beyond highway
transportation projects
• Listing on Colorado UCP Directory

42. How CDOT Implements the
DBE Program
• Overall annual FHWA and FTA DBE goals
• Project specific goals set as percentage of total
project value
• DBE percentage is reserved for DBE participation
only
• Prime contractors must meet goal or show a good
faith effort
• Monitoring, reporting and compliance

43. Benefits of the DBE Program
• Listed publicly in the Colorado UCP DBE Directory
• Prime contractors actively seek out DBE firms to
meet goals
• Provides a competitive advantage for
subcontractors to promote small business growth
• Support services such as training and technical
assistance
• Special mailings and notices of contracting and
other opportunities

44. Emerging Small Business (ESB)
State-Funded Program
• Race and gender-neutral emerging small business program
• Authorized by Colorado State Legislature
• Specific to CDOT only
• Does NOT apply to other local agencies
Qualifications
• Small for-profit business concern
• 50% of SBA business size standard for type of work
• Maximum 3-year average revenue of $11.205M
• Must provide services in a CDOT eligible area of work
• May also be a DBE certified firm

45. How CDOT Implements its
ESB Program
• ESB application and orientation session
• Optional incentive-based ESB goal on CDOT projects
• ESB target percentage is reserved for ESB participation
only
• Prime contractors receive incentives to use ESB
subcontractors
• ESB restricted projects for ESB bidding only
• Strong encouragement for prime contractors to utilize
ESBs

46. Benefits of the ESB Program
• Prime contractors actively seek out ESB firms to
meet optional target participation amount
• Listed publicly in the CDOT ESB Directory
• Limited competition for ESB restricted projects
• Special mailings and notices of contracting and
other opportunities
• Support services such as training and technical
assistance

47. Small Business Support Services
Connect2DOT
• Provided by the Colorado Small Business Development
Centers
• Available to DBE and ESB contractors and consultants
statewide
• Free business support and technical services
• One-on-one consulting
• Workshops and training
• Access to project plans and bid documents
• Reverse trade fairs
CDOT Center for Equal Opportunity
• One-on-one consulting with CDOT small business specialists
• Up to $300 per year in tuition reimbursements
• Internal training and small business forums
• Free BIDX accounts

48. READY, SET, GO!

49. Keys to Success
• Do your homework
• Get prequalified
• Get certified
• Attend CDOT and industry events, forums and
meetings Network and team
• Identify key contacts
• Leverage CDOT and SBDC resources
• Bid with knowledge and insight
• Be persistent

50. Ready to Connect2DOT?
Schedule a free one-on-one
consultation today!
Denver Small Business Development Center
(303) 620-8076
info@denversbdc.org
www.denversbdc.org/programs/connect2dot