FHWA Approves MDOT OJT VIP Pilot Program – Implementation Meeting Scheduled –

*NEW MEETING DATE & TIME*

 

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently notified the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) of their approval of MDOT’s Special Experimental Project Number 14 (SEP-14) Work Plan for an On-the-Job Training (OJT) Voluntary Incentive Program (VIP) Pilot. The OJT VIP pilot proposal was developed through the collaborative efforts of MDOT and the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA) for the purposes of assessing the impact of contractual bid incentives to increase workforce participation from historically under-represented populations (minorities, women, and disadvantaged individuals).

 

In recent years, MDOT, MITA, and other industry partners have placed increased importance and focus on skills training, on-the-job-training, apprentices, and career pathway programs that involve and require active, aggressive, innovative, and collaborative workforce development efforts and initiatives. The approved OJT VIP Pilot procedures provide for earned bid incentives on select projects to contractors who voluntarily elect to hire more OJT employees and/or collectively provide their current OJT employees more qualified work experience than traditionally occurs. Under the pilot, the earned bid incentive will be used solely for the purpose of determining the lowest responsive bidder.

 

This OJT VIP Pilot is available to all MDOT prequalified contractors, not just those who are currently in the OJT Program and have OJT assignments.

 

The projects selected for inclusion in the OJT VIP Pilot (i.e., those projects to which a bidders earned bid incentive would be applied) will only be in the southeast part of the state within MDOT’s Metro, University, and southern Bay regions.

 

Click here to view the Voluntary Incentive Program (VIP) Pilot manual

 

Click here to view the SEP-14 OJT VIP Work Plan

 

Click here to view the OJT VIP Pilot Projects Incentive Years 19-20

 

To promote the formal roll-out of the OJT VIP Pilot, MDOT and MITA are hosting an informational and implementation meeting at the following time and location:

 

OJT VIP Pilot Informational and Implementation Meeting

Thursday, March 1, 2018 1:30-3:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018 

1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.

MDOT Detroit Transportation Service Center

1060 West Fort St., Detroit, MI 48226

 

Representatives from MDOT’s Office of Business Development (OBD) will provide a walk-through of the pilot procedures, timelines, required forms etc.

 

All MDOT prequalified contractors statewide are invited to attend the informational and implementation meeting, and to participate in the OJT VIP Pilot. However, only projects in the southeast part of the state within MDOT’s Metro, University, and southern Bay regions will be selected for inclusion in the pilot.

 

If you have any questions about this OJT VIP Pilot, you can contact PaHoua Schroeder in MDOT’s OBD at 517-241-2981, or Glenn Bukoski in the MITA office at 517-347-8336.