The Iowa Department of Transportation pays hundreds of millions of dollars to the contractors working on Iowa’s roads and bridges. DOT director Paul Trombino says his agency is managing all the “paperwork” for the projects — without paper.
“All of our contract documents are done electronically, including signatures with the industry,” he says.
The “paperless” project is called “Doc Express”.
“It’s really grown,” Trombino says. “We actually have a lot of states that are really looking to copy our process with this electronic document and we’re really sort of leading that edge from a national perspective.”
The Iowa DOT has a five-year, $3.2 billion construction budget, with designs for hundreds of projects. Contractors and subcontractors are logging onto the DOT’s “Doc Express” website to submit all the information about the projects. An electronic record is created for all contracts and any changes that are made. Officials say “Doc Express” helps avoid having paperwork lost or damaged on the worksite, plus contractors and state officials can easily sort the electronic documents to quickly find what they need.
“Doc Express” is configured for use on smart phones, tablets or laptops, so contractors can refer to documents and make adjustments in the field rather than waiting ’til they return to the office.