Cost and Customer Satisfaction of Culvert Cleaning and Sweeping Road Projects in Nevada

摘要

In order to perform road maintenance activities in the United States, the state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) either use in-house resources or outsource the work to private contractors. The literature indicates various reasons for outsourcing the projects to private contractors, and cost saving is one of them. This study collected maintenance cost data of culvert cleaning and sweeping projects performed by in-house resources and private contractors in Nevada. Their unit costs were compared to see whether Nevada DOT reduced cost by outsourcing. In addition, a customer satisfaction survey was conducted to see whether road users were more satisfied with sweeping of roads when the work was performed by in-house staff or when it was outsourced. Results of the data analysis showed that culvert cleaning and sweeping performed by in-house resources were much less expensive when it was outsourced. Based on the survey results, customer satisfaction regarding sweeping showed that, on average, local road users were significantly more satisfied with the work performed in-house than when out-sourced.