What and Why?
We are implementing a pilot project to study incorporating community workforce agreements, known as CWAs, into our contracting and project delivery practices, particularly for large projects.
CWAs are enforceable agreements between project owners and labor or between contractors and labor that outline how each will improve the project outcomes for the community.
Though these agreements are widely used across the country on various project-specific real estate and public improvement projects, this is new ground for ODOT. Our agency would be the first DOT in the nation to establish a master CWA that would apply to large projects within specific parameters.
ODOT’s goals in developing and utilizing CWAs are:
- To grow the workforce pipeline through enhanced access to training programs and career opportunities.
- To provide contracting opportunities for certified firms.
- To maximize the impact of ODOT’s investments to benefit communities.
How Are We Creating ODOT’s CWA?
We established a short-term advisory group of interests from the contracting community, labor, workforce, local partners and community to advise on the elements ODOT should consider for its CWA. The committee met from October 2021 through mid-2022. A
summary of the advisory group’s input is available. The input received from ODOT’s advisory group informed the creation of this pilot CWA program.
The negotiating parties and signatories for ODOT’s master CWA are labor and ODOT (Owner). Any agreement must be approved by the Federal Highway Administration and the Oregon Department of Justice.