Projects

Ohio Auditor of State DOT Performance Audit

On February 25, 2021, the Ohio Auditor of State (AOS) released the results of a performance audit of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).  This audit was performed in response to State of Ohio legislation (House Bill 62), which required AOS to conduct a performance audit of ODOT using a detailed, data-driven analysis of the ODOT’s highway management and maintenance practices.

Each 1% improvement across all the scope areas could have a $13 million financial impact annually

Ohio Auditor of State

AOS selected The Kercher Group, Inc. (Kercher) through a competitive process to serve as the prime contractor.  Kercher led the audit in the following, major review areas with sub-consultant PFM providing support with funding analysis:

• Bridge Evaluation
• Bridge Inspection Evaluation
• Maintenance Evaluation
• Pavement Evaluation

This was a major project with a very aggressive timeline, occurring over six months, producing final reports that include over 200 pages of information.  Kercher performed these reviews through a combination of ODOT personnel interviews and a full review of ODOT data from each of the respective asset management systems.

Project benchmarking efforts included comparing asset conditions and business processes of ODOT and peer states along with projected expenditures. 11 State DOTs participated in the associated benchmarking effort, which included participating in detailed interviews, comparison of Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP) documents, and use of comparative statistical data available from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

The areas analyzed in this report have an annual cost of approximately $1.4 billion. The size of these expenditures dictate that even small improvements in efficiency could have a relatively large impact on the Department’s finances and operations. AOS estimates that each 1% improvement across areas analyzed in this project could result in a $13 million financial impact.

Additionally, the audit identified that by adopting nationally recognized practices in regard to bridge inspections could alone save more than $9.7 million annually, while maintaining generally accepted safety protocols.

Ohio Auditor of State

Additional background on this audit and related links are available at the following website:

ODOT Phase II – 2021 Performance Audit

Full details of the performance audit, including ODOT’s responses to the audit’s findings, are available at the following link:

2021 ODOT Phase II Performance Audit