Local Systems

Local Systems Training & Videos

Federal-aid Overview Seminar 2024

The Local Systems Bureau is hosting Federal-aid Overview Seminars again in early 2024. This training is for anyone working on Federal-aid projects for a Local Public Agency, including Cities, Counties, Consultants, MPOs and RPAs. The Federal-aid Overview Seminar is broken into two days for each training.  

  • Day 1 will be focused on Pre-Construction activities, including Project Programming, Project Concept, Environmental Overview, Project Development, Right-of-Way, and Letting.  (Agenda)
  • Day 2 will focus on Construction Inspection and Contract Administration, including Construction Inspection, Contract Administration, Materials inspection, Doc Express®, Appia®, and Project Close-out. (Agenda)

The following trainings will be held:

  • January 24-25 in Boone - Fareway Conference Center, Cobblestone Inn & Suites (Central Region)
  • January 31 - February 1 in Hiawatha - Linn County Regional Training Center, Kirkwood Community College (Eastern Region)
  • February 21-22 in Denison - Boulders Conference Center/Cobblestone Inn & Suites Majestic Hills (Western Region)

Attendees may choose to attend Day 1 or Day 2 or both days, depending on each individual’s role in Federal-aid projects. These seminars are in-person only. Please encourage ALL of your staff who work on Federal-aid projects to attend, at least for one day depending on their job duties.  
 
The Federal-aid Overview Seminars will be in place of our Regional Spring Meetings.   Attendees may choose to attend within their region if they are able, but may attend in other regions if scheduling does not allow for them to attend within the region they primarily work.   

Instructions detailing how to register through IDOTU are available here. Please note that all registration information and correspondence about the class will be sent to the email address associated with the registrant in IDOTU. Be sure your email is up to date! Each participant must register individually.

2024 Appia® Training

Registration is on IDOTU for each of the sessions. (All sessions offer the same training, so trainees need only sign up for one session.)

The following training will be held:

  • Friday, February 16 at Carroll Public Library
  • Monday, February 26 at Marion - Lowe Park

Sign in at 9:15 am. Class 9:30 am – 3:30 pm with a break for lunch.

Instructions detailing how to register through IDOTU are available here. Please note that all registration information and correspondence about the class will be sent to the email address associated with the registrant in IDOTU.

This training is currently planned to take place IN-PERSON following all current Covid-19 precautions, but that is subject to change if necessary. (Trainees will be notified if a change must occur.)

Participants will be required to bring their own wireless-capable electronic device, such as a tablet or laptop. A phone is not suitable for this training.

The class will include an overview of the application, a demonstration of the application, and a hands-on training exercise.

Please contact Niki Stinn, Local Systems Secondary Road Engineer, at niki.stinn@iowadot.us with any questions pertaining to these trainings.

Contract Administration Training Information

Contract Administration Training Information

Contract Administration training is available through the Iowa Department of Transportation Technical Training and Certification Program (TTCP). The Training Manuals and the accompanying PowerPoint presentations are available for use by engineers and inspectors who were unable to attend the course and need the information. Access to these documents does not replace the recommendation to take the trainings; attendance at the trainings is tracked. These are intended as reference only, to be used until the next year’s training becomes available.

Contract Administration and Inspection Training

E-Ticketing Webinar

Iowa DOT has a Developmental Specification for Electronic Ticketing, DS-23032. Below is a 47-minute, recorded webinar from May 2023, hosted by Matt Miller, the E-Construction Administrator for the Construction and Materials Bureau at Iowa DOT.

2022 Regional Spring Meeting

Updated TPMS Development (TPDEV 2020) & Bid Items

The Transportation Program Management System (TPMS) Development program used by our cities and counties has been upgraded in coordination with other internal DOT systems.  Additionally, the web-based Bid Item Application (BIA) tool will no longer be supported; instead, project bid items will be entered within the new TPDev 2020 program.  The Iowa County Engineers Association (ICEA) Service Bureau has hosted and recorded training videos to help users navigate the new system.  Short, subject-specific TPMS instructional videos will eventually be posted within the Help menu of TPMS.

Please keep in mind that with this large of a system transition, there will be bumps along the way.  Our goal is to make it as painless as possible.  For questions, please reach out to the following:

2021 Virtual Regional Spring Meeting

Regional Spring Meeting

2020-2021 Technical Training & Certification Program

  • Iowa DOT Technical Training and Certification Program
    The Iowa DOT has a technical training and certification program, that is open to Local Public Agency staff. Training classes involve Materials Certifications, Contract Administration, Appia® , Doc Express® , and various other certification and non-certification classes.

 

2020 Virtual Regional Spring Meeting

2020 Virtual Regional Spring Meetings

Construction Inspection and Contract Administration

SIIMS Training - Brian Smith, Bridges and Structures Bureau


FHWA Emergency Relief Program - Andrew Zimmerman, FHWA 


Doc Express® and Appia® - Niki Stinn, Secondary Roads Engineer

View Street Finance Report (SFR) training options. In-person classes may be limited to room size. Additional classes may be added if the current offerings become full.

Federal-aid training resources for local agencies in Iowa


Federal-aid Overview Seminar

The Local Systems Bureau conducts the Federal-aid Overview Seminar as part of the Iowa DOT’s administration and oversight of Local Public Agency (LPA) Federal-aid projects.  The Overview Seminar is for LPAs and consultant staff.  It provides a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the Federal-aid project development and construction, and is based on the Local Systems Bureau's Federal-aid Project Development Guide and Instructional Memorandums (IMs).

Contract Administration

Projects let through Iowa DOT follow Iowa DOT Specifications.  Projects involving Federal-aid involve additional contract administration requirements tied to the federal funding.  Failure to properly document the progress of a project may result in loss of Federal-aid for that project and may jeopardize the utilization of Federal-aid on future projects.  While the above Federal-aid Overview Seminar provides an overview of all aspects of the Federal-aid project development and construction, Iowa DOT also offers three additional, and more detailed construction Contract Administration courses.  These course descriptions and details on how to sign up for the Contract Administration courses can be found in the Technical Training Certification Program (TTCP) Information and Registration Book.  Local Systems highly recommends these trainings for anyone administering Federal-aid projects.  Additional resources are available on the Local Systems Bureau website under "Instructional Memorandums and Federal-Aid Guide" and "Post-Letting Resources". 

IOWA DOT CERTIFICATIONS AND RECERTIFICATIONS

Iowa DOT Technical Training and Certification Program (TTCP) provides training courses in the areas of construction and materials.  The program includes certifications for agencies, industry, producers, and  consultants for highway materials testing and inspection.  For additional details including the current TTCP Registration Book, program updates, and contact information visit the TTCP website.

WEB-BASED REVIEWS AND OTHER CLASSES

Iowa DOT provides online access to a variety of subject areas at no-charge.  These web-based trainings are offered and accessed through IDOT U.  Visit the Iowa DOT training site to learn more.

The TC3 Trainings you see on the above list are through Iowa DOT’s AASHTO Membership and, as such, only available to Iowa DOT Employees. For entities outside the Iowa DOT, these same courses can be purchased through the AASHTO Store. Some of these TC3 courses (also sometimes referred to as TTS Courses) are available for FREE to LPAs through a national partnership between AASHTO, FHWA, and LTAP. Please visit LTAP’s Website for additional details.

Iowa DOT also offers four construction field inspection courses. Additional information can be found in the TTCP Registration Book, listed under “What other classes are offered?”. Each is a two-day live class taught by subject matter experts from our Iowa DOT Construction and Materials Bureau. New inspectors for LPAs, and consultants in their employ can register and attend for FREE. Capacity is limited, so please do not sign up unless you plan to attend.

  • Grading Field Inspection
  • HMA Paving Field Inspection
  • PCC Paving Field Inspection
  • Structural Field Inspection.

Federal-aid Essentials

More and more, transportation agencies must pursue better, faster, and smarter ways of doing business.  Federal-aid Essentials offers a central online library of informational videos and resources, designed specifically for LPAs.  Each video addresses a single topic, condensing the complex regulations and requirements of the Federal-aid Highway Program into easy-to-understand concepts and illustrated examples.

Note: The information in the videos was developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for a national audience and is very general.  Iowa may have more specific requirements that will need to be followed.  Therefore, LPA Federal-aid projects in Iowa should always follow the procedures provided in our IMs.

Local Technical Assistance Program

Iowa's Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), which is part of the Institute for Transportation (InTrans) at Iowa State University, is dedicated to helping Iowa's local governments keep up with growing demands on local roads, streets, bridges, and public transportation.  The Iowa LTAP provides technical and management assistance to Iowa's local transportation officials through a variety of programs and training opportunities.

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