Adding and managing external partnerships is a key strategy for state DOTs to access specialized skills, provide agility, leverage new technologies, share data, collaborate on special initiatives and maximize resources in a constrained funding environment. Partnership strategies can include:
- Use of Public/Private partnerships for specific types of work or projects; some DOTS have created a special office to facilitate innovative public/private partnerships
- Development of interagency agreements or Memoranda of Understanding to combine or leverage resources for a variety of purposes
- Development of data sharing agreements between agencies to reduce collection costs
- The capability to collaborate across jurisdictions and modal partners (including the Legislature).
- The capability to create a culture of transparency and accountability