Welcome
Introducing the new AASHTOWare Project™ newsletter!
Distributed every two months, this newsletter will pull modernization progress, release and technical updates, notices, and community news into one regular read, so you can see everything in a few minutes and click through for more details.
It’s written for everyone who touches AASHTOWare Project. If someone on your team should be reading this, please forward it to them and ask them to sign up for all updates here.
PUG Conference 2026 Recap
The 2026 AASHTOWare Project User Group Conference brought our community together in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to share practical experience, compare approaches, and help shape the future of AASHTOWare Project. Attendees especially valued the opportunity to learn from other agencies, connect with Infotech staff, explore the AASHTOWare Project Modernization Initiative, and participate in a wider range of breakout sessions.
We have been reviewing the conference survey results and the messages are clear: PUG is most valuable when users are learning from users. Respondents repeatedly highlighted cross-agency collaboration, practical demonstrations, breakout discussions, modernization updates, and the chance to solve common problems together. Also popular: provided lunches, nearby gathering spaces, and coffee that understood the assignment.
As planning begins for the 2027 PUG Conference, the PUG Board will review conference length, session timing and overlap, orientation for new attendees, opportunities for repeated or summarized sessions, and ways to make discussions even more collaborative. The goal is not simply to add more content. It is to create the right mix of practical learning, community problem-solving, and time to connect without requiring attendees to master conference-room teleportation.
The survey remains open through December 31, 2026. If you have not responded, please add your perspective so it can be incorporated into next year’s planning. Comments may be candid; helpful is preferred; coffee recommendations are always welcome: Project User Group Post-Meeting Survey 2026
Missed a session, or want to revisit one without choosing between three equally interesting breakouts? Browse the 2026 PUG presentations.
The PUG community selected Montana as its first-choice location for the 2028 PUG Conference. More details will follow. For now, we suggest practicing your best “big sky” conference pose.
New PUG Advisors
We are excited to introduce the 2026 – 2027 PUG Advisors and the Technical Advisory Group they support are:
- Harold Caples (Virginia DOT) – Cost Estimation TAG and Data Analytics TAG
- Jaci Kincaid (North Carolina DOT) – Preconstruction TAG and Civil Rights & Labor TAG
- Chris Cole (Montana DOT) – Information Technology TAG and Agency View TAG
- Dan Brayack (West Virgina DOT) – Construction Management TAG and Materials Management TAG
AASHTOWare Project Enhancement Ranking System
Please review and update your AASHTOWare Project Enhancement Rankings. The Project Task Force selects highly ranked TMRs throughout the year, so one of your previous choices may already have advanced. If so, congratulations: you have unlocked the opportunity to rank something new.
2027 PUG Conference Dates
The 2027 PUG Conference will be held in Baltimore, Maryland at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel from October 10th – 14th. Keep the dates in mind and we hope to see you all there.
Closing
Thank you for your participation, thoughtful feedback, and continued commitment to the AASHTOWare Project community. The value of PUG comes from users who share what works, what does not, and what might work better with one more cup of coffee.
The PUG Board
AASHTOWare Project Modernization Updates revealed at PUG 2026!
See the AASHTOWare Project Preconstruction™ Modernized Prototype
At PUG 2026, agencies got a first look at AASHTOWare Project Preconstruction™. It shows the same business outcomes in a connected experience:
- Command Center: one starting point for your work
- Project build: items and locations together
- Funding and pricing: costs alongside the project
- Proposal to bid: one continuous flow
- Bid comparison and award: review and decide in the same place
It’s in development, so your input is still essential. Try the clickable walkthrough and tell us what works and what’s missing.
What agencies asked at PUG
Questions centered on transition planning, customizations and agency views, training, and hosting and security.
What happens to our customizations?
The modernized platform runs as one shared version for all agencies, so custom code and direct database changes won’t carry over exactly as they are. Your agency’s customizations will be cataloged, and we’ll work with you to move them onto supported approaches. We expect many to be replaced by built-in functionality, so you no longer need to build and maintain custom versions. Unique agency needs can still be handled through Service Units or work orders.
Agency-specific answers aren’t possible until cataloging is complete (Cataloging deadline: December 31). Your business processes stay the same, even where the steps to complete them change.
Will the backlog of TMRs and enhancements be considered during modernization?
Yes. The product team and the PTF are using existing TMRs and agency-voted enhancements as core inputs to modernization. The product team is cataloging and reviewing existing TMRs to find items that can be resolved through better usability, streamlined workflows, and architectural improvements.
The PTF continues to review enhancement ranking results to track strong, recurring agency needs. That guides development across both legacy maintenance and the new platform roadmap. Modernization is an opportunity to address long-standing usability pain points and deliver high-priority enhancements out of the box. Review all FAQs →
Product Spotlight
Vendor Management Portal
One vendor submission. One agency decision. Every system is updated.
The Vendor Management Portal gives vendors one place to register, prequalify, and apply for DBE/ACDBE/SBE certification. It gives your staff one queue to review those applications. Approved information flows into AASHTOWare Project and BidX, so nobody re-keys data and records stay consistent across systems.
For agency staff
- No more manual data entry. Review, approve, or reject vendor submissions and certification applications from a single queue. Approved data flows directly into your AASHTOWare Project vendor, bidder/quoter, and subcontract tables.
- Better data integrity. Vendor and certification information comes directly from the vendor, so what you rely on stays accurate and current.
- Less software to maintain. The portal is designed to replace separate, disconnected vendor management and certification tools.
For vendors
One dashboard to submit prequalification applications, start DBE/ACDBE/SBE certification, renew certifications, and update company information.
- Clear status. Vendors can follow each submission through agency review and see the agency’s comments behind each status change, which cuts follow-up calls and emails.
- Enter it once. Core company information is entered once and reused across participating agencies, which speeds up prequalification for vendors working with more than one agency.
- One certification, used everywhere. DBE/ACDBE/SBE status is determined once in the portal and reused downstream. Once a contractor is registered and certified, that status flows to BidX, where bid and bidder eligibility checks use it before a bid is approved. Bidder/quoter and subcontract entries reference the same verified records.
The Vendor Management Portal is available at no additional cost as part of the 2026 AASHTOWare Project Preconstruction License.
Recent Community Notices
- TAG member management: Agency User Representatives can now remove their agency’s TAG representative themselves in APO. Go to Profile, then Agency Contacts. No email to the PUG board needed. See more →
- Agency Alternatives on TMRs: EUDs can now document their agency’s workarounds on Ticketed Modification Requests, and all APO users can view them. See more →
Important Dates
January 29, 2027
Customization cataloging deadline