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The price adjustment was applied to the contract unit price for Level 3 12.5mm dense lime treated HMAC and PG 70-28 asphalt in lime-treated HMAC. If the paving contractor achieves fewer than 3 inches per 1/10th mile of smoothness deviations, the smoothness price would be adjusted by +5 percent.

"We achieved full bonus on the job for ride smoothness and density requirements," Seehawer says. "Our ride smoothness numbers came in below the allowed deviation spec to receive the additional 5 percent and we hit the required 92 to 93 percent density requirement."

For Oregon Mainline Paving, meeting the smoothness and mix quality requirements of the project represented approximately $250,000 in additional bonus pay.

"In a competitive market, bonus pay is crucial to the overall profitability of company," explains Seehawer. "You have to submit a tight bid to get the job, but then you have to deliver the job to the customer's expectations in order to make a profitable return on your investment. It's just the nature of bidding and building government agency projects and we're proud to be one of ODOT's leading contractors."