Cost
Statewide implementation of Maintenance Decision Support System estimated at $1.5 million.
Estimated cost of Colorado MDSS from 2009 benefit cost study
May 12, 2009
Statewide; Colorado; United States
Summary Information
The costs associated with MDSS use are presented in the table below (in 2008 dollars):
Assumptions:
Component | Costs ($/year) | Assumptions |
| Software and operations costs | $76,406 | 307 sheds; 2 computers/shed; 15 min of MDSS installation time |
| Communication costs (for MDC) | $278,600 | $40/month; 5 months/winter season |
| In-vehicle computer hardware investment (capital and maintenance of MDC) | $835,800 | 1393 trucks; 1 MDC on each truck; $2,000/MDC; used for 5 years; maintenance cost is 10% of the capital cost per year |
| Training | $163,324 | Five operators trained in each shed for 4 hours; training costs for trainer and maintenance personnel |
| Additional weather forecast provider costs | $0 |  |
| Administrative costs | $136,181 | 10% of direct costs |
| Total | $1,497,985 | |
Assumptions:
- Software and Operations Costs - It is assumed that MDSS is deployed on all 307 maintenance sheds, two computers were installed with MDSS software in each shed, and the duration for each MDSS installation is 15 minutes.
- In-vehicle Computer Hardware Investment - It is assumed that the state DOT would use MDC to provide an automated feedback mechanism (maintenance activity information transmitted from MDC to MDSS server) and a means of preserving the chain of communication between MDSS and the vehicle operator. The cost per MDC is about $2,000; it is assumed that each MDC can be used for 5 years, and the maintenance costs per year is 10 percent of the capital cost. In total 1,393 MDCs were installed in trucks.
- Communication Costs - The communication cost of MDC is $40 per month, 5 months per winter season.
- Training Cost - This cost is estimated for duration of 5 years. One training session to the personnel on each route will be conducted every year; each training session lasts for 4 hours for the first 2 years, and 2 hours for the rest; 5 operators were trained per shed, with a total of 1,535 people trained. Costs of the trainer and maintenance personnel are included.
- Additional Weather Forecast Provider Costs - This cost is minimal, since states that do not use MDSS also purchase weather services for winter maintenance.
- Administrative Costs - Ten percent of the total costs ($1.4 million) was used for agency administration (including support from agency IT staff, e.g. route configuration, call-in technical support). The reason that 10 percent was used instead of the more common 25 percent, is because the majority (80 percent) of the direct costs were from computer hardware investment and associated communication costs.
Notes
Transportation agencies can calculate MDSS costs by using the cost breakdown in the table above. Important information for calculating MDSS costs includes the number of garages (sheds), the number of MDCs, and administrative cost (in terms of an assumed percentage of direct costs).
Related Unit Cost Subsystems
Maintenance and Construction Management (MCMS)
Maintenance and Construction Vehicle (MCVS)
Keywords
road weather vehicle tracking, winter maintenance vehicle, RWIS, ESS, Environmental Sensor Station, RWIS Station, road monitoring, weather station, environmental sensing station, Maintenance Decison Support System, MDSS, Mobile Data Collection (MDC)
Cost ID: 2011-00211
System Cost Comments
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