Dive Brief:

• A proposal by the U.S. Department of Transportation could make it easier for local contractors to score jobs on federal transportation projects in their communities.

• The DOT is considering a year-long pilot program that will allow states and cities to give preferential treatment to locals when hiring contractors to work on federally funded road and highway jobs.

• If the change is made permanent, it would amend a federal regulation that prohibits that practice, saying it could give local contractors a competitive advantage. Individual governments currently may not put parameters on hiring that are unrelated to the needs of the project and the performance of the work.

Dive Insight:

Allowing cities and states to hire their own for federal highway jobs has the potential to bolster local employment, which can strengthen the economies in those communities.

“With this deviation, local communities will be in a better position to leverage federal and state and local funds into local jobs and economic growth … and ensure that the communities in which the projects are located benefit from the jobs that result from their investment of their funds, particularly for workers in low income areas,” the proposal said.

DOT has published the proposal in the Federal Register and is accepting comments until April 6.