2026 News Archive

March 20, 2026

While the Upper Peninsula was busy reminding us that winter isn’t done until it says so, the rest of us have been gearing up for spring construction season. As the snowflakes settle and we edge a little closer to orange‑barrel weather, our team has been tidying up reports, and working on some exciting system updates that will be coming over the next few weeks. Grab a warm drink, shake off that UP snowstorm energy, and let’s dig into what’s new this month.

Announcements

If you are in a construction oversight role (Office Tech, etc.) you may now notice a new screen within the Contract Materials and Acceptance Actions area of your contract called Contractor Material Sources (CMS). The CMS area of the system was made visible as a first step in developing some new workflows to streamline the material approval and tracking processes for construction staff. These new processes and workflows will be implemented in the coming months. At this time there is no need to place any data in this area of the system and the screens can be ignored until further notice.

System Configurations

• Stockpile Recovery Warning Message – A new warning message was created to assist offices in creating construction stockpiles for materials. A warning message will now be displayed during stockpile setup if the user inputs an item recovery percentage that causes the recovery dollar amount per item unit to exceed the contract unit price of the item.

• Update to Consultant Construction Materials Read Only roles – This role has been updated to be able to run certain reports regarding person qualifications and also now has the ability to search person qualifications like several other roles.

Report Updates

• Item Posting By Contractor Report (XLS Verison) – This report was updated to remove duplicated item posting data that was appearing on the report.

Did you know?...

AASHTOWare Project calculates subcontract value using two key sources:

• The Trucking, Brokering, and Supplying amounts entered on the General tab of the subcontract, and
• The item values entered on the subcontract Items/Item Worksheet screen.

For subcontract items, the system gives users a lot of flexibility. Instead of requiring the full contract unit price, you can enter partial values or adjust the unit of measure to better reflect the nature of the subcontract work. For example, if there is a subcontracted consultant for concrete testing, you can select any concrete item from the contract, set the subcontract item’s unit to something like “Dollars”, set the subcontract price to $1 and enter the quantity of dollars needed. The subcontract item will then have the total value of their testing services — no need to force it into a cubic yard or square yard structure just because the parent contract item uses one.

This setup ensures the subcontract value accurately represents the actual scope and pricing of the subcontractor’s work, whether it's material supply, trucking, testing, or something more specialized.

March 10, 2026

Spring is (almost) here, and so are a few quirks and fixes following our recent AASHTOWare Project upgrade. As everyone settles into version 5.04, we want to keep you informed about what’s changed, what’s been resolved, and a few troubleshooting tips that may save you some time. Grab a coffee and take a quick look at the latest updates.

Announcements

We’re continuing to monitor system behavior post‑upgrade, and several issues have already been identified and addressed. Below is a summary of what we know so far.

System Configurations

• Email Notifications – Following the upgrade, system‑generated email notifications were temporarily offline. The triggers have been restored, and all email notifications should now be functioning properly.

• Pay Estimate Type Selection Required – When creating a pay estimate, you may notice that the Type field appears preselected. However, users must still select or reselect the Pay Estimate Type before they can proceed. This ensures the system properly registers the selection.

• Unable to Assign Default Tests – If you encounter issues assigning a default test to a sample record, it may be due to cached files interfering with updated system behavior. To clear your cache: Press Ctrl + Shift + Del, then select Clear Now. After clearing, reload the application and try again.

• Subcontract Item Worksheet – When building a subcontract and selecting a lump sum item in the item worksheet, the unit field may not automatically populate. The cell will display as blank and highlighted. To resolve: Click into the unit cell and manually select LSUM from the table.

Did you know?...

When posting materials on a Daily Work Report, it’s essential to correctly record how materials were used so the system can validate them for payment.

Here’s what to keep in mind:

• If a material is used (installed quantity is greater than zero) - You must enter and record a material source.

No source = the system will withhold payment for that material and may cause issues in your payment estimate.

• If a material is not used - Make sure to zero out the installed quantity.

A non‑zero quantity tells the system the material was used—even if it wasn’t—which triggers a missing‑source error and blocks payment. If a user enters 0.00 in the material quantity field, the system will ignore that material as part of the payment estimate generation process.

In short:

• Non‑zero installed quantity requires a source.
• Zero installed quantity tells the system the material wasn’t used.

A quick double‑check during your DWR entry can prevent delays and keep your estimate processing smoothly.

February 20, 2026

Orange Barrel season is just around the corner, and we’re busy laying the groundwork for a smoother spring! In this edition, you’ll find system updates targeted at report updates, payment-estimate performance, and calculation accuracy - all designed to make your APCM days a little easier. Grab a coffee, take five, and let’s dive in.

Announcements

Please be advised that AASHTOWare Project will be offline starting at 3:00 PM on Friday, February 27th, and will remain unavailable through Sunday until early Monday morning. This downtime is necessary to complete the upgrade to version 5.04.

Reports

• Item History To Date Report – Various fields and labels were updated on the report as requested from field offices.

System Configurations

• Payment Estimate Performance – A hotfix was applied to address some computations used in the creation of estimates. With this fix in place, estimates should generate more quickly.

• Rounding Fix – The estimate calculation process was updated to handle values beyond two decimal places that in some cases caused rounding issues.

Did you know?...

Proposal, Contract, and Project Line Numbers - Ever wonder why AASHTOWare shows two different types of line numbers? Here’s the breakdown:

• Contract Line Number (a.k.a. Proposal Line Number)

Contract Line Number and Proposal Line Number refer to the same thing. These are generated at the contract level and include all items across all projects and categories in that contract. They appear on screens like the Contract Items – General tab, where items are rolled up without duplicates at the contract level. These numbers are sequential (e.g., 5, 10, 15…) and represent the entire contract’s item list.

• Project Line Number

Generated at the project level, ensuring no duplicates within that project. Found on tabs like Contract Project Items, where items are grouped by project and category. Important: Project line numbers may match contract line numbers when there’s only one project, but they are not the same thing. On large contracts with multiple projects, the contract line number will often NOT match the project line number.

Key Difference: Both are created the same way and function similarly, but they organize items at different levels—contract vs. project. This helps keep things clear when contracts include multiple projects (e.g., road work vs. bridge work) or categories. If you see “Line Number” on the General tab, assume it’s the contract line number. If you’re working within a project view, it’s likely the project line number. Always confirm which level you’re on before referencing line numbers!

January 27, 2026

Happy New Year! To kick off 2026, we are excited to announce we will be upgrading AASHTOWare Project from version 5.02 to 5.04 within the next few months. This upgrade will enhance overall system performance along with 100+ enhancements across all modules of AASHTOWare Project. We will detail the new enhancements over the next few newsletters once the upgrade is completed. Hopefully, this exciting news will keep your spirits warm, during these bone chilly temperatures as we get ready for the upcoming construction season.

System Configurations

• Email Notifications – Some email notification triggers have been fixed and all should be working correctly now.

Report Updates

• Material History to Date Report – Updated to include all related postings both negative and positive.

Did you know?...

The APCM Wiki Home page has been updated to include training registration links for Contractors, MDOT, Local Agency, and Consultant Staff:

For Contractors: Michigan APCM for Contractors (Hosted by Infotech)

For MDOT, Local Agency, and Consultant Staff: AASHTOWare Project Construction & Materials Bookings Page

Please note that trainings are offered and based on your job function (office technician, engineer, inspector, etc.) and not your agency affiliation. Trainings are also scheduled based on need, so if the listed dates and times do not work for you, please contact the Help Desk to request alternative options. For any questions or assistance, reach out to [email protected].