Oregon official tells Senate Institutions committee state uses outcome-based, tech-agnostic contracts for road-usage charge; EVs to join program at reregistrion
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Summary
Maureen Bach, chief innovation officer at the Oregon Department of Transportation, told the Senate Institutions committee that Oregon’s road usage charge uses open, outcome-based procurements and service-level agreements with private account managers; she said electric vehicles will be required to enroll at reregistration beginning 07/01/2027.
Maureen Bach, chief innovation officer for the Oregon Department of Transportation, told the Senate Institutions committee on Feb. 7 that Oregon runs its road usage charge (a miles-based user fee) with outcome-based, technology-agnostic contracts and relies on private-sector “account managers” to operate customer-facing services.
Bach said the program has operated for about 10 years and the state structured procurements so any vendor that meets the outcome requirements can propose systems, allowing Oregon to adapt as vehicle technology changes. "We did that with a set of outcome based requirements, technology agnostics," she said, adding the approach kept the state from being tied to technology that could quickly become obsolete.
The committee heard that Oregon is currently rewriting technical requirements because of a mandate that electric vehicles be enrolled in the road usage charge program at the point of reregistration beginning July 1, 2027. Bach said vehicle owners will have a choice to pay by the mile or to pay a flat fee when they reregister. "When they register starting 07/01/2027, they will be required to be in the road usage charge program," she said.
On oversight, Bach described the state’s use of service-level agreements that require vendors to report metrics such as website uptime and customer-service outcomes. "One of the things that makes that work for us is we have a service level agreement once we enter into a contract with any one of those entities," she said. The committee requested sample service agreements and procurement notices; Bach said Oregon posts procurements on a vendor portal called Organvise, managed by the state’s department of administrative services, and that she would provide links and additional materials.
Bach also described how Oregon negotiates contracts so account managers can earn a profit tied to fixed and variable costs and enrollment volume, and credited private vendors with adopting new standards and technologies developed by automotive-industry groups. In explaining technical standards, she referenced recent Society of Automotive Engineers publications (noted in the transcript as “j 32 17” and “j 32 17 r”) and described a certification consortium that has presented on software-defined and connected vehicles.
Committee members thanked Bach and discussed next steps, including the committee’s plan to convene a conference on H 50 in the coming weeks and to follow up with the materials Bach offered to send.
The committee did not take any votes during the hearing. Bach said she would provide the requested procurement and certification materials to the committee and remain available for follow-up questions.