Caltrans Planning Public Engagement PPEC5

Caltrans’ planning public engagement practices aim to engage key stakeholders as early as possible, getting input pre-PID, pre-TCR (and pre-acronyms!) to ensure it is aware of community issues and concerns as early as possible.

The Planning Public Engagement Contract (PPEC #5) includes providing statewide public engagement services and related training. Top priorities for the current contract include providing outreach assistance for the Active Transportation Plans that each District is developing.

Caltrans staff use our on-call services when they’re looking for innovative methods and tools to enhance community engagement. When is the most strategic time to bring in agency partners, the stakeholders and the general public? What type of outreach and tools would be most effective? We provide outreach structure and facilitation, educational materials, animated reports and videos, digital flyovers combining Google Earth and animation, placed-based surveys (Mapita), pop-up workshops and real time electronic polling—combined with the personal touch of letters, emails and even phone calls. And incentives like meals, transportation stipends and childcare.

All of it to let community members—especially in hard-to-reach communities—know how important their participation is, building trust for future projects.

Our previous contracts with Caltrans include PPEC #4 (2014-2018) and PPEC #2 (2006-2011).