Joe Duran, executive representative for MOSES (Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Scientists), testified in favor of Senate Bill 2,181 at the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight on Oct. 8, 2025. The bill would require public employees to perform inspection functions on all state and federally funded transportation projects.

Duran said the change would "ensure that public safety is protected, transportation funds are not wasted and projects are delivered in a timely manner." He told the committee that MassDOT currently relies heavily on private contractors for inspection work despite having in‑house engineers, and that practice "impedes public safety and costs the commonwealth hundreds of millions of dollars each year." He gave an annual figure for outside engineering and design services of more than $150,000,000.

The testimony said public inspectors guarantee that construction standards and safety requirements are met and that materials will last; when inspection is outsourced, Duran said, "there is no longer public oversight on the job." MOSES submitted written examples that compare two bridge inspections done by private consultants with estimated in‑house costs and concluded the state could save roughly two‑thirds of consultant costs by bringing the work in house.

Committee members did not ask substantive follow‑up questions during the witness’s time on the record. The hearing proceeded to other bills after the testimony concluded.

Why it matters: The bill, if reported and enacted, would change how inspection services are procured and performed on transportation projects, with potential impacts on project delivery, safety oversight, and the state engineering workforce. The testimony framed the proposal as both a public‑safety and cost‑control measure.