"OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this guide is to summarize current contract maintenance practices for transportation systems@ although it is also applicable to other types of activities@ such as bridges@ rest areas@ landscapes@ signs and structures@ lighting systems@ markings@ and so on. In fact@ probably every component of the infrastructure for which a highway department has maintenance responsibility has been considered for outsourcing. This guide is meant to serve as a reference for agencies considering the use of contract maintenance to accomplish part of their mission; its content is based on the experience and practice of other agencies that have been using these types of contracts. This guide is not meant to advocate the use of contracts or to serve as a ""cookbook"" approach to such activities. Instead@ it offers transportation agencies options based on the experiences of other agencies that have used these approaches."