Transparency & Accountability

Welcome to the Authority’s Transparency & Accountability webpage.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) is committed to transparency and accountability. We understand the importance of keeping the public informed about the work we are doing to deliver high-speed rail and how we are conducting this work on behalf of the people of California.

Many documents and reports are currently available on our website to keep the public informed about the project, such as construction updates, contracts, small business and jobs reports, factsheets, and other information. Some meet requirements established by the California Legislature or by the federal government, such as the 2020 Business Plan. Some provide information on our funding agreements and our funding plans. Additional financial and program delivery information can be found in documents provided to the Board of Director’s Finance and Audit Committee as well as to the full Board’s deliberations and decisions.

If you would like to request documentation not available on our website, the Authority encourages written requests which can be submitted via our Public Records Portal.

Change Orders

Change orders are issued for work that is added to or deleted from the original scope of work of a contract which alters the original contract amount and/or completion dates. Change orders are commonplace on projects including large public infrastructure projects, such as the California High-Speed Rail program. Below you can see our format for documenting the Central Valley design build construction package contract change orders:

• Change Order File

Current construction cost estimates account for the costs of both completed change orders and anticipated change orders. The Authority anticipates future change orders due to previously approved scope changes that require further design development as the designs for the construction packages in the Central Valley are finalized.  Other types of events also give rise to change orders such as, for example, unanticipated site conditions, changes in third-party requirements and standards, or availability of more efficient constructions means, methods, or materials.

We would appreciate your feedback on how we can make this information more useful going forward. If you have any questions or would like to provide feedback, please contact us at info@hsr.ca.gov.

Change Order Process Improvements

In September 2021, the Authority improved its change order approval process to promote transparency and increase accountability by streamlining reviews and providing additional training to improve the quality of change order documentation. The changes include:

• Creating a Change Control Committee for change orders of $1 million or more to review and verify merit earlier in the process.
• Expanding the role of the Business Oversight Committee.
• Changing the reporting threshold to the Board so all change orders for $25 million or more are reported to the full Board.

The new Change Control Committee (CCC) will validate merit, set Finding of Fact (FOF) and other change order documentation standards, review FOFs and change orders over $1 million for accuracy and clarity, and will make recommendations on the approval or disapproval of change orders.

For more information on these changes, please see the PowerPoint presentation to the Authority Board of Directors on the change order process improvements:

• Change Order Approval Process Improvements