CA SB918

Requires the Department of Transportation to develop and implement an asset management program by February 1, 2015, and update it at least every 5 years to catalog assets and ensure efficient usage and maintenance.

Imposes additional document retention requirements on the Department of Transportation for all construction project-related documents (including emails, notes, and measurements) until final closeout and claim resolution, with liability for losses and civil penalties up to $500 per missing document.

Requires the Department of Transportation to obtain complete survey information of field conditions before commencing project design and to use state-of-the-art design software that requires individualized error correction rather than automatic fixes.

Mandates the Department of Transportation to include detailed information about outstanding contractor claims in proposed budgets and reserve sufficient funds to pay accumulated claims, with reserves of at least 60% of claimed amounts (or 100% if approved by dispute resolution board or district director).