Transportation projects in the infrastructure sector contribute to approximately 42% of the total expenditures on public construction projects in the US. The main source of funding of these projects is the taxpayer's hard-earned money. The ever-growing problem by transportation projects is that the available funds are less than those required to have a stable and well maintained transportation network. Unnecessary costs in these projects are mainly caused by Conflicts, Claims and Disputes (C2D). According to recent reports, C2D in construction is greatly attributed to poor contract administration. The goal of this paper is to provide better understanding and utilization of contracts that are managed by the Departments of Transportations (DOTs) of 6 southeastern states: Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida. To this end, the authors: (1) analyzed the standard contract agreements published by these 6 states; (2) highlighted commonalities and differences in key subject areas including bidding, contract award, selection criteria, payment and control work. Usually, local contractors in southeastern areas work in their home states as well as in the neighbouring states. The outcomes of this work is that contractors conducting business in the southeast will benefit greatly from the presented contractual guidelines. This research method could be implemented in other states to cover different regions in the US. Ultimately, this will help in minimizing cost due to conflicts and disputes in projects; thus, making better use of the US taxpayer's money.