Another question I didn't yet begin to address is how FDOT plans to deal with the format changes between major database versions of AutoCAD/Civil 3D? We've been thinking a little about that one, however the first reality even hits with the release of 2012 and our code development (done under 2011). Albeit no major DWG database change in 2012, we still need to approach versions carefully from the development perspective too. Our state kit has both net load applications running inside AutoCAD and .NET applications that interface to AutoCAD through COM.
We are just beginning to learn the dependencies to particular versions of AutoCAD and Civil 3D. Up to now we focused on just getting what we thought was needed content and functionality in our code while learning to develop for AutoCAD, but now must begin to make our offering as version agnostic as we can. We're depending on the API remaining "stable" and that ADSK doesn't completely obsolete our executables between subsequent or near subsequent versions of the platform. Can you imagine if Microsoft did that?
Even now as we built our stuff on 2011, since 2012 has been released we need to decide how to support it, and when? Do we get to version 1.0 of the state kit on 2011, then concentrate on migrating to 2012? Do we drop 2011 development now, and then switch the developers to 2012 before we get 1.0 out? And so on... We use MS Visual Studio, and there are issues between VS2008 / VS2010 and developing in C3D2011 and moving solutions to VS2010 and ACAD2012 that must be considered also. I'll admit I'm no longer a developer and do not know all the details, but at least I know there are details
A goal would be to at least support the genre 2010-2012 with our first release. Hopefully we be able to do that, and in the mean time our programmers have been asked to do what they can to achieve what version independence we reasonably can.
For consultants working for us, our standard scopes of work do address that they must remain contemporary with the department (standards, and for deliverables) unless that is negotiated out of the contracts (which it rarely is). We are a little conservative in that we usually are N-1 versions behind the vendor releases...if that makes a difference?