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QUESTION

Council Member Brooks Powers Probes DDC's Progress toward 2022 Strategic Goals and Future Plans

1:17:29

·

3 min

Council Member Brooks Powers questions the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) on the implementation and progress toward their 2022 strategic goals focused on expanding opportunities for Minority and Women-Owned Enterprises (MWBEs). The conversation explores updates on the DDC's internal processes, including payment processing and project design times, as outlined in the upcoming revised strategic blueprint. Associate Commissioner Jeff Margolis from DDC confirms further improvements in transparency and efficiency, alongside the anticipation of a new blueprint release.

Speaker 1
1:17:29
In 2022, DDC released an update on their strategic blueprint, which summarizes CDC's commitment and new goals to maximize public investment One focus area of the report was expanding opportunities for MWE's, which we're going to dig into.
1:17:49
But first, we like to know how is GDC implementing the overall goals of the blueprint from 2022 and what type of progress has been made and how have the focus areas described and improved as well.
Speaker 8
1:18:07
Good morning, Chair.
1:18:08
Happy to answer generally.
1:18:10
Good to see you.
1:18:11
We actually are about to release an update to that blueprint in the next few weeks hopefully.
Speaker 1
1:18:16
One moment.
Speaker 3
1:18:17
Sorry.
1:18:18
Just one moment.
1:18:19
Oh.
1:18:19
Just just to have you swearing.
1:18:21
Do you affirm to tell the truth the whole truth, nothing but the truth before this committee, and to respond honestly to answer member questions.
Speaker 8
1:18:27
I do.
1:18:28
Yes.
1:18:28
Yes.
1:18:29
I are Jeff Margolis, Associate Commissioner of Communications And Policy at CDC.
1:18:34
So as I mentioned, we are about to release a new version of that blueprint, which will include many of the updates that you requested.
1:18:42
We have made progress, and I'll defer to Tom on some of the specifics on the infrastructure side, for example.
1:18:47
But in terms of payment processing, how long it takes for a change order to go through our system, how long design takes, how long different aspects of construction process take.
1:18:59
So we've made a lot of internal updates.
1:19:01
And then as we've mentioned here, there's a larger effort through the mayor's capital reform task course to look at the bigger picture.
Speaker 1
1:19:13
I know you all are looking into it, but have you seen progress from this so far?
1:19:18
And what has that looked like?
Speaker 8
1:19:20
Sure.
1:19:20
Absolutely.
1:19:21
Tom, if you wanna specifically talking.
Speaker 12
1:19:27
So we have had We've obviously had goals where we've time to do things such as shortened design times.
1:19:37
Get more contracts out to have our processes be more transparent.
1:19:42
And I think we've been We've been we've been good with those with those processes.
1:19:49
I think we could always be better.
1:19:51
So I'm hesitant to say, you know, we we've achieved it.
1:19:53
I think we can always get better.
1:19:55
But we definitely have been we've shared with the both the contracting community and the consulting community, what's going on, what's coming out, and how we can be more upfront with our processes so that they know what contracts are coming and that they can better prepare themselves for for a proposing on our contracts.
Speaker 1
1:20:17
Does the DDC still believe it should be recons to date as a state authority?
Speaker 8
1:20:23
Yes.
1:20:23
That is something we've worked on with the mayor's capital reform task force.
Speaker 1
1:20:29
Is there a plan to relief another blueprint in the coming years.
1:20:32
And if so, when?
Speaker 8
1:20:33
Yes.
1:20:33
In a few weeks, hopefully.
Speaker 1
1:20:35
Oh, in a few weeks?
Speaker 8
1:20:36
A few weeks, I don't I don't have specific date, but it's it's being written on.
1:20:40
It's been written, so it's just being formatted right now.
Speaker 1
1:20:43
Awesome.
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