Design & Construction
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Organization
The Design and Construction Division is one of the two procuring divisions within the Procurement Department. The Division has five Contract Officers, two administrative staff and a manager. Individual Contract Officers are generally assigned to one or more departments.
What We Procure
The Division procures all construction, architectural, engineering and related services needed to support the Public Works operating departments, the Regional Flood Control District, and the County Capital Program. Essentially, anything that is related to making improvements to public property falls within the Division's responsibility. The spectrum of services acquired is broad—ranging from counting owls for an environmental clearance, to the design and construction of a major roadway, to an office remodel, a chiller replacement, or an emergency major sewer reconstruction. It's always different, always interesting.
Customer Service
Customer service is a core value of the Division. We understand that there is a flow to capital projects, that the unexpected sometimes happens during construction, and that repairs often really are urgently needed. The Division makes every effort to accommodate these requests within the constraints under which we operate and our current workload.
We recently implemented new procedures using the Synergen Purchase Order capability for Qualified Consultants Lists that allows us to put a contract in place in only a few days in most cases, a substantial improvement over the 14 – 28 days it was taking before. We have, in addition, over the years developed a fairly extensive procurement toolkit of procedures adapted or adaptable to meeting urgent or special construction or consulting needs. The key, as always, is letting us know as soon as possible when a special situation arises so we can work with you to develop an appropriate approach to solving your problem.
In conjunction with the Materials and Services Division, we are also using metrics as a performance and improvement tool, although with increasing use of Alternative Project Delivery Methods we are being flexible in their application. Your Contracts Officer and the Design and Construction staff and manager are always available to discuss your project delivery options and to assist you with that decision.