How to Improve the Project Design Process to Better Balance Project Cost and Quality for New York City Infrastructure Projects

To maintain and enhance the vitality of New York City, billions of dollars must be spent annually on renovating, replacing and adding to the City’s built environment. Getting public projects built in New York City requires a complex cooperation among various agencies – those that require the infrastructure investment (such as police, parks, schools, sanitation, hospitals) and those that enable construction such as the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Design and Construction.

One critical aspect to capital projects is the balance among design, design quality and value where crucial decisions on form, function and cost need to be made. Many believe that the inability to bring in projects on time and on budget is a direct function of the design and project management processes. How can New York City agencies collaborate to improve the balance on cost versus quality, enhance accountability for project budgets while continuing to achieve each project’s public mission? How do disparate agencies with different operating models deal with project budgeting, project management and value engineering? The objectives of this study are to:

- Understand New York City processes related to design, project management, project budgeting and value engineering

- Identify design management techniques that permit project stakeholders to evaluate and balance cost & quality

- Identify management tools during the design phase that are within owner/or managing agency’s general control and what resources are available to project managers.

- Strengthen the ability of capital project managers to achieve well-designed and cost-effective projects, given funding constraints.