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PANYNJ modifies policies for contractor performance, accountability

According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), the changes to how it selects contractors for port authority construction projects are part of a continuing effort to assure those projects are completed on time and within budget.

   The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) is changing how it selects contractors for future construction projects and how it selects firms to manage and oversee construction on its behalf.
   The PANYNJ said Dec. 15 the changes are part of a continuing effort to assure completion of port authority construction projects on time and within budget.
   “Going forward, bidding firms’ past performance record on previous port authority projects will become a decisive factor in contract award determinations,” the port authority said in a statement explaining the process. “Poor performance on past projects will severely handicap firms’ ability to get future work.”
   All contractors, subcontractors and construction management firms working on all port authority construction projects are now subject to performance evaluations, and under the new policy, less-than-satisfactory ratings received at any time during the previous three years will be formally considered in contract award determinations.
   Also, during and at the completion of construction projects, port authority professionals overseeing the work are to conduct performance evaluations. Good performance on past projects will receive positive consideration in the selection process, the PANYNJ said.
   “Making sure contractors and construction managers are held accountable for their past performance is an important tool in achieving our goal of on-time and on-budget performance in all of our projects,” Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton explained in a statement.
   “This also requires that the port authority step up its own game in managing projects to assure timely delivery against a project’s schedule and assure that project costs are tightly managed and hit budget targets,” he said.
   The changes were announced barely a month after the port authority put forth a $3.4 billion 2018 capital budget that includes repair work at its tunnels, bridges, airports and the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) rapid transit system, as well as investment in projects to replace aging port-run facilities with modern, state-of-the-art infrastructure.