Work Smart with the SCA McGraw-Hill Supplement - 7

A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO NEW YORK CONSTRUCTION 20 YEARS+ BUILDING T he New York City School Construction Authority (SCA), which just celebrated its 20th anniversary, has a history of being responsive to new trends in the construction industry. A leader in innovative technologies and best practices, it continues to manage effectively in a rapidly changing building climate. Established by the New York State Legislature in December 1988, the SCA was founded to build new public schools and manage the design, construction and renovation of capital projects in New York City’s more than 1,200 public school buildings, half of which were constructed prior to 1949. According to President & CEO Sharon Greenberger, “Through constant innovation and effective management the SCA is building to meet the needs of the system’s 1.1 million students and 1,600 schools – during the last eight years alone, the agency has opened 130 new school buildings and completed 3,616 renovation projects.” CONSOLIDATED RESPONSIBILITY In October 2002, Mayor Bloomberg announced that management of the Department of Education’s (DOE) Capital Program would be consolidated under the SCA. “Previously, it had been a broken system,” says Executive Director and Chief of Staff Lorraine Grillo. “When the SCA became responsible for capital planning, budgeting and all real estate functions (formerly managed by the DOE Division of School Facilities), everything moved under one roof. Divided functions were integrated, and the transition of responsibility was seamless.” The goal of making the SCA accountable for development of the DOE’s Capital Program was to improve management of the construction process, reduce school construction costs by simplifying design standards and increase competition among contractors. Substantial progress has since been made on all three fronts as a result of the SCA’s coordination of planning, site identi" cation, budgeting, scoping, design and construction. While the basic components of a school have not changed much over the years, projects are being built more ef" ciently, thanks to the SCA’s concerted effort to incorporate new technologies and techniques, both in building infrastructure and in supporting instructional requirements de" ned by the 6 DOE. “The SCA is committed to setting new standards for energy ef" ciency and learning technology in order to provide New York’s communities with schools in which all children can thrive,” adds Greenberger. In order to meet the demands of the current and immediately previous " ve-year plans, which together represent an investment in excess of $24 billion in City schools, the SCA worked hard to improve its internal management systems and business processes. Over the last several years, for example, the SCA revised design standards for new schools and additions to reduce building costs and foster increased competition among contractors. SCA LEADERSHIP DRIVES CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT Under Greenberger’s leadership, the agency successfully completed a $13.1 billion capital plan—the largest in SCA history—this past June, and is now hard at work on the next one, valued at $11.3 billion. The results are tangible: 18 new schools opened in September 2008, 23 new schools opened this September, and another 25 are slated to open in 2010. In order to help meet educational needs across the City, the SCA conducts extensive outreach to the development community, working to include new schools in large development projects and to create and expand partnerships with not-for-pro" t organizations. The SCA is constantly challenging itself and its partners to improve and do more with less. With respect to these efforts, Grillo says, “Sharon has initiated a goal of continuous improvement throughout the agency in every area, looking at accountability, responsibility, quality and transparency. We’re working to improve our processes, including conducting more training and staff development. The SCA has evolved in signi" cant ways under Sharon’s leadership.” Grillo notes that new technology has been a key element in helping SCA staff streamline business processes in order to do more with less. A prime example is the launch this year of the Vendor Access System (VAS), a web-based application that allows " rms to qualify and certify online, which will soon be expanded to incorporate the new SCA Consultant
Work Smart with the SCA McGraw-Hill Supplement

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Work Smart with the SCA McGraw-Hill Supplement
