| OTIA III State Bridge Delivery |
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| Web Brief (Mar 06) |
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ODOT meets with American Council of Engineering Companies
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ACEC/ODOT Conference 2006: A Partnership for Excellence
Mutual understanding and cooperation were the common themes at the American Council of Engineering Companies/ODOT 2006 conference in Wilsonville March 6–9. Close to 200 professionals attended, including agency staff, members of Oregon Bridge Delivery Partners, and 87 private-sector consulting firms.
The conference, part of an ongoing educational collaboration between ODOT andACEC, included practical information and tools to improve the way technical and project delivery staff work together. It was also a chance for key ODOT regional and headquarters managers and staff to answer questions from engineering consultants and give them insight into ODOT’s project delivery methods.
“This conference helped all of us to establish relationships with our consultant partners, as well as ODOT colleagues,” said Ingrid Saltvold, ODOT Technical Services branch operations manager. “We definitely have an important mission together: to help provide transportation solutions for Oregon.”
The ACEC/ODOT conference was unique in that, while time was spent focusing on how ODOT does business as a state agency—including its hierarchy and the challenges the agency faces day to day developing and delivering projects with its own staff and with consultants—there was also discussion about how consultants typically run their businesses and the challenges they face when working with a public agency. Discussions gave participants an opportunity to gain understanding of how much both sides have in common, as well as some of the important differences.
“ODOT is truly making an effort to reach out to the consultant industry to deliver the transportation program, and consultants are eager to help provide efficient and high-quality project delivery methods,” said Karen Tatman of Quincy Engineering, Inc. “Both the agency and consultants need to continue to discuss ways to streamline the process and maintain high quality. That’s what this workshop was all about.”
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