County of LA Architecture procurement recommendations

Roger and Jim, I wanted to update you on a recent development that emerged last week in follow-up to a meeting with Dan Rosenfeld, Senior Deputy for Economic Development, Sustainability and Mobility - County of Los Angeles. I wanted to keep you in the loop because this specific initiative closely parallels what you are working on as Chairs of the AIA/LA Political Outreach Committee, and if possible - I'd like to involve you in their ongoing discussions so that it helps inform your own efforts to drive the POC's initiatives forward.

On Thursday, June 18 (2pm) AIA/LA Practice Committee Chair Hraztan Zeitlian, AIA (LEO A DALY) and Co-Chair Kelly Olson (AECOM) held a conference call to discuss their committee's objective to develop a white paper on County of LA architecture procurement recommendations.   Participants in this discussion included (in addition to Hraztan and Kelly):   Kirk Rose, AIA (SMITHGROUP); John Friedman, FAIA (JFAK Architects); Melanie McArtor, AIA (GENSLER); Danette Riddle (AECOM); Will Wright (AIA/LA) and Seena Hassouna on behalf of Hal Sibley, AIA (HMC Architects).

The group will meet to further discuss the following agenda on Thursday, July 2 (8:30am) at AECOM over breakfast.  

Please let me know if you can make plans to attend.  Although I feel this initiative may well progress on its own parallel track to your ongoing initiatives, I wanted to make certain that you were well aware of other AIA/LA committee efforts (especially when they thematically overlap).

Topics to discuss on Thursday, July 2 (8:30am) at AECOM include:

County of Los Angeles - Recommendations for Architectural Projects Procurement

• · Outreach to Design Firms / seek to broaden the pool of candidates
  · Establish Standards/metrics of Design Excellence
  · Criteria for architecture selection to include:
• 1. Design Excellence – relative to project requirements
  2. Sustainability
  3. Experience with public agencies
  4. Local/small business/disadvantaged business other
  5. other
• · Consider a Design Review Board in the Selection Process and on-going for periodic review of projects
  · Enhance the weighting of the Design Excellence where appropriate
  · Balance/reduce weighting of prior experience in the Selection Criteria with other key criterion to enable a broader range of firms to be considered
• · Provide Feedback regarding All submitted qualifications
  · Empower the Design Review Board with the ability to have enough influence to counterbalance purely management driven decision-making vis a vis Architecture with the requirement of the artistic public benefit of projects.
• · Discussion on design competition for special projects
  · Create a small firm empowerment project category, where collaboration with small firms is encouraged.
  · Enhance the Public Art component beyond existing standards and prescribe the early integration of Art with the project development

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Very truly yours,

Will Wright

Director, Government & Public Affairs