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Innovative Approaches
Due to the urgency of rebuilding these high priority projects in Lower Manhattan, the FTA Lower Manhattan Recovery Office (LMRO) has worked with the project sponsors on innovative, streamlined project delivery processes in the areas of project development, project oversight and environmental management oversight. The following sections highlight the main points of these innovative approaches.
Project Development
- Lower Manhattan Project Delivery Process developed early on, with a common consensus among federal and local partners.
- Use of one grant for an entire project.
- LMRO specific Master Agreement - eliminating different sets of requirements (i.e. FTA’s vs.FEMA’s) and two sets of paperwork.
- Early Partnering Agreement between FTA and each project sponsor establishing environmental actions, and project scope-schedule-budget, and project oversight protocols.
Project Oversight
- An oversight team consisting of FTA staff and contractors working in the areas of project management oversight (PMO), financial management oversight, procurement systems reviews and environmental processes.
- FTA developed a “manage to the risk” oversight approach to customize the level and kind of oversight for each project.
- Contractors developed a risk assessment profile approach to measure adequacy of time and contingency for building each project.
- FTA and project sponsors will enter into construction agreements covering project scope, schedule, and budget. These agreements will provide a streamlined approach to managing each project.
Environmental Management Oversight
- Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with other federal agencies defining roles and response times.
- Federal Interagency Review Team established to expedite agencies’ reviews and comments.
- Developed agreement among Project Sponsors committing to a common Environmental Analysis Framework, Environmental Performance Commitments and a coordinated cumulative effects analysis.
- Coordinated approach among Federal agencies to initiate the Section 106 Review process under the NHPA for the World Trade Center Site.
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