PURPOSE
This procedure implements the Bureau’s commitments under the Interdepartmental Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): Improving Project Planning and Delivery in the Public Right-of-Way (PROW).
The MOU was executed in January 2022 between multiple City of Los Angeles Departments including the Bureau of Engineering, under the oversight of the Mayor’s Office. This agreement established a formal cooperative structure to efficiently plan, implement, and maintain the construction, reconstruction or improvement of City PROW, including but not limited to streets, sidewalks, curbsides, and pedestrian pathways.
This procedure details how to follow the MOU’s standard collaboration protocols and coordinate your Project’s scope with other organizations to ensure your project is holistic, well-balanced, and aligns with the City’s policy priorities and goals.
EXEMPTIONS
The following categories of Projects shall be exempt from these procedures:
Projects being delivered under a legal settlement (e.g. SSRP, SRP, etc.)
Emergency and/or Urgent Necessity Projects
Project scope that does not include - nor trigger - construction, reconstruction, or improvement of City PROW
Projects that completed the design phase prior to the execution of the MOU in January 2022
Non-Capital Improvement Projects
Projects that completed the design phase subsequent to the execution of the MOU in January 2022 but prior to the issuance of this procedure shall make a reasonable effort to follow this procedure, but may be exempted from all or some requirements if the Deputy City Engineer determines an exemption to be necessary to avoid unreasonable cost increases and/or schedule delays.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Project Manager (PM): The PM is responsible for identifying a Project’s fulfillment of key City policy(ies) and/or initiative(s) that overlap with other Projects’ by completing a Right-of-Way Protocols Checklist and executing a Project Delivery Agreement with other organizations.
Project Engineer (PE): The PE is responsible for assisting the PM with filling out the Right-of-Way Protocols Checklist and general project information in the Project Delivery Agreement form.
MOU Committee: The Interdepartmental Project Delivery MOU Committee (MOU Committee) is composed of the Lead and Supporting Departments and chaired by a representative of the Mayor’s Office, a representative of the BPW, and a representative of the City Administrative Officer (CAO). The MOU Committee has the authority to enforce and/or make revisions (with concurrence of the signatories and approval by the BPW) to the Project Delivery Agreement and facilitate collaboration between organizations. While the MOU Committee has authority over Project Delivery Agreements, project budgets and schedules are under the jurisdiction of applicable program oversight committees, such as the Street & Transportation Project Oversight Committee (STPOC).
PROCEDURE
During the pre-design phase of a Project, the PM will develop its scope in line with the City’s priorities and policies. Early in the pre-design phase, the PM and PE will answer the questions within the Protocols Checklist by addressing a series of scope related questions. Action Items are prescribed for each “yes” response to a question, which typically requires initiating coordination with other Departments that have project(s) occurring in the Project vicinity. Through this coordination, opportunities for interdepartmental collaboration are explored. Once complete, the Checklist shall be submitted to the MOU Committee for review and to facilitate any additional opportunities for collaboration with other agencies.
Project Checklist on NavigateLA:
The results of this preliminary coordination shall be documented in the pre-design report, including any areas of future collaboration to be further developed in the design phase. The pre-design report should include a discussion of issues that will require future concurrence by
client(s) and/or partner agency(ies). The PM shall append a Project Delivery Agreement to the pre-design report reflecting the best available information for the project at this time. (The Project Delivery Agreement will be updated at subsequent project milestones as the project is refined and roles and responsibilities are clarified.)
During the design phase at each major milestone (30%, 60%, 90%, 100%, the PM will update the Agreement with additional information as the project scope and schedule is refined. Via this Agreement, each Department contributing resources to the Project will sign off on the
scope and timing of its Project commitment. Prior to advertising the Project, the completed Protocols Checklist and Project Delivery Agreement shall be signed by a Deputy City Engineer or their designee, executed, and uploaded to the Uniform Project Reporting System (UPRS).
When a new project is added to the UPRS, a questionnaire will prompt the User to complete the Project Checklist or state the type of MOU Exemption. If the MOU is applicable to your project, the UPRS will require the User to upload the Project Checklist and Project Agreement in the Project Document Tab. Until this task is completed, the MOU requirement will be shown as a Key Project Exception.
The PM/PE will continue collaboration with the participating parties and update the Project Delivery Agreement throughout the life of the Project.
LINKS / ATTACHMENTS
Links
City of Los Angeles Interdepartmental Memorandum of Understanding: Improving Project Planning and Delivery in the Public Right-of-Way (City staff only)
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