Building A PMO

Introduction: This expert report on project management was commissioned by the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry to address general issues about the nature, purpose and application of project management, as well as specific questions about programme management and risk management. Traditional project management provides a set of processes, procedures and tools for managing projects on time, within budget and to the required specifications. These common processes are valuable for identifying the bodies of knowledge and detailed procedures required to set up and execute projects. However, traditional project management has been criticized in recent years for neglecting to consider the ‘strategic’ activities and decisions undertaken during the front-end planning stage of projects, which play a vital role in defining the need for a project and determining whether the goal is achieved. Traditional project management assumes that a one-size-fits-all approach – a simple, predictable and standardized model – is applicable to all types of projects. Recent research has emphasized the need for project management to be ‘adaptive’ and flexible to address the complexities, uncertainties and challenges surrounding each project. There are clearly no magical project management cures, and no single predictable strategy will be applicable to all large, complex, high-risk projects. But many infrastructure projects in the UK now recognize the need for solutions that are designed to deal with the specific challenges involved in planning and executing large, complex projects. Taken together, the strategic and adaptive approaches to project management identified in this report offer a more effective way of planning and managing large, complex projects.

Introduction   The Standard Bidding Document for the Procurement of Works–Small Contracts (SBD Works-Small) has been prepared by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for use in contracts involving “smaller” contracts—valued at generally less than $10 million by open competitive bidding. It is based on the Master Document for Procurement of Small Works, prepared by multilateral development banks and international financing institutions. It reflects the structure and the provisions of the Master Document, except where specific considerations within ADB have required a change. The SBD Works-Small follows a postqualification procedure that requires Bidders to submit the information pertaining to their qualifications together with their bids. In this event, it will be necessary to ensure that a Bidder’s risk of having its bid rejected on grounds of qualification is remote if due diligence is exercised by the Bidder during bid preparation. For that purpose, clear-cut, pass-fail qualification criteria need to be specified by the Employer in both the Invitation for Bids as well as the Bidding Document to enable Bidders to make an informed decision on whether to pursue a specific contract and, either to do so as a single entity or in Joint Venture. Postqualification criteria, requirements, and relevant forms for submission are covered in Section 3 (Evaluation and Qualification Criteria) and Section 4 (Bidding Forms). The SBD Works-Small is intended for both lump sum (activity schedule) and admeasurement (unit prices in a bill of quantities) types of contract, which are the most common in civil works contracting. Lump sum contracts are used particularly for building construction and other forms of construction where the works are well defined and are unlikely to change in quantity or specification, and where it is unlikely to encounter difficult or unforeseen site conditions (for example, hidden foundation problems). Otherwise, admeasurement contracts should be used. The main text is applicable to both types of contracts (lump sum and admeasurement). Fixed prices are provided as a default unless price adjustment is allowed and indicated in Section 2 (Bid Data Sheet). An important feature of the SBD Works-Small, which is only available in electronic format on the ADB website, is that it can be used with minimum changes, as it does not contain explanations, footnotes, or examples that should not form part of the Bidding Document. The provisions in Section 1 (Instructions to Bidders) and Section 7 (General Conditions of Contract) must be used with their text unchanged. This user’s guide is provided to guide employers in preparing a bidding document based on the SBD Works-Small for a single-stage: one-envelope bidding procedure. This guide includes the Bidding Process and the Invitation for Bids, which are not part of the Bidding Document. ADB welcomes any feedback or experiences from both Borrowers and Bidders on the use of its Standard Bidding Document. For information on procurement under ADB-financed projects, contact 

Introduction: The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC or Commission) relies on a variety of applications to support its business functions related to the conduct of official proceedings. These include a custom-built legacy “BizApps” docketing system and Huddle, a third party service for eDiscovery. The PUC seeks to replace these systems with an integrated, cohesive, and efficient solution for internal and external stakeholders doing business with the Commission. By replacing the outdated and unsupported docketing system, PUC will be better equipped to serve stakeholders and the citizens of Oregon. The Dockets and Discovery project management plan defines how the Dockets and Discovery project is executed, monitored and controlled, and closed.