Public Practice Contract Administration

Procurement Proposals, Bid Documents, Advertising, Negotiations, Grants/Funding, Scope-of-work Refinement, Budgets, Billing

Image courtesy of Kris Sorich, ASLA

Contract administration includes all activities and interactions between a public agency and a selected contractor or service provider. These activities occur when a project is first identified and initiated through its final completion and close out. Contract administration is a critical component to the effective and efficient delivery of goods and services for the benefit of the public. Successful contract administration includes:

  • Ensuring fair, safe and responsible contract administration
  • Completing projects on time, within budget, and to meet the scope of the project
  • Monitoring and protecting publicly-owned assets and financial resources
  • Avoiding exposure to liability and minimizing project risk

Public practice landscape architects are often the lead staff for the day-to-day management of contracts for planning and design services, as well as construction. They spend time coordinating and collaborating on-site, in the office, in the community, and in front of agency leaders and elected officials to ensure successful outcomes. They represent the public agency’s interests in managing contacts with design consultants and construction contractors. Tasks typically include:

  • Developing procurement proposals including solicitation documents (RFPs and RFQs), scopes of work, and bid documents
  • Coordinating with partner agencies and departments for contract advertising
  • Coordinating proposal evaluation processes, forming and facilitating selection committees, and recommending contract award
  • Negotiating contract terms and developing agency templates and procedures for procurement
  • Conducting grant administration, management and reporting
  • Coordinating contract communications between contractors and agency staff
  • Managing contract budgets
  • Verifying billing and processing invoices for contractor payments
  • Conducting contractor performance reports
  • Coordinating substantial completion, punch list completion, and final completion
  • Coordinating project closeout including final deliverables, warranties and release of liens

Keep Exploring Public Practice Landscape Architecture

Aerial drawing of the reimagined brownfield site known as the Lafitte Greenway

Guide to Public Practice Landscape Architecture

What is public practice landscape architecture? The not-for-profit enterprise whose mission is to design, implement, and manage functional, liveable, safe, and attractive places for the public, often developed with a larger social objective in mind—community gathering, preservation/acknowledgement of history/place, environmental resilience, and economic vitality.

Engagement facilitated conversation among residents and community members through sketching

Public Communications

Initiatives, Presentations, Media Relations, Progress Reporting, Public Education

Data Collection & Analysis

GIS - Mapping, Surveys, Record Reviews, Site Condition Assessment (Grading and Drainage, Erosion, Circulation, Climatic Conditions)

Design

Drive design vision, advocate for landscape architecture components, create design standards, direct design processes

Engagement

Political Bodies, Stakeholders, Owners, Community Interest Groups, Programming, Inter-Organizational Relations

Project Management

Synthesize project components, Resolve project-wide issues, Quality Assurance, Construction document review, Budget and project expenditure monitoring, Process and permit administration

Aerial View of the Eastern End of Orange Mall

Public Asset Management

Inspections, Maintenance, Stewardship, Health & Safety, Inventories, Acquisitions & Agreements

Enhanced pathways traverse the Penn and Fountain Landfills, which rise 130 feet above Jamaica Bay.

Regulation & Compliance

Public Policy Development, Ordinances, Development Standards & Guidelines, Zoning Review, Permitting, Specifications

Representation

Coordination, Collaboration, Team Leadership, Subject Matter Expertise, Agency Liaison, Task Force Member, Public Guardian

Academic researchers meet with a firm liaison to discuss a research project

Research & Documentation

Precedent/Benchmark/Case Studies, Historical Record Review, Preservation Studies, Informational Resources