Alice Truong

Date of Award

12-14-2013

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Abstract

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has had a decentralized contracting model since its inception in 1970. Over the years, the number of contracts that MTC executes has increased, but the staffing level in the Contracts Unit has remained the same, which has elicited an emphasis on the importance of efficiency. This research analyzes whether the MTC Contracts Unit should adopt a centralized contracting model for the purposes of increasing efficiencies. A main focus area is on improving timeliness for contract finalization and minimizing errors found during the internal review and approval process. The researcher currently works for the Contracts Unit at MTC, and is responsible for reviewing and approving contracts. This study is important because coordination problems between the project managers and contracts staff have lead to delays or a duplication of effort causing inefficiencies in the contracting process. By utilizing primary data collection, this research reviews the contracting processes of MTC and other similar transportation agencies. The results and findings from the surveys and key informant interviews will allow for an informed decision to be made on this current issue. This study concludes with policy recommendations, which could be used to enrich the findings presented.

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