City of Seattle/ACEC Committee
Committee Purpose: Strengthen mutual understanding and respect and create a forum that promotes proactive resolution of challenges and maximizing opportunities of interest to both the City and Consulting Profession.
Objectives: Educate each other about our businesses and agencies, understanding constraints, opportunities, policies, procedures, and interests.
Acknowledge inherent differences and common values between agencies and businesses; creating a sound basis for mutual respect, trust, and open communication.
Engage in collaborative problem solving as equal partners, achieving true success through long-term, sustainable solutions that satisfy the interests of both.
Building Relationships
The committee is structured similarly to other ACEC-agency liaison committees: an executive committee provides strategic focus, supported by task-oriented subcommittees that will form and sunset as needed. The committee consists of decision-makers from City agencies that have approximately $1 million or more in consultant contracts annually and principals from a cross section of ACEC member firms. Two ACEC Washington Small Firm Council founding members, Kash Nkzad (TranTech) and Kathy Robertson, are appointed to the committee.
The liaison committee’s purpose is to strengthen mutual understanding and respect and create a forum that promotes proactive resolution of challenges of interest to both the City and Consultants. The objectives that will help achieve this goal include:
- Educate each other about our businesses and agencies, understanding constraints, opportunities, policies, procedures, and interests.
- Acknowledge inherent differences and common values between agencies and businesses; creating a sound basis for mutual respect, trust, and open communication.
- Engage in collaborative problem solving as equal partners, achieving true success through long-term, sustainable solutions that satisfy the interests of both.
Current expectations of committee members typically focused on these areas of concern:
- Consistency between agencies in applying standard operating procedures and policies for consultant contracts
- Building relationships
- Outreach to small businesses
- Small Business participation and opportunities
- Understanding opportunities
Committee members brainstormed a list of issues associated with the above concerns, and will be working to fine-tune and prioritize them in the next meeting.
