At the Helm

NYC Department of Design and Construction Commissioner David Burney

by Natalie Keith

Since he started as commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction in February, David Burney has spent much of his time meeting with the agency's 1,200 employees.

Though he's learned much about the department's inner workings, the meetings have been remarkable more for what he hasn't discovered: Reams of red tape.

"It doesn't carry the type of dead weight that you might associate with government," Burney said during a recent interview at the agency's office in the Long Island City section of Queens.

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But that doesn't mean he hasn't set high goals for his tenure as the head of an agency that was formed in 1996 and manages almost $1 billion worth of capital construction projects.

"The agency has been very focused on meeting schedules," he said. "If there's room for improvement, it's with design."

Burney was appointed commissioner in January by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He succeeded Kenneth Holden, who left the DDC after four years of service as commissioner and more than a dozen years of city service.

"(Burney's) breath of experience in construction and design is vast, he has extensive public and private sector experience and a track record of getting things done," Bloomberg said after appointing Burney.

Burney is a licensed architect with more than 30 years of experience in construction and design. Since 1990, he has directed the design and capital improvement division of the New York City Housing Authority, where he oversaw a staff of 300 and an annual construction budget of $500 million.

Burney said he is the first architect to lead the DDC and that his focus on design will have good company within the Bloomberg administration.

"There's a level of design excellence in the Bloomberg administration that's unprecedented," he added. "I think you'll see a lot of positive things coming through the pipeline."

During his tenure at the housing authority, Burney oversaw the design of over 100 youth and senior centers and developed 270 units of new housing. Before working at the housing authority, he worked in private practice and served as the project manager for such projects as the Lincoln Center Rose Building and Zeckendorf Towers.

He is a graduate of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland; Kingston University in London; and holds a master's degree in advanced architectural studies from the University of London.

Under the fiscal year 2005 capital plan, the DDC will manage $885 million in capital projects. Of the total, 24 percent or $214 million are courts, corrections or juvenile justice projects; 22 percent or $194 million are city Department of Environmental Protection projects; 19 percent or $166 million are city Department of Transportation projects; 15 percent or $135 million are child development, aging, homeless services or health projects; 8 percent or $69 million are library projects; and 7 percent or $67 million are cultural projects.

The department will also oversee $40 million in fuel tank, fire, police and office of emergency management projects.

Capital projects are funded by the agencies that initiate them. However, DDC does have a budget of its own. In fiscal year 2004, the expense budget was $86.1 million, of which $73.4 million was for personnel and $12.7 million for expenses other than personnel.

Like other public agencies that work with the construction and design communities, the DDC is striving to enhance its "user friendliness," with technology and other initiatives. The agency's Web site offers a list of projects planned for competitive bid within the next 18 months.

The agency also implemented a bid hot line that provides results of competitive sealed bid openings, the procurement process and information about upcoming business opportunities.

The agency has a payment hot line that provides contractors and consultants with information about the status of payment requisitions as they pass through the agency's internal review process. Both systems access real time data and are available on a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week basis.

"Working with the government is great because they pay, but the down side is it can take forever," Burney said. "If you're a small design firm, cash flow can cripple you. We've cut the payment cycle down to 30 days."

The Web site also includes a project browser feature that enables the public and elected officials to view active projects in DDC's portfolio on a citywide map with information on location, scope of work, dollar value and design/construction phase.

Burney said he plans to continue initiatives, started under Holden's leadership, to enhance business opportunities for women and minority contractors and workers. Under Holden's leadership, the agency established the office of business opportunity whereby women, minority and locally based firms are encouraged to participate within the industry.

To inaugurate the program in March 2003, the DDC presented a seminar to assist new contractors interested in doing business with the agency. There were 72 participants at the event which included workshops on marketing, business development, city procurement rules and insurance.

The office held its second series of workshops in January, offering 11 courses that were attended by more than 200 people. To encourage subcontractor opportunities, the agency hosted a networking event for small contractors to meet construction management firms, prime contractors and financial institutions.

"You've got to do the outreach to get firms involved," said Burney. "I would encourage firms to compete for DDC jobs."