On Friday, July 24, a diverse group of BizFed members engaged in a constructive dialogue with LA Metro’s new CEO, Phil Washington to discuss his key priorities for LA Metro, including his vision for working with the business community.
Mr. Washington oversees an agency that transports 1.4 million boarding passengers on an average weekday, riding on a fleet of 2,000 clean-air buses and six rail lines. Metro is the lead transportation-programming agency for the County of Los Angeles. Mr. Washington was the CEO of Denver’s Regional Transportation District since 2009, and established a reputation for being a creative manager and a highly effective leader who has come up with innovative ways to get projects done on time and under budget.
BizFed thanks Hansel Phelps for their generous support!
Mr. Washington’s Stated Priorities:
Public Private Partnerships, the “three legged funding stool”: Private sectorinvestment, local investment from thepublic, and improving Metro’s federal funding stream through a possible long-term transportation funding bill.
Expediting Metro’s Unsolicited Bid Proposals, Especially for P3’s: Allowing unsolicited preliminary proposals.
Proposed “Office of Extraordinary Innovation”: Foster creativity, to ensure that innovation is involved in the contracting process.
Security and Asset Management: Moving asset management out of the Operations Department, which Washington believes will avoid a conflict of priority. He believes a more open system will reduce security risks.
Ensuring Cost Savings: Washington is establishing a Risk Allocation Matrix (RAM), as part of Metro’s fiscal discipline planning, which will list opportunities for cost savings. The goal is to save $300 million per year.
Tiered Bidding Program: This will allow and encourage small to mid sized businesses, women, and minority owned companies to compete for bids on a level playing field with other companies in the same revenue tier as them.
In closing, Mr. Washington thanked BizFed for its continued engagement and committed to an open and ongoing dialogue with business stakeholders throughout Southern California.
Next Steps: BizFed-SCAG Regional Transportation Plan Work Session
WHAT: BizFed-SCAG Regional Transportation Plan Work Session
WHEN: Wednesday, August 13, 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: 818 W 7th St, 12th Floor, Conference Room A, Los Angeles, CA
CALL IN: 605-475-5900, x532767#
PARKING: Garage located on Flower. $15 no validation.
RSVP: Please email Dustan.Batton@BizFed.org to RSVP
