The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced the launch of the Project Delivery Center of Excellence, which is initiative to streamline and enhance the implementation of federally-funded infrastructure projects nationwide. According to a July 31 release, the center will be a "central resource for innovative practices" and will have a focus on "peer-to-peer learning."
"This USDOT Project Delivery Center of Excellence that we are launching is important because it is so important to deliver good projects well — meaning on time, on task, on budget," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the release.
The Project Delivery Center of Excellence is aimed at enhancing the efficiency and efficacy of federal infrastructure projects. According to the release, the center serves as a hub for innovative practices, and is intended to enable knowledge sharing and foster peer-to-peer learning among project managers.
Buttigieg emphasized the importance of this initiative, predicting that the Center of Excellence located at the USDOT Volpe Center would continue to grow and evolve to better support project delivery staff, project sponsors, and all those involved in infrastructure projects, the release reported.
The launch of the Project Delivery Center of Excellence comes in the wake of President Joe Biden's signature on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, the release stated. The law is a cornerstone of Biden's Investing in America agenda, which the DOT and the Biden-Harris administration have implemented, delivering significant progress towards rebuilding the nation's infrastructure.
Senior Advisor to President Biden and White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu noted the new Center of Excellence would serve as a crucial point of exchange for ideas, knowledge and best practices. This initiative will aim to continually improve and enhance the nation's transportation system, the release said.
Anne Aylward, Volpe Center director, expressed pride in hosting the Project Delivery Center of Excellence. She emphasized effective project delivery starts before the project begins and expressed commitment to collaborating with federal, Tribal, state and local partners to ensure the Center's success, according to the release.
Initial plans for the Center of Excellence include simplifying the contracting process for newer grant recipients by offering a high-quality model for design and construction contracts, centralizing project delivery methods, best practices and convening information exchanges. It will also provide a central repository to share national best practices and case studies in successful, innovative project development, project delivery and cost containment efforts, the release reported.
The Center also plans to collaborate with the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies to create and distribute templates and model language for transportation construction contracts, the release said.
