One of Malcolm Dunn's first concerns when he became a commissioner on the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority was who looked out for the authority's interests on projects. Now the PMUA is responding by seeking a "clerk of the works," sometimes called an owner's representative, to do just that.
The PMUA issued a request for qualifications and proposals to be received at 11 a.m. at PMUA headquarters on July 31, with contract awards or rejection of bids to take place within 60 days.
Dunn brought up the concern at the authority's June meeting during a discussion of repairs needed at the Rock Avenue interceptor, part of the sewer system operated by the PMUA.
"We need somebody on our side," Dunn said.
The situation with the interceptor was described as an emergency, so it is unclear whether such services can be obtained in time for those repairs. But even before becoming a commissioner, Dunn had seen a role for the PMUA in building the proposed second tunnel under the Hudson River. PMUA Commissioner Cecil Sanders was also part of a team looking to participate in the work.
Gov. Chris Christie called off the project, but if an alternative, the Gateway Tunnel, comes into being, Dunn's well-known entrepreneurial spirit will most likely spur him to action to get PMUA in on the deal. And maybe a clerk of the works will be just what's needed to make sure the PMUA fully benefits from its share of the project.
--Bernice
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I can think of three appropriate terms-
ReplyDeleteMission Creep- the expansion of a project or mission beyond its original goals, often after initial successes. Mission creep is usually considered undesirable due to the dangerous path of each success breeding more ambitious attempts, only stopping when a final, often catastrophic, failure occurs.
Profiteering- a pejorative term for the act of making a profit by methods considered unethical.
Rent-seeking- In economics, rent-seeking is an attempt to obtain economic rent by manipulating the social or political environment in which economic activities occur, rather than by creating new wealth....
.... Rent-seeking implies extraction of uncompensated value from others without making any contribution to productivity.
*** source Wikipedia
Are you describing a lobbyist?
ReplyDeleteDoesn't the PMUA have an engineering firm on retainer? They can be the owners rep. Sounds like another political hack firm is going to deepen their pockets. The PMUA actually thought they were going to get a contract with THE Tunnel for what hauling garbage from the construction sites? You got to be kidding me. Seriously what are they smoking over there. What they were going to buy dump trucks and go into the excavating business. I guess they anticipated a handout contract since they could never be competitive in a the bid arena. This is the problem with Plainfield someone smells money and next thing you know hands are out looking for a part of the cut.
ReplyDeleteMs. Paglia if they do not get that interceptor fixed and I mean fixed soon there will be a tsunami there. The residents whom live far and beyond that area WILL loose their homes. This is a very dangerous situation and they need to stop down playing it. I have heard from one of the employees there that this have fell on death ears and they are going to wait until it's to late.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like Obamanomics. The PMUA to benefit from their share of the project. Who says they get a share. And yes the only thing they could do is haul construction debris and it better be competitively bid.
ReplyDeleteThe only solution is to put the heat on and OPT OUT. Or, join the movement and apply to be Clerk of the Works. Bill Kruse
ReplyDelete