Untitled Document

Department schedules review by American Society of Engineers

Surveys are under way and a professional review of engineering services is coming soon as part of ITD’s on-going commitment to efficiency under the leadership of Director Pamela K. Lowe.

The Department has scheduled a Peer Review with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The objective of the review is to improve the management and quality of engineering services in order to better serve the public.

“Peer review is a ‘professional’ review and should not to be confused with audits or investigations,” said Assistant Chief Engineer Loren Thomas.

The Peer Review Team is an outside team of top-level engineering managers from public sector agencies who are familiar with the type of work performed by ITD and other public-sector agencies, explained Thomas.

The review will look at efficient administration, quality assurance/quality control, project monitoring, design/construction interaction, and the Department’s overall direction.

“A group of 15 ASCE experts will evaluate the department’s engineering program and operating procedures, review the effectiveness of policies and procedures, and review compliance with these policies and procedures,” he said.

Information collected by the review team will be kept confidential and the team will destroy all records at the conclusion of the review to ensure that confidentiality. A summary of the team’s conclusions will be presented to the ITD Board in November.

“Districts Four, Five and Six will be visited by one team beginning Oct. 20, while Districts One and Two will be visited by a second team Oct. 27-31,” Thomas said. “The two teams will then return to Boise where they will look at District Three and Headquarters’ operations.”

ASCE’s Peer Review for Public Agencies Program is a voluntary effort meant to give public sector engineering, construction and operations agencies a means to improve the management and quality of their services in order to better protect the public health and safety with which they are entrusted.