Organization Information
Offices/Divisions
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Office of Chief Operating Officer
The Office of Chief Operating Officer oversees a number of functions within the SDA, including real estate, labor relations, workforce and contractor compliance, operations, procurement and human resources. The following divisions are included in the COO’s Office:
Contractor and Workforce Compliance: This division is responsible for initiatives and programs that encourage minority and female participation in school construction projects and provide opportunities for New Jersey’s small, minority and women-owned businesses. It also ensures that the workforce on the SDA’s construction sites meets the State’s affirmative action requirements.
Facilities Furnishing, Technology and Equipment: This unit is responsible for working with individual school districts on the purchase of furniture, fixtures and equipment to meet the specific needs of a facility. It is also responsible for the purchase and management of the installation of technology equipment for the facilities.
Human Resources: This division is responsible for policies and programs related to recruitment and retention, compensation, payroll and benefits, performance management, employee relations and compliance with all applicable employment laws.
Labor Relations: This unit is responsible for managing the Project Labor Agreement, overseeing and funding the administration of the Construction Trades Training Program for Women and Minorities, and handling all building trades/union concerns for the SDA.
Procurement and Contract Services: This division is responsible for obtaining contractors, architects and all other goods and services necessary for the construction of school projects and the operations of the SDA. In addition, the division administers all grants made to school districts.
Project Services: This division is responsible for the SDA’s operations, including back-office support, Management Information Systems, development of process workflows and Information Technology project management.
Real Estate Services: This division is responsible for all SDA real-estate activities, including relocation, land acquisition and purchasing, demolition and remediation. It also handles community relations issues.
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Office of Project Management
The Office of Project Management, organized in December 2006, includes three key areas of responsibility: Architecture & Engineering, Safety Management and Project Management.
The primary goal of the Office of Project Management is to deliver quality and energy-efficient schools on time and within budget throughout the State.
The Office of Project Management includes design and construction professionals to develop and manage school construction projects from conception to post-occupancy. The Office manages the relationships of key project development partners, including municipalities, school districts, designers, contractors and construction managers, as well as various other State agencies that play a significant role in delivering a project.
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Office of Chief Financial Officer
The mission of the Office of Chief Financial Officer is to provide sound fiscal control over the receipt and disbursement of public funds through the establishment of prudent financial controls, and to provide timely and accurate financial information and services to all stakeholders in a manner that consistently serves the public trust. The Office also seeks to protect the Authority against catastrophic and other risks through prudent risk management practices.
Included are the following organizational units: Controller; Project Controls & Contract Management; and Risk Management & Vendor Services. There is also a separate staff person responsible for all cash and banking activities and authorizations.
Controller: This division is responsible for general accounting; contract accounting and disbursements; operational budgeting and monthly budget variance reporting; 1099 reporting; and financial statement preparation and reporting.
Project Controls & Contract Management: This division has shared responsibility with the Office of Project Management for timely and cost-effective project delivery. The function provides an appropriate check-and-balance to ensure inclusiveness and accuracy of project budgets. Additionally, it is responsible for providing independent review and analysis of construction change orders and professional services amendments in compliance with various contract documents. The unit also provides cost estimating as well as scheduling analysis and support.
Risk Management & Vendor Services: This division identifies and assesses various aspects of risk and explores alternative risk transfer strategies. One example of risk management strategy was the implementation of an Owner Controlled Insurance Program covering eligible contractors working in the program. The function also manages the Authority’s vendor prequalification and subcontractor approval processes.
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Office of Program Management and Planning
The Office of Program Management and Planning, created in 2006, provides program management to strengthen overall controls for project delivery and operational processes. The Office includes the following divisions: Project Controls, Program Management, and Strategic and Capital Planning.
A key focus for the Division of Strategic and Capital Planning is the development and oversight of the SDA’s strategic and capital plans for the school construction program. The Division works with the Department of Education to apply funding to achieve programmatic policies and goals, sequencing projects determined to be the highest educational priority by the Department. Further, the Office tracks current and anticipated financial obligations and cash flow against available bond proceeds to determine when the program will require additional bond issuances.
The Project Controls and Program Management divisions coordinate with internal departments to ensure detailed project budget development, efficient planning, and implementation of school construction projects through the consistent application of established requirements and protocols. It also creates and maintains the SDA’s comprehensive project charters. The SDA’s Project Charter Initiative requires Board approval of a project’s budget, scope and schedule before dollars are spent. Variations are reported to the board on a monthly basis. The Division ensures that appropriate checks and balances of operating divisions are in place and implement management strategies and methodologies, such as excellence reviews and lessons learned.
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Office of Corporate Governance and Compliance
The Office of Corporate Governance and Compliance, established in 2008, is responsible for the government relations, legal and communications functions of the SDA. The office includes the following divisions:
Communications: This division is responsible for disseminating accurate and timely information about SDA activities to the media and the general public.
Ethics: This division is responsible for ensuring that SDA employees and members of the SDA Board adhere to the State’s strict ethics guidelines. The division also works with staff to ensure that the Authority's interaction with consultants, contractors and vendors is in compliance with ethical requirements. The Ethics Manager ensures that recusals are offered when necessary and that potential conflicts of interest are identified.
Government Relations: This division is responsible for working with members of the Legislature, local governments and other state agencies to represent the activities and advance the objectives of the SDA.
Internal Auditing: This division is responsible for providing an independent analysis of SDA processes and operations in order to ensure the Authority's compliance with laws, regulations and best practices as well as the Authority's effective and efficient use of taxpayers’ dollars.
Open Public Records Act (OPRA): This division is responsible for ensuring that requests for information from the public are handled in compliance with the requirements of New Jersey's OPRA.
Records Management: This division is responsible for the development and oversight of archives and records management programs of the Authority. The division ensures compliance with the Records Retention Schedule, including record destruction activity.
Office of Chief Counsel
This division has the responsibility for handling the legal affairs of the SDA. The Chief Counsel’s Office pursues claims to recover taxpayer dollars spent as a result of errors and omissions by design professionals, deficient construction performed by contractors and excessive environmental clean-up costs of SDA-acquired property.
The Chief Counsel's Office also manages the dispute resolution process, which ensures timely resolution or disposition of claims by contractors, designers and service providers against the SDA through negotiation, mediation and litigation.
In addition, the Chief Counsel's Office provides counseling and advice to SDA staff on a real-time basis on matters arising during the course of projects.
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