New York City efficiently and costeffectively while meeting stringent
standards for environmental
sustainability and resiliency. DDC
supplies a full range of design and
construction management services
for public buildings projects such
as new and upgraded libraries,
firehouses and police precincts, and
infrastructure projects including
water mains, sewers, roads and
public plazas.
In Fiscal 2020 many of the agency’s
projects, at all stages of development
and implementation, were impacted
by the effects of and response to the
COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in
DDC’s Public Buildings Division.
DDC’s total portfolio in Fiscal Year
2020 consisted of more than
650 active projects (not including
borough-based jail facilities or
projects in the planning or closeout
phases) valued at approximately $14
billion . Of those, 330 projects were
impacted by COVID-19.
FOCUS ON EQUITY
DDC has an extensive and diverse portfolio of projects that support neighborhoods,
promote economic growth and advance the Mayor’s commitment to enhance the wellbeing of New Yorkers in every part of the City. Whether it is the award-winning historic
renovation of the Bachelor Officers’ Quarters in Fort Totten, Queens to create a new home
for the Center for the Women of New York, or the massive East Side Coastal Resiliency
project to protect over 100,000 residents on Manhattan’s Lower East Side from the effects
of future storms, the agency develops world-class projects that benefit every New York
City resident.
DDC fosters an equitable and competitive business environment while ensuring
its procurement process reflect the diversity of New York City. The Office of Diversity
and Industry Relations implements policies and programs focused on the principles of
accessibility, capacity building, accountability and sustainability and has engaged over
6,300 Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) through internal and
external workshops and seminars that enhance technical and business capacity. DDC has
also restructured procurements to create opportunities for small M/WBEs, and is a leading
agency in contract awards and payments to M/WBE firms.
DDC’s commitment to equity is also exemplified through its work to help the City meet its
long-term environmental goals. In every neighborhood, DDC ensures that its projects are
built to higher standards for resiliency and sustainability. One example is the new home for
FDNY’s Rescue Company No. 2 that opened in Brooklyn in November 2019. Featuring a
500-foot-deep geothermal system, green roof and solar water heating system, the building
was designed to maximize energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, conserve water and
contribute to a healthy urban environment.
To help neighborhoods manage the impacts of construction, DDC’s Office of Community
Outreach and Notification reaches out to local businesses and individuals in every
community to share information and respond to concerns. Most infrastructure projects
have full-time Community Construction Liaisons assigned to them, many of whom are
multilingual, working daily at job sites to proactively address community issues.
DDC also educates students about careers in science, technology, engineering, architecture/
art and mathematics through its STEAM program, providing workforce development,
mentorship and internship programs for students from middle school through college.
Through STEAM, DDC has provided more than 4,550 students in targeted high schools
and in Title 1 middle schools with the guidance and skills to carve out careers in the design
and construction industries. In summer 2020, due to COVID, STEAM offered a virtual
“Lunch and Learn” program as a substitute for DDC’s summer internship for NYC high
school students.
OUR SERVICES AND GOALS
SERVICE 1 Design and build quality public buildings and infrastructure.
Goal 1a Complete projects on time and within budget.
Goal 1b Meet quality assurance and site safety standards for all active
projects.
Goal 1c Improve customer satisfaction ratings.
Page 280 | MAYOR’S MANAGEMENT REPORT
HOW WE PERFORMED IN FISCAL 2020
SERVICE 1 Design and build quality public buildings and infrastructure.
Goal 1a Complete projects on time and within budget.
DDC’s operations were directly impacted by the pandemic and COVIDrelated pause that occurred in mid-March 2020. Design and construction
of almost all planned public buildings projects were suspended. While
infrastructure projects were deemed essential and could continue under
the State’s emergency declaration, work was performed under strict
new health protocols impeding delivery on some projects. Infrastructure
projects benefitted because of reductions in vehicle and pedestrian traffic
that allowed for construction to proceed more quickly than it had preCOVID.
In January 2019, DDC introduced its Strategic Blueprint for Construction
Excellence in order to comprehensively improve the capital project delivery
process. A one-year update to the Blueprint completed immediately prior
to the pandemic showed significant progress toward reducing overall
project durations. The data below however represent the entire Fiscal
Year 2020, almost one-third of which occurred after the statewide pause order was issued, and so reflect the impact of
the pandemic on the agency’s project delivery.
The Department completed 85 design projects during Fiscal 2020, below the target of 118. There were 108 construction
projects completed however, exceeding the annual target of 90. For projects that were completed, 88 percent of
infrastructure projects and 91 percent of public buildings projects were on or ahead of schedule, also exceeding each
division’s target of 82 percent. Overall, the percent of construction contracts completed within budget was 85 percent,
one percentage point lower than in Fiscal 2019.
Completed public buildings projects include renovations to Queens Theatre in the Park, where an M/WBE contractor
completed work under budget and two months ahead of schedule. DDC also completed work to upgrade the City’s sewer
and water main infrastructure and to alleviate chronic flooding, adding a total of 28.4 miles of new and rebuilt sewers,
over 54.8 miles of new and replacement water mains and reconstructing 55.9 lane miles of roadway. This work includes
the $1.9 billion Southeast Queens Initiative, where 14 projects have been completed out of a total of 43, with seven more
in construction.
The impacts of COVID were noticeable in the agency’s on-time performance for active design projects, which fell to 70
percent , 12 percentage points lower than in Fiscal 2019 and 18 percentage points under the Fiscal Year 2020 target of
88%. On-time performance for active construction projects was 67 percent , 16 percentage points less than in Fiscal Year
2020 and 15 percentage points below the Fiscal 2020 target of 82%.
DDC’s Public Buildings Division has been an integral part of the City’s response to COVID-19, and in the span of less than
four months under emergency procurement rules managed the construction of two large field hospitals, 15 local specimen
collection sites and four new laboratory spaces in DOH community health centers. The agency also managed the distribution
and installation of more than 50,000 residential air conditioner units and continues to oversee construction of three large
centers that will include long-term care for patients in the City’s public hospital system. These emergency projects are not
managed for client agencies) ($000,000) $1,584.7 $2,224.5 $2,170.2 $1,770.2 $868.6 $1,401.5 $2,062.2 Down
¹Actual financial amounts for the current fiscal year are not yet final. Final fiscal year actuals, from the Comptroller’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, will be reported
in the next PMMR. Refer to the “Indicator Definitions” at nyc.gov/mmr for details. ²Authorized Budget Level ³Expenditures include all funds “NA” - Not
Available * None
SPENDING AND BUDGET INFORMATION
Where possible, the relationship between an agency’s goals and its expenditures and planned resources, by budgetary unit
of appropriation (UA), is shown in the ‘Applicable MMR Goals’ column. Each relationship is not necessarily exhaustive or
exclusive. Any one goal may be connected to multiple UAs, and any UA may be connected to multiple goals.
Unit of Appropriation
Expenditures
FY19¹
($000,000)
Modified Budget
FY20²
($000,000) Applicable MMR Goals³
001 - Personal Services $118.8 $119.1 All
002 - Other Than Personal Services $168.0 $411.1 All
Agency Total $286.8 $530.3
¹Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2019. Includes all funds. ²City of New York Adopted Budget for Fiscal 2020, as of June
Includes all funds. ³Refer to agency goals listed at front of chapter. “NA” Not Available *None
DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION | Page 283
NOTEWORTHY CHANGES, ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS !
• The indicator ‘Constructions projects completed within budget (%)’ has been reworded to ‘Construction contracts
completed within budget (%)’ to better reflect the work and the indicator definition.
• “*” appears as the target for indicators related to Front End Planning because the number of projects reaching the
Front End Planning stage is dependent on the number of new projects initiated by DDC’s sponsoring agencies, a factor
DDC does not control.
• FY20 target values were revised after the PMMR 20 session due to an error.
• Multiple Goal 1a targets for FY21 have been left undetermined because of the unknown effect the COVID-19 pandemic
will have on the capital construction targets of the agencies that fund DDC projects.
• The indicator ‘Projects completed front-end-planning phase’ was recently added.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
For more information on the agency, please visit: www.nyc.gov/ddc.