MONTHLY PUBLIC WORKS BOARD PROCESS - 6844

Board meetings: PWB meets monthly to consider proposed capital outlay expenditures. Meetings are normally held in Sacramento on the second Friday of each month. The meeting notice and the agenda are distributed at least ten days in advance of the board meeting (Government Code Section 11125). To be placed on the mailing list, contact the Capital Outlay Unit of DOF. Agenda package requirements for proposed board actions are described in Section 6845.

The chairperson may call special meetings to consider projects of an emergency or high priority nature. For example, a special meeting might be called if a critical project milestone cannot otherwise be met, such as awarding of low bid or acceptance of a time- limited acquisition settlement. Special meetings are held to a minimum and require a ten- day notice, except for emergency meetings due to the disruption or threat of disruption of state facilities.

Screening meetings: PWB staff conducts a screening meeting for proposed agenda items, usually three Wednesdays prior to the monthly meeting. The purpose of the screening meeting is to verify the accuracy of all information contained in the proposed agenda and resolve any open questions the board’s staff may have. Departments must attend the screening meeting if they have submitted an agenda item, unless attendance is waived by PWB staff.

Annual calendars: PWB approves an annual calendar showing planned board meetings as well as staff screening meetings. The annual calendar and its updates are distributed to all departments with active capital outlay programs and to interested parties who request inclusion on the mailing list.

Key monthly time-frames:

1. Proposed board actions requiring legislative notification:Prior to any board action, DOF reviews projects with proposed scope changes or cost increases and, if concurring, may need to notify the Legislature. (Section 6861 describes which project cost increases require legislative notification.)Capital outlay legislative notifications are referred to as ―20-day letters, ‖ meaning the Legislature has twenty calendar days to respond before PWB will take action on the project. For requests which require a 20- day letter, departments must submit PWB agenda items 30 working days in advance of the scheduled board meeting.
2. Proposed board actions NOT requiring legislative notifications: All items except scope changes and certain project cost increases may be approved by the board without waiting for a legislative response. These items are due at least 20 working days prior to the board meeting.
3. Certification letters: In conjunction with each PWB agenda, DOF must certify to the Legislature whether proposed PWB actions are within legislatively approved limits. Although minimum time requirements are not specified in law, DOF submits this certification letter to the Legislature not less than seven calendar days prior to the scheduled PWB meeting.(See also Section 6842.)