Template revised April 12, 2018.
COMMISSION
AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Item No.
11a
BRIEFING ITEM
Date of Meeting
August 13, 2024
DATE: July 31, 2024
TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director
FROM: Karen Goon, Deputy Executive Director
SUBJECT: Delegation of Responsibility and Authority to the Executive Director Policy Directive
One-Year Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This memo provides an overview of the Executive Director (ED) Delegation experience one year
after the adoption of Resolution 3810 (Delegation of Responsibility and Authority to the
Executive Director) which increased the Executive Director’s signature authority to $2M.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND
Since the automated ED Delegation system launched in March 2023, 97 requests submitted and
approved from May 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024. Two requests were removed after submittal
because the topic had prior expressed Commission interest in the form of a policy directive, or
the action required compliance with another Commission resolution that mandated inclusion on
the consent agenda. The total culminative value of all requests was $71,204,736.84 with 85 of
the requests between $1.5 and 1.9 million range.
Requests were evenly split between “Non-Project CPO Goods and Purchase Services Contracts,
Other Agreements, and Port Tenant Reimbursements” and “Projects and Associated Contracts”.
Common requests were for project approval which is a precursor to competitive contracting,
preliminary project authorization, project budget approval and modification within the Executive
Director’s authority. One request for a real property agreement (parking lot lease) was approved.
No requests were received for solely for small works and job order contracts and a request to
use of Port crews was included in a project approval. There were four requests for surplus of
Port property that fell within the value limit of Resolution 3816.
The review process utilizes SharePoint and Microsoft Power Automate to house information and
manage workflow. Staff submits standardized request forms and supporting documentation to
the sponsoring ELT member, who reviews, approves, and forwards to the Deputy Executive
Director (DED). The DED reviews, asks any clarifying questions, and shares routinely with
Commission Chief of Staff, Executive Chief of Staff, Finance and Legal Departments for comment.
Depending on the type of requested action, the request is shared with Central Procurement for
awareness and planning purposes. Once internal review is completed, the DED forwards the
COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 11a Page 2 of 2
Meeting Date: August 13, 2024
Template revised September 22, 2016.
request with any additional explanation to Executive Director with a recommendation to
approve.
Items that have potential for Commissioner interest are highlighted during “Look Ahead” and
“Agenda Review” meetings with Commission President to determine whether the item should
be moved to the consent agenda, highlighted in either the Friday Commission Chief of Staff email
or in the Executive Director commission remarks. A monthly recap report is submitted for the
first Commission meeting listing all the approvals for the prior month. All CPO managed contracts
that result from the ED Delegation process are linked on the Port’s contracts webpage.
Few issues have been reported in using the automated workflow. New users have been gaining
familiarity with how to automate the process. Once the requests reach the DED review stage, a
concerted effort is made to complete review within ten business days.
Aside from the assumed benefit of saving personnel time, it is not yet clear whether the process
has a noticeable impact on Commission agenda. There were 147 Consent items in 2023, 184 in
2022 and 153 in 2021. A project time savings is presumed as time to process an item for
commission approval was estimated at up to 8 weeks in time savings per Commission
authorization (memo/action).
Internal Audit plans on conducting its review of the ED Delegation Process in the 4th Quarter of
2024 as required by resolution. We will continue to track user experience with the system, look
to eliminate or reduce duplication of effort.
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING
(1) Presentation
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS
January 24, 2023 – Adoption of Resolution 3810, new Delegation of Authority Policy Directive
