Re: PERFORMANCE-BASED SYSTEM

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>]

From: Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>

Here's another comment that I received in response to my posting on a 
peformance-based cleanup system.

Lenny

I applaud your "direct hit" on the nail (marked "hit me") on the
performance-based issues raised at the White House conference. Being the
individual who (stumbled into) suggesting the performance based ROD in the
regulatory group, I, too, gave a similar defense of allowing for more
latitude for selecting an innovative remedy (with full, open dialogue with
all stakeholders before making the decision.) I was also taken aback by
Jim Allen's school zone analogy --- yours was exactly what I was waiting
for him to enunciate. However, the issue having been raised in two out of
three forums yesterday makes its future somewhat more plausible. Let's
pursue this one!
As for the performance-based contracts, many of the contracting tools the
Corps is using (like TERC, PRAC, SmART, and some IDIQs) have been
incentivized (exactly as you suggested) and have been very successful that
way --- both in the fiscal AND environmental sense (not that the two are
mutually exclusive.)
Again, I applaud your clear statement of the idea.