Overview
This site is for use of all City construction departments. It facilitates reviews of performance on construction projects. It is part of broader efforts to improve the delivery of capital projects and maintain the trust of the public. Departments use the performance review process to hold project teams accountable, improve safety, and record lessons learned for future projects.
Video tutorials
These videos will help you navigate the site and complete reviews.
- How to log in
- What will reviews be used for?
- How to write effectively
- An overview of the review process
- How to complete a review
- How to write lessons learned
- How to record a compliance issue
Frequently asked questions
What problem are we trying to solve?
The public relies on private contractors for most of the city’s construction projects. The pool of contractors is highly skilled and, most of the time, works with City partners to deliver high-quality projects. Too often though, problems recur including unsafe practices, project delays, inconsistent project staffing, and major errors that do not follow specifications.
Historically, departments used one-time, paper evaluations that had no bearing on future contract award decisions. In partnership with the six construction departments, the Controller’s Office and the Department of Technology, we created this more advanced system that is online, standard across departments, and collects the input of contractors. Reviews collect basic, objective information about projects and performance as well as the impressions of project staff and contractors. When contractor performance is below a certain standard, departments will be able to decline to award a project through a responsibility determination.
Do we have to review performance?
Yes. It makes sense and it’s the law. In 2016, San Francisco passed a law requiring construction departments to evaluate contractor performance and track it in a central database. Departments evaluated work before, but this is the first time it will be online, standard across departments, and include contractor input.
Why do this?
The system is based on two simple ideas. First, as the City invests billions per year on capital projects. We should track some basic standard performance metrics. Second, when past performance is relevant, it should have an impact on future contract awards. Evaluations will track basic job information, impressions of staff and contractors, and, only when performance is particularly poor or unsafe, could it disqualify a contractor from getting a future contract.
Where do we record serious allegations of fraud or misconduct?
The purpose of this site is to record information about construction projects. Some types of issues should not be recorded here including equal employment opportunity (EEC) matters, allegations of fraud, theft or malfeasance, or poor performance or misconduct of a specific employee.
On this site, do not highlight specific details or identifying information of individual employees.The City may redact some information before records from this site are shared.
The appropriate channels for reporting such information are:
Type of Concern: Refer To: Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) matters such as discrimination or harassment
Department Human Resources or EEO personnel
Fraud, malfeasance, misuse of government resources
Poor performance and general poor conduct of individual employees
Department or contractor responsible for employee
How does it work?
On projects greater than five or six months in duration, contractors are reviewed at least twice, including the mid-point of construction and at closeout. There may be additional interim reviews, depending on the duration of a project.
Do contractors get to see reviews?
Yes. And they will be able to add their perspective.
Do contractors get to review the city’s performance?
Yes. Reviews include questions that seek contractors’ feedback to the city including sections on management, responsiveness, and city processes.
How does the City ensure that reviews are fair and objective?
Review questions are phrased as objectively as possible. They seek basic information (e.g., lost days due to accidents, reports of law violations, closeout duration). Plus, in this section, there are definitions for each score to help guide you. Some questions seek the opinions of project staff in five areas:
- safety,
- quality of workmanship,
- timeliness,
- adherence to labor standards, and
- management effectiveness.
To ensure fairness and balance, those questions are answered by multiple people when possible and the responses are averaged. Then, the contractor will have an opportunity to respond. The contractor will also answer its own questions about the project.
What happens if a contractor gets a bad rating?
Every little issue doesn’t have to be recorded. It’s possible that teams can solve problems together fast without ever recording anything negative. A review might reflect something concerning, or exceptionally good, enough to record.
If a review reflects unsafe, poor, or inconsistent work it can be used as a management and communication tool by the City project team to address issues. If a performance issue is unsatisfactory enough, after opportunities to correct and due process, the City may decide that the contractor is not responsible and ineligible for a particular job, provided that the past poor performance is relevant and current and that the contractor has an opportunity to respond. Note that there are no new city powers because of this site, just improved and central record keeping.
How frequently will performance be reviewed?
That is at the discretion of project teams. Generally, on projects of fewer than 5 months, there will be a review at the end of a job. On longer projects, reviews should happen about every six months.
How will reviews be used?
Evaluations will be used for internal reporting, reporting to the public, reporting to oversight bodies, and recording lessons that may be useful on future jobs. When contractor performance is below a certain minimum standard, it could be used in responsibility determinations.
Will subcontractors be reviewed?
Certain core subcontractors, or those with a significant (20%+) of a contract may be reviewed. This decision is at the discretion of the project team.
Is it fair to review primes if subcontractors underperform?
If relevant, a prime’s management and coordination might be reviewed.
Are reviews public records?
Yes.
Will City employee names be on evaluations?
No. The evaluation will reflect the collective opinion of the City team, not individual employees. Contractors do not see individual employee names or opinions.
What about partnering?
These efforts complement partnering. The site permits recording lessons that might have been learned from partnering.