Section 81133.1.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) The purpose of the collaborative process for project development and review is to ensure the public safety of community college facilities through a collaborative, consistent and timely project development and review process.

(2) The collaborative process for project development and review may be made available, as an alternative to the traditional plan review and approval process, to community college districts that voluntarily apply to the Department of General Services.

(3) This process entails the early participation of all parties involved in a project from project development and continuing through plan review, construction and certification of community college facilities projects. These parties include, but are not limited to, the Department of General Services' staff and their qualified plan review firms, and community college districts and their design professionals.

(b) In consultation with the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the Department of General Services shall establish procedures and requirements governing the use of the collaborative process for project development and review alternative. These procedures and requirements shall include an application and selection process. Upon project selection, the Department of General Services and the community college district shall mutually agree to the roles and responsibilities of the Department of General Services, the applicant community college district, and its design professionals.

(c) As a part of the establishment of the requirements for the collaborative process for project development and review, the Department of General Services, in consultation with participating community college districts, shall establish mutually determined timeframe goals for a project's plan review, district and consultant response, response review, and final approval. Those timeframe goals shall reflect the project's estimated construction cost, complexity, size, and other requirements of the collaborative process for project development and review.

(d) The Department of General Services shall establish model statewide timeframe goals, in consultation with community college districts and other relevant parties, by February 1, 2007. Implementation of the collaborative process for project development and review with participating community college districts shall not negatively impact the traditional plan review process with other community college districts.

(e) The Department of General Services shall submit a preliminary report to the Legislature by July 1, 2008, and a final report by July 1, 2009. These reports shall address whether the implementation of the collaborative process for project development and review has assisted the department and community college districts in meeting their mutually determined timeframe goals.

(f) Notwithstanding Section 81133, the application for the collaborative process for project development and review may be accompanied by a filing fee from the community college district in amounts determined by the Department of General Services based on the estimated project cost and according to the filing fee schedule identified in paragraph (7) of subdivision (c) of Section 81133. The Department of General Services may establish a procedure for the payment and collection of this filing fee.

(g) The department may assess a fee on a participating district to cover the unreimbursed costs of the department incurred pursuant to that district's participation in the collaborative process if the department deems the assessment of the fee to be necessary for the support of its operations and establishes a procedure for the determination, collection, and deposit of the fee.

(h) During project development, the community college district may provide input to the Department of General Services in its selection of a qualified plan review firm to provide consultative services to that department. Upon project submittal by the applicant community college district, the department may also refer the necessary project documents to the selected qualified plan review firm for plan review. The department may establish procedures governing the use of this section by applicant community college districts for the selection of a qualified plan review firm.

(Added by Stats. 2006, Ch. 407, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2007.)