Viewing page 123 of 146

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

121

CAPITAL PLANNING

Mr. Perrot, Mr. Frank Taylor, and Mr. Gilmore collaborated in presenting the salient points to the participants. The following summary was agreed upon after considerable discussion and a gradual realization that it is desirable to develop a scheme which will allow for the thorough and complete review of capital planning needs -- a review which would take into account various capital projects of the Institution and subject these to collective review, so that top priorities could emerge with the general concurrence and backing of units whose projects would have to be postponed.

It is hoped that, in the years ahead, a greater congruency in program and capital planning may be developed, and that it may include the kind of give-and-take which will permit items of obvious priority to emerge from others and have the total support of all of the bureaus.

The historical patterns reflected in the capital planning decision-making process of the Institution were carefully considered. A consensus emerged that the bureaus' large number of conflicting desires and needs may not all be allowable with what can occur realistically in terms of projected Institutional resource growth. Key points affecting the improvement of the capital planning process, which were agreed upon, follow:

1. The ability of the Smithsonian to fulfill its program objectives is directly related to its ability to secure the necessary financial support for those programs, both operational funds and capital funds.

2. An ordered, structured process should be established, uniformly employed by all bureaus, to implement conceptual planning, develop space needs, and communicate these to the administration in the clearest possible terms.

3. The Assistant Secretaries should review the result of this planning process, assess its effectiveness, and present the options and their recommendations to the Secretary and the Under Secretary.