Keys to a
Successful
Triennial Review
F
OR THE FOURTH CONSECutive
time the San Diego
Metropolitan Transit System
(MTS) received a perfect
score from the Federal
Transit Administration’s
(FTA) Triennial Review of
the agency. Th at means for the
last 12 years, the FTA has found
no defi ciencies in MTS’ management
of FTA funds management
and program implementation.
“Th e Triennial Review focused
on MTS’s compliance in 20 areas.
No defi ciencies were found with
the FTA requirements in all 20 areas,”
wrote FTA Acting Regional
Administrator Edward Carranza
in a letter to MTS Chief Executive
Offi cer Paul Jablonski.
“Th e Triennial Review is a demanding
process that looks into
every aspect of our operation,”
said Jablonski. “Continuing our
track record of perfect scores is a
testament to the eff ort we put into
our everyday operations and to the
attention to detail to document our
66 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
FROM L to R: Finance Analyst Gordon Meyer, Capital
Grants Supervisor Eric Cheng, Chief Executive
Office Paul Jablonski, Staff Attorney Samantha
Leslie, Manager of Procurement Sam Elmer.
processes. But none of this is accomplished
without employees who
are dedicated to excellence. I’m very
proud of our group. Th is achievement
is a refl ection of the way our
entire operation is managed.”
Th e purpose of the FTA’s Triennial
Review is to ensure compliance
with regulations and also
provide a forward-looking assessment
of each agency’s risk in the
management and implementation
of FTA grant programs. Mandated
by Congress in 1982, the Triennial
Review examines how recipients
of Urbanized Area Formula Program
funds meet statutory and
administrative requirements.
Th ese formula funds represent approximately
36 percent of all grant
funds awarded by FTA each year.
Key categories for the review
include:
• Financial management
• Maintenance
• ADA compliance
• Title VI
• Procurement
• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
• Legal
• Public participation requirements
• Safety and security
• Equal employment opportunities
IN 2016, MTS
migrated into
a Transit Asset
Management
Program
called the SAP
Enterprise
Resource
Planning system.
Preparation, team building, and professional
development have been key to achieving a
perfect score for the FTA’s Triennial Review for
four years in a row for MTS.
By Mark Olson
Photos by MTS
/MassTransitmag.com