With the Cascada project closing out the design phase and ramping up the construction and implementation phase, it's time to review the project staff assignments. You know there are some tasks that need resources. Project Staff Assignments Project Engineers Kamal Jafa Lynnette Abela Development Team Leads Larry Senters Stacy Whitmire Outreach Specialist Jason Marks Budget Officer Lindsey Fine Contracts Officer Robin Micks Health Information System Liaison Kyle Holohan, State Department of Health Environmental Liaison Ali Reza Ataie, State Department of Environmental Protection Media Plan and Campaign Director TBD Cyber Security Team Lead Kao Vang 2 Additional Cyber Security Specialists TBD Implementation Manager TBD Assistant Project Manager TBD One of your areas of concern is the media plan and campaign. Making sure the public is well-informed about construction and which areas will have traffic disruptions is an essential part of a successful project when public money is involved. You also need to ensure the patients are aware of the advantages of the Patient Portal so the feature is fully utilized once implemented. There are no available in-house resources that can help with this task. As a result, you will need to look for outside help. One of your old college classmates, Amanda Prichett, is a very competent public relations consultant. Even though she doesn't have a lot of health care experience, you know she would do an excellent job. In addition, she charges very reasonable fees, which is particularly appealing because you want to keep the project budget under control wherever possible. Another possibility is a public relations firm, Ortega Associates, that NEIT Capital Management has used on previous projects. Ortega has an excellent reputation for its work on health care projects, but as a regional firm, it can be quite expensive. You consider the best way to move forward. Considering Prichett as a candidate for the media planning role does raise some ethics questions. You decide to take a look at the Project Management Institute's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Read: "PMI's Code of Ethics and Professional ConductPreview the document."

Make and Support Your Decision

You need a resource to lead the media plan and campaign during the construction phase of the project. You decide to: Hire Amanda Prichett despite her lack of health care project experience because you are confident that she will perform the job at a reasonable price. Hire Ortega Associates, knowing that the firm will perform the job at a more expensive price but that it has extensive health care project experience. Have another member of the team evaluate different public relations vendorsincluding but not limited to Amanda Prichett and Ortega Associatesand make a recommendation.

What to Submit

Once you've made your selection, write an email to Victor Nguyen, NEIT Capital Managements Project Management Office Director, explaining your decision. Your email must clearly identify which option you chose, justify your choice, and address reasons why the other options are not the best choice.