Blog

Closing the Gap with Design-Build for Water Infrastructure

Posted on January 10, 2019 by John Mitchell, Process Tech Director, Burns & McDonnell

Today’s global infrastructure investment, estimated to be $2.5 trillion per year, falls short of the $3.3 trillion annual investment needed to keep pace with expected growth, not to mention renewal of existing aging infrastructure. With funding flat or declining, new ways of increasing productivity by streamlining project delivery are needed, according to a 2016 report from McKinsey & Company, “Bridging Global Infrastructure Gaps.” The report also states that improving project selection and maximizing existing assets could result in cost savings as high as 40 percent, which would help close the gap. But just how can streamlining project delivery lead to increased productivity — particularly in the case of complex water and wastewater projects?

Topics: Burns & McDonnell, Collaborative Project Delivery.

Progressive Design-Build Delivery Provides Design and Construction Flexibility for the Clifton Water District

Posted on December 21, 2018 by Vincent Hart, PE, Executive Vice President, Carollo

The Clifton Water District (District) was formed as a Special District within the state of Colorado in 1951, and provides water service to more than 13,700 residential and commercial users. When the District’s conventional water treatment system was no longer able to cost effectively treat their source water, it became necessary to purchase more expensive potable water from an outside supplier. To minimize the impact of the higher water cost to their ratepayers, the District determined an upgrade of their existing treatment system was necessary. When it was time to implement this upgrade, the District knew they needed to balance a number of key objectives, primary among these was to continue to supply their customers with a reliable source of potable water during construction of the project.

Topics: Carollo, Progressive Design-Build, Water Design-Build Project.

Happy Birthday, Spearin!

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Michael C. Loulakis, Esq., FDBIA, President, Capital Project Strategies, LLC

Looking for something different to do this holiday season? Reach out to 100 of your favorite friends and family members, play a single-round game of Family Feud, and ask them to name a U.S. Supreme Court decision. Even if they have had more than their share of spiked eggnog, they will likely have the presence of mind to think about the Kavanaugh hearings and big constitutional and social issues. I suspect that the overwhelming number one answer will be Roe v. Wade. Maybe Bush v. Gore will show up on the list. But will anyone mention U.S. v. Spearin? Be honest. Did that decision ever cross your mind? Did you even know that the Spearin Doctrine – our country’s most important construction law doctrine – was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court?

Topics: Construction Law, Education.

How Progressive Design-Build (PDB) Offered New Solutions To A Global Manufacturer And Saved Millions

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Michael Hoisington, Senior Project Manager, Haskell

When a global manufacturer of carbon fiber products announced plans to invest $1 billion in building a manufacturing plant on a 400-acre greenfield site in Moore, South Carolina, it quickly became apparent that PDB was the best model to achieve the “must haves” for project delivery.

Topics: Haskell, Progressive Design-Build, Wastewater Infrastructure, Wastewater Treatment.

Why Do Design-Build Projects Go Wrong?

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Linda Hanifin Bonner, Ph.D, Executive Operations Manager of Water Design-Build Council

There are a lot of lessons to be learned from projects that go smoothly and according to plan and budget. But what about those projects that don’t go so well? The lessons gleaned from budget mishaps, contract issues, and first-time design-build experiences can be just as valuable. While not easily covered in 700 words or less, let’s look at a few of the reasons we have seen DB projects go wrong.

Topics: Best Practices, Design-Build, Education.

Field Trips Aren’t Just for Kids

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Lawrence Johnson, PE, DBIA, PMP, Vice President, HDR, Inc.

San Jose Water Company (SJW) recently completed their first progressive design-build project and largest capital improvement project ever: a $50 million upgrade to the Montevina Water Treatment Plant in Los Gatos, California. The project was recently recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers San Francisco Section as the 2018 Environmental Engineering Project of the Year. During his acceptance speech at the awards banquet, Andrew Gere, President and Chief Operating Officer of SJW, said, “The success of the project was founded upon partnering developed by the owner and the design-builder.”

Topics: HDR, Progressive Design-Build, Water Design-Build Project.

Addressing the Craft Labor Shortage

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Kristine Thorpe, Corporate Business Development Manager for Flatiron Constructors' U.S. Water Group and WDBC Communications Committee Member

“Can we fix it? Yes, we can!” If you raised a child in the early 2000s you may be hearing the enthusiastic proclamation from the popular animated children’s series Bob the Builder echoing in your ears at this very moment. The series featured Bob, the resident builder, his partners, and a fleet of talking yellow iron. Bob the Builder was my daughter’s favorite show – her favorite character was Scoop, a backhoe loader, or an “I-Dig-Dirt,” as she called it. As a descendant of a proud line of craft laborers including legacy carpenters, crane operators, and yes, even a large backhoe operator, I entertained the thought that maybe, just maybe, my daughter might land in the construction industry, spurred by her admiration of the determined and optimistic Bob and his talking fleet of yellow iron.

Topics: Craft Labor, Design-Build, Education, Flatiron.

Key Factors for a Successful Construction Management at-Risk (CMAR) Project: A Contractor’s Perspective

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Mike Carpenter, PE, Project Manager, Rice Lake Construction Group

Rice Lake Construction Group, in conjunction with AE2S Engineering and the City of Watford City, successfully completed the first construction management at-risk delivery of a municipal wastewater treatment facility project in North Dakota. Below are a few items that made the project a success and a few that could have made the process better.

Topics: Best Practices, CMAR, Rice Lake.

Design-Build Delivery Achieves Chronic Grit Accumulation Relief at Georgia’s Largest Wastewater Facility

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Gus Hrncir, DBIA, National IPD Sales Services Manager with Brown and Caldwell

To solve a chronic grit-removal issue plaguing the 240 MGD RM Clayton Water Reclamation Center (WRC), Georgia’s largest wastewater treatment plant, the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (City) required urgent upgrades to the headworks facility involving complete replacement of coarse screening and grit removal systems and installation of new influent flow-monitoring equipment.

Topics: Brown and Caldwell, Fixed-Price Design-Build, Wastewater Treatment.

Is Hiring a CMAR at the 30% Design Milestone Really a Best Practice? The Impact Timing has on Project Success

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Chris Anvik, McCarthy Building Companies

Being on a CMAR project is like being part of an Olympic 4 x 100 relay team. Similar to the way the countries select the fastest runners for their Olympic relay teams; as an owner you select the best design and construction teams in the industry for your project. But having the fastest runners or the best CMAR and design teams isn’t enough. All the relay runners must come together as a cohesive team and the most critical aspect of any relay race is the transition between runners. Runners must be in lock step; they must be able to adapt to each other’s speed, excitement, and timing to move the relay baton through each leg of the relay and win the race. The same holds true for a CMAR project team. As a project moves from conceptual design, detail design, construction, and finally start-up and commissioning, each handoff of the project baton must be seamless. What would happen if you waited to find your third and fourth runners until after the race had started? Undoubtedly, that would put your relay team at a major disadvantage.

Topics: CMAR, McCarthy, Water Design-Build Project.

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