Blog

Principles of O&M Engagement for Design-Build Projects

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Leofwin Clark, Vice President, Brown and Caldwell and Rhonda E. Harris, PE, P.Eng, BCEE, PMP, MIAM, F.WEF, Owner Advisor, O&M/Asset Management, Brown and Caldwell

As design-build (DB) becomes more common for the development and construction of long-term infrastructure, the engagement of the owner’s operations and maintenance (O&M) team becomes significantly more important to project success. For some projects, the traditional design-bid-build process may not have taken advantage of the institutional knowledge available from the owner’s O&M teams as facilities and systems were designed, constructed, and commissioned. When projects are implemented without O&M team input, the O&M function can be “stuck” with facilities that do not work as well as they could have if there had been more O&M input into the entire project development process.

Topics: Brown and Caldwell, O&M.

Is CMAR the Best Delivery Solution for your PFAS Problem?

Posted on November 2, 2021 by Sherri Leonard, Director of Collaborative Delivery, Rice Lake Construction Group

Perfluroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (commonly referred to as PFAS) are impacting drinking water supplies nationwide. These emerging contaminants are challenging municipalities, water districts, and all water providers. Unlike system capacity increases and aging facilities incorporated into long-term planning, PFAS levels spike, forcing owners to take immediate actions to maintain water quality and the need for regulations surrounding them to change quickly. Do you need a PFAS solution?

Topics: CMAR, PFAS, Rice Lake.

Developing the Right Team for Success on Your Next Design-Build Project

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Gerry Torres, DBIA, Manager of Preconstruction & Estimating Services, PCL Construction

Pursuing, winning, and successfully executing design-build projects requires having the right team in place for the project. The “right” team has the experience and diversity to foster creativity and increase the quality of solutions for the owner while identifying and addressing the unique challenges associated with the project.

Topics: Design-Build, PCL.

Why You Should Consider Progressive Design-Build for Your Next Water/Wastewater Project

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Billy Page, Senior Project Manager, Garney Construction

Do you have an upcoming project where cost and schedule certainty are critical? Are project costs increasing on your design-bid-build projects? Do you have the funding to build projects, but not enough in-house project management staff? Do you want to take your projects to the next level with total collaboration? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, progressive design-build might be the ideal collaborative-delivery method for your next water/wastewater project.

Topics: Garney, Progressive Design-Build.

Addressing the Wish List

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Wesley A. Smith, Director of Business Development – Design-Build, Black & Veatch and Justin Sobol, PMP, DBIA, Director of Project Development – Design-Build Water East Region, Black & Veatch

What happens when your project has a fixed budget and an open-ended project scope? Or what if there is a desire to deal with not only a specific need, but also address a “wish list” of additional improvements?

Topics: Black & Veatch, Progressive Design-Build.

Clarify to Specify

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Glenn Barin, PE, PMP, CCM, DBIA, Director, Water Program, QISG

Words are important — an obvious truism and pertinent to a collaborative project delivery effort. The action item is to ‘mobilize the language’ for maximum effect in our contract documents for water/wastewater projects. First, a quick anecdote: A lawyer friend (not mutually exclusive) shared a simple and keen observation when I first worked with him on a contract review. He asked, “Know the difference between an engineer and a lawyer?” After searching my library of lawyer jokes, I had to admit ignorance of the difference. He said, “Lawyers know they’re not engineers.”

Topics: Collaborative Delivery, Contracts.

Evolution of Collaborative Delivery – The Progressive P3 Model

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Kyle Rhorer, Vice President, Carollo Engineers

The City of Lake Oswego (OR) is currently implementing a progressive P3 project for its new wastewater treatment plant, replacing the City of Portland’s aging Tryon Creek facility.

As water utilities continue to harness the benefits of collaborative delivery methods to implement their capital projects, new variants are emerging that provide owners with a broader scope of services. Collaborative delivery methods have evolved significantly in recent years as municipalities struggle to meet the challenges of providing reliable, cost-effective water and wastewater service to their customers despite aging infrastructure, increasing regulations, and limited staffing and expertise.

Topics: P3, Progressive Design-Build.

Mitigating Market Volatility During Construction Through Collaborative Delivery Methods

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Kyle M. Kruger, PE, Water Implementation Leader, Garver and Jana Bendinelli, Senior Strategic Writer - Water Marketing Team, Garver

Across the board, supply chain issues and rising costs are impacting engineering and construction projects. The costs of construction materials have elevated over the past year due to growing demand and major disruptions to production fueled by the pandemic. These disruptions are responsible for construction material shortages much like the auto industry is facing with microchip shortages. And with more engineering and construction projects ramping up as the pandemic is winding down, the demand is increasing but the availability of materials can’t keep up. Materials that once took six weeks to have delivered on site can now take over a year. Some suppliers have even closed their books for the remainder of this year because of the strained availability of their materials. Suppliers are also hesitant to guarantee prices for extended periods because of the volatility in price and strained availability for the raw materials. Quotes previously honored for up to 90 days are now only good for as little as 24 hours.

Topics: Collaborative Delivery, Garver.

“BIM” is Not a Four-Letter Word

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Grant Johnson, BIM Construction Professional, MWH Constructors

The term BIM (Building Information Modeling) has the power to make a seasoned construction veteran cringe. I get it. BIM may sound scary to those who have not used its full advantages. A foreman once told me, “I’m not going to let a Nintendo tell me how to do my job!” Fair enough, but when applied appropriately, BIM can benefit building projects in a variety of ways by aiding design planning, coordination, construction, operations, and facilities management.

Topics: BIM, MWH.

Community Investment that Goes Beyond Water Quality

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Dan Coder, Water Market Leader, Alberici and Ron Coker, PE, Senior Vice President, Burns & McDonnell

A vibrant, diverse business community contributes to a region’s innovation and economic performance. Infrastructure projects offer opportunities for diverse businesses to endure long after the completion of a project. Actively seeking out and partnering with qualified small, minority- and women-owned businesses helps fuel sustainable economic growth, resulting in successful project delivery and stronger, more prosperous communities.

Topics: Alberici, Burns & McDonnell, Diversity.

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