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Construction

 

Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners Utilities Department
Work Plan for SEP (Special Experimental Project) 14
Construction Manager at Risk Contract

State Road No. 699 (Gulf Blvd.) from Park Boulevard to Walsingham Road
Roadway and Utilities Improvement
Pinellas County Project: 1149
FDOT FPN: 257083 1 58 01

August 5, 2005

Pinellas County Project Manager
Dennis Simpson, PE
Pinellas County Utilities Department
14 South Ft. Harrison Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33756
727-464-4223

Introduction

Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, Utilities Department utilizing a Local Agency Program Agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation, District Seven, and in cooperation with the Towns of Indian Shores and Indian Rocks Beach submits this Work Plan for review and approval as a Construction Manager at Risk (CM @ Risk) project under the provisions of the Special Experimental Project No. 14 (SEP 14) for the use of innovative contracting practices. The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, the State of Florida, Indian Shores and Indian Rocks Beach have approved this contract method.

The Gulf Boulevard Roadway and Utilities Improvement Project (Project) is not a typical urban roadway reconstruction project. Instead this 2.5 mile project is a hybrid consisting of several complex and interrelated phases with multiple public and private stakeholders. The work includes a signalized intersection, a complete new storm sewer system, a new reclaimed water line for Pinellas County Utilities, new sanitary sewer facilities for Pinellas County and the Town of Indian Rocks Beach, a new potable water transmission and distribution system for Pinellas County, and the reconstruction of the existing seawall along the "Narrows". Additionally, both the Towns of Indian Shores and Indian Rocks Beach have contracted with Progress Energy, Bright House Cable and Verizon Telephone to bury their existing overhead facilities throughout the Project.

Gulf Boulevard is the only north-south roadway through Indian Shores and Indian Rocks Beach. All of the proposed work must be completed within a typical 40' wide right-of-way, while maintaining safe and efficient traffic for both motorists and pedestrians. Additionally, due to the multiple stakeholders, three separate engineering firms were responsible for the design of the overall Project. It is the intent of Pinellas County that the CM @ Risk manages the entire Project, including the private utility work.

The State of Florida has a long history utilizing alternative delivery methods, and recently FDOT District VI awarded CM @ Risk contracts for two pilot projects as part of the construction of the $1.35 billion Miami Intermodal Center. According to Andrew DeTizio, Major Project Engineer at FHWA's Florida Division, "...By incorporating the contractor's perspective and input into planning and design decisions, we can reach early agreement on project features to expedite construction..."Additionally, he stated "Ultimately, construction manager at risk fosters teamwork, between the engineer, construction manager, and FDOT, {and} we expect this teamwork to result in a better final product". [1]

Historically, cost was the major factor in determining the winning contractor to construct Florida's highway projects. "Low Bid" has long been the norm for doing business at FDOT, although factors other than cost are equally important. Years ago the FDOT recognized that items such as quality, delivery time, safety, life-cycle costs and use of new or improved technologies were as critical as cost.

In 1995, the Florida Legislature authorized the Department to use the Design-Build process for buildings, major bridges, and rail corridor projects. In 1996, this authority was further expanded to include all project types as a part of the "innovative" practices package. The Department is required to comply with the annual contracting monetary cap set by the statute for Innovative Contracting.

The primary goal of Alternative Contracting is to improve the construction project, speed project delivery and improve the project delivery without compromising safety or quality. Timely project completion results in reduced disruptions and inconveniences to the traveling public, affected businesses and property owners, thus supporting the Department's mission." [2]

Purpose

The proposed CM @ Risk method is an innovative process, which has been approved by both the Pinellas County and the State of Florida. Gulf Boulevard is a complex project and this approach will result in better overall coordination between the State, the County, the two Towns involved, the three utility companies involved and the three designers. This approach will provide for more efficient project scheduling which will result in an overall best value, wherein value is based on more than just cost. The impact to the beach communities involved has to be taken into consideration and by utilizing CM @ Risk, the expertise of a professional Construction Manager can be utilized to efficiently manage the multiple subcontractors and coordinate the work of the utility companies.

By utilizing the CM @ Risk method of contracting, the CM holds the risk of subletting the construction work to trade subcontractors and guaranteeing completion of the project for a negotiated price commonly called a Guaranteed Maximum Price. However, unlike the traditional "low-bid" approach to contracting, the CM provides professional advice to the Owner including, schedule, budget and constructability advice. This approach gives the Owner the opportunity to incorporate the professional construction manager's perspective into the early phases of the project. In fact, the professional designation Certified Construction Manager (CCM) is now being called out in specifications as a requirement for the project manager on many CM @ RISK projects. [3]

Indian Shores and Indian Rocks Beach are narrow barrier islands and Gulf Boulevard is the only north-south roadway through the towns. As such, maintenance of traffic and utility coordination is a critical aspect of the Project. For the majority of the project, the right-of-way is only 40' wide. Within this limited right-of-way the roadway and all underground utilities will be rebuilt. Both sides of the roadway are completely lined with single family homes, apartments, condominiums and various businesses. Both the potable water and sanitary sewer systems will be completely rebuilt. The CM @ Risk will provide additional insight into the phasing of this construction which in turn will limit service disruption. Also, power, telephone and television utilities will be buried as part of the project. Here again, the CM @ Risk can coordinate this work such that the residents and businesses are never without these critical utilities.

Emergency preparedness and hurricane evacuation is an area of critical concern. Working the local police and fire department, the CM @ Risk will coordinate emergency access throughout the project at all times.

Scope

Based on the overall phasing of the work, initially the CM @ Risk will take on the role of an Agency CM and shall evaluate and comment on the Construction Documents being developed by the engineers. The appraisal shall include reviewing those various documents for value engineering and constructability. As the Construction Documents are developed by the engineer through the various design phases the CM @ Risk shall provide Owner with detailed construction cost estimates with respect to those documents. The CM @ Risk shall attend all design and preconstruction conferences and to otherwise assist and cooperate with Engineer with respect to the design of the Project. In general the Design Phase services may include:

  • Preparation of a detailed cost estimate
  • Evaluating local marketplace conditions
  • Providing for construction coordination and phasing
  • Providing alternate designs
  • Providing constructability reviews
  • Providing value engineering studies
  • Assistance with permitting process
  • Assistance with Public Relations

Upon completion of the Pre-Construction phase, the CM @ Risk and Pinellas County will negotiate a Guaranteed Maximum Price based on the completed design. Once construction begins, the CM at Risk shall take on the responsibility of subletting all major items of work. The CM at Risk shall divide the work into packages that take the most advantage of the efficiencies and skills of the local subcontractor market. Due to the complexities of this Project, Subcontractors will be selected based on their overall approach to working within a Guaranteed Maximum Price environment and their approach to resolving project issues. Construction duration and disruption of the beach communities are critical issues and the Subcontractor's previous history in successfully completing similar projects will be a critical factor in their selection. The CM @ Risk shall also provide a Performance and Payment as called for in the appropriate Contract Documents. Overall project safety will be the responsibility of the CM @ Risk, as will compliance with all permits. Coordination between the State, County, towns, utility companies, multiple subcontractors and residents and businesses will be one of the most important roles of the CM at Risk during the construction phase.

CM at Risk Selection Process

The Public Announcement will advertise according to applicable regulations and will include a brief description of the Project and scope. The Public Announcement will also provide information on how to obtain technical and procedural information regarding the project.

The Public Announcement will request that the firm submit a Statement of Qualifications which includes the following:

  1. Letter of Interest (two page limit)
  2. Project Specific Statement of Qualifications Standard Form, SF 330
  3. References for the proposed Project Manager
  4. A description as to how the firm plans to approach the project including, management of the work, coordination of the roadway improvements and utility construction, and working with the engineer, etc
  5. Current project workload of the firm for the office performing the work
  6. Proof of the firm's certification as Minority Business Enterprise, if applicable
  7. Evidence of the ability to meet the bonding requirements for the project
  8. Copy of the firm's State of Florida Board of Professional Engineers Certificate of Authorization

Evaluation of each submittal will be based upon the following criteria:

  1. The capabilities and adequacy of the firm's proposed staff or subconsultant to be assigned to the project
  2. Firm's recent relevant experience on projects comparable to this project including past joint FDOT and utility projects
  3. Evaluation of the firm's past County performance or performance with other agencies based on references from firm's clients
  4. The firm's size, financial resource business ability relative to the Project's scope
  5. Location and ability to handle workload
  6. minority Business Enterprise Certification, if applicable

The most qualified firms will be scheduled for an interview prior to final selection. At the interview each firm will be asked to present the following:

  1. An organizational diagram
  2. The firm's overall relevant experience and the individual team member's experience
  3. Propose a general outline of services the firm would recommend to be performed
  4. Address any project issues that would demonstrate the firm's understanding of the project needs and the firm's ability to manage the project
  5. Provide a schedule for the proposed services
  6. Address the firm's current workload and ability to meet project deadlines

The selection will be strongly based on the qualifications of the firm's project manager and the experience of the firm in the transportation/roadway and drainage, and utility pipeline installation construction as opposed to the construction of water/wastewater treatment facilities, commercial buildings, or other types of construction projects.

Schedule

The following is an approximate construction schedule

  • Enter in contract with CM at Risk September 1, 2005
  • Establishment of GMP September 15, 2005
  • CM at Risk hires major Subcontractors October 1, 2005
  • Construction begins October 15, 2005
  • Substantial Completion September 30, 2008

Measures and Reporting

The performance measures used to evaluate this project are based on:

  • Unit price comparison between the CM @ Risk and similar design-bid-build delivery methods
  • Schedule comparison between the CM @ Risk and similar design-bid-build delivery methods
  • Quality comparison between the CM @ Risk and similar design-bid-build delivery methods, to the extent that quantitative measurements are available.
  • Degree of innovation, including increased constructability or value engineering, that resulted from the CM @ Risk method in comparison with similar design-bid-build delivery method.
  • Level of cooperation between the multiple utility companies, both public and private, and the CM @ Risk compared to similar cooperation on similar design-bid-build projects
  • Public perception and response to the project as a result of the CM @ Risk delivery method as compared to similar design-bid-build projects

An initial report will be prepared for the Gulf Boulevard project when the CM @ Risk is brought under contract. A copy of the GMP will be submitted when negotiated. Interim construction reports will be prepared at six month intervals during the construction phase. A final report will be submitted upon the completion of the project and will discuss the overall evaluation of the successes and areas of concern.

  • [1] Gerald Yakowenko, "Megaproject Procurement: Breaking from Tradition," Public Roads, July/August 2004 http://www.tfhrc.gov.pubrds/04jul/08.htm.
  • [2] Florida Department of Transportation, Alternative Contracting http://www.dot.state.fl.us/ProjectManagementResearchDevelopment/alt_contracts_pmr&d.
  • [3] CMAA, Capstone, the History of Construction Management, Practice and Procedures, 2003 McLean, Virginia23 -25.
Updated: 07/31/2017
Federal Highway Administration | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20590 | 202-366-4000