Jan/Feb 2012

Partnering Key to Sacramento Airport's "Big Build" Masterpiece

Sacramento International Airport
"Big Build" Fast Facts:

Construction Includes:
- 669,000 SF Terminal building with LEED Silver features
- $8M Art program
- 19-gate Airside concourse
- Automated People Mover (APM)
$1B Design/Build with Guaranteed Maximum Price
- $400M Landside (Austin-Walsh)
- $300M Airside J/V (Turner/Flatiron and Teichert)
- $75M Special Systems
  - VanDerLande (Baggage Systems)
  - Bombardier (APM)
Finished 4 months early and estimated $70M under budget

The first flights departed from the Sacramento International Airport $1B “Big Build” Mega Program on October 6, 2011. This complex program of projects finished 4 months early and $70M under budget. Airport Director G. Hardy Acree, Deputy Director Leonard Takayama, Facilitator Rose Agnew and other members of the Project Team shared how they did it. The short answer: a disciplined commitment to Partnering from start to finish. This success was achieved through an executive commitment to Partnering, an effective system of issue resolution and a high functioning team.

Step 1: Executive Commitment to Partnering

IPI Member Organizations know that collaboration does not happen by accident, and high functioning project teams do not develop in a vacuum. According to Facilitator Rose Agnew, “people vote with their feet.” In the case of the “Big Build”, consistent participation by Former County Executive Terry Schutten, Director Hardy Acree and perfect attendance by Deputy Director Leonard Takayama at Partnering meetings every two months from design through activation meant that the Primes could trust the owner’s commitment to the process. The partnering team called themselves C3: Communication, Coordination, and Commitment. Aerial view of Big Build from the North

Project Team members also cited the importance of the delivery method. This was Sacramento County’s first Design/Build with a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) of this size and construction began with 30% design complete.

From the outset, executives from the Airport, the PM (Paslay Management Group & AECOM), the Designer (Corgan), the Airside Prime J/V (Flatiron/Turner and Teichert) the Landside Prime (Austin-Walsh), the Systems Contractors (Bombardier and VanDerLande) and other key stakeholders would meet quarterly to check-in and resolve issues. AECOM’s Associate VP Kristi Hogan stated, “in order for Partnering to be effective, it must start from the top. The County Executive and the Airport really helped kick Partnering off and maintained it all the way through construction and activation.” This commitment empowered the field-level to collaborate and produced excellent results.

Step 2: Issue Resolution through C3

Partnering is most effective when issues are resolved timely at the lowest possible level. Because so many entities are involved with airport construction (TSA, FAA, Utilities, Environmental Agencies, and concessionaires), C3 Meetings varied in size, but at times included up to 60 participants. For accountability, the Project Team implemented an Action Register.

The Action Register was a list of documented issues and commitments that were automatically rolled into the Agendas for the smaller, weekly project meetings. If an item wasn’t effectively resolved during the weekly meetings, a workout session with a focus group could be called by the Facilitator in order to flush out the details in a timely way. Rose Agnew stressed that after the first year most of the issues were resolved at the field level. But, if members of the project team needed her support she became the “designated neutral catalyst” and raised issues others felt they could not.

Step 3: An Illustration: The Tug Tunnel and Elevated Guideway

According to Agnew, “every great project has a person who is the heart of collaboration and is sincere about it”. For this project, and more specifically the Tug Tunnel and Elevated Guideway, it was AECOM’s SMF Logistics Manager, John Gruendl.

Gruendl explained to IPI that although the Tug Tunnel and Elevated Guideway were by themselves fairly simple structures, challenges arose from “high visibility, complex sequencing involving many players, and a lot of groundwater”.

In brief, the Tug Tunnel is a 490’ long cast cement tunnel that runs from the airport tarmac to the basement of the new Central Terminal B. The tunnel runs directly beneath Airport Blvd., a major artery in and out of Sacramento International Airport. Baggage handlers drive tug tractors full of luggage to and from the building using this tunnel.

The Elevated Guideway is a concrete bridge supporting a People Mover connecting Central Terminal B and the Airside Concourse, where passengers catch their flights. The Elevated Guideway runs directly over the top of the Tug Tunnel and Airport Blvd.
Tug Tunnel issues overcome through Partnering

(1) Location: The Tug Tunnel and Elevated Guideway construction occurred in a bottleneck. Thousands of cars and pedestrians travelled directly through the construction site from May to November, 2009. Construction crews had to take extensive precautions to limit customer impact. Noisy work (like driving pile) was limited to only a few hours each night. In spite of a tight window and thousands of passengers walking and cars driving through the construction zone, no significant time-loss injuries were sustained during construction.

(2) Sequencing: In 2008 the Airport accelerated the program schedule. As a result, the excavation was completely re-sequenced and initiated from the Airside in May 2009. This required a change in scope of work for four of the contractors involved, three route changes to Airport Blvd, and a re-routing of utilities to ensure no interruption of service. Zero claims resulted from the Tug Tunnel and Elevated Guideway construction.

(3) Dewatering: Landside Contractor Austin-Walsh controlled a massive dewatering program, nicknamed “Big Bertha” that lowered the groundwater table for the Central Terminal B basement. According to IPI Member and Flatiron PM, Sean Dearborn, “the Airside J/V benefited directly from the low water table and spent only $42,000 of its allotted $100,000 towards dewatering wells”. Allowing the Airside J/V to tap into the “Big Bertha” system saved the County a minimum of $58,000 and shaved weeks off the schedule.

Every week, John Gruendl led sequencing meetings to resolve issues, confirm routes and help guide the completion of the Elevated Guideway and Tug Tunnel safely, on time and on budget. All told, five contractors worked together in an area smaller than a football field and finished early with no claims.

Conclusion

Sacramento International Airport’s “Big Build” program was Sacramento County’s largest construction project and by far its most successful Design/Build project ever. In spite of the projects complexity and high visibility, the Executive commitment to partnering and a strong issue resolution process through C3 helped produce this success story. In the words of Landside PM and IPI Board of Advisors Member Pierre Bigras, “Terminal B is an aesthetically beautiful and highly functional building and the $70 M budget savings and the early finish are a fantastic result for the County of Sacramento!”

Hurry up and Apply for Your IPI - PPY!

IPI Partnered Project of the Year Awards Applications will be accepted until Friday, February 10, 2012. Make sure to reconnect with the Project Teams from your Partnered projects and apply for IPI’s Partnered Project of the Year Awards!

This year we have added a New Mega Projects Category, so your Partnered Horizontal or Vertical Project (of any size) can apply for an Award!

Mark your Calendar so you can join us on May 17, 2012 for the IPI Awards Celebration! Plan to be there to hear more about the Award Winning Projects!

Click Here for more details!

2011 A Year of Growth for IPI!

In 2011, we grew as an organization, we added a full-time staff member, we developed new ways to participate and we increased outreach to the Construction community about the benefits of Collaborative Partnering. Here are some highlights:

In 2011, IPI Launched Two New Committees and There Are More on the Way!

IPI Research Committee:
IPI has gathered an esteemed group of academics: Keith Molenaar (Colorado University at Boulder), Sinem Korkmaz (Michigan State University), and Hank Koffman (USC) to head up the inaugural IPI Study on the Efficacy of Partnering. Our members have asked for quantitative data that supports the use of Collaborative Partnering—we aim to find it.
IPI Vertical Construction and Mechanical Buildings Committee (November 2011)
Chair: Larry Eisenberg, Sustainable Strategies Today
The Vertical Committee is a collection of Owner Reps, Contractors, Designers, and Project Managers focused on removing barriers to Partnering in the industry. They are developing an IPI Partnering Spec that can be adopted by existing members and new organizations focused on reducing claims and improving project outcomes. The group will also develop a Partnering Tool Box to help Owners and Project Teams manage conflict deliver quality projects consistently.

Coming soon:

IPI Horizontal Construction Committee (February 24, 2012)
Co-Chairs: Curt Weltz, Flatiron and Mark Leja, Caltrans
The Horizontal Committee is a collection of Owner Reps, Contractors, Designers, and Project Managers focused on removing barriers to Partnering in the industry. They are developing an IPI Partnering Spec based on the IPI Partnering Model to be adopted by existing members and new organizations focused on reducing claims. The group will also develop Partnering resources to help reduce barriers to Partnering.
Partnering Emphasis Groups (PEGs):
These are informal groups meeting via teleconference to discuss issues important to them.
Planned PEGs: Partnering Coordinators PEG and Professional Neutral Facilitators PEG

(continued next column)

IPI’s Newest Members from 2011:

Carr, Swanson and Randolph, LLC

Center for Conflict Resolution – Salisbury University

DCLG, Inc.

Federal Transportation Authority – Lower Manhattan Recovery Office

Green Com, Inc.

Maryland State Highway Administration

Orange County Transportation Authority

San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)

Sustainable Strategies Today

US Army Corps of Engineers – Baltimore District

US Army Corps of Engineers – Norfolk District

Utah Transportation Authority

IPI Members in the News

Granite Construction – Named by Ethisphere Institute as one of the 2011 World’s Most Ethical Companies for 2nd year in a row (March, 2011)
San Francisco International Airport - Opens Terminal 2, Country’s first LEED® Gold rated airport terminal building (April, 2011)
Ghilotti Bros., Inc. – Receives IPI’s Highest Honor – 2011 IPI Partnering Champion (May, 2011)
CC Myers – Completed Highway 50 Echo Summit barrier wall and asphalt-concrete overlay in 10 days (4 days ahead of schedule) during extreme weather conditions including fog, rain, hail, and snow (May 2011)
Flatiron – 2011 ENR Contractor of the Year (July, 2011)
Utah Transit Authority – Opens two simultaneous Mega Projects, the Mid-Jordan and West Valley Mega TRAX Lines 1 year early and 20% under budget (August, 2011)
USACE – Baltimore District – Opens LEED® Gold National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Campus East (NCE) (September, 2011)
USACE – Norfolk District – Opens Fort Belvoir Hospital (September, 2011)
OCTA – Begins O.C. Bridges Program, a $600M grade separation project (October, 2011)
Ventura Consulting’s Jim Eisenhart releases “The Book” (October, 2011)
Maryland SHA – Intercounty Connector (ICC) wins Northeast Region ENR Project of the Year (IPI Member Granite Construction was part Intercounty Constructors J/V) (November, 2011)
EUCA merges with AECE, becoming the largest Association of its kind west of the Mississippi (December, 2011)

What’s Happening with IPI?

JAN
Marketing & Events Committee - Thursday, 1/12 8:30a - 9:30a
Vertical Construction & Mechanical Buildings Committee – Thursday, 1/19 8:00a – 9:00a
Research Committee – Friday, 1/20 9:00a – 10:00a

FEB
Marketing & Events Committee - Thursday, 2/2 8:30a – 9:30a
IPI AWARD APPLICATIONS DUE - Friday, 2/10 5:00pm
Vertical Construction & Mechanical Buildings Committee – Thursday, 2/16 8:00a – 9:00a
Research Committee – TBD
Horizontal Construction Committee – Friday, 2/24 8:30a – 9:45a

To get involved in a Committee, please contact Rob Reaugh

2011 A Year of Growth for IPI (continued)

Mega Meetings for Mega Programs!

Mega Programs Collaborative Roundtables:
IPI sponsored three Mega Programs Roundtables (San Francisco, Washington DC, and Los Angeles) and introduced Owner agencies to the IPI Model for Partnering and discussed Lessons Learned. Mark Leja served as the keynote speaker for each of the three events and highlighted the successes of Caltrans Partnering Program and risks involved for public agencies that avoid partnering every Capital project. 45 construction professionals attended the three meetings.

Mega Project Collaborative Roundtable
In September, IPI Sponsored a fourth event focusing on 6 Mega Projects funded through the $2.3B Base Realignment and Closures (BRAC) program held at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Campus East (NCE) in Springfield, Virginia. 25 construction professionals attended. Email Rob Reaugh for a copy of the Minutes and Lessons Learned.

IPI’s 3rd Annual Awards Celebration

Keynote Address:
Efficacy of Partnering on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Mega Project, by Larry Anderson, ASCE and Brian Polkinghorn, Ph D.

IPI Partnering Champion: Ghilotti Bros., Inc.

IPI Strategic Partnering Achievement Award:
Caltrans Construction Partnering Steering Committee (CCPSC)

IPI Chairman’s Award: Cinda Bond - Orgmetrics

IPI Partnered Project of the Year – Diamond Level Award
I-238 Widening and Rehabilitation ($100.5M)
Owner: Caltrans
Owner: Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC)
Designer: Parsons Brinckerhoff
Contractor: Flatiron
Facilitator: Pinnacle Leadership Group

IPI Partnered Project of the Year – Diamond Level Award
I-680 South Bound Express Lane (Phase I) ($34.1M)
Owner: Caltrans
Contractor: Bay Cities Paving and Grading
Facilitator: Ventura Consulting Group

IPI Partnered Project of the Year – Sapphire Level Award
Walnut Creek Library ($25.8M)
Owner: City of Walnut Creek
Designer: Group 4 Architecture, Research and Planning
Construction Manager: Gilbane Building Company
Contractor: West Bay Builders
Facilitator: M. Silver & Company, Inc.

Get Involved! Wishing Will Make it So!

IPI works because our members don't just wish things were different. Our members volunteer their time, money, ideas and energy toward supporting our mission to change the culture of construction from being adversarial to collaborative. We believe our mission is critical. We work hard to move our movement forward. Each member is essential. Each member is special and adds to the whole of our abilities and perspective.

IPI memberships are not individual memberships, but organization-wide memberships. We need as many people as possible to get involved! You can join a committee, help with an event, help us with fundraising (we are a charity!), recruit members, or write an article, paper or press release. There are dozens of things we could do with your help!

To explore how YOU and your organization might be able to help, please check out the IPI WISH LIST!