Efficient and Sustainable: Job Order Contracting (JOC) for Green Construction

Job Order Contracting (JOC) is an efficient and flexible construction procurement method that enables organizations to complete many projects with one competitively awarded contract. Responsible for tens of thousands of projects and $4 billion in construction volume every year, Gordian’s Job Order Contracting solutions are the go-to delivery method for various types of work. In recent years, public sector organizations have been using JOC to complete green construction projects. Let’s explore some of this eco-friendly work.

San Francisco Public Works Transforms Eyesore Into Tree Nursery

The State of California had a problem. An unused parcel of property owned by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) near downtown San Francisco had become a magnet for refuse and litter. At the same time, the City of San Francisco had a goal of expanding its tree canopy, which was small compared to other similarly sized cities. Doing so would reap multiple rewards for San Franciscans and the environment: Trees not only absorb greenhouse gases, they cool sidewalks and pavement.

In early 2020, officials from San Francisco Public Works began meeting with Caltrans about the possibility of putting a nursery on the unused lot. In 2021, the governor’s office launched the Clean California Initiative, which offered grants to renew public spaces, among other things.

That’s when preparation met opportunity. Caltrans agreed to lease the land to the city at a budget-conscious rate and committed $3.825 million in Clean California grant money to revitalize it. The project went beyond the initial plans for a modest tree nursery. To execute those plans, the San Francisco Public Works turned to its Gordian Job Order Contracting program.

The project was awarded to Yerba Buena Engineering & Construction, an area contractor with a strong track record of JOC success. They would need every ounce of that experience to hit the city’s aggressive timeline. The project needed to be completed in four months, in advance of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, an international event attended by world leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. California Governor Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Mayor London Breed wanted to showcase the innovative nursery during the summit.

With a lot of work to do in a short amount of time, speed was essential, and thus, Yerba Buena got to work as soon as permits were issued. Originally conceived as a space with capacity for 200 trees, the state grant allowed the city to expand its plans and build a nursery capable of accommodating 1,000 trees. Additionally, the contractor installed two modular buildings custom designed from modified shipping containers, that provide classroom, office, breakroom and restroom space for employees and volunteers.

The site was made fully sustainable through a solar array that is off the PG&E grid, relying on a photovoltaic electrical system that Yerba Buena’s electrical subcontractor, Leyder Electric, designed and built to power nursery operations. Solar panels were installed on the roof of the main building and on top of a metal-roofed pergola built over another building and an adjacent patio. Other scope elements included site grading, irrigation, drainage, water, sewer, landscaping, concrete walkways, gravel paving, 300 feet of concrete block retaining wall, site furnishings, custom graphics and signage.

The project team got an October surprise when most of the excavated soil that had been expected to be Class II nonhazardous tested out as Class I hazardous. This unforeseen condition added $317,767 in last-minute costs to transport and properly dispose of 1,167 tons of contaminated soil. Despite this setback, the project was finished on November 8, 2023, one day before the scheduled ribbon cutting featuring the governor and the mayor, and three days before the opening of the APEC summit.

The City of San Francisco now enjoys more tree cover, the State of California has a clear example of the good it accomplished with its Clean California Initiative and a local eyesore has been transformed into beautiful green space.

Job Order Contracting is just one solution Gordian offers to cities, counties and other local government entities. Check out this page to learn more.

Ohio City Installs Solar Panels to Promote Sustainability

Above and beyond traditional public work services like wastewater management, the City of New Albany, Ohio provides snow removal, leaf collection and street sweeping. Providing these comprehensive services requires an impressive fleet of vehicles, and said vehicles require maintenance and repair, which the city completes inside a large garage belonging to the Public Services Department.

The garage’s long, angled roof offered the ideal opportunity for New Albany leaders to outfit a city property with solar panels, an eco-friendly decision in keeping with the city’s Strategic Plan. To install over 5,500 square feet of solar panels, the City of New Albany accessed a Gordian Cooperative JOC contract (also known as ezIQC®) via Sourcewell, a large purchasing cooperative. Even compared with standalone Job Order Contracts, which accelerate procurement time by as much as 25%, Cooperative JOC is fast and efficient.

General contractor McDaniels Construction and subcontractor Kokosing Solar (previously Third Sun Solar) collaborated on a Price Proposal, and worked together to complete the projects in merely eight weeks, far faster than traditional construction delivery methods would have allowed. Modeling sustainable practices for all residents, the City of New Albany’s solar-paneled garage roof will remove 112 metrics tons of carbon dioxide from the air every year, the equivalent of planting 2,800 new trees a year. But that’s not the only way this green construction project will benefit the community. It’s estimated that the solar panels will cut the electricity bill at the public service complex in half, creating a tremendous return on the initial investment.

See more about green construction for existing facilities in our free guide to LEED v5 Building Operations and Maintenance.

Pennsylvania School District Assembles Greenhouse

The Erie School District in Pennsylvania planned to use a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant to purchase a greenhouse for a garden that serves as a creative learning space for its “farm-to-school” initiative. Students around the district — from elementary students to high schoolers enrolled in the district’s popular horticulture program — would use the greenhouse to further their education about plant science and nutrition, including partnering with the district’s food service provider to incorporate student-grown vegetables into their recipes.

With funding secured, Erie set an ambitious construction timeline: The 30 feet by 60 feet Winandy Greenhouse was to be assembled over summer break. District leaders opted to use a Gordian JOC contract via the Keystone Purchasing Network, an organization serving the Pennsylvania public sector, to expedite construction. Local contractor Eriez Construction and a group of subs began assembling the greenhouse in June. They completed the assembly, along with some additional concrete and site work, in August, before students returned for the new school year. Since then, class after class of Erie Schools students have used the greenhouse for unique learning experiences spanning multiple subjects.

See all of Gordian’s solutions for managing K-12 campuses.