Industry Panel Selects Facility and Infrastructure Projects Demonstrating Job Order Contracting Excellence

MAULDIN, S.C., March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Eight regional “Best of the Best” winners in the competition for the annual Harry H. Mellon Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting were announced today, recognizing projects ranging from replacement of a boardwalk, to renovations of a subway station, to restoration of a mountain-side road.

The annual award recognizes excellence using the system’s principles and practices while identifying unique and innovative ways of using Job Order Contracting to complete construction projects.  Job Order Contracting is a competitively bid procurement process government agencies use to accomplish a large number of small- to medium-sized repair and alteration projects based on a set of locally priced construction tasks and competitively awarded contracts.

The award highlights facility owners, managers and contractors who perform this important function. Repair, alteration, and maintenance work – the core of the Job Order Contracting system – is essential for the safe and efficient use of public buildings and infrastructure.

The award is named for the inventor of Job Order Contracting, Harry H. Mellon. He devised the system in 1982, which fostered a multi-billion-dollar industry that provides facility owners with a process to complete repair, alteration, maintenance and new-construction projects more efficiently and effectively, while saving time and money. The award was established in 2008.

In addition to the regional “Best of the Best” winners, one project is named the national winner each year. The 2012 national honor was presented to the Healdsburg, Calif., Post Office Renovation.

Representatives of Job Order Contracting providers, facility owners and construction and engineering services served on the voluntary panel that chose the eight winners described below. Hundreds of entries were submitted by public agencies and contractors across the United States and Canada.

Behrman Park Stadium
Owner: City of New Orleans
Contractor: F.H. Paschen
JOC System: Gordian JOC Solution®
New Orleans, La.
A quick response to a request for proposal and no bidding hassles are just two of the hallmarks of Job Order Contracting. In large part, that speed and efficiency drove the City of New Orleans to use it in order to complete backlogged projects after Hurricane Katrina that had been funded by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Less than 30 days before funding was to run out for repairs to Behrman Park community football stadium, the city approved an estimate to complete the renovations by Sept. 1, 2011. The long-overdue list of work included renovating the press box, installing new lighting for the field, updating the scoreboard and replacing the public address system and scoreboard game clock. The budget was $200,000.

The stadium, like a number of city facilities, had not been repaired from damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 due to political set-backs. Not only was the work completed on time using Job Order Contracting, but it was also done under budget. Nearly $94,000 was saved and applied to other improvements to the football stadium.

Brooklyn Tech High School Mock Courtroom
Owner: New York City Department of Education
Contractor: D&K Construction
JOC System: Gordian JOC Complete Plus®
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Unlike other construction-procurement systems, Job Order Contracting can be used to renovate and repair the most unique projects. That’s why the New York City Department of Education used it to transform an unused wood shop into a mock courtroom.

Complete with jury deliberation room and all necessary audio-visual systems, the $601,000 project was completed within the 11-month schedule thanks to the scheduling flexibility found in Job Order Contracting. Audio-visual equipment was installed to record and play back mock trials for use in other teaching applications.

Administrators said the courtroom would not have been completed on time without the ability to begin demolishing the space before the final design was complete. In addition to allowing design and demolition work to occur simultaneously, Job Order Contracting even provided pricing and technical specifications for installation of audio-video equipment purchased by the school system. The scope of the entire project, including all tasks involved in the work, was covered in the Construction Task Catalog®, Job Order Contracting’s extensive database of pre-priced tasks.

Deep Clean Initiative—Logan Square Blue Line Station
Owner: Chicago Transit Authority
Contractor: F.H. Paschen
JOC System: Gordian JOC Solution®
Chicago, Ill.
The extreme-makeover phenomenon that can be found on various reality-based television programs took the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) by storm with its Deep Clean Initiative. Dubbed the CTA Renew Crew, the team descended on the Logan Square Blue Line station.

CTA’s “SWAT Team” approach repaired, replaced and renovated signs, lighting, concrete, ceilings, walls and more. The crew of contractors also power washed and painted it all. All of the tasks completed were listed in the Job Order Contracting Construction Task Catalog®, which defines costs and technical specifications.

Renovations and repairs at Logan Square were authorized in early August 2011 and completed one month later at a price of $552,000. CTA’s system-wide Deep Clean Initiative is projected to cost the city $25 million.

Huntley Meadows Park Boardwalk
Owner: Fairfax County Park Authority
Contractor: The Matthews Group, Inc.
JOC System: ezIQC®
Fairfax County, Virg.
With pressure-treated lumber older than the typical 15-year life, park officials in Fairfax County, Virg., employed Job Order Contracting to replace a half-mile wooden boardwalk and observation platforms. Having been built in 1993, existing boards were so badly worn that some caused a safety hazard on the structure used annually by as many as 250,000 people.

Due to the vast amount of foot traffic on the boardwalk and considerations for nearby wildlife, park officials required work to be done in three phases. The staggered work schedule allowed the walkway to remain open to wildlife watchers throughout renovations. Contractors were also required to schedule work to avoid interfering with the migrations and breeding cycles of the park’s animals.

The walking surface of the new boardwalk was made from 100% high-density polyethylene plastic in order to extend its life beyond that of wood. A total of 90% of the materials used in the composite boards was derived from over 965,000 recycled plastic milk containers.

Los Gatos Mountain Slip Out Repairs
Owner: Santa Clara County Roads & Airports
Contractor: Mark Scott Construction
JOC System: Gordian JOC Solution®
Santa Clara, Calif.
Job Order Contracting offered this Northern California county road department the resources necessary to manage the rebuilding of a crumbling roadway caused by earthquakes in the region. Convergence of the Earth’s tectonic plates surrounding one group of fault lines and fierce winter storms had damaged the mountain-side road, causing its side to collapse down the steep slope.

In order to repair the remaining road bed and rebuild the missing roadway surface, Santa Clara County needed to stabilize the underlying material, which consisted mainly of shale and fractured sandstone. Slide-damaged areas were stabilized using a number of very specialized reinforcing products.

Despite the highly specialized nature of the roadway reconstruction, Santa Clara County road department officials reported saving millions of dollars, while ensuring the safety of vehicular traffic and mitigation of potential litigation. Total cost for the project was approximately $479,000.

Mission-Critical Multiple Vehicle Charging Station
Owner: Georgia National Guard
Contractor: Centennial Contractors Enterprises, Inc.
JOC System: ezIQC®
Marietta, Ga.
Crunch time in public service or business often comes down to needing to begin a project within days because funding has to be committed before a fiscal year ends. The Georgia National Guard gave that mission to Job Order Contracting to design and provide within three weeks a detailed scope of work to build a multiple-vehicle charging station for newly acquired equipment.

With two days to spare, the Guard’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams submitted a proposal for the facility, where medical emergency response vehicles and other equipment would be parked when not in use. Project requirements included 110-volt electricity and overhead lighting to maintain vehicles’ sensitive electronic equipment and medications that must be protected from sunlight and temperature extremes. Onboard systems must be connected to power outlets when the trucks are not in use.

The contractor completed the 25×80-foot building with overhead lighting and electrical outlets, as well as electrical outlets on support columns.

Scripps Seaside Forum Cafe
Owner: University of California at San Diego
Contractor: The Augustine Co.
JOC System: Gordian JOC Solution®
San Diego, Calif.
The donor at the University of California at San Diego prepared to withdraw its gift to build a campus restaurant due to delays. But rather than lose funding, the college began construction even though it had not secured a tenant.

Fortunately for UCSD after securing a tenant, the use of Job Order Contracting to manage construction gave the college and tenant flexibility to carefully decide about modifications that were needed to align the design of the space with the desires of the new tenant.

Job Order Contracting helped the tenant “value engineer” the changes to materials and designs in order to create a very high end layout on a modest budget. The first changes were mostly aesthetic and the most expensive. But those changes to the look and feel of the restaurant created a need for modifications to the mechanical systems.

Sullivan Track and Mesa Practice Fields
Owner: Los Alamos Public Schools
Contractor: Centennial Contractors Enterprises, Inc.
JOC System: Gordian JOC Solution®
Los Alamos, N.M.
The time crunch to complete the $1.44 million renovation of two athletic fields for the Los Alamos Public Schools forced the district to design renovations as work took place. Due to the simultaneous work, the school system used Job Order Contracting because it provided the best approach to design at the same time as construction took place.

Foremost among the system’s advantages is the fact that it helps construction administrators manage changes to a project as they are needed, without significantly increasing costs. The system also allows construction administrators to use tried-and-true contractors. During renovation of the fields, the contractor used its experience with a nearby project to help avoid problems with tight property easements and uncertain locations of buried utilities. Despite this unexpected addition to the project, the standard Job Order Contracting database provided pricing for the contractor to remove the turf.

As work progressed, the school system tapped into the community’s support by selling pieces of the old turf. The fund-raiser totaled $18,000 to offset project costs and also reduced disposal costs and environmental impacts.

Even with a one-week mandatory evacuation of Los Alamos due to the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s history, renovations were completed on time and budget.

The Awards are sponsored by The Gordian Group to recognize the facility owners and professionals who perform the essential yet unglamorous function of maintaining the safe and efficient use of public buildings and infrastructure through Job Order Contracting. The company is the pioneer of Job Order Contracting and other construction sourcing systems. Gordian is the Job Order Contracting industry expert, and as such, advances the discipline through innovation, education and recognition.