Regional Winners Announced for Construction Industry’s 2012 Mellon Award of Excellence

MAULDIN, S.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nine regional winners in the construction industry’s program to recognize excellence are one step closer to being named the national winner of the Harry H. Mellon Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting for 2012. The national winner will be announced Jan. 28, 2013.

The regional winners were chosen from 52 entries, which were submitted by contractors, building consultants, and local, state and federal facility owners from throughout the United States. Twice as many entries were submitted for 2012 as the previous year.

Job Order Contracting is a competitively bid procurement process that building and infrastructure owners use to fast-track repair and alteration projects based on locally priced construction tasks and competitively awarded contracts. The annual award recognizes excellence using Job Order Contracting’s principles and practices while identifying unique and innovative ways it can be used.

The award was established in 2008 to highlight facility owners and managers 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 bears the name of the inventor of Job Order Contracting, Harry H. Mellon, who devised the system in 1982. Its creation fostered a multi-billion-dollar industry that provides a process to complete repair, alteration, maintenance and new-construction projects more efficiently and effectively, thereby saving time and money.

Each of the winning projects described below was evaluated by a volunteer panel of industry experts. Projects were required to be completed in 2012.

National Region Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting
Defense Supply Center Richmond Building Addition
Facility Owner: U.S. Dept. of Defense Logistics Agency
Contractor: Abbott General Construction, Inc.
JOC System: Gordian JOC Solution
Richmond, Virg.
Just one month before the end of the federal government’s fiscal year, the Defense Supply Center Richmond initiated a $621,000 project to expand the building housing the military installation’s emergency, security and support functions. Using Job Order Contracting, the Defense Logistics Agency was able to create a concise and clear scope of work that permitted the project to be estimated and negotiated before the fiscal year’s end.

In addition to providing new space for the facility’s police force, the project provided enlarged space for the base’s fire department and modernized the building’s computer room infrastructure. Special attention was paid to blend components of the building’s interior and exterior finishes, lighting and heat and air conditioning systems.

Four Corners Region Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting
Arizona Health Dept. Laboratory
Facility Owner: Arizona Department of Administration
Contractor: Belfor Property Restoration
JOC System: Gordian JOC Solution®
Phoenix, Ariz.
Water damaged 16 rooms on three floors of the Arizona Health Dept. Laboratory, necessitating drying, cleaning and repairs to floors, walls and ceilings. The State turned to the ezIQC® form of Job Order Contracting to quickly rectify the damage, before more issues could arise. ezIQC is a competitively bid Indefinite Quantity Construction contract available through a cooperative purchasing agreement. As part of the clean-up, a room dubbed the rabies room required special techniques and equipment to dry it without allowing workers inside. Once dried, the room was decontaminated by state workers, which in turn allowed Belfor Property Restoration to repair and paint.

Great Lakes Region Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting
Energy Conservation
Facility Owner: City of Seven Hills
Contractor: The K-Company, Inc.
JOC System: ezIQC® via State of Ohio/National Joint Powers Alliance Contract
Seven Hills, Ohio
According to the City of Seven Hills, it would have been extremely difficult to put grant funds to work completing four energy-conservation projects if not for the ezIQC form of Job Order Contracting.

The four projects were funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which required them to be substantially completed by August 27. The grant was awarded on July 14, less than two months earlier. The flexibility and comprehensive nature of ezIQC allowed the city to install a computerized boiler reset system, install demand control ventilation for seven roof-top HVAC units, replace one roof-top HVAC unit responsible for 14 climate control zones and replace two hot-water tanks. The City is already experiencing the energy and cost savings as intended in the ARRA Energy Grant.

Mid-Atlantic Region Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting
College Park Bike & Ride
Facility Owner: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Contractor: Haris Design & Construction Co.
JOC System: Gordian JOC Solution®
College Park, Md.
Job Order Contracting helped the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) design and build its first bike-and-ride facility in less than five months by fast-tracking construction of the highly customized project. The facility is a key component in the authority’s plan to triple ridership by 2020.

For a small fee, the 120-bike storage area at the metro station near the University of Maryland offers bikers secure bike “parking” while commuting via train. WMATA set specific requirements for its design to encourage riders to use the bike facility. It had to be vandal-proof, easily accessible and user friendly.

A combination concrete-stainless steel structure was designed and custom built by Haris Design & Construction Co. The design provides impenetrable security barriers to protect bikes from theft. A stainless-steel canopy frame with glass panels at the entrance provides a striking, modern look, which is complemented by energy-efficient LED lighting. Closed-circuit television cameras were installed on the ceiling to provide remote security monitoring. An emergency telephone connects callers directly to police.

Northeast Region Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting
Dept. of Public Works Campus Improvements
Facility Owner: Town of North Haven
Contractor: Pat Munger Construction Company, Inc.
JOC System: ezIQC® via Capital Region Council of Governments Contract
North Haven, CT
Even a town’s public works facilities require updates and repairs. North Haven’s list of projects for its Elm Street campus lent itself to being completed using the ezIQC form of Job Order Contracting.

A number of factors drove the need for the projects, from a hurricane-destroyed salt storage area, to a lost lease for the sanitation facility, to the need to bring a maintenance facility into compliance with OSHA regulations. The town’s list of projects included roof repairs, design and construction of a storage barn for road de-icing salt; design and construction of a 5,000 square-foot steel building for sanitation crews and equipment; and installation of a ventilation system in a maintenance shop to remove engine exhaust and other harmful vapors.
Each project was accomplished within budget and on or ahead of schedule, according to town officials.
Pacific North Region Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting
Wakefield Taylor Courthouse Historical Window Restoration
Facility Owner: Administrative Office of the Courts – State of California
Contractor: Mark Scott Construction, Inc.
JOC System: Gordian JOC Solution®
Pleasant Hill, Calif.
Restoration of historic buildings and interior spaces is nothing new for Job Order Contracting. Nor is it unusual for contractors to shift work schedules to avoid disturbing the business conducted in a building where work is being done. Restoration of windows at the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse put both challenges in front of court administrators and contractors.

The scope of work included removing, rebuilding, restoring and replacing exterior windows in the courthouse building, which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Depending on the condition of double-hung windows, individual wood sash pieces were either restored or replaced with new wood. New components were milled to original details.

When a window could not be repaired, it was completely replaced with a new one hand-built to the original design with original construction methods. The glass was replaced in all windows using original materials. Due to their age, lead-paint abatement was required during removal and refurbishment, which was done off-site.

To avoid disturbing court proceedings, work was completed only on holidays and from 5 p.m. on Fridays through 7 a.m. on Mondays. The systematic work approach during construction and superior finished product helped establish an ongoing relationship among Mark Scott Construction, Inc., the Job Order Contracting provider and court administrators.

Pacific South Region Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting
Family Medical Clinic Building
Facility Owner: County of Ventura
Contractor: MTM Construction, Inc.
JOC System: Gordian JOC Solution®
Ventura, Calif.
The extremely tight design and construction schedule from the Ventura County Board of Supervisors challenged project teams tasked with building a 13,116-square-foot medical clinic in an existing county-owned building. The $2.9 million project required interior demolition, full plumbing with drain lines in the floor and a new three-inch water service from the public main.
Concurrent planning and demolition maximized the work schedule for on-time delivery. The finished project encompassed 27 exam rooms, two lobbies, three doctor offices and a variety of medical and testing rooms.
Southeast Region Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting
Caterpillar, Inc. Training Facility
Facility Owner: Technical College System of Georgia
Contractor: LESCO Restorations, Inc.
JOC System: ezIQC® via State of Georgia/National Joint Powers Alliance Contract
Athens, Ga.
Using the ezIQC form of Job Order Contracting, Caterpillar and Lesco Restorations, Inc. moved from scope of work to contract in just 45 days on a $1.5 million employee-training facility that completely renovated an existing structure and nearly doubled its size.

In 100 more days, the 7,000-square-foot metal building was expanded by another 6,800 square feet to house training, storage and faculty-office areas. Training areas included a welding shop, three classrooms and an open area large enough for full-size Caterpillar construction equipment. Site work included construction of additional parking and creation of a retention pond. By the time the project was completed, the contractor had included customer revisions totaling $300,000 while still meeting the required completion date.

Southwest Region Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting
Pediatric and Adolescent Health Clinic Building
Facility Owner: Harris Health System
Contractor: Centennial Contractors
JOC System: Gordian JOC Solution®
Houston, Texas
The use of Job Order Contracting can set the standard in many ways. For Harris County, Texas, it has set the future standard for the way to build health clinic buildings. Due to the project’s schedule, the owner, builder and Job Order Contracting provider needed as much collaboration as possible in order to deliver the building on time. With construction beginning in late February, the 6800-square-foot facility was completed by mid-June.

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. Through its founder, JOC inventor Harry H. Mellon, the company created Job Order Contracting and a number of related construction-procurement systems. Gordian is the Job Order Contracting industry expert, and as such, advances the discipline through innovation, education and recognition.