Vision Awards 2007
AEC/Design-Commercial
CH2M Hill
Silver
When CH2M Hill, www.ch2mhill.com, San Antonio, Texas, started working for the San Antonio, Texas Public Works Dept., it realized that the department lacked an adequate project management system. Projects were managed via its financial system without regard to a sequenced and managed timeline of events that included incremental earned value goals, progress against a baseline, or forecasting capability. This inhibited public works project managers from being able to effectively prioritize and manage multiple projects with their limited project management and construction inspection staff.
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CH2M Hill needed to work with the Public Works Dept., to get schedules to conform to a standard format, have them reviewed by city staff, and then have them integrated into an enterprise structure. In addition, the department needed to develop a means to resource and cost-load project schedules as a methodology for forecasting cash demands, anticipated contractor payments, evaluating earned value, and also to serve as a tool in project cost control.
Project-management software from Primavera Systems, www.primavera.com, Bala Cynwyd, Pa., allowed CH2M Hill to help the San Antonio Public Works Dept., align projects with business/organizational goals, cost and resource load the schedules for better control and forecasting, collaborate closer with all project team members, and capture field knowledge to use in future projects, enabling them to benchmark performance.
For example, a document controls system received information from Primavera for invoicing. From this platform, a contractor’s pay request was generated and routed through a Web portal for approval. This portal was delivered in a Microsoft SharePoint site deployed by the Public Works Dept. An electronic file was generated from Primavera to send pay request data to the financial system, eliminating the need to rekey data.
Overall, the technology has allowed the San Antonio Public Works Dept. to operate more effectively with its limited resources.
Builder/GC-Commercial
$5 Million - $100 Million
McAlvain Construction
Gold
Founded in 1980, McAlvain Construction, www.mcalvain.com, Boise, Idaho, focuses on design-build, fast-track complex projects, construction management services, and general contracting. Recently, McAlvain faced the challenge of building a water treatment plant 270 miles away from its main office. Windy roads and snowy conditions throughout the winter and spring months made travel to the site difficult and hazardous.
Due to these conditions, off-site project personnel were reluctant to travel there to do weekly scheduled walk-throughs. To alleviate this problem, McAlvain implemented the use of Web-based cameras.
The iBEAM Handheld from iBEAM Systems, www.ibeamsystems.com, Boise, Idaho, facilitates communication between personnel at the jobsite and those somewhere else. This wireless handheld camera transmits a live image stream through a broadband connection to viewers located anywhere in the world. The images can easily be captured, saved, emailed, or printed to document jobsite conditions.
Utilizing viewing software associated with the system, McAlvain, the A/E team, and subcontractors are able to instantly see specific details without sending project personnel to the site. Users located in offices in Boise and Seattle can watch walk-throughs of the construction site without ever leaving the office.
Project managers are now able to limit jobsite visits to once a month rather than once a week. With online meetings, team members can communicate by watching the image stream and making comments on what is being shown. Online collaboration saved hours of travel and coordination time each week and allowed geographical dispersed teams to focus on the same issues at the same time.
McAlvain has not only benefited from the interactive nature of the iBEAM Handheld, but has also realized quantifiable benefits. The project manager says she saved 30 hours each month by not traveling to the jobsite. Throughout the entire project, she saved more than six weeks of time, allowing her to focus on other projects and expand her duties within the company.
Builder/GC-Commercial
$5 Million - $100 Million
Deerfield Construction
Silver (tie)
Twenty-five year old Deerfield Construction Co., www.deerfieldconstruction.com, Loveland, Ohio, is a $60 million general contractor specializing in retail, restaurant, petroleum, and specialty commercial construction projects in 31 states.
Commonly, hard copies of plans were received in the mail and sent off to the local reprographics center for copies and the copies were mailed out over night to subcontractors. It could take three-to-five days for the plans to get from the owner to the subcontractor, and at great expense.
Deerfield Construction invested in a wide format printer and a color scanner to produce the exact number of plan sets and pages that were needed. The ability to print plans in-house saved time and outsourcing expenses but plans were still sent over-night.
Then plans began showing up in email from customers and on their Websites. Several customers use Web-based collaborative project management sites to manage projects and plans. Deerfield could now download plans to its network and print what was needed. The next step was to send out the plans on CD, which is less expensive.
The current situation is that Deerfield uses an FTP (file transfer protocol) site, which allows owners to upload plans and related documents. Instead of mailing plans or CD’s, reprographics centers close to the project download plans from the FTP site and print them for subcontractors. Subcontractors properly equipped with technology can also download and print plans directly from the FTP site.
Using technology for plan management has allowed Deerfield Construction to save several hundred thousand dollars in postage and plan reproduction costs throughout the last several years. The time to get plans from owner to subcontractor has been reduced from 3-5 days to one day. When subcontractors and the company have more time to bid, number accuracy and scope coverage is increased, profit is preserved, and the number of change orders to customers is kept in check.
Builder/GC-Commercial
$5 Million - $100 Million
R.E. Crawford Construction
Silver (tie)
R. E. Crawford Construction, www.recrawford.com, Springdale, Pa., operates in 43 states and specializes in design-build, program management, and general contracting on both new and renovation projects across such areas as retail, restaurant, hospitality, residential, healthcare, and corporate clients. Like most contractors, R. E. Crawford realized controlling costs on and off the jobsite was critical.
One area it focused on was reducing the costs associated with producing and distributing drawings. The result: costs cut by 75%.
Mark Young, head of Crawford’s estimating department, came up with the idea of distributing drawings and specifications on CD instead of paper. The company had previously used a Website to distribute drawings but found the management of the site too labor-intensive. Another problem with the online approach was the fact Crawford’s clientele tends to be smaller subcontractors and the learning curve was too steep and costly for many of them.
The initial concern was integrating the CD production into the bid procurement process. Crawford wanted to make the system as automated as possible and decided on customizing its transmittals to fit in a special window envelope that allows both the transmittal and CD to fit, using the printed address on the form to act as the mailing label.
Crawford then purchased two direct-to-disc publishing systems. This completely automated CD production system burns the CD and prints the label right on the disc. The user simply instructs the system, which files to copy and what to print on the disc.
Since the implementation of the direct-to-disc publishing systems, monthly costs associated with printing and distributing drawings and specifications has dropped from a high range of $5,000-$20,000 to $1,400-$4,000. The annual savings is projected to be at least $100,000, a sizable sum for a small business.
The other benefit that R. E. Crawford Construction has seen is that the system requires no additional labor, unlike supporting the Website distribution method, which will ultimately reduce costs even further.
Builder/GC-Commercial
$5 Million - $100 Million
Coleman-Adams Construction
Bronze
Coleman-Adams Construction, www.coleman-adams.com, Forest, Va., continues the fourth generation tradition of one of the oldest construction families in Virginia.
Recognizing that its business was largely based on information—job costs, dollars paid out, amounts billed, amounts received, budgets, and more—the company knew the time spent by managers, estimators, project administrators, and others could be a drag on the processes that power the company. Getting usable summary data from the many forms, reports, and inquiries that are generated takes time and effort.
The challenge was to provide access to summary information based on each employee’s needs while allowing access to imaged documents linked through the Timberline Office system from Sage Software, www.sagetimberlineoffice.com, Beaverton, Ore. This application was being accessed by Information Assistant, a Sage application, but due to the cost of the license per user, Coleman-Adams often had “log jams” when users needed access the most. The answer it found was right under the noses of its users: Sage Timberline Desktop and Sage Crystal Reports.
Through the Timberline Desktop, Crystal Reports was made available to provide summary data directly from Timberline through the Timberline database. By modifying the report templates to meet specific requirements, Coleman-Adams was able to create a dynamic desktop reporting tool geared to each department or individual user.
For example, using a built-in filter allows project managers to view their individual jobs only with expanded data such as invoices and purchase orders available in the “details” section. The Desktop has given Coleman-Adams an environment that is more organized and user friendly while assuring the user of having complete access to necessary data. In addition, users can access information and retain their desktop environment when working remotely because the user’s “dashboard” is stored on the network, not the client computer. A pending invoice report allows project managers to view which invoices have been entered but have yet to arrive at their desk. An insurance log provides them with a view of all subs and their insurance status with dates within 60 days of expiration appearing in red.
By providing at-a-glance summary information that is tailored to its needs, including invoices and purchase order images, all without increasing the load on existing application licenses—at added cost—the use of Timberline Office Desktop and Crystal Reports has created a more efficient use of time and talent for Coleman-Adams.
Builder/GC-Commercial
$101 Million - $250 Million
Consigli Construction
Gold
Celebrating more than 100 years as a leading New England construction company, Consigli Construction, www.consigli.com, Milford, Mass., is well known for its environmental/waste reduction program and installation of geothermal technology for heating and cooling.
The cornerstone of Consigli’s philosophy is to continuously invest in appropriate technologies. Working with technology supplier United Solutions, http://u-s-i.com, Marlborough, Mass., has improved accuracy and efficiency on bidding while improving communication with clients and helping to maintain good working relationships with subs.
Using software from On Center, www.oncenter.com, The Woodlands, Texas, Consigli’s estimators can perform takeoffs quicker, more efficiently and with greater accuracy. The use of On Center’s application was a major factor in improving bid success from about 32% in 2005 to almost 40% in 2006. The program allows work to be shared so a remote office working on a project can avoid sending plans to the home office for takeoffs, having to trust that the work would be executed properly.
Instead, the takeoffs are done electronically with each office accessing the same files without delay, reviewing the work, and making adjustments as necessary.
Consigli also uses an Internet-based plan room, iSqFt, www.isqft.com, from Construction Software Technologies, Cincinnati, Ohio. Consigli created a one-of-a-kind integration of iSqFt with Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheet program to allow personalized transmittals and bid package content. Consigli believes more than $50,000 in plan distribution costs has been saved using iSqFt.
Autodesk, www.autodesk.com, San Rafael, Calif., provides the AutoCAD Revit Building program that Consigli uses to show clients, in 3D computer graphics, the status of construction at different stages in advance.
This has helped it land key projects in 2006 worth a total of more than $23 million.
Builder/GC-Commercial
$101 Million - $250 Million
Satterfield & Pontikes Construction
Silver
Satterfield & Pontikes (S&P) Construction, www.satpon.com, Houston, Texas, has consistently invested in innovative technology to build better, faster, and more safely.
The latest effort is the use of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) on its new headquarters building. S&P decided to try the VDC approach, which has long been a theory without many tangible examples, and formed a team of technology users and a forward thinking architect, to see if a “virtual project” was practical. It wanted to prove that such a project was profitable.
In November 2005, it proposed building a three-story, 65,000-sq.ft. cast-in-place office building in a VDC environment. The building was also to adhere to the U.S. Green Building Commission’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.
The team, consisting of engineers, consultants, and subcontractors that could meet the requirements in both technology and quality worked in their preferred software, then 3D “smart” models were constructed that combined each member’s input. Programs included Jetstream from NavisWorks, now a product of Autodesk, www.autodesk.com, San Rafael, Calif., as well as AutoCAD, among others. All software allowed the integration of MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing), structural, architectural and other key facilities. Jetstream’s collision detection capabilities identifies conflicts and helped eliminate costly design flaws during planning.
Primavera Expedition Software, Primavera, www.primavera.com, Bala Cynwyd, Pa, coupled with an ongoing commitment to Primavera P/3, allowed the linking of key documents to schedules and management of the project as an integrated whole rather than a collection of parts. S&P discovered it could view the entire project in one portal. This allowed for easy management and disbursement of information.
From concept to occupancy took less than one year, the project cost was reduced nearly 20%, construction time was cut by six months, and there were zero change orders. In addition, S&P experienced a savings of more than $200,000 in payroll and affiliated expenses.
Builder/GC-Commercial
$101 Million - $250 Million
Harkins Builders
Bronze
Founded in 1965, Harkins Builders, www.harkinsbuilders.com, Marriottsville. Md., is a diversified general contractor active in multifamily housing, senior living, institutional, military housing, commercial construction, and design-build. On an aggressive growth pattern in the past few years Harkins found a need to better support the technology needs of its field workers.
Harkins defined several critical areas where improvement was needed. Jobsites use network scanners/copiers to scan all job-related documents to either their own email address or to a network shared on a particular user’s laptop. However, the documents were not accessible to everyone that might have a use for them. A centralized backup plan was needed to preserve data in case of a computer theft or damage to the trailer.
Harkins implemented a small form factor computer by Shuttle Computer Group, www.shuttle.com, Los Angeles, Calif. The small size of these machines makes for easy storage. Once configured, they need only a network connection and power. Windows XP is loaded onto the server and Harkins configures the network scanner/copiers to scan to a single network share on the Shuttle box. A network drive is then mapped from each computer on the jobsite to this shared folder.
Each user’s computer is also configured to backup all data to a separate share on the computer using Windows backup. Using FTP (file transfer protocol), the computer sends the user’s backup share and the scanned document share to the file server at headquarters each night.
Since the Shuttle acts as a print server, it takes only two steps to install the network printer on a user’s computer.
All important jobsite files are now in a central location on the company file server and this information is accessible to all employees, including people on remote jobsites. Harkins has found an inexpensive solution that allows its IT department to continue providing a high level of support without increasing the size of the staff.
Builder/GC-Commercial
$251 Million - $500 Million
Stellar
Gold
Stellar, formerly The Stellar Group, www.thestellargroup.com, Jacksonville, Fla., maintains more than 20 strategic support locations throughout the U.S. and has business units that span the globe. It provides design, engineering, construction, and mechanical services and all project phases from initial development to maintaining post-construction facility contracts.
As a growing company with multiple business units, Stellar recognized the need for a consistent approach to its project management. Each division was starting to take on its own identity, in the form of policies and processes.
Having valuable project information stored in file folders on the company’s server made it difficult to access the varying data from one central location. Documentation was not consistent across the divisions, so customers could receive two invoices from Stellar that looked completely different.
The company established standard operating procedures that set ground rules for how things would be done across all divisions. A project management solution from Primavera Systems, www.primavera.com, Bala Cynwyd, Pa., gave Stellar a platform to achieve consistency in the way documentation was generated and processed while providing a central location to house all project data.
Using Primavera, Stellar was able to impleiimplement project management companywide using an interactive, tiered roll-out and employee training plan, streamline standards throughout the company to reduce time spent on administrative tasks, increase efficiency, get new employees up and running faster, and provide access to all valuable project information from one Web-based system. In all, this allows for a seamless flow of data throughout the project lifecycle.
Stellar’s standardized approach to project management has decreased the time it takes to get an accurate monthly status update from the field by 29 days, saved a minimum of $150,000 in express delivery and other charges by implementing an electronic document management system, reduced the staff workload by 33%, and more than tripled the revenue of one division without increasing dedicated resources.
Builder/GC-Commercial
$251 Million - $500 Million
S.M. Wilson & Co.
Silver
S. M. Wilson & Co., www.smwilson.com, St. Louis, Mo., provides a complete range of services including pre-construction, construction management, general contracting, and design/build.
Paying vendors on time was a key goal at S. M. Wilson that posed a challenge since its project managers work at various jobsites throughout the Midwest. Invoices are received at both the main and Kansas City, Mo. offices and need to be approved by the project managers before they can be sent to job accountants (JA) for payment. The company sought a solution that would allow its mobile workers to view and approve/reject vendor invoices.
With the help of CMiC, www.cmic.ca, Toronto, Ont., the company developed a workflow system that registers invoices directly into the Accounts Payable and Subcontract Management modules.
The first step was to define the electronic invoice workflow. All incoming invoices are received in the mailroom and a clerk determines the job each invoice belongs to, then scans the invoices for processing. The JA proceeds to open the workflow image manager software to view the scanned invoices and fill out information on the invoices assigned to their jobs. Once the invoice and job information is entered, the JA submits the invoice to the workflow process.
A lookup performed by the workflow process gathers the key player names assocaited with the job. Upon completion of this task, the project manager is sent an email stating that an invoice is awaiting approval. If the invoice is coded correctly, it is approved by the project manager. The workflow then creates a voucher for final processing by the JA for payment. If the invoice information is wrong, the project manager adds a comment indicating what needs to be fixed, then sends the invoice for correction.
The technology assures that an invoice never get lost and is always available for lookup. More than 10 days a month are saved by being able to print backup invoices.
Builder/GC-Commercial
+ $500 Million
Swinerton Inc.
Gold
To this day, Swinerton Inc., www.swinerton.com, San Francisco, Calif., maintains one of the oldest active contractor's licenses in California, number 92.
Recent business expansion required tremendous growth in IT capacity. Growth in applications and network requirements led to a abundance of servers; up to 75 at its peak. Before long Swinerton knew it was going to run into serious data center capacity problems if change didn’t occur.
When it begain planning for another data center expansion in 2005, Swinerton realized it was low on rack space, the backup generator could not handle many more servers, the air conditioner was overworked during the summer, and the electrical capacity of the building needed an upgrade. Looking at some very expensive leasehold improvements, Swinerton considered virtualization.
It began a program of “virtualizing” servers using virtualization technology with the assistance of AccessFlow, www.accessflow.com, Sacramento, Calif. As a “Windows shop,” Swinerton’s staff was frustrated that a single application often required its own server. Realizing most servers were drastically under utilized, Swinerton bought two quad processor servers and installed ESX on each as an experiment.
Currently, Swinerton has 21 virtual servers running on a single computer and uses the second box as a backup. There is still capacity on the box for more virtual servers and the project is continuing throughout 2007. By eliminating physical servers, Swinerton no longer requires a data center expansion. In addition, the company has not needed to purchase any new or replacement servers.
Swinerton can “drag-and-drop” servers easily from one physical box to another, and can get servers up and running within minutes, instead of hours or days.
By adjusting the air conditioning set point from 62 to 69 degrees, using less cabling, and using about $300 less in electricity per server per year falls directly inline with Swinerton’s dedication to green technology and sustainable construction. The company even expects a rebate from the electric company as a result of these efforts.
Builder/GC-Commercial
+ $500 Million
The Weitz Co.
Silver
The Weitz Co., www.weitz.com, Des Moines, Iowa is considered one of the oldest privately held construction firms in the United States.
For document management, Weitz uses e-PCS from Data Builder, www.databuilderinc.com, Des Moines, Iowa; the financial side of the business is run on J.D.Edwards software from Oracle, www.oracle.com, Redwood City, Calif.; project management is handled by Prolog Manager from Meridian Systems, www.meridiansystems.com, Folsom, Calif.; and sales force automation comes from Sage Software, Beaverton, www.sagecrmsolutions.com, Ore.
Weitz recently added an email software that enforces email retention policies and regulatory obligations. This not only answers the challenge faced by rising costs associated with email overflow, but also answers the regulatory mandates related to emails.
While risk mitigation has become an integral part of every construction manager’s job, the process needs to be simple in order to become routine for these professionals.
Tackling the process of placing documents into an electronic repository, this technology seamlessly removes the email and its attachments. Weitz has taken this archiving feature one step further. Once emails are archived, they are also synchronized with Weitz’ project document management system. This automated solution guarantees all project related emails and electronic documents will reside in one central repository.
Eliminating the need for duplicate entry, Weitz partnered with Data Builder to architect a nightly integration that seamlessly files daily reports and project directory information from Prolog Manager. Instead of taking the traditional route of hard coding a solution to centrally manage a complete project record, Weitz was able to work at the document level and create an innovative, and more cost-effective, integration layer.
Alongside mitigating risk, Weitz has been able to improve business processes and centrally manage a complete project record with enterpise level information sharing.
Builder/GC-Residential
$26 Million - $100 Million
Eastwood Homes
Gold
As a family-run business, Eastwood Homes, www.eastwoodhomes.com, Charlotte, N.C., estimates it will close at least 1,500 homes in 2007, more than doubling the number from just two years earlier.
Eastwood Homes uses Timberline Accounting and Estimating from Sage Software, www.sagetimberlineoffice.com, Beaverton, Ore., and BuilderMT, www.buildermt.com, Lakewood, Colo., to manage process and workflow, respectively. It also uses wireless connectivity from Sprint Nextel, www.sprint.com, Reston, Va., helping bring efficiency to the field.
However, when any change was needed in the critical path or data and reporting paths, custom coding by expensive computer specialists was required. This prompted Eastwood Homes to adopt Business Process Management technology from BuilderMT.
This technolgy is designed to make custom code obsolete by offering a graphically driven process manager than even non computer specialists can use. It lets any authorized user access a graphic to “drag-and-drop” components that represent activities along the critical path. As components are aligned on the screen (or tweaked to optimize processes throughout time), they create deep, back-end processes that can generate contracts, reports, pricing information, schedules, notifications, purchase orders, and payments, among other tasks.
Eastwood can view and manipulate images and icons on the screen with each icon representing a stage in the process, and even a non-computer-specialist can drag-and-drop the icons to change the way data is managed.
The resulting efficiencies from this implementation have allowed 80 staffers to eliminate two to three hours per week in manual duties. This equates to 240 hours a week and 312 work weeks saved each year for Eastwood Homes. This savings does not even account for the cost-avoidance achieved as a result of elimianting custom coding.
Builder/GC-Residential
$26 Million - $100 Million
Nohl Crest Homes
Silver
A semi-custom homebuilder, Nohl Crest Homes, www.nohlcresthomes.com, Oldsmar, Fla., has operated for 21 years producing 100-150 homes annually, ranging in price from $500,000 to $1.4 million.
The semi-custom process forces Nohl Crest to execute a complex series of activities and tasks in its typical “pre-start process.” Pre-start is all the activities that need to be completed to successfully transition from a signed contract to the actual construction start of a new home. Effectively executing the pre-start process is critical to minimizing costly errors and cycletime of the process.
Nohl Crest mapped out all the activities, tasks, rules, roles, responsibilities, and expected performance standards or durations of the overall process. Then it partnered with SMART Builder Solutions, www.thesmartbuilder.com, Alpharetta, Ga., to provide the process design and mapping services.
Once the process was designed, the builder configured the software application to enable realtime execution and control of the pre-start process. The configuration of the application included defining the activities and tasks and their sequences and dependencies, defining for each activity/task the role and individual associate that is responsible for its completion. It also helps determine the performance standards to measure the actual performance—in other words, how long should an activity take to complete. From there, it helps determine what and when the process should automatically fire off email reminders, notifications, and alerts, while indicating what the email should say and who it should go to, as well as what “done” means for each activity/task. A final step is creating an online form/checklist/text entry to be completed when an associate is assigned and works a task.
Customer “touchpoints” have been worked into the process to ensure the builder has consistently interacted with buyers during this critical period. Nohl Crest employees and trades have a roadmap from which they can execute and a tool that can enable continuous improvement.
Builder/GC-Residential
$101 Million - $250 Million
Kenco Communities Inc.
Gold
Building upscale family homes has been the primary business of Kenco Communities, www.gokenco.com, Boca Raton, Fla., since its inception in 1992. Kenco’s desire for quality construction and its customer first philosophy have been keys to its success.
Kenco’s previous Design Selection System was based on a collection of spreadsheets and documents that were manually updated and printed. Keeping the information up to date and accurate was time-consuming and subject to error. Construction release reports for vendors consisted of photocopies of up to 100 design selection forms and change orders. By the end of a job the forms were often confusing and full or errors as a result of the numerous changes.
Using technical consulting services from Abinko Digital Studio, www.abinko.com, Boca Raton, Fla., Kenco developed an Internet-based design selection system to manage the process from design selection through job completion. An online catalog was developed to replace the manual system of spreadsheets, binders, and folders of selection information. The catalog, which contains all available selections and options for the various models offered in each community, gave Kenco centralized pricing, better control of margins, and consistent data.
The catalog data is stored in a SQL 2005 database from Microsoft, www.microsoft.com, Redmond, Wash., and accessible through a Kenco Website. Static word processing forms were replaced with dynamic, data driven XML (extensible markup language) forms that pull data from the catalog using Web services. Design Selection Forms are generated for each customer with model specific selections and pricing including standard selections, upgrades, and options.
Pick lists are pre-loaded with selected options. For chosen items not in the catalog, a “special request” can be created, sent out for pricing, and included in the design selection forms. These requests may be incorporated into the catalog for future use. With this solution Kenco Communities was able to reduce overall “days in design selection” by 50%.
Builder/GC-Residential
$251 Million - $500 Million
Comstock Homes
Silver
Since its founding in 1985, Comstock Homes, www.comstockhomes.com, Reston, Va., has built and delivered more than 3,000 homes valued at more than $800 million.
The problem that Comstock had was an overabundance of data—multiple databases, too much data spread throughout multiple profit centers with no way of consolidating without manual work, and no visibility to the data across all users who needed access to the information. Executive management had no consolidation of information and lacked the ability to drill down for analysis.
Comstock needed a solution to run reports, access data faster, run integrated business processes, be able to see purchasing and sales data together, and communicate with the field for scheduling/customer selections with exception reporting for delays.
The company found its solution in CRM (customer-relationship management) software Builders CoPilot, www.builderscopilot.net, Reston, Va. It converted old data and presented the user with a friendly interface, executed reports in realtime, creating much quicker and efficient decision processes, and significantly reduced communication problems for 250 users.
Built on Visual Basic 6.0 .NET, SQL Server 2000/2005, and Windows 2003, it resides on terminal services at an outsourced location, managed by an outsourced party.
All Comstock employees now have access to authorized data on their computers. The system allows Comstock to send eCards for campaigning to prospects, view which prospects are actually receiving the eCards, how many actually open the email and then how many of them are viewing the company’s Website to look for more details. Comstock can find out what percentage of sales are from what kind of prospects.
Additional benefits include increased analytics on sales data with more accurate profit projections. Comstock is also working to integrate the technology with its JD Edwards Enterprise One software from Oracle, www.oracle.com, Redwood City, Calif.
Builder/GC-Residential
$251 Million - $500 Million
Clark Builders Group
Bronze
Clark Builders Group (CBG), www.clarkrealty.com, Bethesda, Md., constructs more than 4,000 homes annually in communities across the United States and has become the leading builder of privatized military housing.
The culture at the company promotes a free-flow exchange of ideas and encourages creative ways of solving problems. However, growth both in size and in geography has caused the exchange of information to become much more complex. CBG has eight regional offices strategically located across the company so sharing a good idea is not as easy as yelling it across the office.
Developing relationships with employees across the country is not as simple as a quick catch-up at the water cooler. The firm needed a central repository of information and a better way of communicating between offices.
In the past, it had tried to implement a companywide “intranet” for document and information sharing. However, no group in the organization wanted to be responsible for continuously updating information on the site. So CBG decided to conduct a trial of an all-in-one intranet software product.
Within a few short weeks, it was determined the product would more than suit its needs with a host of pre-built applications that could be turned on/off and adapted to with minimal technical know-how. The software is sold with an unlimited number user licenses and an unusually short license agreement.
With virtually no technical experience, the implementation team was able to customize site colors and graphics, develop new applications from clones of pre-built modules, change field names and properties, set up security, and design custom forms. After a one-hour training session, personnel throughout the firm were able to design and rollout their own department pages and customized applications.
Future applications for implementation include the Training Registration form, which will track schedules and class attendance, and an IT Purchase Order Form, which will help to streamline approvals process for new technology purchases within Clark Builders Group.
Builder/GC-Residential
+ $500 Million
Capital Pacific Homes
Gold
Fast becoming one of the largest builders, Capital Pacific Homes, www.capitalpacifichomes.com, Newport Beach, Calif., faced the issue of wanting all employees to have access to all data, anytime, and from anywhere.
All of Capital Pacific’s servers are located in its Newport Beach office, but each location has it own shared network drive to save files locally. All divisions are connected with a T-1 line to headquarters and all sales offices and construction offices are connected to the Internet with a DSL (digital subscriber line) or cable connection.
It uses the FAST Builder Management System from Constellation HomeBuilder Systems, www.constellationhb.com, Markham, Ont., as its ERP (enterprise resource planning) system. It recently added a suite of software to maintain all the servers and provide users with access to FAST and shared files from any location with an Internet connection.
Looking to enhance customer service, the company integrated CRM (customer-relationship management) technology from Sales Simplicity, www.salessimplicity.net, Chandler, Ariz., to FAST, allowing staff to access it through Citrix. It is used to print sales contracts with correct, up to date data and to give salespeople a tool to do follow-up.
Next was the integration of Envision by the New Home Technologies division of Builder Homesite, www.builderhomesite.com, Austin, Texas with FAST and Sales Simplicity. Through Envision buyers can log onto and look at all of the options that are available in thier homes.
Through three Website portals, Capital Pacific allows buyers, trades, and employees to view and update schedules, calendars, shared files, warranty manuals, purchase orders, and work orders.
Using Crystal Reports from Business Objects, www.businessobjects.com, San Jose, Calif. Capital Pacific has more than 100 custom reports created to present the data in the format that the ERP, CRM, and other applications could not.
Builder/GC-Residential
+ $500 Million
Standard Pacific Homes
Silver
Founded in 1965, Standard Pacific Homes, www.standardpacifichomes.com, Pleasanton, Calif., is responsible for building the first subdivisions in Southern California.
In recent years, IT (information technology) has become a powerful tool for helping Standard Pacific Homes meet these challenges. The builder recently partnered with DBO2 in May 2006 to achieve higher levels of construction quality. DBO2 www.dbo2.com, Redwood City, Calif., provides QualityNet, a mobile application designed to enable builders to record and automatically distribute quality observations. This process helps promote consistent quality processes and enables efficient communication with subcontractors.
QualityNet provides a consistent system, enabling verification of delivery and completion of open punchlist items. Most appealing is the fact the system tends to drive quick responses from subcontractors.
In one case, a superintendent found a garage door working incorrectly. He noted this discrepancy in QualityNet and synced his mobile device which instantly emailed the contractor. Minutes later, the door company had radioed a field technician and he had fixed the problem. Such timeliness and specificity of information is critical for keeping a tight schedule.
QualityNet eliminates the administrative time required to communicate open issues, freeing up time for critical projects. Previously, a supervisor would generate a list 25 items long, put a header on it stating “Please correct within three days,” make 12 copies, circle relevant items and manually fax and distribute this to each subcontractor. Now all this data is emailed instantly with QualityNet, eliminating paper.
Once fully implemented, QualityNet will help Standard Pacific to drive a consistent quality program across the division. This will help eliminate administrative burdens and enhance communication with subcontractors, while building a comprehensive archive of quality performance information. In all, this IT solution will help Standard Pacific Homes deliver quality homes in Southern California for years to come.
Builder/GC-Residential
+ $500 Million
K. Hovnanian Homes
Bronze (tie)
K. Hovnanian Homes, www.khov.com, Red Bank, N.J., ranks among the largest homebuilding companies in the U.S., with total revenues of $6.1 billion on 20,201 home deliveries in fiscal 2006.
In looking to improve market planning, land acquisition, financial planning and forecasting, and construction, the company knew that centralizing project data and providing a collaborative environment for associates was essential.
The technology needed to be implemented across all regions to help automate and accelerate time-consuming tasks such as bidding, due diligence, and acquisition during development and procurement.
K. Hovnanian worked jointly with Web-based project management and collaboration provider e-Builder, www.e-builder.net, Plantation, Fla., to develop specific capabilities to improve its internal processes through a single cost management, document management, issues management, and collaborative scheduling system.
Now the e-Builder product is used to provide increased efficiencies in development, reduce carrying costs, and provide visibility and collaboration in projects companywide. It helps the company organize steps involved in planning a community into one location, accessible by all relevant parties from anywhere via the Web.
The results: Reduced time and costsm associated with shop drawing review ($300,000/year in print costs), improved associate communication and productivity across all divisions by ensuring that critical data is current and can be transferred and accessed quickly through the system’s reporting capabilities, workflow and document management, and roll-up reporting capabilities that give executives visibility into all of the company's development projects.
Corporate teams at K. Hovnanian benefit from provision of status reports, and individual associates through the use of manageable work lists, automated email alerts, and notifications when changes affect their specific tasks.
Builder/GC-Residential
+ $500 Million
Selectbuild Construction
Bronze (tie)
SelectBuild Construction, www.selectbuild.com, San Francisco, Calif., a division of Building Materials Holding Corp., www.bmhc.com, San Francisco, Calif., provides trades, material, and construction services to its builder clients. SelectBuild’s services provide a single point of contact for its homebuilder clients while highlighting operational efficiency, quality control, risk management, and customer service.
As a major supplier of trade labor, SelectBuild realized that the process of manually entering time in the field and subsequently keying in labor information represented a huge challenge to efficiencies. The company chose goLabor from Equential, www.equential.com, Jacksonville, Fla., which allows organizations to electronically enter labor, materials, and equipment usage in the field and subsequently generate daily reports on job cost and production.
In the matter of weeks, SelectBuild experienced an increase in the accuracy of employee time data and the associated job and cost codes by 15%. During peak construction cycles, the increase in accuracy represents a savings of up to $10,150 per week between field management and in-office staff (this breaks out to represent 290 hours at $35/hour). Extrapolating this weekly savings over one year could add up to $527,000 in savings for SelectBuild.
Hours spent by payroll staff and managers deciphering handwritten labor sheets, manually keying in labor information, and validating correct entry of labor data in their accounting solution, Timberline by Sage Software, www.sagetimberlineoffice.com, Beaverton, Ore., are vastly reduced. Field supervisors spend less time collecting, reviewing, coding, and approving employee time and labor budgets. This enables them to focus their attention on managing construction delivery and quality.
Various industry studies suggest the average field construction worker is overpaid by as much as two full weeks per year. By capturing actual labor, this “phantom payroll” has been minimized for SelectBuild. The goal is to continue rolling out this application to other locations.
Building Development/Management
$101 Million - $250 Million
Kenmark
Silver
More than seven years ago, Kenmark www.kenmark.com, San Francisco, Calif., was chosen to manage the Tiffany Building, a 100,000-sq.ft. building located in San Francisco. Its unique approach to providing comprehensive real estate services, including property management, construction advisory, systems integration, and building automation helped it land this pristine project.
The company also offers building owners and tenants a Web services-based communications support system that helps connect building owners and tenants with Kenmark and other building operations parties.
Originally built in the 1960s, this building was in dire need of an upgrade. From Internet and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) to video security and energy management, the building had gone relatively untouched for more than a decade.
Kenmark realized the Tiffany Building needed better control over the HVAC, among other equipment and devices. Kenmark worked with a systems integrator and its technology partner, Echelon Corp., www.echelon.com, San Jose, Calif., to help install updated and enhanced HVAC automation controls.
Echelon’s LonWorks technology was deployed with the first phase completed in 2003. The last six months year-over-year electrical consumption has gone down by 19.8% with the help of Echelon's LonWorks. Management projects annualized energy savings of $100,184. This will yield a four and half year payback and is within 6% of the preconstruction model.
Other upgrades for the building include an extensive automation system that was installed to improve security and reduce energy consumption. Building security was enhanced by adding cameras to the building lobby and by installing card key access at exterior doors and each elevator.
Today, this timeless building possesses integrated automation for HVAC, perimeter security, door access, elevator control as well as video surveillance and digital recording.
Concrete Work
$26 Million - $100 Million
A Greater Austin Development Co.
Silver
A Greater Austin Development Co. www.agadco.com, Austin, Texas, specializes in all types of concrete work from curbs and gutters to detention dams and small bridges. Work includes large and complex commercial, industrial, and government applications.
Greater Austin knows a successful civil and commercial concrete company must have accurate and timely field paperwork for accurate, timely, and profitable customer invoicing. In the past, foremen submitted paperwork from the field weekly, delaying billings by at least a week and resulting in later payments. Knowing where the company’s vehicles and crews are is important in timely scheduling. Since concrete work is dependent on good weather, updated forecast information at each location is critical to maximizing assets and workers.
In order to accurately provide information to and gather information from the field, Greater Austin integrated multiple technologies. Paper forms and timesheets were replaced with realtime data collection technology from POSDATA, a Control Solutions company, www.csi-posdata.com, North Branch, N.J. The Internet-enabled FleetDirector from Teletrac www.teletrac.net, Garden Grove, Calif., was also employed to use GPS (global positioning system) technology for providing information on vehicle location.
Foremen and superintendents access these tools on Samsung Ultra Mobile PC and relay information via Verizon Wireless connections.
Merging mobile data collection, GPS vehicle location via the Internet, and realtime pinpoint weather forecasting has provided a unique blend of automation that equips field supervisors with powerful information.
Data collected is analyzed to improve the accuracy of job costing and estimating.
Tracking vehicles using GPS, and accessing that information via an Internet connection, supervisors know exactly where their trucks and equipment are and can maximize their equipment for prep, pour, and finishing.
Field supervisors and foremen now have the information needed to make good decisions and customers get their jobs done quicker—which ultimately means the company gets paid sooner.
Excavation Work
$5 Million - $25 Million
Harty Tractor Service
Bronze
Harty Tractor Service, www.hartytractor.com, Orange City, Fla., has served Central Florida for more than 20 years with two major groups: The Commercial Division, which handles total site development projects of all sizes and varieties, and the Residential Division, which specializes in site preparation for individual home lots.
The Commercial Division employs state-of-the art technology throughout all processes, from initial bid estimate using software from Hard Dollar, www.harddollar.com, Tempe, Ariz., through project management and scheduling with Microsoft Project, www.microsoft.com, Redmond, Wash. Harty Tractor uses Microsoft Great Plains as its corporate ERP (enterprise resource planning) system.
Harty Tractor needed a quality job cost software program as well as a program for scheduling and coordinating equipment maintenance. The WennSoft Job Cost solution from WennSoft, www.wennsoft.com, New Berlin, Wis., was ideal as the TimeTrack with Expense Management eliminated the need for entering both manhours and equipment time in multiple programs.
By streamlining the collection of labor and related expenses through a single point of entry the solution has helped improve Harty’s bottomline.
The solution enhanced multiple processes at Harty Tractor, including reducing the need for double entry of information, and the ability to monitor and analyze labor costs, which helps the staff make informed and timely labor-related business decisions.
Harty was also able to better control change orders—which had previously accounted for thousands of dollars in lost revenue—and automatic lean releases to cut down administrative work. Regarding equipment, the Equipment Series contained within the WennSoft application allowed Harty Tractor the ability to see the cost associated with an individual piece of equipment. This is a very valuable tool for the company.
Heavy/Highway/GC
Ford Construction Co.
Gold
Ford Construction Company (FCC), www.ford-construction.com, Lodi, Calif., is engaged in heavy excavation, grading, mining, utility, and landfill work. The company currently has 300 employees working throughout the state of California.
Moving large amounts of dirt efficiently is a large factor in the company’s success every year. Production factors commonly used with this type of work include total quantity of material, equipment speed, equipment cycle time, and equipment cycles per day. FCC formed a partnership with Heavy Construction Systems Specialists (HCSS), www.hcss.com, Houston, Texas and the Construction Services division of Trimble, www.trimble.com, Sunnyvale, Calif.
The company recently beta-tested a system that will increase accuracy when accounting for production factors by combining GPS (global positioning systems) and asset tracking software—HCSS’ The Dispatcher and Trimble Construction Manger. FCC has gained confidence and competitive advantage in the mass-grading sector.
In the test, FCC used Trimble Construction Manager, which mounted GPS devices on each piece of equipment to track and record large amounts of data. Throughout a single day, this technology records the exact speed the equipment is traveling, cycletime, cycles per day, down or idle time, startup and shutdown time, and the location on Web-based satellite photos.
The information is then linked to The Dispatcher software where it is used to update meter readings, calculate equipment utilization, and generate organized reports. The technology has also helped combat theft at the company, notifying management if equipment is being moved from fixed areas, or being operated outside of work hours.
Whereas in the past FCC would use production factors generated by equipment operators using manual load counters, the company now gets the same results using its asset management and GPS technology. During the bidding stage, production data from past jobs is now used to estimate projects with greater accuracy.
Heavy/Highway/GC
O.C. Jones & Sons
Silver
General contractor O.C. Jones & Sons, www.ocjones.com, Berkeley, Calif., primarily focuses on grading and paving projects throughout the greater San Francisco Bay area, working in both the private and public sector.
The old method used by O.C. Jones in handling timecards and tracking daily job costs presented multiple problems. For one, timecard information was rewritten at least three times from the moment the crews were set up in dispatch until the information was entered into payroll. This also increased the chance that wrong employee or equipment numbers would be entered.
Getting the timecards back into the main office was also a drag on time and expenses. The common timeframe for getting job cost information back to the foremen and project managers would take up to two weeks.
Already using HeavyBid from HCSS, www.hcss.com, Houston, Texas, to estimate projects, the company decided to integrate The Dispatcher resource management software and HeavyJob field management software into the mix.
Employees and equipment are now dispatched to projects daily using The Dispatcher. The foremen, equipped with laptops running HeavyJob, can download the resource information to populate timecards.
The need to rebuild cost codes and budgets is eliminated as the project data in HeavyJob is brought over from the estimate in HeavyBid. Using drop-down menus, foremen can access cost codes while completing the timecard. Since crews and equipment are imported from The Dispatcher and budgets and cost codes are brought from HeavyBid, timecard errors are greatly reduced. Once a foreman has completed the timecard, it is transmitted back to the main office via FTP (file transfer protocol).
O.C. Jones has experienced real savings in both money and time collecting dispatch and payroll information and moving it around the company. This process has also reduced timecard errors and the time and effort spent correcting them.
Heavy/Highway/GC
MBC Holdings Inc.
Bronze
For more than 60 years, MBC Holdings Inc., www.mbcholdings.com, Archbold, Ohio, a division of MBC Holdings, has provided diversified services, as well as technical and management solutions.
MBC faced the common, but serious, issue of obtaining timely and accurate information from foreman in the field. This information is vital to project managers’ ability to evaluate job performance and make changes to complete contracts efficiently. Some of the information was faxed into the office such as time cards, which were often unreadable. MBC evaluated several software programs to find a solution to these issues.
MBC turned to HeavyJob from Heavy Construction Systems Specialists (HCSS), www.hcss.com, Houston, Texas, which integrates with its HeavyBid bidding software.
All foremen at the company were provided with a laptop computer and a wireless Internet connection card via Sprint Nextel, www.sprint.com, Reston, Va. The company then instituted an extensive training program, which included basic computer classes, use of email, and the HeavyJob software.
Each day, the foreman responsible for a project completes a job diary and a timecard for the job. This tracks all activities and production that occurred, which can be sent to the office via the fully integrated system. By using the mobile wireless card, this information can be sent from any location, which is critical for workers at multiple jobsites.
The company found data is now coming into the office quickly and accurately, allowing project managers to make changes if a project is not proceeding as planned. Additionally, payroll and accounting information accuracy has improved.
Foremen are now able to analyze daily production to determine if their crews are working at full production and if they find an issue, they can address it immediately.
One unexpected benefit was the sense of accomplishment foreman felt as they developed in the use of the technology. Realtime information has provided foremen at MBC with a feeling of being more in control of their project. In other words, MBC has been able to get foremen to take pride in using technology.
Special Project: Museum
+ $500 Million
Turner Construction Co.
Silver
Turner Construction Co., www.turnerconstruction.com, Arlington, Va., has been associated with high standards of service, quality, integrity, and personal attention to clients since 1902. Turner Construction offers clients a nationwide network of 45 offices across the United States. Approximately 65% of Turner’s clients are repeat customers. This speaks volumes about the company’s ability to always meet the needs of its customers.
The Arlington, Va., office of Turner Construction is the hub of all Mid-Atlantic operations. The territory includes Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Atlanta. One of the complex projects completed by this office was the Newseum in Washington—a project very complex in design but not 100% complete when Turner was awarded the job.
Turner's management team recognized the structural, architectural, and MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) systems would need to be coordinated very carefully in order to finish the project on time and with the quality expected by the client. One difficult aspect of the building was its shape, which affected the MEP systems ability to run uniformly through the building.
Turner worked with technology and trade contractors to put together a 3D (three dimensional) model that could be used to identify conflicts within the MEP systems and architecture. The software used for the 3D model is JetStream, from Autodesk, www.autodesk.com, San Rafael, Calif. This technology takes drawings produced by various subcontractors in AutoCAD and merges them together. The results help produce a report that clearly identifies clashes.
Contractors, architects, and engineers can easily view conflicts using the software. This allows them to work together and develop solutions before the problems are discovered in the field. This eliminates costs associated with downtime, remobilization or demolition, and schedule conflicts.
Above all, this helps lower unnecessary stress put on the design and management team to produce solutions in a last minute effort if conflicts are discovered in the installation process.
Plumbing/HVAC-Commercial
Less Than $5 Million
Cy Cooper Co.
Silver
Every design at Cy Cooper Co., www.cycooper.com, Farmington, N.M., calls for hundreds of individual parts to complete a typical installation. With the closest supply house being more than 180 miles away, it is imperative to have all of the necessary parts on hand and available to complete the project. Aside from telling the company exactly how many parts are on hand, Cy Cooper wanted a system that gave it visibility into where these parts are allocated and to which jobs these costs should be posted. Ultimately, the company looked to automate all steps of the design, job costing, and inventory processes.
The company developed a spreadsheet application and linked it with the company’s Foundation for Windows accounting system from Foundation Software, www.foundationsoft.com, Brunswick, Ohio. Foundation helped Cooper work out the bugs in the database connection so that it was not storing massive amounts of data in a secondary location. Now the spreadsheet file from Excel resides on the network and is purged and refreshed every time it is opened. As soon as new parts are added in Foundation the query can be refreshed to give instant live updates.
The process starts off at design, which has the ability to generate a material list, search for drawings, and extract parts. Next comes synchronizing the CAD (computer-aided design) program with the Foundation application, allowing it to generate a material list for each job. Presently, designers print a copy of the design, highlight parts, and input it into Excel. That information flows to a “pick ticket” that the warehouse person uses to pull parts for the specific job. Using other software applications, the material is bar-coded and warehouse workers use hand scanners to ensure the correct parts are selected. At the same time a pick ticket is generated, a CSV file is created and imported into Foundation.
Cy Cooper is able to cost parts to a job before parts ever leave the warehouse. The process is purposely slowed by several hours in the event that last minute schedule changes require parts to be needed elsewhere.
Public Administration/Government
Hill intl.
Gold
Hill Intl., www.hillintl.com, Marlton, N.J., recognized the need for improved project management when it was selected as the construction management firm on the renovation and refurbishment of 18 schools, a project worth $400 million, by New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation (NJSCC).
Hill recognized its projects were managed in silos and important data and best practices were not captured, and could not be replicated. There was a large amount of information that needed to get to key players in a timely manner to keep its projects on track—and it realized it had no organized way to do it. Staff members used different systems to submitt schedules, meaning management had to spend significant time reconciling files. With staff divided among 18 school sites throughout New Jersey, it was very difficult for the team to communicate regarding resources, and materials needed for a job.
Hill needed to integrate the management of cost and schedules and establish consistent workflows and standard operating procedures. It also needed to enforce these procedures across the program’s 18 individual projects. The solution, from Primavera Systems, www.primavera.com, Bala Cynwyd, Pa., allowed multi-level reporting.
Role-based “dashboards” made it easy for project managers to see summary views of projects. The Web-based system provides Hill’s clients with secure online access to track the progress of their projects.
Primavera enabled Hill to communicate and collaborate, keeping all members of the project team up-to-date using a Web-based platform that everyone can access/update regardless of location.
Hill now has accurate resource forecasts, making it easier to adjust the schedule and ensure timely and cost-effective project completion across the portfolio.
Some results are outstanding: $80,000 saved on individual program installations through the Web-based system, 200,000 hours saved by executive and senior staff members in gathering program information, 40% time savings in responding to RFIs (requests for information), and 25% increase in planning productivity.
Public Administration/Government
Illinois Tollway
Silver
In 2005, the Illinois Tollway, www.illinoistollway.com, Downers Grove, Ill., began work on a program designed to reduce travel times by rebuilding/restoring 90% of the system, widening/adding lanes to many miles of existing roads, converting 20 mainline toll plazas to barrier-free Open Road Tolling. Front loaded with most construction occurring in the first five years, the Congestion-Relief Program generates $20 billion in economic benefits and create 252,000 jobs.
Such a major construction initiative often is faced with the daunting problem of having data accessible by many people in many locations. With key managers located remotely or working in the field, getting timely data can be problematical. To eliminate this barrier, the Illinois Tollway implemented Proliance On-Demand by Meridian Systems, www.meridiansystems.com, Folsom, Calif.
Proliance permits the Illinois Tollway to quickly determine the status of any project or the program as a whole. This is done by providing information on various project elements and allowing users to know, in detail, which business processes are complete, which are late, and in whose court the responsibility lies.
Proliance is providing outside contractors and consultants with data they need so they are spending less time collecting and formatting information for review. Contractors realize major time saving by electronic submittals in Proliance rather than delivering paper copies. And Proliance automatically logs when submittals are delivered and how long it took for the construction manager to complete the review process, thus creating appropriate accountability for everyone involved.
Also included in this deployment were Kristine Fallon Associates, www.kfa-inc.com, Chicago, Ill., the consultants that supplied and managed the Proliance implementation, and HNTB Corp., www.hntb.com, Chicago, Ill., which acted as the program manager. Combined, these organizations were able to implement 11 business processes in Proliance On-Demand and train 184 users within 90 days of the contract.
Transportation/Communications/Utilities
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Intl. Airport
Gold
To keep up with rapid growth at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Intl. Airport, www.atlanta-airport.com, Atlanta, Ga., the City of Atlanta’s Dept. of Aviation planning and developing team started a 15-year, $6.2 billion capital improvement program that includes a new runway, international terminal, and consolidated rental car facility, among other projects.
The first milestone was construction of Runway 10-28, often dubbed “the most important runway in America.” Looking to effectively manage the program without disrupting airport operations, the planning and development office wanted an effective way to coordinate 500 contractors, subcontractors, and staff. At the outset, management did not have much visibility into project status or performance, which made reporting project status back to the city government very difficult and schedules did not reflect resource or cost information. The team was unable to forecast project costs and completion dates and as a result often experienced late and over-budgeted projects. It needed a complete project management solution that could be used by all contractors and subs.
Standardizing on Primavera Systems, www.primavera.com, Bala Cynwyd, Pa., all contractors were required to submit cost and resources loaded schedules in the system. This allowed the planning and development team to better manage and forecast budget and resource utilization across all 24 projects.
Having all service providers submit schedules in Primavera created an easier to manage, consistent master schedule across projects. Project managers regularly viewed current project status and quickly generated accurate status reports for city officials and other stakeholders, giving an accurate view of costs and resource utilization across projects.
Companies are required to submit estimates using Success Estimator from U.S. COST, www.uscost.com, Atlanta, Ga. This helps the estimating team make accurate comparisons when reviewing submitted estimates.
Implementing a standard project management solution helped the group complete Runway 10-28 11 days early and $102 million under budget.
Transportation/Communications/Utilities
Florida Dept. of Transporation
Silver
The Florida Dept. of Transportation, www.dot.state.fl.us, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the state’s 4,260 highway lane miles, 6,381 bridges, 800 aviation facilities, 14 seaports, and 2,707 railway miles. Each of the eight decentralized districts has a division for administration, development, and operations.
District managers knew projects were consistently delivered behind schedule and production performance was only 28% of target. With no specific way to identify issue ownership, delays occurred and project mangers were not able to provide upper management with accurate status reports on the health of programs.
Facing a new five-year program, valued at more than $3.5 billion, District 4, which covers five counties in the Southwest region, knew it needed a more dependable project management system to track all projects.
It implemented technology from Primavera Systems, www.primavera.com, Bala Cynwyd, Pa., running on Oracle, www.oracle.com, Redwood Shores, Calif., to achieve a consistent project management process. This helped create project templates to be used consistently across the district, as well as automated and customized reports. This enables project managers to accurately report on progress and make the appropriate corrections to avoid major delays.
By implementing Primavera, the Florida Dept. of Transportation District 4 is now able to see improvement in resource productivity and on-time project delivery. Centralized schedule and report templates have given the district better visibility into current and upcoming projects and events while enabling stakeholders to address issues before they impact the project negatively.
The results are a 70% savings in resources through centralized reporting, 33% improvement in resource management, reduction of scheduling personnel from six to four, savings of approximately 800 staff-hours per year from unnecessary meetings, and $2.5 million in construction unit cost savings.
Transportation/Communications/Utilities
Utah Dept. of Transportation
Bronze
With a mission that says, “Quality Transportation Today, Better Transportation Tomorrow” the Utah Dept. of Transportation (UDOT), www.sr.ex.state.ut.us, Salt Lake City, Utah, is responsible for more than 6,000 miles of highway.
As a result of not using construction schedules as an effective construction management tool, UDOT found a significant number of projects were finishing behind schedule and over budget. At the crux of the matter was the fact project and construction managers had no visibility into the process.
Contractors submitted schedules to UDOT occasionally and the department staff often didn’t review them. As a result there was no way to proactively monitor a project’s progress. As a solution, UDOT wanted to focus on using the project schedule as an effective management tool.
Among other challenges that needed to be addressed included the fact issues throughout the project lifecycle remained unresolved, due to a lack of visibility and a large amount of change orders were being processed, thus increasing the costs of projects and frequently caused project delays. In addition, there was no clearly defined change process that identified problems as they occurred, and as a result UDOT project managers and contractors spent a lot of time trying to resolve claims after a job was finished.
The remedy was found when UDOT established a defined schedule management program that identified problems as they occurred thus allowing them to be resolved in the least intrusive manner to the projects, saving time and money for both UDOT and the contractors. This came about when UDOT required all of its contractors to use project management software from Primavera Systems, www.primavera.com, Bala Cynwyd, Pa., paving the way for open communication.
It also provided UDOT and its contractors with a common ground they could use to discuss and resolve issues. A baseline schedule was developed in Primavera which defined how the contractor bid the work. UDOT reviewed the updates to that document with the contractors on a monthly basis to identify potential problems.
Automated Home Technology
Zach Evans Construction
Gold
Michael Bates, project manager, custom homebuilder Zach Evans Construction, www.zachevansconstruction.com, Eagle, Idaho, admits the initial selection process and methods for tracking automated home technology installation during construction were, “Confusing and difficult at best.”
The builder recently became connected with Essential Systems Inc., www.esidaho.com, Eagle, Idaho, a certified electrical systems contractor through the AVAD Dealer to Builder (D2B) program, from AVAD, www.avad.com, Van Nuys, Calif. The D2B program services more than 7,000 dealers nationwide to work with builders, providing them with the automated home technology products specifically catered to their developments.
Through the program Zach Evans has been connected with a certified installer that helps it market and sell competitive automated home technology packages, priced accordingly for its contemporary craftsman style homes, priced $350,000-$500,000.
Packaged offerings for potential buyers include a structured wiring system, a distributed audio system, a flat panel home theater system, a loudspeaker system, and a security system. Bates says working with Essential Systems helps simplify the whole process, getting the right information to clients. After a buyer chooses the standards, any additional upgrades are worked out in detail between the client and Essential Systems.
Previously the entire process of walking the client through automated home technology would take roughly seven selection meetings with Zach Evans. Working with Essential Systems the process has been trimmed a minuscule two, one-hour meetings.
The pre-packaged options are effective for helping clients ease into the process of purchasing automated home technology. It helps buyers realize just how cost effective it is to have automated options to fit their lifestyle.
While some builders just simply want to offer technology, others see the opportunity to make money on the products.
Automated Home Technology
Del Webb/Pulte Homes
Silver
When Del Webb/Pulte Homes, www.delwebb.com, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., introduced the Solera at Athem community in Henderson, Nev., it wanted to provide the 55 and older demographic with a high performance home that offers the latest in style, comfort, and technology.
Bart Yeates, superintendent for the community, says while few buyers at the Solera at Anthem community are interested in truly being on the cusp of technology, what they do want is to have robust phone/Internet/cable services and do not want to deal with any hassles. As a result, all of the homes in this community contain a base “smart box” that allows for cable and phone to be run throughout the home.
The wiring box has a six or seven way splitter for cable as well as a (crossover) for phone, which can be expanded with a CAT5 cable run through the wiring. This allows easy set up of a home network system. The smart box also has high voltage wiring to allow owners to put cable modems or wireless routers inside the smart box. When it comes to hooking up cable or phone, the service charge on installation is vastly reduced—in some cases from $100 down to $30—simply because of the smart box.
While the technology isn’t cutting edge, the way it is presented to buyers in this community certainly is topnotch. Understanding the 55+ community does not want to be bombarded with technology options they will never use, Del Webb presents the options in a more manageable fashion.
The salesperson, and later the superintendent, thoroughly explains how this confluence of wires holds the promise of integrating technology throughout the home for years to come.
During the purchasing stage, rather than requiring a homeowner to go through line by line and add cable and phone to every room, it is included as standard in each home. This eliminates any confusion during purchasing that could turn off some buyers.
The smart box simplifies life for residents at Solera at Athem, reducing the level of unhappiness and making things work the first time every time.
Automated Home Technology
K. Hovnanian Homes
Bronze
Not just any product makes it into a K. Hovnanian home. When selecting products for its 10,000+ homes annually, K. Hovnanian, www.khov.com, Red Bank, N.J., typically targets 4-5 leading manufacturers and conducts a three-month evaluation, focusing on price, quality, and service.
This same process was used as K. Hovnanian recently began the first year of a three-year program with On-Q Legrand, www.onqlegrand.com, Middletown, Pa., under its Structured Wiring National Program. Many of its divisions had been offering structured wiring from On-Q/Legrand, but some were using product from other leading providers.
During the implementation process, On-Q/Legrand comes in for a series of meetings with K. Hovnanian’s division associates, including purchasing, sales, design coordinators, construction, architecture, service/warranty to assure price/quality/service is agreed to on the local level.
Home design center professionals are brought in to select solutions they would want to sell in their respective markets. Customer satisfaction could ultimately be compromised if too much is offered, so the decision on what to offer ultimately comes down to the professional in that particular division.
Installation comes from an On-Q/Legrand-certified installer. This can be done one of two ways—either one of Hovnanian’s existing trade partners becomes certified with On-Q or On-Q provides a certified installer.
On-Q provides sales centers with catalogues that look like café menus for each division. Buyers flip through the menus, which show solutions, pricing, and lifestyle photos. From there, they can drill down to see more details on the technology.
Ensuring that quality standards stay consistent throughout the lifecycle of the program, K. Hovnanian holds a conference call every two months with all of its On-Q representatives to talk about implementation status. This helps identify challenges and follow up action items to drive 100% program compliance.
Team Award
New Urban Builders
Competing in the booming single-family housing markets of Sacramento, Calif., New Urban Builders, www.newurbanbuilders.com, Chico, Calif., will deliver 80 closes in 2007, up from 50 closes in 2005.
Tracking the schedules, work orders and purchase orders required for 80 homes is no small task. Intersted in reducing cycletimes, New Urban Builders decided on a multi-month, step-by-step implementation that would allow it to implement increasingly sophisticated functionality as workflow templates were built out and processes where carefully mapped.
The first step was replacing its accounting system with Sage Timberline Office, www.sagetimberlineoffice.com, Beaverton, Ore. This took six full months to map the old data into Timberline. Once the data lived in Timberline, the applications were enhanced with a process-driven template. This allows subs, supers, estimating, warranty management, and customer service—all members of the critical path—to extract and update data.
New Urban Builders then set out to find a workflow management software system to wrap around Timberline. The company was determined not to proliferate databases so it wanted all the data captured in the central Timberline database.
New Urban Builders next opted for BuilderMT, www.buildermt.com, Lakewood, Colo. BuilderMT’s Workflow Management Suite which includes Scheduling and Wireless Scheduling, Purchasing, Sales Management, Warranty Management, ProStart Database, and Estimating. These modules work together from the Timberline system.
New Urban Builders also loaded quality control (QC) checklists on supers’ BlackBerry wireless devices using the Sprint Nextel service, www.sprint.com, Reston, Va. All purchase orders are driven exclusively by those QC checklists. All invoices and payments are tied to those QC checklists as well.
Soon after implementation New Urban Builders had dropped its cycletime from between 220 and 250 days/home down to 155 days/home. This affected the bottomline by trimming up to 95 days of carrying costs per home off the books.