By Evan Williams of Cambridge Companies
August 10, 2015
Challenging solid waste projects require a proven process to work through a design-build project while keeping it within budget, on schedule, and delivering a quality product.
Solid waste construction projects present unique challenges for end users, specifically municipalities. A design-build approach can help smooth this process. Challenges come from many areas and include, but are not limited to community impacts, permitting transparency in the process, cost control, and successful implementation.
Municipal projects tend to be a lightning rod for attention, even more so when it’s a solid waste project with community impacts.
Usually, a high priority is to mitigate the environmental effects of the proposed project and address existing concerns. The design-build process adds value in integrating design and project delivery into one team. In this area, the City, Design, and Build teams can work together with stakeholders to identify areas of concern and propose remediation measures. Where the typical design-bid-build approach prescriptively dictates one solution, the design-build approach:
- Engages the procurement portion of the build team to get accurate pricing data
- And determines the schedule impacts of the proposed options, assigning real-time cost/schedule impacts to the proposed solutions
This better informs the decision-makers to help them make the best choice from a quality, schedule, and cost standpoint. At the Missouri Transfer Station, the project team decided to situate the building with its doors away from two adjoining roads and towards an adjacent sewage treatment plant. In addition, the site channels all stormwater to a single detention basin with one outfall to improve monitoring. By conducting the proper due diligence and design vetting during the pre-design stages, the final product best reflects the goals of the project as well as remains mindful of the schedule and budget.
Read the full article on Waste Advantage Magazine
