Conference: Design-Build for Water/Wastewater Conference 2016 Paper/Presentation Title: Never Give Up! Strategies for Overcoming Project Delivery Challenges and Roadblocks Authors: David Schwartz, CDM Smith; Brent Christ, DC Water/DBIA; Mike Angeli, PC Construction/DBIA; Brian Hagerich, CDM Smith/DBIA; Leonard Benson, DC Water; Phil Braswell, Brown and Caldwell Contact: Phil Braswell - pbraswell@brwncald.com Abstract Never Give Up! Strategies for Overcoming Project Delivery Challenges and Roadblocks You've heard the success stories; now you can hear the unfiltered reality of what goes on behind the scenes of a complicated and pressure-packed project, and learn how one team worked together to slay the dragons and make the effort a success and point of pride for all involved. This battle-tested project team will frankly address the major challenges they faced and worked their way through, share strategies for design-building innovative technologies on a large scale, and emphasize the vital importance of intensive partnering to overcome potential roadblocks. Learning Objectives:

• Project lessons learned: We share some hard-earned lessons from our project about the need to effectively address change management, unforeseen conditions and administrative hurdles.

• Challenges of complexity: the innovative, large projects that DB is ideal for can also present difficulties. Here's what to expect and how to overcome those challenges.

• Prioritize partnering: Partnering on a tricky DB project isn't merely an occasional "kumbaya" meeting. Learn how our team of design-builders and owner worked intensively together to overcome challenges, manage change and make the project work.

• Best practices for challenging projects: with lessons learned from this project, we leave the audience with our recommendations to plan for the struggles, overcome the obstacles and reach the finish line as a team.

Never Give Up! Strategies for OvercomingProject Delivery Road Blocks

Brent Christ, DBIA, DC WaterLeonard Benson, DC WaterDavid Schwartz, CDM SmithMike Angeli, DBIA, PC ConstructionBrian Hagerich, DBIA, CDM SmithPhil Braswell, Brown and Caldwell

Project Overview Major HurdlesOutcome:

Were Objectives Met?

Agenda

370 mgd (1400 mega-liter/day) treatment facility

World’s largest advanced (nutrient removal) wastewater treatment plant

Class A biosolids

Overview

Key Contributors

Bringing a Complex, World Class Project to Life

Owner │ DC Water

Biosolids Program Manager │ Brown and Caldwell

Main Process Train Design Build Team│ PC Construction/CDM Smith JV

CHP Design, Construction, and Operation│ Pepco Energy System (PES) with Black & Veatch and Ulliman Shutte

Construction Mgmt for MPT, CHP, and FDF│ Arcadis

Final Dewatering Facility Design│ CH2M

Final Dewatering Facility (1C) Construction│ Corinthian Contractors

Final Dewatering Facility (2C) Construction│ PC Construction

Site Preparation Construction Management│ Earth Tech (AECOM)

Site Presentation Construction│ Alberici Construction

Objectives

Reduce quantity of biosolids and hauling

Increase marketability of biosolids

Recover energy

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Convert Class B, lime stabilization sludge facility into an innovative sustainable Class A biosolids system

Components

4 Contracts

3 Delivery Methods

Why Alternative Delivery?

The Result …

Screening Storage BinsCentrifuges

The Result …

Cambi Digesters Flares

Project Overview Major HurdlesOutcome:

Were Objectives Met?

Agenda

Contract Negotiations

Bonding company issues

Liability

Primary and secondary specifications

Industry Outreach Lowered Hurdles

Owner Requirements

Price certainty at an early phase for budget management

Still allowed for competitive pricing amongst the best shortlist teams in addition to a technical evaluation at the RFP stage

Fixed Price

Owner Requirements

A Term Sheet is Not a Complete Contract

• Commercial Terms

• Backcharges

• Liquidated Damages

• Actual Damages

Sole Source to Cambi

Owner Requirements

Keeping the Faith

Cambi’s first US project

LOTS of opportunities in the US

We knew Cambi would not let this fail

Reasonable protection in the prime contract

Challenges of a Prescriptive Contract

Owner and Program Manager developed concepts for bridging documents

Owner preferences vs. design builder preferences

A lot of work by DB to demonstrate benefits

Overcoming “Pride of Ownership”

Challenges of a Prescriptive Contract

Would DB be reimbursed?

Engineering costs

Construction costs

Credit expected

No cost shared for VE ideas

Stifled Creativity

Working within Fixed Price

Maintaining Communications: Weekly Coordination

DC Water Project Manager

Program Management Leadership

Construction Management Leadership

DB Leadership: Design Team, Construction Team, Commissioning Team

Key Stakeholders

Project Charter

We will work collaboratively to deliver to DC Water a reliable and easy to maintain biosolids Main Process Train that will consistently and cost-effectively produce a Class A biosolids, generate digester gas and meet all performance and schedule requirements. The team will demonstrate the viability of the design-build process for DC Water while enhancing the reputations of all partners. We will accomplish this by achieving the following team goals:

Safety BudgetScheduleQuality TeamworkCommissioning Community

Issue Resolution/Partnering

Maintain Relationships

Track Performance

Issues Escalation Log

Weekly Coordination of Key Stakeholders

Issue Resolution/Partnering

Issue Escalation Log Example

Issue

Target Resolution

DateFor

Path Forward

Current Issue

Location(Level/

Individuals)

Scheduled Date for

EscalationChampion

Estimated Close-Out

Date

Ball In Court

Organization

Next step in processAcceptable Solution

Comments

Centrifuges: centrateventing

11/20/15 Level 3 NA Mike Angeli

January 15, 2015

JV JV providing a test to ensure no particulate matter is exiting the vent stack over a long period of time, thru all modes of operation.

Issue Resolution/Partnering

Go/No Go Final Pre-Meeting

What Does it Take to Resolve an Issue? Clearly identify the issue An issue is everyone’s – we win/lose

together Assign a champion Communicate Plan for Resolution Review progress Track/celebrate successes

Going Live!

First truck of seed sludge from Alex Renew

Issue Resolution/Partnering

Case Study: SeedingTracked potential showstoppers up until decision date

Decision on notices to communities about intent to haul sludge starting 9/30

Decision on purging digester head space with nitrogen

Decision on pre-heating water in the digesters

Go-No Go Final Pre-Meeting to tracking commissioning efforts and status of control systems

Project Overview Major HurdlesOutcome:

Were Objectives Met?

Agenda

Outcome: Were the Objectives Met?

Processes up to 450 dry metric tons of solids per day

Requires half the digestion capacity of conventional digestion

Class A digested sludge is conveyed to sixteen, 2-meter belt filter processes for final dewatering

Outcome: Were the Objectives Met?

Specification conformance inspection during installation and continuous performance monitoring helped ensure that the new facilities operated as intended

Outcome: Were the Objectives Met?

Generates 13 megawatts of green electrical power for plant operations

Reduces annual grid electrical draw by one-third

Reduces number of trucks by over half

Considered to be One of the Greenest and Most Sustainable Wastewater Projects Ever Conceived

Class A Biosolids

DB Lessons Learned

Implement an issues resolution process in order to solve issues at the appropriate level with a clear escalation process

Performance guarantees proved to be valuable

- Flexibility with durations and or overlap

- Operations and Maintenance buy-in is valuable

Transition of owner’s roles from design phase to construction phase for reviews needs to be addressed – bring in the right players without loss of project history/knowledge

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2

3

DB Lessons Learned

Receiving detailed submittals proved beneficial

“Good engineering practices” is not a recognized standard

Changes after Final Design Drawings are approved must be identified to the owner

Named manufacturers might take exception to specifications: Ensure in RFP that named manufacturers will meet code and/or specifications required

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5

6

7

Questions

Project Charter

We will work collaboratively to deliver to DC Water a reliable and easy to maintain biosolids Main Process Train that will consistently and cost-effectively produce a Class A biosolids, generate digester gas and meet all performance and schedule requirements. The team will demonstrate the viability of the design-build process for DC Water while enhancing the reputations of all partners. We will accomplish this by achieving the following team goals:

Safety BudgetScheduleQuality Teamwork

Zero Accidents

Zero OSHA Incidents

Maintain awareness

Earn national award

Establish a common understanding of requirements and maintain or exceed

Establish, implement, maintain and document thorough QA/QC program

Establish, implement, and maintain a document control system

Communicate all project performance guarantees to team

Meet all intermediate and contractual milestones

Maintain and communicate a valid, well-coordinated, cost loaded and updated schedule

Maintain a realistic three-week look ahead schedule

Timely resolution of issues

Complete within all organizations’ budgets

Avoid scope creep

Maintain an efficient and fair management of the change process

Timely invoicing and payment

Commissioning

Ensure operations and maintenance are familiar with process early in the project, attend FAT and PCS demonstrations

Identify and involve the DC Water Operations and Maintenance “champions” early

and establish relationship with the Commissioning Manager

Ensure adequate and useable documentation and knowledge retention after completion

Community

Meet/exceed MBE/WBE participation goals

Meet First Source hiring goals

Identify and coordinate with all inter-related projects

Eliminate surprises

Earn global acclaim and awards

Have fun