Quality Assurance and Quality Control - Design-Build for Water and Wastewater Projects - page 269

• Replacing eight monorails and a canopy with a more functional single
bridge crane
• Using precast concrete instead of cast-in-place concrete for some of the
buildings to save time and money
• With a major portion of the plant being below grade, raising the plant a few
feet to balance the cut and fill on the site
The design-builder allowed vendors and subcontractors the opportunity to ben-
efit from the DB process. Equipment manufacturers were sent draft specification
sections to review prior to the documents being issued formally. This gave them the
opportunity to prepare for an expedited submittal process and allowed unnecessary
requirements to be removed from the specifications.
Major subcontractors had similar opportunities. The electrical subcontractor
had many meetings with the electrical designer to provide input and trim unnec-
essary components from the design. This resulted in most of the conduit on the
project being located in structural concrete with optimized conduit routing. The
mason, roofer, and HVAC subcontractors all provided constructability reviews and
commented on products: this information benefited the design-builder and the
subcontractors.
Other lessons learned include:
• Have a continuous coordination between construction and design profes-
sionals to review the design in a timely manner and recommend time- or
cost-saving modifications
• Meet early and often with the permitting agencies
• Expedite long-lead-time procurement equipment
• Maintain open communication
Success Outcomes
The JCEC is permitted for 15 mgd (57 ML/d) and as of 2009 was the largest MBR
plant in operation in the United States. Exceeding very stringent performance goals,
the JCEC was completed on schedule and on budget in November 2009, with no
claims or litigation.