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project a logical decision.
The fox-guarding-the-henhouse concern never arose because of the smooth working relationship between the district and the firm, as well as Carter & Burgess' experience and reputation on similar projects in the region. "I never really had any reservations about Carter & Burgess taking us from start to finish," Borden says.
In addition, Carter & Burgess, with a huge stake in the project as the sole consultant, has an incentive to provide services that go beyond the typical design and construction management consultant's involvement in order to ensure that the project gets built on schedule. For example, Carter & Burgess has provided expertise in obtaining financing for the Fort Bend County project. "They've been instrumental in trying to get money," Borden says. "They -- along with a law firm we hired -- helped secure a $1 million loan."
Providing specialized expertise
One situation that prompts some communities to choose TPM is a need to build an unusually challenging project. TPM's advantage of close coordination between design and construction teams is especially desirable on difficult projects.
Such is the case with a wastewater treatment plant expansion in Lake Jackson, Texas. With a population of 27,000, Lake Jackson has two treatment facilities on the same site. The older facility is 40 years old, near the end of its useful life, and can no longer handle its share of the city's wastewater stream.
The plan to replace the plant calls for the facility to be demolished and a new one to be built at the same site. It's the city's biggest, and most challenging public works project ever.
"It's an intricate expansion because the new plant will be built in the exact same footprint as the old one," Nisbett says. That boosts the design and construction challenges, he says, making the TPM approach more attractive.
"We thought (TPM) would give us better quality management," Nisbett says, because the designers and construction managers would "be on the same team." And good teamwork, while always desirable, is essential on this project.
Interestingly, Lake Jackson didn't choose TPM until after the feasibility study and preliminary design work were completed, points out Sal Aguirre, Lake Jackson's City Engineer. The city interviewed a few other firms to take on construction management, but ultimately decided that the TPM arrangement with Carter & Burgess was the best strategy for project management.
"I don't think that you need to decide upfront (to use TPM)," he says. If a community has misgivings about TPM, it doesn't hurt to investigate other options, he says.
After three projects, sold on TPM
Missouri City, a fast-growing Houston suburb in Fort Bend County, chose TPM to build a four-lane road extension from downtown to a new high school. This community, too, looked at other firms for the construction management contract before choosing Carter & Burgess, it's designer, for that task.
"We were glad that we did (choose one firm)," Dorger says. "When you have your engineering and construction people on the same team, the construction managers can get a good understanding early about what the challenges will be in the field. Then your construction manager will be better prepared for them."
Missouri City was pleased with how TPM worked on the road project and is utilizing the method again on two wastewater treatment plant projects totaling $16.1 million that are also being managed by Carter & Burgess. One reason that city officials have such a high comfort level with the one-consultant approach is that they have assigned city employees to monitor daily activities on the job sites.
"We have our own inspectors and they are actually on the team with the consultant," Dorger says. This arrangement would discourage a consultant from trying to paint too rosy a picture if a project bogged down. But, he adds, that's really not much of a concern currently.
"If you hire the right people, and interview and analyze the team, you can find out what their (management) philosophy is," he says. "When you're comfortable with their approach, that can waylay a lot of concerns." And, he emphasizes, cities can be a good source of repeat business for design and construction management firms, so they have plenty of incentive to make sure the project succeeds.
And from the consulting firm's perspective, TPM makes it easier to provide better quality service and a better end product, says Wendell "Buddy" Barnes, P.E., unit manager of Carter & Burgess' Houston public works practice. When the design and construction management functions are divided among two or more firms, "many times you end up working with someone else's design and you may not be able to change it," he says.
"When we do the design and the construction management, we ensure a high quality design by performing constructability review throughout the entire design process; then during construction our construction manager can ensure that the contractor produces quality work the way it was intended in the design."
All in all, the advantages of TPM seem to be winning more converts to this method, especially in smaller cities. When it comes time to invest millions of tax dollars in a major infrastructure project, anything that increases the chances of success is welcome by city officials. In many instances, TPM provides such an advantage.
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