“If you are on a term contract as a design consultant and you are sitting around waiting for us to give you task orders, then you are doing it all wrong – Insert yourself into our team”
— Tom Nicholas, PE; City of Virginia Beach Facilities Engineer
ACE Virginia Joint Owner Forum Recap with Hampton Roads Local Governments
ACE is a joint venture of the American Institute of Architects, Associated General Contractors, and the American Council of Engineering Companies of Virginia, to educate and promote best practices of the design and construction industry. The unique component to these forums is that it includes those with the authority to hire architects, engineers, and contractors or those that possess influence during the selection process of these professionals. What has resulted is an improved understanding of what makes projects successful from the perspective of these key stakeholders, an intimate forum for business development, and an opportunity to learn about future projects.
In 2019, ACE plans to hold four collaborative events that engage various local governments from around the Commonwealth. On April 23rd, ACE had its second forum of 2019 in Downtown Norfolk. This event hosted stakeholders and decision makers from the Cities of Norfolk, Suffolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach. The event was followed by a networking reception that allowed for more intimate conversation with the panelists.
The panel consisted of the following participants:
Wilbur Hogge, PE – Facilities Construction Manager [Chesapeake]
Gerry Jones, RA – Director of Capital Programs [Suffolk]
Oliver Love, Jr. – Building Systems Bureau Head [Norfolk]
Tom Nicholas, PE – Facilities Engineer [Virginia Beach]
As a region, issues of importance that were identified were transportation, resiliency, and environmental stewardship. As such, great dialogue was exchanged regarding sustainability, upcoming projects, how to get work, and procurement vehicles. Each segment included the audience in a question and answer period that proved to be engaging and valuable. The below sections provide a high-level overview of the discussion.
Sustainability: In general, each municipality is a firm believer in the importance of sustainability and has made it an integral component of the project delivery process. As such, design professionals and general contractors are required to design and construct to identified sustainability standards. However, it is not uncommon for the municipality to apply for an official sustainability certification only in special circumstances. The conversation on sustainability also included resiliency. For example, the City of Chesapeake requires structures to be built 18 inches above the 100-year floodplain.
Upcoming Projects: Each panelist provided insight on current and upcoming capital projects. In general, public safety projects are being undertaken throughout the region (ex: fire stations). It is noted that the City of Virginia Beach is investing significantly in stormwater management projects, to the tune of $644M over the next five years, to counteract sea-level rise.
How to Get Work:
The below outlines the most prominent tips offered by these decision-makers:
- Honesty – Tell me if the proposed budget is not going to be feasible
- Quality Control – Please incorporate our review comments
- Bring the team that will be doing the work to the interview
- A regional presence can be important – You are an extension of our staff
- Keep to the schedule
- Be realistic with your construction cost estimates so that the City can have realistic expectations on bid-day
- If you are on a term contract as a design consultant and you are sitting around waiting for us to give you task orders, then you are doing it all wrong – Insert yourself into our team
Procurement Vehicles: Each locality uses a variety of procurement methods for project delivery identifying advantages and disadvantages of each. Design-Bid-Build continues to be the most common delivery method, however, each Owner shared their concerns about lack of control over the selection of the general contractor. Norfolk and Suffolk have used Design-Build on projects and find it favorable. It appears that Construction Manager At-Risk and PPEA models are the least utilized. It was noted that annual services contracts, or term contracts, are great vehicles for design consultants to build relationships with City staff.
The next forum will take place in September with Northern Virginia area local governments.