CMAdvisor
Advancing Professional Construction and Program Management Worldwide
Construction Without Architects?
CMAA in San Diego: More Value than Ever
BOOKMARK THIS ISSUE
July/August 2010
Volume XXIX, No. 4
Contents
6
July/August 2010
Volume XXIX, No. 4
Construction without Architects?
How CMs Will Fit in a New World
A dwindling design community, a tight economy
and changing owner priorities are driving new
approaches to procuring quality design...with
important implications for CMs.
2
CMAdvisor July/August
The first new edition of Construction Management
Standards of Practice in six years.
The 2010 Edition includes entirely new chapters on Sustainability, BIM and
Risk Management, along with extended coverage of Program Management
and other updates. For CM/PM practitioners, the new SOP defines excellent
professional practice. It can help you market your services and guide your
staff training and development. For owners, the SOP summarizes what
to expect from your service providers. There is no better authority on
what CMs do, how we do it, and how our owner clients benefit.
FEATURE
12CMAA in San Diego: More Value Than Ever
CMAA’s National Conference & Trade Show
offers top keynoters, 40 breakout sessions,
two pre-conference workshops, the biggest
exhibit hall yet, plus the entire program
content easily accessible online through
the new Live Learning Center.
5 Chairman’s Report
By Gary Cardamone, PE
31President’s Report
By Bruce D’Agostino, CAE, FCMAA
DEPARTMENTS
“As an owner practitioner myself, I would expect every CM pursuing work
with my agency to be well versed in all areas of the Standards of Practice.”
16Professional Practice Corner
20Legal Corner
GARY CARDAMONE, PE, DIRECTOR OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT,
PORT OF LONG BEACH, CA, AND CHAIR, CMAA SOP COMMITTEE
Order your copy today online
through the CMAA website.
COLUMNS
22 News
24 Foundation
Cover photo: Camelback Ranch - Glendale Spring Training
Facility, Phoenix, AZ. CM: Mortenson Construction.
2009 Project Achievement Award winner.
Photos: (above left) TODD Aerials;
(above right and cover) Carlos Espinosa.
25 Certification
26 Roundup
CMAdvisor July/August
CMAA PRESENTS
“High performance” buildings are all the rage
these days. But are they living up to their claims
and expectations? And whose job is it to see
that they do?
3
8
The CM’s Role in the Successful
Transition to Sustainable
Building Operations
CMAdvisor
Chairman of the Board
Gary Cardamone, PE
Port of Long Beach, CA
President and Chief Executive Officer
Bruce D’Agostino, CAE, FCMAA
Editor
John McKeon
Contributing Writers
Kathleen Davenport
Martha Montague
Design
TGD Communications, Inc.
CMAA is a construction industry
association of 6,200 firms
and professionals who provide
management services to owners
who are planning, designing and
constructing capital facilities
and infrastructure projects.
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CONSERVATION
PRESERVATION
We take action. Action demonstrated in our environmental
sustainability. Action exemplified through our community
management services. Our actions speak volumes.
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Sometimes a word or phrase becomes so common and
popular that we hear it all the time, but rarely pause to
wonder what it really means. The particular phrase I’m
thinking of is “skin in the game.”
This usually means that owners want their contractors,
designers, consultants, and even their Construction
Managers to assume some important share of project risk. “Don’t just leave me in
the cross-hairs,” we seem to say. “Put your own welfare at stake, too.” I’ve heard this
plea from Contractors as well, who believe agency CMs have no incentive for keeping
a project on schedule as “they get paid by the hour.”
This attitude can at times be beneficial when it leads to a carefully thought out
structure of incentives and disincentives built into construction and service provider
contracts. We should strive for a fair and proportional distribution of risk and reward
among all project stakeholders.
But when it comes to professional services, “skin in the game” is just not the
right mantra.
The professional CM or Program Manager does not deliver value to the owner by
assuming financial risk associated with a project. Quite the contrary: The value
of CM services springs from the fact that the CM cannot gain or lose by offering
the most thoughtful and objective counsel possible. That has nothing to do with
bonding capacity, financial reserves, or any other project-related factor.
Our accountants don’t make more money if they make our books look better. In fact,
that would be a pretty serious disservice. What if our physicians had a financial stake
in every diagnosis? How could we trust them?
Instead, we pay these professionals for their brain power. We want their best advice,
and we want all the professionals we hire to perform without real or perceived
conflicts of interest.
involvement. Action realized in our expert CM-at-Risk,
design-build and enhanced third-party construction
By Gary Cardamone, PE Port of Long Beach, CA
CMAA members receive this
newsletter as a member benefit.
For advertising information, contact
Tom Egly at tom.egly@tgdcom.com.
We should also realize that CM is practiced—and practiced well—in a wide variety of
settings. The Agency CM model is well known, of course. But a CM-At-Risk contract
also provides scope for effective delivery of sound, professional CM services. In-house
CMs at owner organizations can perform at a high level as well.
What matters, regardless of who signs the pay check, is professionalism, and that,
in turn, is built upon our CM Standards of Practice. CMAA is working to elevate an
entire category of project participants, and to advance the profession of Construction
Management across the board.
The clearest and most persuasive evidence of the Construction Manager’s commitment
to professionalism is of course the Certified Construction Manager credential.
But first and most important: Before a practitioner can even think about pursuing
the CCM, there must be a fundamental commitment to our SOP, our Code of Ethics,
and the ideal of responsive, unbiased professional service.
CMAdvisor July/August
WET INFRASTRUCTURE
CMAdvisor, published bi­‑monthly
by CMAA, reports on and follows
the industry as a service to its
members. Submission of articles,
ideas and suggestions is appreciated
and encouraged.
Getting Past
“Skin in the Game”
5
Actions Speak
Louder Than Words
Our Mission is to Promote and
Enhance Leadership, Professionalism
and Excellence in Managing the
Development and Construction
of Projects and Programs.
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
“They can do without architecture who have no
olives nor wines in the cellar,” wrote the 19th century American author and philosopher Henry David
Thoreau.
Thoreau may have regarded architecture as one of
life’s necessities, but today’s construction industry
is evolving toward a different view. It isn’t that owners want to “do without architecture,” really…but
market forces and demographic changes are forcing
a new approach to procuring good building design.
This trend has important implications for professional Construction and Program Managers.
“It’s clear to me that the design community is
diminishing in population and general experience,”
says Robert Wilkinson, CCM, Deputy Director of
Construction Management at Hazen and Sawyer.
There’s data to back up that impression. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employed
architects have dropped from an average of 233,000
in the first quarter of 2008 to 217,000 in the first
quarter of 2009 and 198,000 in the first quarter of
2010. BLS also says the total number of technical
and nontechnical staff employed in the architecture and engineering services industry in 2009 was
1.346 million, down from 1.445 million in 2008, a
9.3 percent drop.
High-profile firms have closed their doors (for
example, Boston’s Cubellis and the multinational
Yamasaki Associates, designer of the World Trade
Center). Others are laying off staff. A survey by consultants ZweigWhite found that 35 percent of firm
leaders said they are considering staff cuts in 2010,
on top of layoffs conducted in 2009.
George Miller, past president of the AIA and a
partner at world-renowned architecture firm Pei
Cobb Freed & Partners, worries about the long-term
effects this job shortage will have on the industry.
6
CMAdvisor July/August
“It’s really difficult, of course in these last several
years, for students coming out of school to find
appropriate positions in the field,” he said. “That
really concerns all of us because we’re afraid that
we’re going to lose a generation of architects. ...
There are going to be fewer of us around to do the
work that really needs to be done in the future.”
Not everyone is so discouraged. Heery International
CEO Bill Heitz, CCM, says, “I would challenge the
premise that the design profession is a vanishing
breed. The size of the design community has certainly been reduced during this recession, just as it
has in every recession.”
Still, Heitz says, that’s true of many other fields as
well. Looking to the future, he adds: “The reality
is that there is more to draw young people to the
design professions than ever—increasingly complex and challenging buildings, the sustainability
movement, forward thinking trends in urban planning, exciting advances in the use of technology,
and a heightened awareness of the impact of good
design. Enrollment in architecture and engineering
schools, along with the ranks of the active practitio-
How CMs Will Fit
in a New World
ners, will continue to ebb and flow with
the economic cycles, just as it always has.”
Heitz does see increasing owner interest in a new approach to
design, accounting for the growing popularity of Design-Build.
Cost isn’t driving this trend, though, Heitz says: Speed of delivery and risk management are.
Both of these benefits spring from one of construction’s longest-standing areas of tension, the conflict between designer
and builder. This tension is increased by dwindling expertise in
design and a lack of focus on owner needs.
“The youngest members of the experienced, competent staff of
design firms are approaching 60 years old and are preparing to
retire,” says Wilkinson. “These people have not been replaced,
and a clear void of experienced personnel exists.”
Among younger architects, attitude may also be part of the
problem. Anne Edwards-Cotter, president of Cotter Consultants,
comments, “Some architects, and particularly young architects
can’t see past the ‘romance’ of architecture. I’ve worked on
projects where I sense that the architects are only concerned
with what award they might win for this project. I have experienced projects where the architect spends time chasing too
many ideas (time & fee) in the schematic phase and the quality
of the construction documents is poor as a result. “[T]he design community is diminishing in population
and general experience. ... CMs need to identify and
understand these changes and adjust the practice of
CM accordingly.”
“The role of the CM in the design phase becomes more important,” Cotter adds. “The CM must manage the design team
within the project budget and schedule and keep the design
team focused on meeting the program requirements of the
client. The CM has to keep the team focused on the goals and
objectives of the project.”
Clients who want a “trophy” building by a big-name architect
will probably always be able to get one. But for the huge volume of bread-and-butter construction in America, high fees are
out and a new, more integrated approach is in.
“For the straight-vanilla building design effort, the fees will be
diminished, and these projects will increasingly be unattractive
to the larger design firms,” says Wilkinson.
Integrated Project Delivery, in which highly collaborative teams
of stakeholders work together throughout the project life
cycle, also works to eliminate the division between design and
execution. One of the keys to Design-Build’s appeal, says Heitz,
is that it uses qualified design professionals in two roles, as the
bridging architect and the architect of record.
“Design has not become a gap,” Heitz says. “If there was a
gap in the building process, it was the one that was filled by
the creation of the Construction Management and Program
Management profession in the 1970’s. Conventional wisdom
says that Construction Management was born to fill a gap left
by the architects. In fact, most of the standard scope of the program manager’s contract involves activities that are typically
performed by the Owner—creating a budget and schedule,
managing the design process, controlling the time and costs,
forming a strategy for procuring the construction, negotiating
the construction contact, and so on. One could thus make the
argument that the CM has filled a gap left by Owners. The reality is that the complexity and risks in today’s built environment
demand project management skills that some Owners choose
to outsource.”
In a new world, with a changing view of design, the Construction or Program Manager has a critical role to play.
Cotter says part of this role will be to get client needs and
designer selection in a more logical relationship. Too many
owners, she says, “hire the architect first to help them determine what they need. I have seen a client committed to an
architect that really isn’t suited to the project, but because
they were brought in early, they are married to them. If the PM/
CM can provide planning and early programming services, the
selection of the architect can be delayed until the project goals
and objectives are established. The PM/CM can help the client
to select the design team best suited to their project.”
However the architectural profession may change in the future,
it’s clear the old ways aren’t coming back.
“These are long term, permanent changes and a return to
previous conditions of practice will not be experienced,” says
Wilkinson. “It is a foregone conclusion that CMs need to identify and understand these changes and adjust the practice of
CM accordingly.
CMAdvisor July/August
By John McKeon
7
Construction without Architects?
8
The success of high-performance buildings is directly related
to an integrated approach to project delivery. This approach
requires that a robust and collaborative project team, including
the owner, tenant, facilities personnel, contractors, architect,
engineers, and others, is established at the earliest stages.
This team is engaged in developing the initial concepts and vetting viable approaches during the early stages of design. This
is an iterative effort that reveals the most effective solutions.
While the initial costs for engaging the project team at an early
stage may be higher than the more traditional approach, evidence from other successful high-performance projects shows
that the overall cost is often less and the quality and operating efficiencies of the project are enhanced. The CM is a very
important voice in that collaborative effort.
Design
Integrated Delivery
Design
Construction
Operations & Maintenance
The CM’s role in the project starts during the pre-design phase.
A clear understanding of the owner’s requirements is essential. If they are not already established, the CM should assist in
developing guidelines for such project-related issues as cost,
quality, and project team selection. These goals will determine
which central characteristics of high-performance buildings a
particular project will pursue.
If the owner’s project requirements have already been established, the CM should confirm that they include requirements
for all energy systems, indoor environments, siting, water,
and environmental responsiveness of the facility. It should
also address the ideas, objectives, and criteria that the owner
considers important. Often an owner will need guidance in this
area and may need to undertake a team brainstorming effort
to establish these criteria. The CM can be effective in helping
the owner organize and develop this document.
The project team should be selected based on their experience in designing and constructing high-performance buildings. Firms with experience in sustainable and energy-efficient
design and construction methods are critical for success. They
must understand the use and potential impact of building
configuration and orientation, daylighting, natural ventilation,
high-efficiency mechanical equipment and lighting installations, and renewable/alternative energy sources (e.g., wind,
solar, fuel cells). Considering the project through a sustainability perspective during the design phase will help seamlessly incorporate the key elements that will make the project
successful.
During the design phase, the CM will need to ensure that the
sustainability criteria outlined by the owner are included in
the building design plans and specifications. Establishing clear
communication channels, expectations, and performance criteria with the design team will be essential in this stage. The CM
should also be prepared to provide the owner with knowledge
about the newest developments in high-performance building technologies. Through these suggestions, the owner will
be able to make decisions about design with direct industry
knowledge.
There are many tools to assist in successfully integrating sustainability into these projects. Few sustainability “extras” actually require extra time or cost if incorporated correctly and at
the appropriate time. Tools such as energy modeling software,
Building Information Modeling (BIM), water balance calculations, and daylight modeling will be instrumental during the
design phase of the project. For sustainable material selection,
resources like BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic
Sustainability) and EPP (Environmental Preferable Purchasing)
will be valuable references.
There are a variety of rating systems for measuring building
performance. Understanding the processes and values associated with each system is important so that the owner can be
directed toward those that will best meet his goals. Incorporating rating systems like the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED®
Certification early in the process will be necessary to avoid
costly late changes. Be sure to explore a variety of certification
options, including: IPMVP (International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol), ASHRAE criteria, LEED rating
systems, and EnergyStar ratings.
Similar to selecting the appropriate rating system to track
building performance, deliberate analysis of building components and strategies should be a priority. Incorporating evaluation based on life cycle presents the owner with an opportunity
to improve building performance while fully understanding the
impacts of his decision. Establishing methods for evaluating life
cycle costs during design will bring long-term benefits to both
the owner and occupants. A tool that evaluates the cost over
time will allow the owner to better understand his investment
options. For example, design strategies and systems that are
very energy efficient may have higher first costs, but may be
the better investment when analyzed over their expected life in
terms of energy savings, maintenance, repairs, and other costs.
The CM should be prepared to explain the value of this type of
analysis to the owner and project team.
Construction
A CM’s task during the construction phase is to ensure that
the project is built to the plans and specifications established
during the design phase. These documents should address all
high-performance standards, as well as Division 1: General
Requirements for the contractor, describing administrative and
procedural requirements to realize these high-performance
goals, including tracking, reporting, and meetings.
The procedures used on a high-performance project will be
similar to a traditional project but may vary considerably in
detail, especially if a LEED rating is being sought. Requirements
for documenting the LEED construction credits will mean
the contractor and their sub-contractors will have additional
responsibilities in the submittal and installation processes. The
CM needs to be aware of these differences and ensure that
they are adequately covered in the Division 1 requirements as
well as instituted in the day-to-day activities on site. Of particular note would be any prerequisite credits such as Erosion
and Sedimentation Control or Fundamental Building System
Commissioning.
CMAdvisor July/August
CMAdvisor July/August
As high-performance buildings take center stage
relative to both owner and tenant requirements,
buildings are constantly watched to see if they
are performing to their engineered standards
and intent. The responsibility of ensuring these
buildings meet their design potential falls to a
number of people. Understanding the critical role
the Construction Manager plays in this challenge
will help deliver more sustainable, better quality
buildings with optimized performance to clients.
Integrated Delivery
9
The CM’s Role
in the Successful
Transition to
Sustainable
Building
Operations
Regular site walks are a standard activity for a CM but will
also require attention to issues that are not part of the normal
observations, particularly with regard to indoor air quality
issues which should follow SMACNA standards for isolation, protection, housekeeping, and scheduling to control the
amount of contamination of the space by ongoing activities.
properly maintained lasts longer, is more reliable, and tends
to operate more efficiently. Training should be provided by
qualified manufacturer representatives. The bid specifications
should spell out the requirements.
Commissioning (Cx) should be a part of any high-performance
project, whether attempting a LEED rating or not. The requirements for the Cx work are typically specified by the mechanical
and electrical engineers, but may also involve other systems
including the exterior envelope or even irrigation systems. An
independent commissioning agent will be hired by the owner
to develop a commissioning plan and perform functional tests.
This may also involve a peer review of the design before the
construction documents are complete. The CM will need to be
aware of the Cx strategy selected for the project in order to
properly manage the schedule of activities that need to occur.
Owner education runs through the entire project process and
is a critical avenue for the CM to influence the success of this
transition. Ensuring that the owner is aware of the importance
of fundamental commissioning and the ongoing measurement
and verification of his systems will be critical for the life of his
building. Setting up these standards and expectations before
the project closeout will give the owner more tools, ensuring
that the building will continue to meet his or her expectations
for sustainable building performance.
Training is comprised of two areas: Operations and maintenance. Employees who will be using or running various systems
should be given instructions on how to do this properly. They
should understand the installed energy-saving features and
how to use them. With new technologies, there is often a lack
of understanding about how these systems work or interact.
It is critical that the appropriate personnel are educated on all
the systems and the controls needed to operate them. Similarly, those expected to maintain and repair equipment need
to know correct procedures for doing so. Equipment that is
A successful closeout of a project could include contracting
with third-party monitoring and verification services, recommended by the project CM. Utilizing these services takes
pressure off the owner for tracking details like warranty issues,
O&M manuals, and measurement and verification of their
building system operations. Tracking building performance
in real time with a third-party monitoring system will ensure
that any changes in building performance are identified and
addressed immediately, ensuring the design of these systems is
living up to the expected financial and energy savings.
CMAdvisor July/August
10
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Dec. 6-10
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Preparing the owner with operational procedure training, connecting him or her with third-party building monitoring, and
setting him or her up for successful monitoring and verification
are essential for transition to sustainable operations.
This article was prepared by the CMAA Sustainability
Committee together with Peter Locke, LEED AP, AIA, Lauren
Carter, LEED GA, and Rishi Tirupari, LEED AP, Sustainable
Building Advisor, of McKinstry.
The best CM/PM education in the business.
CMAA is your partner for high value professional education
for every member of your team at every level.
Upcoming Sustainability Events
Two large and important
events for sustainabilityfocused professionals are
opening soon for registration.
Structured Cabling
Voice • Data • Video
Register early since the most interesting sessions fill up
quickly. Another interesting opportunity for our international members is the upcoming World Expo in Shanghai
co-sponsored by Stanford University, which will be held in
August. “Better Building-Better World” is the theme, and
the program will explore many aspects of sustainability.
For new hires, our Construction Manager In Training (CMIT)
program supports the transition into the workplace. At the
high end, the Certified Construction Manager (CCM®) credential
identifies the best in the business.
Deliver SOP-based training to your entire team for as little
as $35 per hour of expert instruction with flexible licensing
of our online SOP modules. Or select from a broad menu of
events, interactive webinars, and other programs.
To learn more, visit www.cmaanet.org/pd-home.
CMAdvisor July/August
Before the project is completed, the CM needs to ensure that all
staff training and operations and maintenance manuals are in
place. This process traditionally begins as construction is completed, but for the most successful transition, training should
be ongoing during the project, educating the staff that will be
operating the finished product.
Operations & Maintenance
11
“The CM should also be prepared to provide the owner
with knowledge about the newest developments in
high-performance building technologies.”
CPS offers peace of mind every phase of the way
The big event takes place on October 3–5 at the Manchester
Grand Hyatt hotel in San Diego.
“For an industry event whose value hinges on networking,
collaboration and timeliness, there’s simply no better venue than
California,” says Todd Niemann, CCM of TWNiemann, Inc., chair
of the National Conference Committee. “The dynamism of the
California market, the appeal of San Diego, and the high quality
of the Conference program will combine to produce a remarkably
valuable and successful National Conference & Trade Show.”
For the first time, CMAA will deliver the entire content of these
sessions—combining slides with fully synchronized audio and a
variety of enhancements—in an online Live Learning Center (LLC).
Instead of choosing one session in each time slot and missing the
others, Conference participants will benefit from all the content,
from all presenters, in a convenient form.
AECOM
Michael Baker, Jr., Inc.
HDR Engineering, Inc.
Oracle
Heery International
Parsons
It amounts to four times the content and four times the value of
any previous National Conference.
Hill International, Inc.
PBS&J
HNTB Corporation
Attendees will also be able to use the LLC in advance of the
Conference, to select sessions and download them to their
personal calendars.
Indam Engineers, Inc.
STV Construction
Services, Inc.
Jacobs
Urban Engineers, Inc.
Keville Enterprises, Inc.
Vanir Construction
Management, Inc.
Online Registration Now Open!
CMAA in San Diego
Top Keynoters
CMAdvisor July/August
Two dynamic keynote speakers will highlight the Conference.
12
Thanks to CMAA’s National
Conference & Trade Show Sponsors!
Stan Slap is the author of the newly-published Bury My Heart
at Conference Room B: What Truly Drives the Most Passionate Managers. He will focus on “the ultimate key to creating
a compelling, competitive, durable brand—a key held by each
and every employee.”
The second keynoter, Roger Snoble, led the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority for more than seven years,
managing a $3.5 billion budget, over 9,000 employees, a
subway system, three light rail lines, a 500-mile HOV network,
a fleet of 2,600 clean fuel buses and a 26-line bus rapid transit
system. He now serves on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Infrastructure Advisory Commission.
Snoble is a true innovator—adopting new project delivery
methods and learning from methods used in other parts of
the world. He brings a broad perspective to the challenge of
financing infrastructure in an era of constrained resources.
Kleinfelder, Inc.
More Value
Than Ever
Best Practices—
Best Practitioners
Fellows Session to Focus on
Academy-Industry Links
CMAA will work with alliance partner
the Construction Industry Institute to
craft a special group of presentations
within the overall Conference program.
These sessions will be derived from the
ongoing CMAA/CII effort to harmonize
CMAA’s Standards of Practice with the
construction Best Practices published by
the Institute.
Industry and Academia—Strengthening our Ties to Improve
our Products is the topic for this year’s CMAA College of Fellows
special discussion session at 4:30 pm on Sunday in San Diego.
Session specifics will be published in late
summer.
“This discussion will concern the relationships between
academia and the construction management industry, the
challenges facing CM degree programs, and the means
by which our industry and academia can strengthen our
relationships,” says Donald B. Russell, chancellor of the
College of Fellows.
Speakers will include heads of some of the top university
CM programs in the country, plus a group of CMAA Fellows.
The goal is a free-flowing discussion driven by questions and
comments from the audience.
CMAdvisor July/August
The Association’s flagship annual gathering will once again be the
best opportunity of the year to learn what’s driving the market
and sharpen the knowledge and skills you will need to prosper in
the future.
Some 40 breakout sessions will address key topics related to
Strategies, Execution, Sustainability, and Technologies.
13
CMAA’s National Conference & Trade Show returns in October to a
true industry crucible: California, the place where trends are spotted,
challenges met, and solutions devised.
Exhibitors in 2010
CMAA Trade Show
CMAA in San Diego More Value Than Ever
3QC, Inc.
Largest Trade Show Ever
Time to Celebrate
Aconex
The excitement about San Diego has
shown up early in the form of exhibitor
commitments to the Exhibit Hall. The
hall was roughly 90 percent sold out in
early summer, well ahead of the pace
that led to a sellout last fall in Orlando.
Attendees in San Diego can also
have good fun in a good cause at
the CMAA Foundation reception on
Monday evening.
Aerotek, Inc.
AIA Contract Documents®
ARCADIS U.S., Inc.
Bluebeam Software, Inc.
CH2M HILL
Chambers Group Inc.
Chubb Insurance/Ames & Gough
Coffey Environments
Construction Testing Services
CPS Security Solutions
D. R. McNatty & Associates, Inc.
EADOC LLC
EarthCam, Inc.
e-Builder, Inc.
e-Plan, Inc.
Eyedeal Tech, Inc.
Faithful+Gould
14
CMAdvisor July/August
Field Automated Communication
Systems
Meridian Systems
Michael Baker Jr. Inc.
Microdesk, Inc.
MOCA Systems Inc.
Motion Computing
MWH Constructors, Inc.
Ninyo & Moore
Parsons
Parsons Brinckerhoff
PBS&J
PSOMAS
RGA Environmental, Inc.
Safework, Inc.
Green Ideas
Shannon & Wilson, Inc.
Hill International, Inc.
Simon Wong Engineering
HNTB Corporation
Spitfire Management, LLC
Industrial Info Resources
The Louis Berger Group, Inc.
Infrastructure Engineering
Corporation
Totum Consulting
Keville Enterprises, Inc.
Kraus-Manning, Inc.
• The LEED® Green Associate Exam
Preparation course, and
• Claims Avoidance, Evaluation and
Resolution for Owners and CMs, led
by experts from Trauner Consulting.
It’s Not Whom You Have, It’s What They Give
(From Tough Times: Tougher Teams, by Stan Slap)
PMA Consultants
Sage Software, Inc.
Jacobs
CMAA will also produce two
pre-Conference workshops on
Saturday, October 2:
Oracle
Forensic Imaging & Archiving, Inc.
IT Vizion, Inc.
Pre-Conference
Workshops Return
Trauner Consulting Services, Inc.
URS Corporation
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Vali Cooper & Associates, Inc.
Kugan & Associates, LLC
Vanir Construction
Management, Inc.
MacDonald-Bedford LLC
Vela Systems, Inc.
MBI
Weston Solutions, Inc.
Your company may be currently betting its life on the ability to roll out new
strategies to the marketplace—ahead of
schedule, ahead of budget, on the heads
of your competitors. Yet most strategies
in most companies don’t really work.
They don’t really do what they were
supposed to do, cost what they were
supposed to cost or happen when they
were supposed to happen.
This is because even the smartest companies subscribe to the most dangerous
strategic myth: A strategy has to be
planned well to be successful. In fact, a
strategy has to be implemented well to
be successful.
“Implemented well” means that your
company must be able to dependably
enroll its employee culture in fierce
support of that strategy. If you can do
this, you’re well on the way to achieving strategic insurance. If you can’t, and
you think strategies will be successful
anyway, you’re building a base camp on
Mount Delusional.
Which employee could argue with the
irrefutable logic of urgent strategies
during these trying times? Forget about
the logic: Neither business logic, nor
management authority nor any compelling competitive urgency will convince
an employee culture to adopt a corporate cause as if it were its own. In the
killing field between company concept
and employee commitment lies many a
failed strategic plan.
If you want your employees to buy a
strategy, you have to know how to sell
it to them. This means selling to the
employees—knowing how the culture
works and how to work the culture. It’s
not a matter of informing the culture;
it’s a matter of inspiring it. It’s not a matter of PowerPoint or bonus programs;
it’s a matter of vision and values. It’s not
a matter of logic; it’s a matter of logical
methods for stirring deep response.
An employee culture is the simplest
operating system in the world: It’s solely
concerned with survival and emotional
prosperity. Unfortunately, that’s its own
survival and emotional prosperity, not
yours and not the company’s. Still, it’s
a rational organism and will devote
resources to achieving any strategic goal
as long as it can link that goal with its
own priorities. The culture has plenty
of commitment to give as long as it
perceives that it’s safe and sensible to
give it.
Because an employee culture is an information gathering organism designed to
protect itself, its antennae are constantly
working, its perceptions are alarmingly accurate, its credibility detector is
infallible and its memory is elephantine.
Management can’t bluff, bribe or bully
an employee culture. You can’t stop an
employee culture from existing and you
can’t tell it what to believe.
WATCH NOW
Video Preview
of Conference
Keynoter Stan Slap
What you can do is respect its power to
make or break any corporate survival
strategy. You can imbed your strategic
and performance goals with the opportunity to satisfy what’s most important
to the culture, not just to the company.
You can’t sell it outside if you can’t sell it
inside. Remember this one point when
depending on strategic success and
you’ll be halfway home. Or in a halfway
home. Either way, you’ll have made
progress.
CMAdvisor July/August
C2PM
McDonough
Bolyard Peck, Inc.
This year’s Trade Show also continues
the growth pattern that began in San
Francisco. That year, with 60 booths,
the expo eclipsed the 41 booth spaces
occupied in 2007 in Chicago. In 2009,
in Orlando, CMAA expanded the show
to 66 booths and once again sold them
all. For 2010, the exhibit hall has grown
again, to 78 booths.
15
Box.net
As always, the National Conference
will wrap up with the festive Industry
Recognition Awards reception and
banquet. Honors bestowed at this
lively gathering include CMAA’s Project
Achievement Awards, Distinguished
Service and Distinguished Owners
Awards, new inductees into the College
of Fellows, and the 2010 CMAA Person of
the Year.
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE CORNER
Safety in Design is an effort made in the design
phase of a construction project to consider the
safety of workers who will be constructing the project. It is a structured process in the planning and
design phases of the project. In the United States,
such a focus on worker safety in the early stages of
a project is neither a part of the traditional aspects
of design nor a part of the traditional aspects of
construction safety practices.
Rather, the focus of designers is on the safety of
the end users of the facility: Its occupants, maintenance personnel, and the public who utilize the
facility, and not the worker who builds it. Construction safety requirements fall primarily on general
contractors and subcontractors. The safety emphasis is on the means and methods practiced in the
construction phase.
16
CMAdvisor July/August
In other counties, effective ways of addressing
construction safety, in addition to proactive safety
management during construction have been pioneered and implemented. The objective has been to
improve construction safety by making the working
environment safer before construction begins.
The United Kingdom and Australia are two countries that have aggressively taken the lead to
regulate and implement Safety in Design. They have
enacted laws, rules, and regulations that require
the designer to proactively design for safety, and in
developing best practices models for designers to
use to incorporate into design. For example, in Australia, health and safety law and supporting guidelines for industry practice have been established,
requiring designers to ensure health and safety in
design and construction of buildings, facilities, and
infrastructure. Professionals in design, and others including the owner, and the developer, are all
under the jurisdiction of Australia’s Occupational
Health and Safety Laws. The laws require a process
of interaction between designers and the end users,
manufacturers, suppliers, and contractors.
In the UK, the Construction Design and Management Regulations of 2007 (CDM) require every
designer preparing a design for construction to
“avoid foreseeable risks to the health and safety”
of workers on construction projects. Designers are
required to incorporate regulatory requirements
that address hazards created by design when a
construction process is being specified and provide
safer alternatives. In order to do this, UK designers
must identify prohibited practices, such as the lifting of loads over a large radius, or painting steelwork on site, exposing workers to toxic vapors.
Designers are also required to assist contractors in
meeting safety requirements through safety policies. These include, for example, the provision of
holes in steelwork to anchor lanyards, lifting points
in precast or preassembled panels, and use of lightweight blocks. Despite these successes in the UK,
there has been resistance to compliance. Certainly
the added cost associated with compliance and the
need to cut costs and meet schedules is one reason
for this. Also the Health and Safety Executive (HSE),
which is similar in many respects to Occupational
Safety and Health Administration, has been underfunded to enforce these requirements. A rise in
fatalities in the UK from 2005/2006 to the following
year and inspections by the HSE that identify non
compliance in one of three work sites inspected
indicate that even abroad, Safety in Design has
more distance to travel.
The implementation of Safety in Design is likely to
be a part of the evolution of the construction industry in the United States. Much like the embracing of
Green Construction, which has taken many years to
take hold, Safety in Design is a concept whose time
has come.
A review of the literature on the subject of Safety in Design
shows that there are only a handful of design firms that will
even take credit for performing Safety in Design functions. As
costs of litigation and liability insurance increase, along with
the concern for construction worker safety, there is recognition
that improved safety can improve worker productivity and the
quality of construction. Why the resistance? The current notion
is that liability should remain in the province of the general
contractor. The general contractor is rewarded for the risks it
takes. The design community fears that the embrace of Safety
in Design will increase their professional liability. There is great
reluctance for American architects and engineers to interfere
with, recommend or suggest construction means and methods
to contractors, and great reluctance by contractors to accept
them. This is because it goes against the culture, custom, and
norms of the practice of construction in the United States.
“Safety in Design is highly complementary to Green
Design principles. Both concepts speak to a choice
of processes in engineering and architectural design
that lead to safer and healthier environments.”
The construction contract documents published by the industry
and used by owners, and even the OSHA regulations, reinforce
the notion that safety is squarely in the province of the general contractor and not the designer. OSHA clearly establishes
the role of contractors in providing safe work conditions and
practicing OSHA standards. A review of OSHA regulations show
that OSHA standards addressed such operations as scaffolding, material hoists, hazardous locations, cranes and derricks,
and protective systems, but defined the role of the professional
engineer as an inspector or designer for the contractor, providing no role to perform prevention through design services
before the start of construction.
There are encouraging signs that Safety in Design is beginning
to take root in the United States. For example, the American
Society of Civil Engineers has entered into discussions with
OSHA to improve construction worker safety, which could
directly involve design engineers in the process at a future
time. A key initiative is to develop model safety programs that
can be used by engineers and architects in their designs, such
as already exist in the UK and elsewhere.
The U.S. Department of Energy has taken concrete steps to
incorporate safety into the design phase for nuclear power
plant facilities. For example, a project at Los Alamos serves
as a model for Safety in Design. During the design of a recent
project for a chemistry and metallurgy research facility, many
aspects of safety were integrated into the design phase. This
was done by identifying and addressing safety issues on a daily
basis through the interface of designers and safety professionals, and further supplemented by monthly formal design meetings and safety committee meetings for review and debate of
issues identified and means to resolve them.
Another DOE project undertaken by the Washington Group
International (now the Washington Division of URS Corporation) that serves as a model was a design build project for an
advanced mixed waste processing facility. A core mission was
to integrate safety input into the design, engineering, and
planning stages of the project. The firm believed that designing
for safety in the engineering phase would have a great impact
on safety during construction of the project and later on in the
operation of the facility. Thus, safety measures were built into
the design, construction, operations, and future decommissioning and demolition stages. A formal process was developed
to identify ideas that would enhance safety. Design managers
incorporated safety concepts early in the design. These inputs
were reviewed for their appropriateness and effectiveness by
other team members. During construction, design took into
account hazards of electric shock, confined space, fire, toxic
substances, vehicle traffic, falls, and rigging for heavy lifts. On
the operational side, some of the Safety in Design measures
included the design of a waste handling system that would be
remotely handled by operators.
Safety in Design cannot be successfully implemented without
the participation of the Construction Manager. When we think
about constructability reviews we associate these reviews with
the incorporation of our knowledge and expertise in practical
construction methods and incorporating this into the design
process. The goal is to produce a project that is cost effective
and buildable. Why not take this to another level by incorporating design and constructability review for safety?
CMAdvisor July/August
By Alexander M. Palumbo, CCM, THE HIRANI GROUP
Safety in Design is highly complementary to Green Design
principles. Both concepts speak to a choice of processes in
engineering and architectural design that lead to safer and
healthier environments. The Green Design movement has been
slow in its implementation but is now gaining momentum.
Similarly, Safety in Design has gotten off to a slow start, but
there are signs that the movement is growing. It stands to
reason, because Safety in Design not only reduces accidents
and illnesses, but is cost effective. In the United States, Safety
in Design is in the early stages.
17
Safety In Design Practices:
Comparison Between The U.S. And Abroad
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE CORNER
This does not only mean ensuring that design documents
address the permanent facility’s safe operation, but also
allows for construction site safety to begin at the start of construction for the protection of the trades, general public, and
other parties in proximity of construction sites. The following
constructability safety review criteria simply illustrate how
constructability review by Construction Managers can incorporate a review for safety during construction:
• Ensure that the design provides for tie-off points for
attaching lanyards and other fall protection devices.
• Ensure that the floor perimeter beams and beams above
floor openings are designed to support lanyards.
• Ensure that the contract drawings identify which beams are
designed to support lanyards, how many lanyards, and at
what locations along the beams.
• Ensure that permanent guardrails are designed to be
installed around skylights.
• Recommend domed, rather than flat, skylights with shatterproof glass or strengthening wires.
• Recommend design of skylights to be installed on a raised
curb.
We are slowly beginning to embrace Safety in Design. The
embrace of safety has taken time, but just think of the strides
that have been made since the early 20th Century. When the
Hoover Dam was constructed, more than 120 workers were
killed, and this was an acceptable cost of construction. When
the Verrazano Narrows Bridge was being constructed, there
were no safety nets until three workers fell to their deaths and
a work stoppage forced change. There is growing evidence that
the domestic construction industry is becoming more aware
and more receptive to safety and health requirements on the
job. This awareness is not only motivated by the concern for
the well being of the construction workforce. Increasing costs
associated with accidents and illnesses, lost productivity, and
legal liability have combined to increase awareness.
Expertise. Technology. Results.
CAPITAL BUDGETING
AND PROGRAMMING
SUSTAINABLE PLANNING
AND DESIGN
PROGRAM AND
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
Alexander M. Palumbo, CCM is senior vice
president and principal for construction
management, construction inspection,
health and safety management and
general contracting services comprising
the HIRANI CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
DIVISION. He can be reached at
apalumbo@hiranigroup.com.
CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT
www.mocasystems.com
• Recommend that upper story windows be designed to be at
least 1.07 m (42 in.) above the floor level, and that the window sills act as guardrails during construction.
• Recommend design of roof parapets at 1.07 m (42 in.) high to
eliminate the need for additional guardrails.
Program Management - Constructibility Review - Construction Inspection
Cost Estimating - Commissioning - CPM Scheduling - Risk Management - Training
WWW.MBPCE.COM
800-898-9088
CMAdvisor July/August
COMPREHENSIVE CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SERVICES
19
18
CMAdvisor July/August
• Recommend design of building components that can be
prefabricated and installed as assemblies rather than as
individual pieces at height.
While not extensively addressing the protection of trade
secrets, Article 43 does provide that a “business secret” learned
in concluding a contract not be disclosed or unfairly used, and
establishes liability for damages caused by the use or disclosure
of the business secret if such use or disclosure causes the other
party loss.
By Christian A. Carrillo, Esq., Morris Polich & Purdy LLP
A Construction Manager should also be aware of the circumstances under which Chinese law renders a contract null and
void. This occurs when the contract is obtained through the use
of fraud or collusion with the intent of damaging the interests
of the State or a third party, the contract is damaging to the
public interests, or the contract violates laws or administrative regulations. A party also has the right to request that the
people’s court modify or revoke contracts that are concluded
as a result of a “serious misunderstanding” or were “obviously
unfair at the time of concluding the contract.” However, a party
should be aware that seeking modification waives the right to
revocation.
In today’s globalized economy, overseas construction projects present opportunities for exciting and
prosperous work. But perils exist when unfamiliar
laws govern the projects. When involved with foreign construction projects, a construction manager
must be familiar with the effect of local contract
laws.
labor usage), its traditional focus is almost solely on,
for example, “the agreement to do or not to do a
certain thing.” See, e.g., CAL. CIV. CODE § 1549. Chinese law’s explicit focus on the collective is alien to
Anglo-American law, and creates a backdrop where
the welfare of society, as defined by the State,
looms over every contract.
China, with its massive construction projects,
remains a magnet for American investment, but
Chinese contract laws, while superficially similar,
are different in important ways from Anglo-American traditions. Awareness of these similarities and
differences is essential for a Construction Manager
to fulfill his or her duties for the client.
This broad, social welfare-based focus continues
beyond Article 1, with the general provisions of
the 1999 Act specifying that “[n]either party may
disrupt the socio-economic order or damage the
public interests.” The 1999 Act then shifts to more
traditional contract concerns, such as requiring the
parties to be of equal footing, act in good faith,
abide by the laws and administrative regulations,
and observe social ethics.
Prior to 1999, China’s contract law was quite rigid,
emphasizing the centralized, planned economy’s
“public interests” and severely restricting the autonomy of the parties to a contract. The 1999 Act radically altered that balance away from the collective
and toward the free marketplace and the individual
parties within it, emphasizing freedom of contract,
restricting government interference, and increasing
the contractual freedom of the parties. The 1999
Act also tries to “codify,” or establish by statute, specific rules and provisions which are often unwritten
in Anglo-American jurisprudence because they have
developed over hundreds of years of judicial decisions (the “common law”). Despite these marketfriendly improvements, the former focus on the
State occasionally reemerges.
Article 1 of the 1999 Act is such a throwback to
earlier Chinese law, establishing the purpose of Chinese contract law as “protecting the lawful rights
and interests of the parties to contracts, maintaining the social economic order, and promoting the
progress of the socialist modernization drive.” While
Anglo-American contract law may void or otherwise
alter contracts due to public policy (such as child
A construction manager should be aware that
Article 12 requires contracts to contain specific
clauses with precise information. That information
includes: The title or name and domicile of the parties; the contract’s object; quantity; quality; price
or remuneration; time limit, place and method of
performance; and liability for breach of contract and
methods to settle disputes.
Most American contracts contain “boilerplate”
provisions, which are critical as they typically govern
such things as dispute resolution, claims administration, and the various rights and duties of each
party. The 1999 Act defines these as “standard
terms”—clauses prepared in advance for general or
repeated use by one party and which are not negotiated with the other party. If a dispute arises over
the meaning of the contract’s standard terms, those
terms are interpreted according to “general understanding” and are construed against the terms’
supplier. (This is somewhat akin to the common
law rule that ambiguities are construed against the
drafter.)
Consistent with its “codification” approach, Chinese law
attempts to resolve contract ambiguities in advance. In the performance of contracts which contain unclear quality requirements, the State standards or trade standards shall apply.
Similarly, when the price or remuneration is unclear, the market
price of the place of performance at the time the contract was
concluded is applied. If the place of performance is unclear and
the payment is currency, the place of performance is the location of the party receiving payment. In the case of government
contracts, the 1999 Act is state-friendly: If delivery under the
contract is delayed and the price has dropped, the new price is
adopted; if the price has risen, the original price remains valid.
Other provisions important to Construction Managers include
the circumstances, liabilities, and remedies for breach of contract. Article 114 is, essentially, a liquidated damages provision,
stating that a contract’s parties may establish, in advance, a
certain amount of contract damages for a breach, or a formula
for calculating damages. The amount agreed upon may, however, be adjusted, at any party’s request to the people’s court or
to an arbitration panel.
With international projects, contracts may be in two languages.
Chinese law provides that “where two or more languages
are adopted in the text of a contract, both texts are equally
authentic.” When the terms and expressions are inconsistent
between the texts of different languages, a contract will be
interpreted in a manner consistent with the contract’s purpose.
Chapter 16 of the 1999 Act governs contracts for construction
projects. Some notable provisions include a requirement that
construction projects be in written form. Article 275 requires
construction contracts to contain clauses establishing, among
other things, the construction’s scope, the time period, the cost,
and quality.
Also required in the construction contract are provisions
addressing the deadline for submitting technical data, the
responsibility for supplying materials and equipment, allocating funds and settling accounts, and the mutual cooperation of the parties. And Article 276 governs “supervision” of a
construction project, requiring that the “contract letting party
shall enter into a written supervision commission contract
with a supervisor.” The Act allows the contract letting party, the
general contractor, or the contractors for the survey, design, or
construction to assign part of the contracted work to a third
party, who becomes jointly and severally liable. The subcontractors may not sublet that work again.
“Chinese law’s explicit focus on the collective is alien to
Anglo-American law, and creates a backdrop where the
welfare of society, as defined by the State, looms over
every contract.”
International projects can be profitable, exciting and dynamic.
But awareness of the local laws’ effects on the projects’ contracts is essential so that problems, which can ultimately entail
litigation in distant jurisdictions, are avoided. As can be seen
from Chinese law, even superficial similarities can obscure differences of which one must be aware so that projects can be
built without problems or delays. A clear understanding of local
contract law, with clear contracts at the beginning of a project,
will help ensure a smooth and prosperous construction experience.
Christian A. Carrillo is an associate with the
Los Angeles office of Morris Polich & Purdy
LLP. He has represented owners, general
contractors, and construction managers in
complex, contractual litigation, and also
litigates delay and defect claims. Carrillo also
litigates commercial actions involving trade
secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and false
advertising, and has extensive experience
with actions brought under the False Claims Act and in
administrative proceedings brought by public entities. He can
be reached at CCarrillo@mpplaw.com.
CMAdvisor July/August
Avoiding Peril Abroad: Understanding
Foreign Contract Law Will Help Avoid
Later Project Difficulties
21
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CMAdvisor July/August
LEGAL CORNER
NEWS
To gain a broader understanding about the state
of global Construction Management and how to
promote worldwide standards of practice, the UK’s
Chartered Institute of Building Chief Executive Chris
Blythe shares his thoughts with CMAA President
and CEO Bruce D’Agostino, CAE, FCMAA during a
recent CMAA Radio interview.
CIOB serves more than 42,000 member owners,
consultants, contractors, and specialists in regulation, research, and education.
The CIOB recognizes the growing need for a professional and cohesive CM discipline, but according to
Blythe the UK deals with a stigma that construction
is dangerous and opportunistic. Professionalism, in
his opinion, must begin with customers and associates and carry through with a high level of competence and skill.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done to bring the
industry up to speed to a global concept,” he says.
“We live in a world of cultural diversity; acting in
a reliable and trustworthy manner is a common
courtesy, and that in the end is the key to success or
failure.”
Blythe points to the significant differences in the
approach, methodology, and technique in Construction Management practiced in the States compared
to other parts of the world. The CIOB first published
its code of practice in 1992—now in its fourth
edition—and offers the MCIOB and FCIOB professional designations, similar to CMAA’s Standards of
Practice curriculum and the CCM respectively.
“If we can achieve uniformity and standardization without compromising our core strengths and
values, CM as a service industry has much to offer in
the coming years,” Blythe says. “I would like to see
more convergence between what CIOB and CMAA
are doing rather than looking at separate streams of
activities.”
The CIOB and its partners are working with the
European Union to develop a consistent set of
documents on such areas as value management
and public-private partnerships that may be used
as a reference across the EU. Blythe concludes that,
“It’s our public duty to share with everybody who’s
interested.”
LISTEN NOW to more on ideas
to promote wider adoption of
best practices and other key
CIOB initiatives
22
CMAdvisor July/August
ENR Highlights CM Certification, CMAA
The June 14 cover story published in Engineering News–Record,
“Seeking New Directions By Raising the Bar on CM,” examined how
CM certification through CMCI has elevated the practice standards
industry-wide.
Vanir Construction Management Inc. President and CEO Mansour
Aliabadi has been a long-time advocate in establishing and expanding a certification standard, stating “If we don’t create a measurement, someone else will.”
Vanir Group Chair Dorene Dominquez went even further, saying
“Vanir’s success is directly attributable to the professional development of our dedicated construction management staff, including our
commitment to the certification program.” Read the story here.
The ENR issue also features the annual list of top 100 professional
services firms. Find the archive on ENR’s Web site.
CMAA Announces Nominees
for Board of Directors
More than a dozen leading CM firms now rely on online Standards of Practice training from CMAA to enhance and maintain
the skills of thousands of practitioners at all levels throughout
their organizations.
The Nominating Committee, led by Immediate Past Chair Tom
Bishop, PE, has developed a slate of nominees for the 20102011 CMAA Board of Directors.
CMAA is preparing to add four new modules to the online curriculum, reflecting the new content added to the 2010 edition
of Construction Management Standards of Practice. These
modules will address Program Management, Risk Management, BIM, and Sustainability.
The current library of eight modules, totaling more than 16
hours of expert instruction, is available either as single programs, as a complete eight-course curriculum, or as a license
enabling an organization to deliver unlimited training through
its own network to its entire staff.
“Licensing SOP training from CMAA is a sound strategy for
assuring a uniformly high level of knowledge and skill among
all of our practitioners,” says Dave Conover, CCM, vice president
at HDR, Inc. “It is a significant plus for us to be able to assure
clients that our entire team is thoroughly familiar with the
Standards of Practice.”
URS Corporation’s director of training and development, Allyn
Bader Barclay, calls the CMAA modules “important not only for
their immediate training value but also as a clear pathway to
the eventual goal of earning the Certified Construction Manager
credential.” URS already has more than 30 CCMs on its staff.
At MWH Global, Joseph Sesil reports that CMAA’s SOP training
has been enthusiastically received throughout the company.
“Like other large organizations, we are challenged to deliver
timely, standardized training to professionals at all levels, and
CMAA’s self-paced online tools are a powerful, flexible solution.”
In addition to those who have taken courses under MWH’s
license, nearly 1,000 company employees have enrolled in
individual modules directly through CMAA. HNTB, with more
than 550 enrollees, and Hill International, with more than 400,
are other large-scale users of the SOP online modules.
Thirteen organizations have licensed the full SOP curriculum
from CMAA: ARCADIS, HDR, Heery International, Hill
International, HNTB, the city of Indianapolis, Jacobs, MWH,
Parsons, PB, PBS&J, RK&K, and URS. For information about
licensing, contact Dennis Doran, CMAA VP/Professional
Development.
The Committee considered both current directors seeking
additional terms and more than 20 nominees for three seats
becoming vacant this October. The slate of nominees is:
Officers
Past Chair:
Gary Cardamone, PE, Port of Long Beach, Ca
Chair:
Dave Conover, CCM, HDR, Inc.
Chair-Elect:
Ron Price, CCM, PB
Secretary-Treasurer:
Mike Potter, PE, CCM, RKK
Vice Chairs:
Judith Kunoff, AIA, CCM, New York City Transit
Sam Sleiman, PE, CCM, Massachusetts Port Authority
Bill Heitz, CCM, Heery International
Ray Brady, CCM, MWH
Nominees for Re-election as Directors
Robert Bennett, PE, Rabco
William Heitz, CCM, Heery
Rebecca Jones, Safework
Judith Kunoff, AIA, CCM, New York City Transit
Ron Price, CCM, PB
Melissa Robins-Cesar, CCM, Tishman
Nominees for First-Time Election as Directors
Mark Ballard, AECOM
Doug Hyde, PE, Jacobs
Chris Payne, CCM, McDonough Bolyard Peck
The Board election will be conducted online during the weeks
leading up to CMAA’s Annual Meeting on Sunday, October 3 in
San Diego.
CMAdvisor July/August
Consistency, standardization, and uniformity, with
special emphasis on professionalism, are the key
issues standing in the way of utilizing the full
potential of collective resources for international
Construction Management practice.
Online SOP Training Reaching Thousands
Throughout Industry
23
CMAA Radio Interview: Inside Look at Global Perspective
Capital Campaign
Continues to Grow
Thank You, Foundation Donors!
ANSI Extends CMCI Accreditation
Congratulations to Our Newest CCMs!
Visionary: $5,000 per year
Hill International
The CMAA Foundation’s Capital Campaign,
“Construction Managers Building for the
Future,” continues to progress toward
our goal of a half million endowment.
We’ve recently been able to open an
investment account with a substantial
initial deposit, and we expect to be
adding to this account regularly as we
receive new contributions and fulfillments of multi-year pledges.
Arcadis/PinnacleOne
Hoar Program Management
CH2M Hill
Joe McAtee, FCMAA
The Personnel Certification Accreditation Committee of the
American National Standards Institute voted in June to extend
CMCI’s accreditation for an additional year.
Nadir Al-Salam
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Herndon, VA
Jarad Kriz
FTI Consulting, Inc.
Rockville, MD
Keville Enterprises, Inc.
Michael J. Baker, Jr., Inc.
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Parsons
Pedro Astudillo
American Infrastructure
Chantilly, VA
Nicholas Macy
ARCADIS, Inc.
Middletown, CT
PBS&J
PSOMAS
The CCM program is accredited by ANSI under the International Organization for Standardization’s ISO 17024. Driven
by increasing owner recognition and preference for CCMs, the
program has been gaining momentum throughout 2010.
Christopher Reseigh, FCMAA
Ken Rice
Jody Mac Booth
Heery International, Inc.
Atlanta, GA
Alexander Main
Pacifica Services
Pasadena, CA
URS
Donald Russell, FCMAA, CCM
Richard Gangloff
Department of
Homeland Security
Glynco, GA
Conan James Mathson
AECOM
Los Angeles, CA
Even at today’s low rates of investment
return, earnings on this endowment will
be enough to support several scholarships. And the more we can build the
fund, the most we can do.
CMAdvisor July/August
Please think about all the ways you can
contribute today to the profession’s
success tomorrow.
SGI Construction Management
Champion: $2,000 per year
STV
HNTB, Inc.
Urban Engineers, Inc.
Chuck Kluenker, FCMAA
CMAA New England
Regional Chapter
CMAA South Central
Texas Chapter
McDonough Bolyard Peck
Summit Associates
Vanir Construction
Management, Inc.
Mentor: $500 per year
Bond Brothers, Inc.
C&S Design
CMAA NY/NJ Chapter
CMAA Mid-Atlantic Chapter
DeMatteis International
Group
Dick Corporation
Leader: $1,000 per year
GREYHAWK
Mansour Aliabadi,
FCMAA, CCM
HDR
APSI Construction
Management
James Mitchell, CCM
Brookwood Program
Management
Project Mediation
Jacobs Engineering Group
D.J. Mason, P.E.
CMAA Chicago Chapter
Quintessential LLC
CMAA San Diego Chapter
RK&K
CMAA Southern
California Chapter
Rockmore Contracting
Corporation
Fred Kreitzberg, P.E. of the
Kreitzberg Family Foundation
Swinerton Management
& Consulting
Hazen & Sawyer
In January, the first of four free CCM application webinars was
launched and drew 80 registered sites; each “site” was authorized to include unlimited individuals.
Participants listened in and asked questions pertaining to the
CCM application and CMCI’s process of becoming certified. The
second of these quarterly webinars was launched in April and
consisted of 215 sites registered!
Certification is also pulling visitors to CMCI’s website pages.
For example, for a 30-day period ending in mid-June, total page
views for basic CMCI page 175 percent higher than for the
same period in 2009—1,301 page views compared to 473. The
Certification-Process page was up 97 percent, and the exam
sites page was up 18 percent.
Gilberto Garcia
County of Los Angeles
Alhambra, CA
Cass Hatcher
Macon Housing Authority
Macon, GA
The CMCI home page is the third most active entry page on
CMAA’s website—that is, ranked by the number of visitors who
entered the CMAA site through cmaanet.org/cmci.
Joanna Heinrich
Barnhart, Inc.
San Diego, CA
Many site visitors reach CMCI through search engines like
Google. In the sample 30-day period, 402 people found CMCI
by searching on “certified construction manager.” This number
a year ago was 225. That’s 79 percent growth in a year. Other
keyword combinations also showed growth:
Jeffery Jones
Turner Construction
Company
Anaheim, CA
• “CMAA certification” went from 125 to 190, a gain of +52%
• “Construction management certification,” 91 to 155, or +70%
Jeffrey Kramer
ARCADIS, Inc.
Tempe, AZ
Daniel Maxwell
Adams Management Services
Rome, GA
Haider Arif Naqvi
ARCADIS, Inc.
Highland Ranch, CO
Michael Porter
CH2M Hill
Boise, ID
Todd Scholtz
McDonough Bolyard Peck, Inc.
Columbia, MD
Teodorico Sierra
Los Angeles Unified
School District
Los Angeles, CA
• “CMCI,” from 76 to 143, or +88%
Click here to view the latest issue of the CMCI Contact
newsletter!
CMAdvisor July/August
The great thing about this campaign is
that it doesn’t rely on a small number of
large gifts. In fact, the Capital Campaign
would thrive if everyone committed to
just a few dollars each year—$10 or $20
per member per year over the next several years will help create a very significant financial base for the Foundation.
24
CERTIFICATION
25
FOUNDATION
ROUNDUP
Louisiana’s Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration awarded The Shaw Group Inc. the job as project
manager on a $360-million project to construct
berms along coastal barrier islands to stop the invasion of oil from the BP spill on delicate marshes.
Within 24 hours of signing the contract, Baton
Rouge-based Shaw had two bucket dredges on their
way to begin moving sand.
The state signed emergency permits for the work
late June 2, after it was announced that BP would
fund the project as a necessary emergency measure
resulting from the Deepwater Horizon spill.
“If we got a contract yesterday, and today we are
actually out soliciting prices on dredging, I think
that demonstrates that we are mobilizing very
quickly,” says Charlie Hess, vice president of Shaw
Environmental & Infrastructure.
26
CMAdvisor July/August
GSA Selects MBP Joint Venture for
Repair and Alteration Projects
McDonough Bolyard Peck, Inc. has announced that
the General Services Administration Mid-Atlantic
Region 3 has selected an MBP joint venture to
provide construction management (CM) services
for various repair and alteration (R&A) projects in
the Allegheny service area. This is one of several
task orders under a previously awarded $25 million Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ)
contract. These projects are partially funded by the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
MBP will be managing construction to ensure that
these projects are on schedule, in conformance with
the contract requirements, and of the highest quality
of work. At least one of the projects will include CM
services for the Facade Restoration Project at the
Edward N. Cahn Federal Building in Allentown, PA.
MOCA Systems awarded PM
Contract for Salt Lake City’s
new Public Safety Building
Early in 2010 the Salt Lake City Corporation awarded
MOCA Systems a three-year Owner’s Project Management contract for the design and construction of
the $125 million Public Safety Building. The project
is funded under a bond issue approved by voters
last November.
The City plans to make the sustainable civic campus
one of the great places in Salt Lake City. MOCA is
using an integrated project delivery (IPD) approach
to gain the benefits of the collaborative process and
improve the likelihood that the team will deliver a
high quality facility that meets all the owner’s goals.
The design contract has been awarded to GSBS
Architects and McClaren, Wilson & Lawrie (GSBS/
MWL). The CM at Risk contract is expected to be
awarded this summer.
MOCA is also using innovative technology to
improve performance—a collaborative PMIS called
MOCAManage for integration of team members, a
construction simulation system called MOCABuild
to control cost and schedule, and BIM to improve
efficiencies.
Stantec Overseeing
Five-Year FTA Contract
Stantec Consulting has been assigned Project
Management oversight of a five-year, task-order
contract, valued up to $13.8 million, for the U.S.
Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit
Administration.
Stantec’s initial projects for the federal contract
include enhancements to the New Orleans Regional
Transit Authority’s Canal Street Car program; the
Fort Worth Transportation Authority’s Southwest
Northeast Commuter Rail program; and Austin Capital Metro Transportation Authority for its Bus Rapid
Turner Selected for Columbus
Convention Center Hotel
Turner Construction Company will provide pre-construction and Construction
Management services for the $92 million Columbus, OH Convention Center
Hotel. Turner is partnering with Smoot
Construction to complete the LEED®
Silver 532-room hotel with conference
and dining facilities and a fitness center
in 2012.
KBR’s Building Group Is CM on
DuPont Campus Expansion
Alpha Corp. to Serve as CM on
Independence Hall Tower Repair
KBR’s Building Group has been awarded a
multimillion dollar Construction Management contract for the initial phase
expansion of DuPont’s Wilmington, DE
headquarters campus. The scope of work
on the five-story, 222,000-square-foot
office building includes utilities, parking
and walking paths, a new picnic pavilion
and an 18,000 square-foot cafeteria. With
a goal of LEED® Gold, the project is slated
for completion by December 2011.
Alpha Corporation will provide Construction Management services for the
rehabilitation/repair of the historic Independence Hall Tower, which once housed
the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, PA. Built
in 1828 to replace the original tower from
1750, the Colonial Revival tower project
includes preventing further deterioration
as a result of water damage; replacing
and refurbishing selected deteriorated
elements of the roof, wood siding, decorative wood elements, balusters and the
tower’s copper urns; and installing a new
lighting protection system.
The contract includes construction of
bridge to the Greater Columbus Convention Center, vehicle ramp to the parking
garage, and pedestrian entrance to the
garage. A 33 percent reduction in energy/
carbon usage, dual-flush toilets and
low-flow fixtures, bicycle storage and
changing rooms, and individual occupant
lighting are some of the green features
being incorporated in the project.
Jim Myers, 40-Year
Veteran at LBG, Dies
James S. Myers, retired senior engineer
and 40-year employee of The Louis
Berger Group, died in May. Myers managed some of LBG’s most challenging
road and bridge assignments in the
developing world, from Afghanistan and
Bangladesh to Cambodia and Ethiopia.
His appointment as chief of party for the
U.S. Agency for International Development’s Kabul to Kandahar Highway project resulted in Afghan President Hamid
Karzai awarding him a High State Prize for
his contributions to the country. The road
project was also named “International
Project of the Year” by CMAA in 2004.
Balfour Beatty Contracted for New LEED® Gold NPR Headquarters
Balfour Beatty Construction will provide preconstruction services and manage
construction for National Public Radio’s new 330,000-square-foot headquarters
in a Washington, DC business improvement district. Designed to meet LEED®
Gold specifications incorporating recycled and sustainable materials and energyefficient, green technologies, the project scope includes selective demolition and
restoration of the existing warehouse building onsite, which will connect to a new
structure with three below-grade levels and office and studio space occupying
seven above-grade levels.
Other features of the building, expected to be completed at the end of 2012, are
origination centers, self-operated production studios, a 10,000-square-foot data
center and technology core, a 100,000-square-foot open-concept newsroom, a
250-person capacity theater/production venue for live performances and events,
meeting and training rooms, an employee lounge, roof terraces, and a fitness center.
CMAdvisor July/August
Shaw Awarded Barrier Island
Work Funded by BP
Transit program. Stantec is responsible
for reviewing, auditing, monitoring, and
reporting to FTA leadership on progress
with plan implementation while ensuring capital programs are adequately
staffed and executed.
27
Member News
ROUNDUP
28
CMAdvisor July/August
Founded in 1981, The LPA Group has
more than 35 offices across the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of
the U.S., as well as Southern California,
providing comprehensive engineering,
architectural, planning, environmental,
program management, design-build,
and construction management and
inspection services for the development
of aviation and surface transportation
projects. Its revenue in 2009 was approximately $93 million.
In making the announcement, Baker’s
president and chief executive officer,
Brad Mallory, said, “LPA is an outstanding company with a very talented team
of professional and technical employees.
Its prominence in the Southeast, and
particularly in the Carolinas, Georgia,
and Florida, greatly expands Baker’s
presence in that region of the country,
which is a key objective of our growth
strategy.” He added that the merging of
both firms’ Aviation practices “puts us in
the Top 10 providers of these engineering and architecture services.”
UCONN Picks Urban
Urban Engineers was awarded a contract
from the University of Connecticut for
Claims, Scheduling, and Construction/
Design Review Consultant Services.
One of seven firms selected by UCONN,
Urban will provide consulting services
for claims investigations, analyses, and
reviews, and litigation support for the
next three years.
Hill International Wins Two
Major Contracts from NYC Parks
Hill International has been awarded two
major contracts by the New York City
Department of Parks & Recreation (DPR).
The two contracts, which have a total
estimated value to Hill of approximately
$10 million, include:
• A $6 million contract to provide
construction project management
services in connection with major construction and reconstruction projects
totaling $100 million in value; and
• A $4 million contract to provide asneeded construction project management services in connection with
various construction and reconstruction projects of less than $3 million in
value.
“We are very excited about being
awarded these contracts by DPR,” said D.
Clarke Pile, PE, Hill’s senior vice president
and New York Regional Manager. “We
look forward to helping them continue
to improve the quality of the city’s parks
and recreational facilities,” Pile added.
Chapter News
Mid-Atlantic Chapter
The Chapter held its Annual Awards Banquet in June. Approximately 100 people
attended the event at the prestigious
Union League of Philadelphia. During
the evening, 10 projects from seven
different firms were recognized and two
students, one from the University of
Delaware and one from the College of
New Jersey, were honored. A Person of
the Year award was instituted with the
first presentation made to Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. It was a great
evening and another successful event for
the Chapter.
Three Rivers Chapter
The first half of 2010 has been very busy
for members of the Three Rivers Chapter. Recently, members attended tours
of two exciting ongoing projects in the
Pittsburgh area. In February, 20 members toured the Consol Energy Center,
new home to the Stanley Cup Champion
Pittsburgh Penguins.
The tour was conducted by the project
Construction Manager P. J. Dick Corporation. The project was about 70 percent
complete at the time of the tour and
is expected to host the first event in
August 2010. After the tour, a social
gathering was held at the Steel Head
Grill sponsored by Pepper Hamilton LLP.
The second event, a tour of the $190
million Allegheny River Bridge project,
was held in May and hosted by the
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and
project Construction Manager McTish,
Kunkel and Associates. The twin span,
cast-in-place concrete segmental bridge
spanning the Allegheny River in Allegheny County, PA, was traversed by 10
members, inside and out. Scheduled to
be completed at the end of 2010, the
project is the first of its kind in western
PA. Afterwards, a social gathering, sponsored by Michael Baker, Jr. Inc., was held
at Joey D’s restaurant.
Northern California Chapter
The Northern California Chapter hosted
its Annual Scholarship & Awards Gala
in April at the historic City Club of San
Francisco. More than 100 guests turned
out to celebrate the award of scholarships to students from Northern California schools. Additionally, the chapter
honored four outstanding projects completed in the last year. For the first time,
the Northern California Chapter honored
a Person of the Year.
Evening featured speaker Elizabeth O’Reilly from Pennsylvania Department of General
Services, here flanked by Mike Griffin, Hill International, and Chapter President Chuck
Romanoli, CCM, GREYHAWK.
Because of fundraising and generous
contributions to the Chapter scholarship
program, the Chapter was able to award
$15,000 in scholarships to 10 deserving
students. The scholarship winners were
from Chico State, Sacramento State,
Stanford University, and University of
California-Berkeley.
This year, the Chapter honored diverse
projects for Construction Management
excellence including Project of the Year
for Projects More Than $20 Million,
Infrastructure Project Less Than $20
Million, Infrastructure Project More Than
$20 Million, and Innovative Use of BIM
Technology. One of the highlights of the
evening included the presentation of
Person of the Year to CMAA member Ron
Price, CCM. Ron has been a stalwart supporter of CMAA for many years, and has
generously given his time, intellect, and
thoughtful guidance to our Chapter as
well as the national organization.
Three Rivers Chapter members toured the Allegheny River Bridge project.
CMAdvisor July/August
Michael Baker Corporation has acquired
The LPA Group, Incorporated (LPA), a
475-person transportation consulting
firm based in Columbia, South Carolina.
LPA significantly expands Baker’s presence in the Southeastern U.S. transportation infrastructure market, and broadens
the company’s already strong capabilities
in the planning, design, program management and construction management
of projects in the aviation, highway,
bridge, and rail and transit markets.
Urban will perform litigation support
consulting services for construction
claims made against the University for
liability and cost damages. This contract
also includes provisions for additional
consulting services for review and analysis
of construction progress schedules,
contract change orders, and contractor
requests or claims for extra work, impacts,
or asserted changes. Urban could also
provide expert testimony and participate
in dispute resolution forums, such as
mediation, arbitration, or litigation.
29
Baker Acquires The LPA Group
ROUNDUP
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Professional Development Calendar
The Power of CM
By Bruce D’Agostino, CAE, FCMAA
National Meetings
September 18, 25 & October 16, 2010
Davis, CA
Construction Industry Institute
Annual Conference
August 3–5
Orlando, FL
Webinars
National Conference & Trade Show
Thursday, August 12
October 3–5, 2010
Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel,
San Diego, CA
Becoming a Certified Construction Manager
Keys to Project Success Series
Thursday, August 19
CMAdvisor July/August
Session 5: What is Unabsorbed Home
Office Overhead?
Developing Effective
Construction Documents
Thursday, August 26
Session 2: Structural Steele and Building Envelope
Developing Effective
Construction Documents
Thursday, September 30
Session 3: Interior Architectural Trades & MEP
Refer a Friend to CMAA!
Do you have a colleague or client who
would benefit from CMAA membership?
Visit this link to send them a concise
message about CMAA. In the process, you’ll
be entered to win one of two valuable prizes:
• A free registration for CMAA’s National
Conference & Trade Show in San Diego.
• A free “VIP Pass” for any and all CMAA
online webinars for the rest of the year.
Every time you refer a friend, it’s another
entry, improving your chances to win.
Do it today!
We all believe in it, of course.
That’s why it was so exciting
and satisfying to see this
phrase in bold type on the
cover of the June 14 edition
of Engineering News–Record,
superimposed on a photo of
Mansour Aliabadi of Vanir
Construction Management.
Vanir was the focus of a four-page cover story that gave
strong and welcome emphasis to professional development
and certification. In fact, Mansour told the ENR writer
that CM certification “has elevated the discipline’s
image and boosted its impact.” What’s more, Vanir Chair
Dorene Dominguez noted that “Vanir’s success is directly
attributable to the professional development of our
dedicated CM staff, including our commitment to the
certification program.”
The feature article included a sidebar headlined “CM
Certification Rocks as a Competitive Edge.”
CMAA can promote CM and certification as energetically as
we want, but we can never equal the impact of a message
like Vanir’s. That message is simply this:
“Our company thrives because of our commitment to professionalism, as reflected in our dedication to certification. We
are reaping these benefits because owners want to work
with the best.”
Consider how much this statement really says. For example,
at CMAA we have often been faced with the lack of really
rigorous and well-controlled research to demonstrate
the value of having a professional CM on a project. We’ve
explored a variety of approaches to this need and come up
against high costs and great complexity.
But Vanir’s example may actually mean that a growing
number of owners are being convinced of CM’s power not by
reams of statistics but by the most persuasive evidence of all,
their own direct experience. Suppose that CMAA’s staff had
its entire “wish list” fulfilled and had vast sums to spend on
advertising and promotion and research. We could do a lot of
good, I’m confident…but what could we do that would equal
the impact on an owner of simple positive experience?
In the ENR profile, Mansour joked about how nervous
he was, preparing for the CCM exam alongside so many
younger Vanir employees. “I was worried that they would
get their certification and, after 30 years in the business,
I would fail,” he said.
He’s the CEO. Nobody was going to compel him to complete
the process. But Mansour understands leadership, and he
knew that a true commitment to certification had to be
evident right from the top of the company.
Mansour set the pace for Vanir CM, and the company has
become a leader for the entire industry.
“What could we do that would equal the impact on
an owner of simple positive experience?”
And what might be the result if everyone in our business
acted like Mansour and Vanir? What if every CM company
conveyed to owners its commitment to the CM Standards
of Practice, to ongoing professional development, and most
of all to CM certification? We’d have built a true marketing
juggernaut…and delivered thousands of high quality projects
and programs in the process.
Another highlight of the ENR feature was a photo from the
Brightwater Marine Outfall project, for which Vanir won a
Project Achievement Award last year…another instance of
CM excellence paying off.
Professionalism wins. It delivers successful projects for
owners and better bottom lines for service providers. It
creates a better functioning, more sustainable built environment. In short, professionalism in CM is good for everyone,
and more and more people are beginning to recognize this.
Congratulations to Vanir CM for an outstanding profile in
our industry’s top magazine…and thanks for setting such
an example for your colleagues.
CMAdvisor July/August
Northern California Standards
of Practice Course (SATURDAY COURSE)
31
30
See the full schedule of CMAA webinars.