Trailblazing Turn-Key Project Delivery Method Allows Public Owner to Benefit from Expanded Preconstruction Services While Minimizing its Risk

Following a trend set by private sector owners for several years, an increasing number of public owners nationwide are using alternative delivery methods to achieve quicker turnaround and greater efficiencies on their projects. In Northern California, DPR recently charted new territory with the county of Yuba by providing expanded construction and delivery services for the Yuba County Government Center, which was completed in January 2004.

By expanding its typical preconstruction services, DPR was able to expedite the schedule on this project, while reducing the owner’s financial exposure. DPR purchased an existing building, performed a complete redesign and reconstruction of the structure, and then transferred ownership of the property to the county once construction was complete. The 82,000-sq.-ft. facility located in Marysville, CA, now houses 13 county departments under one roof.

The use of alternative delivery methods for public projects is a trend that is increasingly seen nationwide, as a growing number of local, state and national agencies are beginning to take a more business savvy approach to stretch their limited dollars and look for more efficient ways to meet their facility needs. States such as Michigan, Illinois, Texas and Florida are employing strategies, ranging from hiring real estate service companies to help them sell parts of their portfolios or make more cogent leasing decisions to privatizing management of their properties to using private companies to perform turn-key project delivery of new facilities.

While Yuba County realized it could benefit from using an alternative project delivery method to get the project delivered on time and within budget, it knew not just any contractor would do. When DPR submitted a proposal in December of 2001 to become a service provider on the proposed government center project, the county recognized the opportunity and ran with it.

“DPR holds a fine reputation in the industry. We did due diligence and found that we were dealing with a significant and efficient project manager,” commented Yuba County’s Bob Menini. By project completion, that initial impression was confirmed. “Their ability to work around any unforeseen issues to come in under cost and schedule … was a tremendous accomplishment in project management,” Menini said. “Personally, I don’t know of any other firm that could have done it.”

Early on, DPR’s services included identifying and conducting cost comparisons on the alternative locations of the proposed center. DPR and the owner ultimately settled on the site of a former Montgomery Ward department store that had been vacant for three years. The company performed due-diligence on the site and teamed up with Calpo, Hom & Dong Architects to design/build the project. With its modern design elements and state-of-the art amenities, the final product bears little resemblance to its former use as a retail department store.

The design retained only the existing building façade, while incorporating an entirely new structural system and completely reconfigured interior. It features extensive natural lighting elements, state-of-the-art audio visual components and aesthetically pleasing color schemes throughout. Through careful management of the schedule and by bringing value added design and construction suggestions to the table, DPR was able to incorporate an additional $520,000 worth of added scope without raising the price of the building.

DPR Project Executive Neal Cordeiro credits the owner’s vision and willingness to be creative and open to a new project delivery approach as a major factor in the project’s ultimate success. “They were a great team member and allowed us to do something we had the skill set to do. By using this non-traditional delivery method, the county was able to receive the real value offered by our preconstruction services.” Not only was the fast-track schedule met, but the owner significantly reduced its liability with respect to budget and schedule overruns.

Yuba County’s Menini added, “We appreciated more than anything the continual and constant communication. We never heard ‘this is what the specs say’; many of the changes that occurred in the building were brought to us by DPR. Those suggestions made our home a better place.”