Design-Build Partnering
Let’s be honest – we are all busy. Multiple projects running simultaneously with new ones starting every day means change is one of the few constants in project management and engineering. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could continue to make progress on a challenging project without managing it on a daily basis? Our design-build partnering service helps our clients achieve exactly that.
Design-build partnering alleviates the burden of project management and technical challenges by:
- Focusing on projects that require technical design. This includes: power factor correction, lighting retrofits, heat trace and insulation, and hazard monitoring.
- Delivering projects of any size, but focusing on small and medium-sized projects.
- Assembling a team that can deliver electrical design and construction.
- Using engineering support to help local construction teams execute projects.
Using design-build partnering maximizes the project investment by:
- Reducing communication pathways and client project management time and cost
- Delivering a by-code, technically correct project that best fits the initial need for the project
- Making it “work” so the ROI can be realized instead of giving up on a technical investment that “won’t work”
Typically, a traditional project manager would need to procure engineering services, manage the bid and construction processes, and overcome technical challenges. With design-build partnering, our goal is to simplify the project. We do this by addressing technical challenges of design and construction within our design-build partnering team to deliver the solution.
An Ideal Design-Build Partnering Project
Power factor correction and investigation is an example of an ideal design-build partnering project. Tackling this type of work with the partnering mindset might look something like this:
- The client notices a surcharge on their utility bill for poor power factor and contacts Interstates for help.
- Interstates begins a design-build partnering project and takes ownership of the technical issue with the goal of solving the problem of the power factor penalty.
- Next, Interstates proceeds into the project and executes multiple steps to deliver a solution: Engineering studies for power factor correction and harmonics, concept design of correction solutions and pricing of the options, reviewing the concept with the client and choosing the preferred solution, detailed engineering and construction of the chosen solution, and startup of the system and validation of operational improvements.
- Finally, Interstates turns over the completed PFC solution to the client. Additionally, the surcharge ends due to improved operating power factor.
This is just one example of the many types of projects that can be executed with design-build partnering. Additionally, the process can greatly simplify technical challenges and project management commitments.
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Sam Fopma, Interstates Electrical Engineer
