NWCCC News and Information

• Labor Survey - Northwest Washington State
• Washington State University Wins NWCCC Award in Great Pyramid Bid Competition
• Northwest Construction Consumer Council Presents 2004 Distinguished Project Awards
• NWCCC Announces 2004 "Distinguished Project Awards" Program
• 2003 "Distinguished Project Awards" Winners
• Business Process Innovation in the Government Sector
• Designing for Safety and Health in Construction: A Research and Practice Symposium
• NWCCC Presents 2002 "Distinguished Project Awards"
• NWCCC Plans to Go All Electronic, All the Time
• Got Ideas?

June 2006

Counties of King, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom
Presented to the Local Contractors Association
Sponsored by Jacobs

• Cover Page
• Table of Contents
• Section 1 - Executive Summary
• Section 2 - Planned Projects
• Section 3 - Wage Rates
• Section 4 - Productivity Assumptions
• Section 5 - Research Contact Information

April 2006

The Northwest Construction Consumer Council in their April 26th program, “From Past to Present, Building the Great Pyramid to Lean construction,” sponsored the Great Pyramid Bid Competition between the University of Washington Husky Construction Management Program and the Washington State University Cougar Construction Management Program.

The program was based on Craig B. Smith’s book “How the Great Pyramid was built”, soon to be featured on both National Geographic and the History Channel. Both schools were given a detailed request for proposal on building the great pyramid today with current construction materials and methods on a site in Nevada.

A team of four students from each university were required to submit an execution plan, current estimate, project schedule and safety/quality plan for the proposed project. The members of the association voted on the best proposal based on the above criteria. Washington State University was awarded the project based on their presentation and submittal documents. The Cougar team included Beth Duffus, Jesse Canzler, Aaron Wilson and Michael Davolt. The faculty advisor for the Cougar team was Rick W. Cherf.
 

November 16, 2004

The Northwest Construction Consumer Council recently presented the winners of the 2004 Distinguished Project Awards and the Patrick K. Lyneis Memorial Safety Excellence Awards.

For Private Sector Projects over Ten Million Dollars, the winning Project was the BP Cherry Point Refinery Clean Gasoline Project in Bellingham, Washington. The Project Team was led by BP Senior Project Manager Doug Freymeyer. Participating firms in the project included Jacobs, Anvil Corporation, J.H. Kelly, Matrix Service, Inc., and PowerTek Electric.

For Public Sector Projects over Ten Million Dollars, the Distinguished Project Award went to the King County Courthouse Seismic Renovation Project led by the King County Facilities Management Division. The project team included The Seneca Real Estate Group, Inc., Coughlin Porter Lundeen, Inc., and Skanska USA Building, Inc.

There were two additional projects which received Honorable Mention recognition. These projects were the new U.S. Federal Courthouse managed by the United States General Services Administration and the King County Renton Transfer Station Roof Replacement project managed by the King County Solid Waste Division. The new courthouse was designed by NBBJ and built by Absher Construction. The Renton Transfer Station Roof project was designed by ABKJ and built by Interwest Construction.

Recognized for outstanding Safety performance and receiving the Patrick K. Lyneis Memorial Safety Excellence Award, were both of the projects which had won Distinguished Project Awards. The judge’s panel said it was no coincidence, that both the BP Clean Gasoline Project and the King County Seismic Renovation Project were also the winners of the prestigious Safety Award. Panel Chair Corey Chaplin of VECO Pacific said that both projects were outstanding by all criteria and exemplified how strong safety performance and strong project performance go hand in hand.

The Awards were presented at the NWCCC 2004 Annual Conference at the SeaTac Marriott Hotel on November 9, 2004.
 

August 12, 2004

The Northwest Construction Consumer Council (NWCCC) announces its 2004 Distinguished Awards Program, including the annual Patrick K. Lyneis Memorial Safety Excellence Award. All awards recognize demonstrated cost-effectiveness in the engineering, design and construction of capital and maintenance projects by, and for, NWCCC members. The 2004 awards will be presented at the NWCCC annual conference, slated for November 9, 2004 at the Hilton Seattle Airport Conference Center.

The safety award is presented in honor of Patrick K. Lyneis, PE, former University of Washington project manager and Harris Group engineer, who contributed significantly to the NWCCC's safety education programs and personified a dedication to safety in all his design and construction management activities. "This award recognizes the Council's efforts to improve construction safety by honoring projects with safety programs that demonstrate a model for our industry," says Doug Holen, NWCCC Chairman.

Award winning projects will highlight cost-effective construction practices. Award criteria center on applicants’ abilities to realize cost savings during project design and execution. Special consideration will be given to specific strategies and techniques used to maximize the owners’ return on investment in the design and construction process.

Awards will be made in four divisions (1) Private projects under $10 million, (2) public projects under $10 million, (3) private projects over $10 million, and (4) public projects over $10 million. Entries will be made by project teams (owner, designer and constructor), one of which must be an NWCCC member. Projects submitted must have been substantially completed between September 1, 2003 and September 1, 2004.

Submission of multiple projects is encouraged. Projects with poor safety performance will not be considered for awards. Deadline for receipt of completed applications is September 30, 2004. A panel of impartial NWCCC members and industry professionals will judge entries, with no direct involvement by award applicants or NWCCC staff.

Complete application criteria are below or from the NWCCC at 1800 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 104, Seattle, WA 98109.

Application criteria: 2004 DPA Criteria
 

February 23, 2004
 

Award:	Private projects under $10 million
Winner:	HRSG Erection Project
Owner:	SP Newsprint Company
Team:	TIC The Industrial Company DPR Construction Emmert International Axis Crane Service
Award:	Public project over $10 million
Winner:	Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science & Engineering
Owner:	University of Washington
Team:	LMN Architects M.A. Mortenson Company
Award:	Patrick K. Lyneis Memorial Safety Award
Winner:	Dunkin & Bush, Inc

March 12, 2003

A 2 day workshop to help you to improve your organization in these challenging times. You will learn tools to:

• Enhance the customer focus of your organization
• Identify and prioritize key business processes in delivering services
• Map and improve business processes

Please see attached brochure for this conference and registration materials.

The seminar is being sponsored by CH2M HILL. This conference has been  very well received and has been held at locations throughout the Northwest.

For more information please, contact Scott Johnson, CH2M HILL, Head of Business Process Innovation and Adjunct Professor in the Business Program of the UW, Bothell. Scott can also be reached at 425-233-3360. Discounts are available on the registration fee for organizations sending more than one staff member.

March 5, 2003

Oregon State University, the University of Oregon, and several other construction industry organizations are sponsoring a symposium titled "Designing for Safety and Health in Construction: A Research and Practice Symposium".

The symposium is scheduled for September 15-16, 2003 in Portland, OR. Recent research has shown that an owner can have a significant impact on construction site safety. 

Please contact John Gambatese for more information, at Oregon State University, 202 Apperson Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-2302.  Tel: 541-737-8913, Fax: 541-737-3300.

Attached is a symposium announcement that provides additional information.
 

November 12, 2002

The Northwest Construction Consumer Council (NWCCC) presented the third annual Distinguished Project awards, November 12, 2002 as part of its annual construction conference and exhibition held in Seattle. Robert Wicklein, Senior Project Manager, The Seneca Group, Seattle, officiated during the awards ceremony and represented the six-person judges panel.

The Distinguished Project award program recognizes excellence in the engineering, design and construction of capital projects. Award criteria focus on strategies maximizing owners' return on investment in the design and construction process. Projects entered are judged on six criteria: safety performance; front-end loading, cost and schedule performance, teamwork among key project stakeholders; attainment of project goals and objectives; and unique features. These criteria exemplify the NWCCC's mission to promote cost-effective construction practices.

For 2002, the judges awarded two honorable mentions and three Distinguished Project Awards. The two entries selected for honorable mention were the Rathdrum Power Project, owned by Rathdrum Power, LLC. TIC-The Industrial Company was the construction manager and general contractor for this $131 million project. The designer was Industry & Energy Associates, now AEP Pro Serve. The project was honored for its excellent safety record with an OSHA incident rate of 0.35 and no lost time accidents. The plant went on line in September 2001, two months ahead of schedule. In the discretionary category, TIC was awarded points for their community service. During construction, TIC and its employees contributed over $81,500 to the local community. Besides cash, TIC employees donated may hours to community service projects including upgrades to the Senior Citizen Center and constructing homes for Habitat for Humanity.

The second project selected for honorable mention was the University of Washington's Suzzallo Library renovation designed and executed by Mahlum Architects, Cardwell Thomas Architects, Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire structural engineers, and Turner Construction Company. The judges were impressed with the complexity of this multi-phased seismic upgrade of a historic building that needed to remain operational during the renovation. There was limited construction site access due to the library’s location in the center of the campus. Cleaning the “cathedral" ceiling of the Graduate Reading Room with the only DENKA high-reach lift in the state was also quite challenging.

The Distinguished Project Award in the private projects over $10 million category went to a marine project, the BP Dock Completion at Cherry Point. The project owner is the BP Cherry Point Refinery with design and construction provided by: Anvil Corporation, Manson Engineering and Construction Co. and Matrix Service, Inc. The award recognized the project team's front-end loading and careful planning. The team minimized the number of construction man-hours spent over the water by transferring these hours to a land-based fabrication facility. This reduced the risks inherent in over-water construction and minimized adverse impacts on the sensitive, Cherry Point environment. The project team developed a design fundamentally different from any other ship berth in the region. The result was excellent cost, schedule and safety performance.

The Distinguished Project Award in the Public Projects over $10 million category was presented to the Seahawks Stadium, owned by the Public Stadium Authority and developed by First & Goal Inc. Stadium design and construction was provided by: Ellerbe Becket Architects, Skilling Ward Magnusson Barshire structural engineers, Turner Construction Co., Mckinstry and Cochran. This mega public/private partnership included construction of the Exhibition Hall and demolition of the old Kingdome in 16.8 seconds. Turner’s extensive involvement in the front end loading, and excellent cost and schedule performance were the chief reasons the judges selected this project.

The final Distinguished Project Award, also given the "Best of 2002" honor by the judges was, Shell Puget Sound Refinery's Butadiene Hydrogenation project designed and constructed by VECO Pacific Engineering and Diamond 'B' Constructors, Inc. Entered in the Private Projects under $10 million category, this project was completed with no recordable safety incidents. This new unit is located within an operating unit at the refinery. Thus, the most challenging aspect of the project was to complete it without interruption to the operating unit. During construction, there were no production interruptions and the project was finished 45 days ahead of schedule. Also, the total installed cost of the project was 24% under budget. Startup of the Butadiene process unit went smoothly and the unit is now operating at optimum design capacity.

Distinguished Project Award 2002 judges included Robert Wicklein, The Seneca Group; Corey Chaplin, VECO Pacific Engineering; Jim Turner, Anvil Corporation; Jack Ayers, Puget Sound Refining Co.; John Beyer, Badger Consulting ; and dick Baker, retired US Army Corps of Engineers.

January 20, 2002

Beginning in March 2002, the NWCCC will switch from regular mail to email to announce meetings and all other important developments. This is both a cost cutting and convenience measure. It will help us keep organization overhead low, while maximizing exposure for future programs.

It is imperative that we obtain email addresses for everyone interested in NWCCC activities. Please click on the Update My Info link to the left to forward your email address. Add as many people as you like within your organization. There is no limit. We also hope members will find electronic meeting notices easy to relay to others within their organization who might be interested in participating.

Thank you for your assistance in this important new initiative. 

If so, volunteer to participate on the NWCCC Program Committee. The Program Committee requires minimal time; it holds few meetings and makes use of telephone time. Active volunteers are needed. Please call the NWCCC office to participate.

The NWCCC relies on its membership for program sponsors. The Leadership is committed to maintaining the highest possible program standards. We will support each program with appropriate expenses for travel and expenses to obtain the best speakers in the nation.

We ask members to commit to sponsoring the available topics from the list below. We also hope you’ll recommend experts in each topic area which we can recruit in arranging specific programs. Your expert recommendations will also be passed along to member sponsors to help them in planning the best possible program. Please call the NWCCC office to volunteer for meeting sponsorship, or to recommend a guest speaker.