In 2017, after years of planning, Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) embarked on a journey that would become the organization’s largest accomplishment to date: using progressive design-build to deliver the half-billion-dollar Regional Environmental Sewer Conveyance Upgrade (RESCU) program. Fast forwarding to 2023, SVCW was awarded the DBIA I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D Owner Award, which recognizes an innovative newcomer to collaborative delivery that showcases preparedness, insight, readiness, and enduring diligence in collaborative delivery project execution.
Tanner Pacific’s Demi Pacifuentes and Jack Cate sat down with SVCW’s authority engineer and RESCU lead, Kim Hackett, to reflect on her observations on what made the RESCU program successful and the lessons she learned that will be applied to future collaborative delivery projects. On the heels of WCDA’s 2023 Phase II Research Report: “Collaborative Delivery of Water and Wastewater Projects—Readiness for Success,” the discussion centered on the key drivers that allowed this first-time owner to accomplish such a successful program and what its collaborative delivery plans look like moving forward. The following are the key takeaways from the conversation:
EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES.
- Early on, SVCW relied heavily on experienced owner advisors to realize the best way to use collaborative delivery and tailor the RESCU program to address SVCW’s needs. In parallel, SVCW developed its design-build agreement and trained its staff in collaborative delivery best practices.
- A year prior to initiating the procurement process, SVCW engineering staff met with their O&M staff on a weekly basis to keep them informed of engineering’s planning efforts, educate them on the difference between design-bid-build and progressive design-build, and set expectations for what was to come.
CULTURE EATS STRATEGY FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH, AND DINNER—PERHAPS EVEN DESSERT.
- SVCW built strong relationships with the design-builders early on through regular executive partnering and attributes a lot of its success to the trust that was built in these early stages.
- Co-location helped cultivate a positive teaming environment and culture of mutual respect throughout the projects.
THERE’S A LOT OF CLARITY IN HINDSIGHT—TIDBITS OF KNOWLEDGE FOR FUTURE FIRST-TIME OWNERS.
- It’s never too early to start planning for commissioning and startup.
- Even when things are going smoothly, continue to prioritize further developing the relationship with the design-builder. Set up a regular meeting to share perspectives on how things are going.
SVCW is slated to complete the RESCU program by the end of 2024. Based on its success and ability to effectively establish collaborative delivery as a core competency, SVCW has kicked off another progressive design-build project and intends to continue using collaborative delivery methods because of the following:
- The ability to achieve cost certainty during the design phase in order to proactively plan for funding sources
- The ability to use value-based selection of contractors thereby increasing the probability of the project’s success
- The ability to optimize project goals and mitigate risks
- The opportunity and setting it provides to collaborate and solve problems
- The ability to integrate O&M staff and the builder early in the project
SVCW’s experience with the RESCU program serves as a testament to the power of strategic planning, effective communication, and a culture of collaboration in achieving project success.