Challenge
The area of Leesburg, Florida, has experienced tremendous growth. The surrounding community was growing at the rate of 125 new homes per week, many of which would be serviced by this treatment plant. Additionally, the existing plant had aging equipment that was at the end of its life cycle which was causing degradation in the treatment quality, therefore reducing overall capacity. The City of Leesburg also had grant money with a spending deadline that had to be met. In addition to the existing plant capacity and effluent challenges, this project was a risk of being over budget and was released just as COVID-19 lockdowns began.
Approach
The City of Leesburg chose to utilize CMAR at the 60% design milestone to increase the value they would receive through value engineering (VE) and constructability reviews and to expedite procurement to get into construction quickly. The CMAR process also allowed the owner to expedite the repair work while finishing the design of the project. The replacement equipment was ordered up front with the preconstruction contract, which allowed it to show up immediately after the final guaranteed maximum price (GMP) was approved and was the first work accomplished on the project, providing an immediate boost to effluent quality. Wharton-Smith’s team provided critical feedback to the design which was completed simultaneously with the early equipment work on-site.
Results
The project was able to proceed from 60% design to approved GMP in six months. During this process, the team worked through the value engineering process to improve the final product while lowering project cost; the VE paid for the entire general conditions for the project. By utilizing CMAR procurement, the team was able to have an approved GMP and release major process equipment and electrical gear ahead of the effects of COVID-19, which allowed construction to be completed several months ahead of schedule and ensured that the City received all grant money available to them. As construction neared completion, Wharton-Smith worked with the City and the design engineer to complete some early work tasks for Phase 2 of the expansion using unspent contingency funds. This work helped to expedite the completion of the design and meant that once the GMP for Phase 2 was completed, work could begin immediately without having to wait on subsurface improvements.
Other WCDA members involved: Ferguson Waterworks (supplier of pipes, valves, fittings, and pipe mechanical installation accessories); Aqua-Aerobic Systems (supplier of cloth media disk filters); Core & Main (supplier of valves)
“I have been extremely impressed with the value engineering and time-saving initiatives Wharton-Smith has recommended. So far, Wharton-Smith has saved the City of Leesburg approximately $2.1M and has delivered the final GMP three weeks ahead of schedule.”
—Cliff Kelsey, Public Works Director, City of Leesburg, FL
