Engineering Inc. - January/February 2007 - 28

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calls for a greater use of multiproject contracts and design-build project
delivery, allowing a wider range of new construction materials and
techniques. neal wright michael baker corporation BRAC infrastructure and
building design assignments for multiple Corps Districts and the U.S.
Naval Facilities Engineering Command NAVFAC . “If a firm hasn’t
already established these relationships, it needs to quickly, yet
carefully, assess who is out there and who they feel comfortable working
with.” Wright adds that firms “need good project control systems and
experience dealing with tight budgets and schedules. They already should
know how to do things the right way every time.” Issues and Answers
Multi-faceted Opportunities For engineering firms, the BRAC program offers
an unprecedented range of project opportunities. In all, it recommends
closing 33 major U.S. military bases and the realignment—either
enlarging or shrinking—of 29 others. “The program will require a great
deal of engineering expertise in all disciplines,” says David Yentzer, a
vice president with HDR, Inc. in Alexandria, Va., which has been selected
to conduct environmental studies at several facilities in the midAtlantic
region. “There’s environmental work at bases to be closed and those
that are adding personnel, infrastructure such as roads and
water/wastewater facilities and a wide range of new buildings.” But
while past experience working with the Corps and other defense clients may
help firms secure BRAC projects, the program’s rapid pace also will
present a different set of demands. “The emphasis on design-build makes
it critical for a firm to team effectively with a contractor and deliver a
project on an aggressive schedule,” says Mike Biscotte, the lead
executive on BRAC ’05 for Roanoke, Va.–based Hayes, Seay, Mattern &
Mattern, Inc. HSMM , which has secured 28 ENGINEERING INC. JANUARY /
FEBRUARY 2007 Some worry, however, that BRAC ’05 could do the design
industry as much harm as good. A key concern is that dominance of
performance-based, design-build procurements, which will be supplanted by
standardized designs later in the process, could lead to the
commoditization of design services for military projects. “ Ma n y of
these projects won’t have bridging documents,” observes John Riding,
senior vice president and military market segment leader for Hankins and
Anderson, Inc. in Glen Allen, Va. “That means A/Es will be asked to take
their technical staff off paying jobs and do a lot of up-front work at
risk.” T hdr he program will require a great deal of engineering
expertise in all disciplines. david yentzer Dover Air Force Base   Warning : Unknown : The session id contains invalid characters, valid
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Engineering Inc. - January/February 2007

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