Engineering Inc. - September/October 2003 - 36

ONE ON ONE Alternative Delivery Methods; Providing Client Value Key to
Industry's Future Michael Kennedy on Market Trends and Project Delivery
Methods Q. A. As you know, one of the One is the ability to pro- financing
alternatives, whether major priorities for ACEC is the vide distinctive
value to our through a design-build approach reauthorization of the Trans-
clients and their stakeholders or a public/private venture, is an portation
Equity Act for the through a variety of delivery area where many different
parts 21st Century TEA-21 . In methods. This includes every- of the
industry including fin- addition to increasing funding, thing from
traditional delivery anciers, attorneys, bond counsel, what are CH2M
HILL's major methods to design-build, and to all the different financial
parts of priorities with reauthorization? all sorts of full-service
delivery the infrastructure, as well as the alternatives. As the funding
for designers, constructors, and A. infrastructure projects becomes
operators of facilities will need Our first priority is to more scarce and
difficult, we're to come together and provide make sure that the Bush
admin- Michael Kennedy is president seeing an increase in the number
creative leadership. As the U.S. istration places transportation of CH2M
HILL's Transportation of client needs for alternative and the world grow,
the needs on the national agenda in a way Business Group. delivery
mechanisms. Given that will increase more rapidly than that is meaningful.
Certainly, the majority of people in the we can fund them through tra- the
way in which TEA-21 is engineering industry come from ditional methods.
reauthorized will send signals to Q. the consulting side, this is a sig-
CH2M HILL has tradi- the industry of its priority, and Q. nificant
challenge for us to learn As a longtime ACEC tionally been viewed as an
envi- the relationship of transporta- how to deal with a real mixed
member, what has been the ronmental firm. What are your tion to all other
national priori- portfolio of delivery alternatives. greatest value that
you have ambitions in the transportation ties. Of course, there are many
The second most challenging derived from the organization? area? deserving
issues. We would like issue is being an American firm to see serious
thought given to A. A. in today's global marketplace. Actually, CH2M HILL
One thing that we really increasing the federal gas tax, There's a
different attitude about has been involved in significant appreciate is
that ACEC is able which hasn't been done in American firms and it has
transportation projects since the to represent the industry on very almost
two decades, and to pro- changed the dynamic around very early '60s. As you
may difficult and complex issues in a viding some way to index the how we
do business globally. know, we currently rank eighth rational and
professional way gas tax. It's not currently overall in the ENR rankings
for Finally, for us, and for most peo- for example, the stance ACEC
indexed and it's not tied to any- ple in our industry, is the reten-
transportation. Our objective is has taken on behalf of the indus- thing
that represents a bench- tion of key staff. to continue to do outstanding
try relative to outsourcing. I mark that can be indexed. Our
transportation work in all our appreciate the fact that ACEC second
priority would be to look Q. There has been a lot of market segments, and
to rapidly has tried to take a very balanced at creative funding
alternatives. discussion of the merits of alter- build that reputation
around position on this issue. Since it is We would love to see some very
native project delivery methods. transportation. I also would say
difficult and contentious, there creative funding alternatives What does
this mean for trans- that being an environmental needs to be superior
leadership, included in the broad reautho- portation projects? firm
positions us in a unique which I think ACEC is provid- rization. But the
fundamental way in the transportation indus- ing. That's one of the things
we issue for us, and for people in A. For transportation specif- try,
because we have deep have been very pleased with. the industry, is whether
the ically, one of the things is going expertise in environmental
administration places trans- to be finding creative ways to assessments
and we can look at portation significantly high on bring financing to the
table, in environmental streamlining its priority list. addition to the
federal and local issues. It provides a strong capa- Q. From your
perspective, funding that traditionally has bility that many other
environ- what are the most challenging been available. To find alterna-
mental firms do not have. issues facing your firm and the tive ways to
support needed industry as a whole? infrastructure through creative 3 6
ENGINEERING INC. S e p t e m b e r l October 2003
Engineering Inc. - September/October 2003

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