Challenge Design-Build Project Delivery Addressed

The owner desired to have greater control by being an involved and integral part of the design-build team through collaboration, communication and development of technical solutions. Throughout the development of the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP), the owner wanted to add scope to the project, and of course, each item added cost. Increased collaboration through the design-build process allowed the contractor to present each item in an a la carte list so the owner could decide what was critical and what could be cut. Using the strategy of open collaboration, the project was completed under the GMP allowing the owner to receive additional scope items. In short, all parties were partners on this project and challenges and issues were dealt with as partners.

Summary

The McAlpine Creek Wastewater Management Facilities is located just outside Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the largest of all Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities Department (CMUD) Wastewater Management Facilities with a daily treatment capacity of 64 million gallons per day (MGD). The Charlotte area had experienced steady residential and commercial growth for several years and gained valuable rewards as a result; however, along with the rewards that growth generates, additional strain on the infrastructure was created. Crowder Construction Company, along with team member HDR Engineering, was selected as the design-build team to design and construct an effluent filter structure enabling the facility to increase its rated capacity to 80 MGD. The scope of work included design and construction of nine new filter bays tied into existing filters, water control gates, pumped water for filter backwash, forebay improvements, modifications to manholes, chemical treatment addition, slope stabilization, stormwater improvements, site work and a new packaged electrical house for the filters. CMUD elected to pursue an alternative delivery process (ADP) for the filter improvements.

Design-Build Team

Client/Owner: Charlotte Water
Design-Builder: Crowder Construction Company
General Contractor: Crowder Construction Company
Engineer: HDR Inc.
Duration of Construction: 15 months
Project Cost: $25,285,000