Case History - Enhanced Use
problems that could otherwise take an enormous length of time to resolve. We
were successful in having technically knowledgeable personnel which allowed
the project to move smoothly and stay on schedule.
The customer must be involved from the beginning. A needs assessment
should be completed in harmony with the customer's needs. This will eliminate
most of the change orders that are submitted after the award of the contract.
This, in turn, will save additional monies by not having additional markups
charged by the developer, contractor, etc.
The Solicitation for Offers (SFO) needs to be definitive. A VHA boiler plate
should not be used when constructing a VBA regional office. There are many
similarities in construction, but building a medical center is a lot different than
building a regional office. The customer must be a part of the preparation of this
document. Again, if the SFO is written around the customer's needs, change
orders would be at a minimum. It is important to have "heavy-weights" in all
areas of the project. In the case of Houston, the Project Director, Resident
Engineer, Developer, Contractor, Architect, and subs all had an excellent
reputation in the world of development/construction.
Things that must be planned for
One of the first documents that should be prepared is a Project Milestone
Chart. There are so many critical path items that require a long lead-time as
well as required close coordination with other integral assignments that, if they
are not tracked, could adversely affect timely completion. For instance,
telecommunications requires an enormous amount of lead-time while requiring
coordination with as many as 15 vendors, i.e., GSA, GTE, SWB, Sprint, AT&T,
FTS, etc.)
You must know what dollar amounts you will be receiving in GOE activation
funds, construction funds, minor construction, (funded maintenance account),
major construction funds to cover ground-breaking and dedication ceremony
expenses and the procurement of a dedication plaque, and management
contract costs. It is important that a clear understanding is obtained very early in
the project.
Next, funds need to be procured for either the relocation of the present
telephone system or arrangements need to be made for the procurement of a
new system.
These funds need to cover the movement of all
telecommunications.
Page 5-9
VBA Design Guide
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