“Woodrow Wilson once stated, ‘If you want to make enemies, try to change something.’ The transformation from design-bid-build to design-build was huge and, not surprisingly, some did not quickly embrace this revolution.”
A native of Charleston, SC, Jimmy Stewart earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering at Clemson University and went to work as an electrical engineer for the Public Works Department of the Charleston Naval Shipyard and for Georgia Power Company in Thomson, GA. Today, Jimmy works with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast as their Capital Improvements Business Line Technical Lead for the Gulf Coast Integrated Product Team. His work involves the repair and reconstruction of hurricane-damaged Naval facilities throughout the Gulf Coast region of the United States. His technical experience ranges from participation in the Trident Missile Testing Complex in Cape Canaveral, FL, to development of the Navy’s first double deck pier at the Naval Station in Charleston, SC, to the recapitalization of the Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, IL. Jimmy has been intimately involved in the deployment of the design-build project delivery method and shares his experiences with DATELINE readers in putting design-build to work for NAVFAC.
About NAVFAC: “NAVFAC plans, designs and manages construction for the Navy. NAVFAC Southeast manages operations on Navy installations from Charleston, SC, to Corpus Christi, TX, and south to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. NAVFAC professionals also acquire and dispose of real estate, manage and maintain the facilities on all Naval bases, and provide housing for military families. NAVFAC Southeast Public Works Departments provide facilities support services to each installation in our area of responsibility. Every day presents new and different challenges for the professionals of the Command. From planning a new full-service hospital to the construction of a state-of-the-art hangar facility, members of the Command make significant contributions to the Navy.”
His role within the NAVFAC team: “I manage a staff of engineers and architects in our Gulf Coast Integrated Product Team. This team is focused on the Gulf Coast area Navy installations. Our mission is to develop and define facility improvement and new construction projects at naval installations throughout the Gulf Coast region and for other governmental agencies. We primarily utilize the design-build project delivery method.”
On his first introduction to design-build: “In 1994, our Command was asked by the Immigration and Naturalization Service to construct a replacement dormitory at a South Florida detention facility. I volunteered to lead this effort and assembled a team of design professionals. This team developed our first ‘performance based’ statement of work and award was made to a national integrated design-build firm that successfully completed the project.”
Current project: “Our team is currently working on a Hurricane Katrina re-construction program at Naval Air Station, New Orleans, LA, Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport, MS, Naval Oceanographic Command, Stennis Space Center, MS, and Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, MS. The program value is $520 million and includes barracks, training facilities, community support structures, utility hardening, and operational buildings.”
On how design-build tied into their need to act quickly within budget constraints: “The design-build delivery method provides the Navy a scheme with the shortest cycle time to replace damaged shore infrastructure.”
Overcoming challenges: “The construction market conditions in this area are significantly challenged due to the large public and private sector volume as well as the constrained labor pool. The market is able to support acquisition of multiple projects that take advantage of economies of scale. Our procurement strategy seeks firms that can execute performance based requirements, present highly qualified design-build team professionals, and demonstrate exemplary past performance records.”
Transitioning the team to design-build: “Woodrow Wilson once stated, ‘If you want to make enemies, try to change something.’ The transformation from design-bid-build to design-build was huge and, not surprisingly, some did not quickly embrace this revolution. There were two key issues. Our command was implementing total quality leadership. A part of this implementation included Dr. Edward Deming’s continuous improvement philosophy that created a mindset of change and opened the door for something new. Secondly, projects executed by design-build proved to have lower cycle time and less total costs when all factors were considered.”
Tips for those considering design-build: “It is imperative that senior leaders and the entire leadership team accept the design-build project delivery method and are willing to make decisions that may not be popular with some in their organization. In addition, it is important that ‘the right’ professionals be selected to prototype new processes and work through this change.”
Continued improvements he hopes to see in the industry: “Naval Facilities Engineering Command has a performance based specification template that has made great improvements over the past 10 years. Most design engineers and architects have a prescriptive specification mindset — because they are excellent problem solvers — and sometimes find it difficult to think performance based. A special skill is needed to write a performance statement. We must cultivate the development of this skill and continue to refine and test our performance statements.”
On his favorite project: “The Navy’s Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, IL, is nearing the end of a 10-year, $750 million re-capitalization program that included constructing barracks for 15,000 recruits, drill halls, a unique physical training facility, utility improvements, a new command headquarters, and a training facility that prepares recruits for emergency and ‘battle station’ shipboard events. All of these projects were delivered to the Navy by design-build teams and have proved that this methodology is not only successful but the best practice for the taxpayer.”
Learning design-build: “In the late 1990s to the early 2000s, our organization was in the ‘developmental’ stage for the design-build project delivery method. We made a strategic decision to send key personnel to design-build conferences to further increase our employees’ skill sets. We met other owners and design-builders and learned about their successes and difficulties. When these key leaders returned, they kept the momentum for change alive.“
INFO: Naval Facilities Engineering Command (www.navfac.navy.mil)