Design-Build: A Winning Bet

The Quechan Casino and Resort had a long incubation period before it became a reality. ROEL Construction initially proposed its plan for the project late in 2003, but saw the project awarded to another entity. When this entity proved unable to do the work, ROEL won the project in late 2006, some three years later. As the single point of owner contact for both design and construction, ROEL helped develop clear owner expectations while working to provide the maximum number of amenities for the price. The contract specified both penalties for late delivery and incentives — a bonus and a shared savings plan — for early and cost-effective delivery.

Early in the process of developing the owner’s wish list, ROEL realized that the wishes exceeded the budget. They began an extensive value engineering effort to give the owner as many of their desired elements as possible. The value engineering effort continued throughout the project, with the design-build team analyzing every material and construction method to increase efficiency and economy wherever possible without sacrificing quality. An example of this effort was replacing traditional walker ducts with a raised floor system; this made an initial $250,000,000 savings which will continue to pay off in the ease of changing the floor layout.

The final project totaled 297,000 square feet and includes a five-story, 166-room hotel; three buildings housing the pool, spa, lazy river equipment and maintenance operations; water and wastewater treatment plants; 33,000-square-foot gaming area; a 24-hour café; a sports bar and a steakhouse; a 2,400-seat event center; lazy river resort pool; large pool deck area; a food court with outdoor dining; and surface parking to accommodate 1,650 cars.

The site presented its own innate difficulties. It was subject to extreme heat, so swing shifts were created to keep construction crews working safely and productively. The night work, in addition to increasing workers’ safety, helped keep the project on schedule. The downturn in the economy created a surplus of labor, which allowed ROEL to increase the size of the construction crews and, as a bonus, helped the local economy. As a remote, rural site, there was no water supply, which required pumping water from several miles away; in addition, the team had to get permits to take the water under the Quechan tribe’s usage rights.

Some of the site challenges increased the project cost — some culturally sensitive sites were identified during the grading process and could not be cut down, requiring the team to bring in fill to complete the process. Also during the grading process, the team discovered that the soil was clay and unsuitable to be used for fill. There were electric transmission lines running through the site and the owner had to negotiate with the local utility to get permission to move the lines, resulting in a significant delay.

Recognizing the need to conserve water, ROEL created two 400-foot-deep groundwater wells to provide an on-site water supply. The water and wastewater treatment plants are both sized at 150 percent of local code requirements. There is an on-site storm water retention basin with a sand oil separator to prevent any negative impact on nearby storm water channels. The casino and resort is landscaped with drought-tolerant desert plants and, where irrigation is necessary, reclaimed water from the wastewater treatment plant is used.

But, after the challenges, the project was completed; the casino’s grand opening was held on February 13, 2009, more than four months early. The owner is pleased not only with the appearance and quality of the finished project, but with their working experience with the design-build team. And, with the early completion, the revenue from the casino and resort began flowing in. The project was designed to be easily and economically expanded so, as demand increases, the Quechan tribe will be able to enjoy the benefits for years to come. The judges of the 2009 National Design-Build Awards Competition agreed, awarding the project a Design-Build Excellence Award in the Private Sector Building Over $25 Million category.