78The Military Engineer ? July-August ? 2010 and acceptable solutions. Owners know the ?rm ?xed prices for delivery orders prior to issuing notices to proceed. JOC programs are based on a contrac- tors performance and ability to deliver results. This type of procurement creates a partnership between an owner and con- tractor, as potential barriers, including pro?tability, schedule, scope and services, are agreed to before construction begins. This partnership nurtures sustainability projects through communication, coor- dination and documentation, and cost control. Communication. Collaboration among building owners, managers, construction providers and designers is crucial. Involv- ing contractors during the design phase of renovation projects introduces additional viewpoints and construction knowledge, speeds construction, reduces costly mate- rial increases and hastens occupancy, re- ducing vacancy expenses. In Marketing Green Building Services: Strategies for Success, author Jerry Yudel- son writes, ...most developers and de- signers ?nd that the process for creating green buildings requires an integrated design effort in which all key players work together from the beginning. Developers and owners have discovered a cost savings of one to three percent (of initial budgeted capital costs) in building design and con- struction through the use of integrated design approaches. There can also be time savings as well: considering all design el- ements upfront often prevents costly and time-consuming redesign after value en- gineering has jettisoned the ?rst design in an effort to beat changes in costs, budgets or project requirements. Coordination and Documentation. Developing a partnership is particularly important when owners try to incorpo- rate sustainability goals into projects. This is due to the fact that the unique require- ments needed to achieve LEED certi?ca- tion—such as job site management, water ef?ciency, and energy and atmospheric controls—require a contractor who pro- vides careful coordination, documenta- tion, procurement and construction. Cost Control. Critics of green building claim it is more expensive because of the numerous standards, construction ma- terials and methodologies required. JOC achieves better value because it requires lower costs for overhead, construction, procurement and delivery as compared to design-bid-build. It reduces potential liti- gation and legal fees through joint scoping of projects in a team environment. Fur- thermore, JOC cultivates a best thinking environment prior to construction. Be- cause scopes are developed to the budget using the unpaid principal balance, there are no surprises at project completion. JOC allows owners to direct the level of sustainability applied to any project— from simple energy savings to complete buildings renovations. Funding Local Economies While upgrading facilities, owners also must meet requirements that ensure that local small and disadvantaged businesses work on their projects. Here too, JOC de- livers tremendous value. Owners using JOC programs will bene?t from the abil- ity of JOC contractors to target speci?c business segments to meet the agencys requirements. Experienced JOC contrac- tors develop databases of Small Business Enterprises (SBE), Minority Business En- terprises (MBE) and Women Business En- terprises (WBE) subcontractors to call on to obtain fair and reasonable prices. Because JOC is performance-based, it is the JOC contractors responsibility to contract with the right subcontractors— those who will provide the best service, quality and can complete the project safely and on time, not necessarily the one with lowest price. JOC contractors commit to building and developing the local economy by mentor- ing the SBE/MBE/WBE to ensure they meet jurisdictional requirements. Addi- tionally, JOC contractors may conduct lo- cal subcontractor and safety fairs to build awareness for the need for quality subcon- tractors desiring to complete each project as safely as possible. Fort Lee, Va., where a JOC program has been utilized for nearly 10 years, recently used JOC to quickly start American Recovery and Reinvestment Act- funded projects that helped local small subcontractors stay in business. By monitoring subcontractors work- loads, experience and capabilities, JOC contractors spread the delivery orders around so that one subcontractor isnt overburdened with projects, thus ensur- ing all work is completed on time, and multiple SBEs/MBEs/WBEs receive a fair share of the delivery orders over the term of the contract. Achieving More with Lesss While small business set aside JOC pro- grams bring value and have a necessary place in the mix of contracting efforts, there also is value in large business JOC pro- grams. A large, unrestricted JOC progras managed by professional JOC contractors with de?ned SBE/MBE/WBE targets are incubators for developing smaller busi- nesses into viable longer-term partners for larger design-build and standalone construction projects. By allowing experi- enced JOC contractors to train, guide and develop these local smaller subcontrac- tors, the best of both worlds of contract- ing (large and small businesses working together) can be attained. JOC has supported the Department of Defense for nearly 30 years. JOC is more than a procurement tool and construc- tion delivery method. It is an approach that lets public owners and contractors work together in a trusting relationship to achieve more with less time and resources, through mutual respect, collaboration and communication. New resource de- mands, the need for responsive solutions and requirements to support local small businesses will continue to grow the de- mand for JOC. David Carrithers, M.SAME, is Vice President of Marketing, Centennial Contractors Enterprises; 703-885-4615 or dcarrithers@cce-inc.comv. JOC allows owners, contractors and subcontractors to collaborate from the beginning to develop plans, speci?cations and requirements for renovation, repair, or construction projects on time, and within budget.
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