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StumbleState officials say changing building method could save money
Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010 | 1:50 a.m.
CARSON CITY – Big savings could be possible if the state modified the way it constructs highways and buildings, an efficiency panel was told Monday.
Nevada Transportation Director Susan Martinovich and Public Works Manager Gus Nunez recommended restrictions in the law be eliminated to allow them to use a design-build concept more widely, rather than the traditional design-bid-build procedure.
They said 15 to 25 percent of the cost could be shaved off certain projects and construction times could be reduced. Under design-building, the design and build phases overlap instead of the traditional method of doing the design, then putting the project out to bid, then beginning construction.
Martinovich and Nunez spoke Monday to the Blue Ribbon Panel of the Nevada Spending and Government Efficiency Commission, which is looking at possible changes in the law during the 2011 Legislature.
Martinovich said the I-15 freeway widening from the Spaghetti Bowl to Craig Road was successful using design-build. The $240 million project was completed almost two years faster than the traditional design-bid-build scenario, she said. That was NDOT's first design-build project.
Nunez told the panel the state saved 15 to 20 percent on constructing the Bryan Office Building in Carson City using the design-build method.
But former state Sen. Warren Hardy, who now represents the Associated General Contractors, said he had concerns about how the new design method would affect competitive bidding.
“We have to protect everybody’s right to bid,” he told the panel. “Every taxpayer has to have the ability to bid competitively.”
The law now restricts the transportation department to one design-build project a year in the $5 million to $20 million range. Nunez said his agency is restricted to design-build projects costing $10 million or more.
Both told the committee the money restrictions should be removed.
Nunez said he wouldn't use the design-build method on “extremely complex” structures such as the research lab at UNLV. “There are too many unknowns” if the project was a design-build, rather than through the bidding process, he said.
The auto technology building at the Cheyenne campus of the College of Southern Nevada was completed months quicker than if the traditional process of putting the elements out to bid had been used, he said.
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Don't forget that we could save 15-20% more if we had open bidding, instead of being a "right to work" state that is dominated by Union thugs and their "craftsmen". AKA "Don't kill the job" Union loafers. We need to become a real "open shop" state, like Texas.
I built several schools in Texas "open shop" for 1/3 less than our CC systems here. Get rid of the Union influence and political donations. Right, Tom Collins?
nednougat,
Where do we get the middle class from? Know your history please. Everything balances out.
Who do you consider middle class? - The Union bosses of course!
There are still so many trades that are not organized by unions; they are suffering by the rip-off generated by the unions. - They are taking the hit hard with all the cut backs in their salary.
Why is our state broke? Because our government, on all levels, is unqualified to negotiate contracts with the unions.
And this is the result of a political system built on corruption, worse than any African or South American nation.
Don't be blind, even your praised union is ripping you off, or why aren't they not stepping up if illegal workers are being hired? Just read yesterday's report on the interview process at the Cosmopolitan. They interview illegal workers!
We are all sitting in the wrong movie!!!!!
Sorry, I was going of the topic for a moment.
Using the design built method you can have an open competitive bid, open to teams, general contractors or total contractors. Everybody should have a chance to bid; but we have to make sure that in a preselecting process unqualified bidders are to be excluded.
You can save money but only if the selected contractor is qualified enough to finish the job per specifications.
To take advantage of the design built method, you should have a well defined scope of work that defines every nut and bolt.
What ever you miss to define or you decide to change later on, will hit you like a bomb, since the contractor will try every trick to overcharge you on items that where not part of the initial bid.
Just hope we have qualified personnel at the positions involved in these kinds of jobs. Usually not common in the public sector since they do not have to be responsible for the mistakes they make, they do not have to fear a bonus being taken away from them if they screw-up.
Unions came into existence for a reason. But as with anything or anyone that gets a little power (business, government, politicians), it gets out of hand and now there is a lot of anti-union sentiment. Slowly the pendulum is swinging back. The middle class is disappearing. Those that have benefits and a pension are finding them being reduced and taken away. Wages are depressed. The distribution of wealth across the populace hasn't been this lopsided since before the Great Depression. As corporate greed and excess take over, the reasons that unions came into existence in the first place will become more apparent and they will make a comeback. There but for the grace of god go you.