5-YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!
On October 1, 2016, Chris and I started out on our own with the goal of becoming the “ICE consultant of choice” from coast to coast. We had a simple mission statement and a narrow focus on independent cost estimating services. In some states, we believe we have accomplished that goal. In others, we still have some work to do.
In the book, Good to Great, author Jim Collins talks about focusing on your “Hedgehog Concept” to make your business exponentially more successful. For those who haven’t read this book yet, a hedgehog concept is the one thing that you do better than your competition. Jim Collins presents many examples of incredibly successful CEOs who abandoned some business services/products to focus on their hedgehog concept. We believe ICE services is our hedgehog concept. Along the way, we have been tempted to diversify into other services, such as CE&I (construction management) and other civil design services. However, we passed on those opportunities because we need to have a laser focus on ICE services to achieve our original mission statement of becoming the ICE consultant of choice.
Marketing misstep? – At the very beginning, we were searching for our company name. We thought it would be great if our name had the same acronym as Independent Cost Estimating (ICE). So we came up with Innovative Contracting and Engineering (ICE). That works! But it’s also a little confusing in marketing materials when the abbreviation for our company name and the abbreviation for the services we provide are the SAME! Also, most states don’t want you to have the word “Engineering” or “Construction” in your business name unless you are actually doing engineering and/or construction…we don’t do either! We have found a few workarounds for this little hurdle. Over the past 5-years, there have been several hurdles for us to clear. By staying focused on our goal and accepting an occasional helping hand from some of our clients and consultant partners, we have successfully cleared them all!
Along the way, we have had some amazing experiences and developed some lasting relationships. For these experiences and relationships, we are infinitely grateful. The services we provide are typically needed to support alternative delivery methods (CMAR/CMGC, PD-B, and DB). A couple of these delivery methods are relatively new, and procedures for delivering these projects are still evolving. We have been very fortunate to work with industry leaders including members of the FHWA, DBIA, AGC, and many of the state DOTs on the development of industry “best practices”. We look forward to many more years of working with our industry partners and continuing to improve the use of these delivery methods.
With sincere gratitude in our hearts, we raise a glass to all those who have played any part in the success of the first 5-years of Innovative Contracting and Engineering. Cheers!
Past Newsletters:
Early completion milestone bonuses in CMGC contracts
Our passion for innovations, risk management, and project delivery efficiency keeps us committed to alternative delivery projects. We love design-build with the integration of designer and contractor, however, we don’t love the laborious procurement process. We love CMGC and the team collaboration, and the procurement is easy! So why don’t we procure a design-builder and add the benefits of risk management like CMGC? BAM! POW! KA-POW! Progressive Design-Build.
The Progressive Design-Build (PD-B) project delivery method is used to deliver projects efficiently by using a procurement process that identifies the “Best Qualified Team” to deliver the project, and then that team collaborates to develop an optimized project design to 60% at which time the construction contract may be let as soon as the owner has a level of cost certainty. The primary objectives of the team during the pre-construction phase are to mitigate project risk, identify and implement project innovations, optimize the design alongside the owner, develop an optimum construction schedule, and agree on a fair market price for the project. There are numerous advantages to using PD-B including:
· Simplified/ Expedited procurement process
· Better Owner control of project design
· Early contractor involvement helps solve design challenges
· Owner control of risk and associated savings
· Collaborative project team environment vs. Low bid adversarial team relationships
· Negotiated project scope and price delivered at fair market price
· Identification of innovations that drive design optimization early in the process
· Improved construction quality
As you develop your projects and are wondering how to deliver them, give us a call and we would love to discuss the benefits of alternative delivery.
US-89 Oakhills Freeway, Coastal 29 Fish Barriers, West Memphis Interchange, and Peaks to Plains trail were all delivered using PD-B. Check these out on our Website!
SR-28 FLAP, Nevada DOT
One of the first projects Innovative Contracting and Engineering worked on was the SR-28, Federal Lands Access Project with NDOT. This was one of NDOT’s first CMAR projects, however, they made a lot of great choices that lead to a very successful project. NDOT assigned a strong project manager, and they selected an experienced CMAR contractor (Granite Construction), and design engineer (CH2M Hill/Jacobs). Innovative Contracting and Engineering collaborated with this CMAR team on many construction innovations and risk mitigation strategies that ultimately shaved one full construction season off the construction schedule reduced the traffic impacts on SR-28 and saved the project millions of dollars. Construction was completed in 2019, and thousands of visitors enjoy this trail each summer!
The project installed safety improvements along SR-28 and constructed 3-miles of 12-wide shared use path/trail between SR-28 and Lake Tahoe. Due to the steep terrain, the trail project included retaining walls along most of the corridor, and multiple bridge structures. Our team provided production-based cost estimating, construction scheduling, constructability reviews, and participation in risk management workshops.
Alternative Delivery Consulting Services (PDB, CMGC, CMAR, DB, P3)
Independent Cost Estimating (Production-Based Cost Estimating)
Critical Path Scheduling Using Primavera P6
Constructability Reviews
Risk Management/Mitigation
Innovation in Construction Techniques
Negotiation
Change Order Reviews
Training
We love what we do! We have a passion for finding creative approaches to construction. We are constantly looking for innovative construction techniques to add value to the projects we are working on. Our team has found ways to reduce schedule and/or construction costs on every project we have worked on to date!
Innovative Contracting & Engineering (ICE) is a team comprised of former contractors and professional engineers who have a thorough understanding of market fluctuations, pricing trends, construction strategies, and innovations. Our experience working on alternative delivery projects across the United States has provided our team with a tool bag full of industry best practices. Construction cost estimating and scheduling is our primary focus. This focus is how we stay current on construction trends and price changes, and that helps us produce more accurate estimates than our competition. We have a passion for finding creative approaches to construction. We are constantly looking for innovative construction techniques to add value to the projects we are working on. Our team has found a way to reduce schedule and/or construction costs on every project we have worked on to date! ICE works closely with our clients to improve the quality of their most challenging projects.
How can we help you? Send us your questions, comments, and request.
Email, Call, or Text: Dan Bender, 702-523-2354, danbender@iceteams.com