INTRODUCTION
PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC APPROVAL - approx. 8 months
PROGRAMMING, MASTER PLANNING & BRIDGING DOCUMENTS
- approx. 10 months
PRE-QUALIFICATION OF DESIGN BUILDER TEAMS - approx. 6 months
PROPOSAL PHASE - approx. 3 months
DESIGN BUILD PHASE - approx. 26 months
BUILDING COMMISSIONING
COUNTY MOVE-IN - approximately 6 months
SOLANO
MASTER PROJECT SCHEDULE (pdf)
The Solano County Government Center Project is to be completed in an approximate three-year schedule of activities, culminating in the relocation of County employees to the new building in the fourth quarter of 2004. The project is to be built using the "Design/Build" process in which the Solano County Department of General Services contracts with a single, combined team of architects, engineers and builders to design and construct the project, as opposed to contracting separately with each of these entities. This is a process that allows public buildings to benefit from collaboration of the entire design and construction team from the outset while preserving cost competition and quality control. This process compresses the time frames between design and construction, allowing a more efficient, rapid completion of the project. This format requires a somewhat different set of phases than the traditional sequence of designing, bidding and then building, each of which is described as follows
As a significant project in the downtown area of the City of Fairfield, various public agencies and the community will review the Solano County Government Center project before it can be constructed. Cotton Bridges Associates, selected by the County of Solano, is leading the preparation of the Environmental Review Report. The process is described in detail in the Public Process section of this web site. Briefly, the process involves archival research and various studies to determine the current conditions on and around the project site. The potential impact of the project is then assessed against the current conditions. Action plans are formulated to avoid or mitigate impacts and are documented in the report as a condition of the project approval. Once the report is completed, the County of Solano Board of Supervisors certifies and formally adopts the report as the basis for the project to proceed.
The first step in the process is to identify all of the important aspects of what the Solano County Government Center needs to do for its occupants. This is a collaborative effort of the County of Solano, the City of Fairfield, and two primary professional organizations selected to assist in leading the development of this project; Johnson Fain Partners and their team of engineering consultants acting as the Master Architects, and URS Corporation providing Project/Construction Management. Project Definition involves many complex steps including programming the size and requirements of each space in the building, developing "stacking diagrams" indicating relationships of spaces on various floors, studying various massing schemes to begin to envision the building's appearance, conducting energy analysis, meeting with various public agencies to understand local concerns, confirming the project cost remains within budget parameters and developing a detailed schedule of project activities and milestones. This information is used for the next step, the preparation of the Design Builder Solicitation Package.
The Design/Builder Solicitation Package compiles the information derived during the Project Definition Phase into a set of design guidelines, performance criteria, contract requirements and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for seeking proposals and completing the contractual agreement with the Design/Builder.
Selection of the Design/Builder begins with a public advertisement requesting written qualification submittals from interested teams of architects, engineers and builders. Upon review by the County of Solano, City of Fairfield and the project consultants, five teams will be chosen for interviews. From these interviews, three teams will be chosen to prepare design submittals depicting the nature of the building they intend to construct. A select jury of design professionals and community representatives, along with a technical review committee, will evaluate and rank the submitted designs; then make the final recommendation of the Design/Builder to be selected.
Starting with a notice to proceed, the Design/Builder will commence to design and construct the new Solano County Government Center. The teams' architects and engineers will finalize the design of the building, addressing the building's floor plan layout, exterior enclosure, interior design and all systems necessary for the building to operate. County of Solano, City of Fairfield, and its consultants will review the design as each component is completed to confirm compliance with the standards set forth in the contract. The Design/Builder will then complete preparation of construction documents depicting how the various materials, equipment and finishes are to be put together. Trade contractors will then prepare bids under State public bidding rules assuring that the cost of the project is derived from an open, competitive process. Construction will be scheduled and directed by the Design/Builder's project management team in conjunction with the various trade subcontractors. The County of Solano building inspectors and other consultants will monitor the quality, cost and pace of the work. The building will be ready for occupancy when all interior and exterior construction is complete, the State Fire Marshal approves the building's life safety systems and a certificate of occupancy is issued.
Shortly before completion of construction, the building's mechanical, plumbing, electrical and elevator systems will be placed in operation. This is not just a process of flipping the start switch! Each system's components are thoroughly inspected, started and tested before being placed "on-line". Subsystems are similarly reviewed prior to acceptance as part of the entire building. Finally, the entire building is operated as a totally integrated entity to confirm that all is in working order. Building commissioning extends well beyond the move-in date; continually measuring that the building's performance lives up to the goals established at the beginning of the project.
Finally, the building is ready to occupy. Everyone picks up their papers and chairs and moves across the street! Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Moving over 800 people into their new home will require a coordinated, well-planned series of activities over several months. Phones must be installed, office equipment set up, files packed, computer systems relocated and locations for each person identified. Working with a move-coordinator, each department's relocation will be scheduled to minimize work disruption and is to be completed as quickly as possible.
SOLANO MASTER PROJECT SCHEDULE (PDF)
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