The general contractor Balfour Beatty has been working with the San Diego Unified School District for 13 years. Over the past five years alone, the firm has completed five projects for the District, with number six currently under construction.
On all improvement and construction projects, the District has a mandatory goal of 50% participation by emerging business enterprises, or EBEs. That goal includes 5% for disabled veteran business enterprises (DVBEs).
For the District’s recent $38 million project that modernized its Innovations Academy, a K-8 charter school with nearly 400 students, Balfour Beatty delivered more than 62,000 sf of educational space within a tight five-month schedule. The contractor awarded $5 million in contracts, nearly 13%, to local DVBE firms, a portion that more than doubled the District’s participation goal for DVBEs. “That was outstanding,” says Tim Berry, senior vice president and one of Balfour Beatty’s K-12 market leads in California, whom BD+C interviewed earlier this week.
In total, Balfour Beatty has awarded contracts to five San Diego-area DVBE firms—Audio Associates of San Diego, IO Environmental & Infrastructure, Penn Air Control, PN Supply, and Veterans Engineering Services—that have worked on 22 projects for the District.
A SKILLED LABOR POOL
At a time when the construction industry has struggled with shortages of skilled labor, tapping the veterans’ community for workers can fill gaps for firms like Balfour Beatty. These partnerships, the firm has stated, “bring a pool of talent that is rich in leadership and complex problem-solving skillsets.”
Berry notes that over the past two decades Balfour Beatty has done a lot of work for the federal government and the military. On such projects, the vast majority of the construction is typically performed by small-business enterprises. Over this period, Balfour Beatty itself has also hired lots of vets, and continues to have a proactive outreach and networking program, particularly in southern California where there’s a large military population.
Programs that encourage, or even mandate, the hiring of veteran-owned businesses “open the door for us,” says Mike Bilodeau, CEO of IO Environmental & Infrastructure, which he started in 2007. With four offices and 50 employees, the company has grown to where it is performing jobs nationally (it currently has projects underway in North Carolina, Utah, and at Fort Dix in New Jersey.)
The San Diego Unified School District is one of IO’s long-standing clients. Ever since the District moved its properties into lease-leaseback agreements, many of its building upgrades have been whole-school remodels. “It’s almost like a design-build situation,” says Bilodeau, who served in the Coast Guard, and was also an environmental specialist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
CONSISTENT CASHFLOW A MAJOR BENEFIT
The modernization of the Innovations Academy included 27 classrooms, the gym, exterior play area and parking facilities, according to ABBA Project Management.
For the Innovations Academy project, the scope of IO’s work consisted of landscaping, irrigation, and decomposed granite resurfacing. Dan Parker, IO’s operations manager (and a U.S. Air Force vet), lauds John Atherton, MEng, CCM, DBIA, LEED AP, Balfour Beatty’s project executive, for keeping the Innovations Academy job moving forward smoothly. (Berry notes that this project required modifying the existing building’s structural component with 30- to 50-ft-deep shoring.)
To achieve dynamic DVBE participation on a hard-bid project like this one, Balfour Beatty develops targeted bid packages during preconstruction. Oftentimes, DVBEs come in as second-tier trade partners, so it’s important for the contractor to establish clear participation goals for the entire supply chain.
As consistent cashflow is of critical importance to small businesses, Balfour Beatty makes a point of paying the DVBEs it hires on time and in full. It also works with these subs to expedite the hiring process. “It’s essential that the paperwork be filled out properly, especially when financing is an issue,” explains Berry.
Balfour Beatty’s involvement with DVBEs may be about giving back to the community, and providing equal opportunities to all subcontractor companies. But the firm’s motives aren’t entirely altruistic: Berry says these partnerships help the firm grow. And the presence of vets on the jobsite can lift up the entire team. “There’s no entitlement mentality with vets, no ‘I can’t.’ ”
Related Stories
| Nov 20, 2014
Lean Led Design: How Building Teams can cut costs, reduce waste in healthcare construction projects
Healthcare organizations are under extreme pressure to reduce costs, writes CBRE Healthcare's Lora Schwartz. Tools like Lean Led Design are helping them cope.
| Nov 19, 2014
The evolution of airport design and construction [infographic]
Safety, consumer demand, and the new economics of flight are three of the major factors shaping how airlines and airport officials are approaching the need for upgrades and renovations, writes Skanska USA's MacAdam Glinn.
| Nov 19, 2014
Construction unemployment hits eight-year low, some states struggle to find qualified labor
The construction industry, whose workforce was decimated during the last recession, is slowly getting back on its feet. However, in certain markets—especially those where oil drilling and production have been prospering—construction workers can still be scarce.
Sponsored | | Nov 19, 2014
3 technology trends on the horizon
As technology continues to evolve exponentially, construction firms have ongoing opportunities to enhance the quality, speed, and efficiency of building projects and processes. SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | Nov 19, 2014
Long-life coatings vs. long-life screws
Are you concerned with the long-life protection of your metal building project? SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | Nov 19, 2014
Build green while you work green
Leading general contractors, including Skanska USA and Turner Construction, are implementing sustainable modular jobsite offices throughout the country. SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | Nov 19, 2014
Fire resistive, blast-resistant glazing: Where security, safety, and transparency converge
Security, safety and transparency don’t have to be mutually exclusive thanks to new glazing technology designed to support blast and fire-resistant secure buildings. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Nov 19, 2014
Must see: Arup, Damian Rogers propose urban surf park in Melbourne
The surfing pool would offer 98-foot-wide waves that would run the length of the 500-foot-long enclave.
| Nov 18, 2014
Architecture Billings Index dips in October, still shows positive outlook design services
Headed by the continued strength in the multifamily residential market and the emerging growth for institutional projects, demand for design services continues to be healthy, as exhibited in the latest Architecture Billings Index.
| Nov 18, 2014
New tool helps developers, contractors identify geographic risk for construction
The new interactive tool from Aon Risk Solutions provides real-time updates pertaining to the risk climate of municipalities across the U.S.