U.S. General Services Administration IDIQ. In 2009, Beck Technology, a member of the Beck group of companies decided to pursue a major Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract (IDIQ) with the U.S. General Services Administration. The depth and breadth of the contract represented a much larger scope of services than any one firm could feasibly execute, assuming the contract’s extents were reachable. Beck Technology reinforced its core team with additional expertise and sought team members from the Global Design Alliance including Cadforce, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, and Langan Engineering.
In all, the teaming arrangement incorporated a total of four GDA member firms, pursuing a high profile, high stakes opportunity with a major U.S. based client whose design and construction portfolio represented one of the largest in the country. The scope of services, although executed through building information modeling (BIM) and laser scanning services, covered a wide range of knowledge and expertise that GDA member firms provide every day including architecture, structure, MEP and civil engineering, project management and coordination, cost estimating, and collaboration & training. Ultimately, Beck Technology was one of 10 firms (reportedly out of 100+ pursuing firms) awarded the contract and are currently pursuing opportunities to utilize this unique contract vehicle and bring value back to the GDA team at large.
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport Terminal Modernization Project
The Birmingham Airport has been a client of KPS Group since the late 80’s when the Airport Authority was formed. Since then KPS has undertaken numerous projects including an earlier terminal renovation project that also involved another GDA member at the time, Freese & Nichols. The current project was announced in 2005 and selection for the project definition phase was made in early 2006 with the design and construction phases to follow. The construction documents were completed in the fall of 2010 and the $200 million project is now under construction.
KPS Group resolved at the outset that its success in securing the project could be enhanced through the addition of various GDA firms to the team and that the project afforded an opportunity to exploit our motto of “better together”. At the outset, GDA participating firms included Sypher-Mueller (now part of Jacobs Engineering) with Smart Design, both focusing on concession consulting. After the initial phase, the project was delayed for almost four years and by the beginning of the design phase, Smart Design had been replaced by Architecture Alliance, Interface Engineering had been added to the team as a LEED consultant, peer engineer and to do the commissioning and SGH had been retained to provide building envelope review and consulting. Each has made an important contribution to the project with specialized expertise thus helping KPS to be of more value to its client. With some 17 consultants on the project, a local and disadvantaged business contracting requirement, and an extended project schedule five GDA member firms including KPS as the prime were nonetheless responsible for a significant portion of the total project. The project is on budget, on track to achieve LEED Gold status, and is another example of how GDA firms work together.