NOTICE
The Federal Construction Council (FCC) is a continuing activity of the Building Research Board of the National Research Council (NRC). The purpose of the FCC is to promote continuing cooperation among the sponsoring federal agencies and between the agencies and other elements of the building community in order to advance building science and technology--particularly with regard to the design, construction, and operation of federal facilities. Currently, 18 agencies sponsor the FCC:
Department of the Air Force, Office of the Civil Engineer
Department of the Air Force, Air National Guard
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Department of the Army, Construction Engineering Research Laboratories
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation
Department of Energy, Office of Project and Facilities Management
Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command
Department of State, Office of Foreign Buildings Operations
Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Construction Management
General Services Administration, Public Buildings Service
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Facilities Engineering Office
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Endowment for the Arts, Design Arts Program
National Science Foundation, Structural Systems and Construction Processes Program
Smithsonian Institution, Office of Facilities Service
U.S. Information Agency, Voice of America
U.S. Public Health Service, Office of Management
U.S. Postal Service, Facilities.
As part of its activities, the FCC periodically publishes reports like this one that have been prepared by committees of government employees. Since these committees are not appointed by the NRC, they do not make recommendations, and their reports are not reviewed and approved in accordance with usual NRC procedures. Consequently, the reports are considered FCC publications rather than NRC publications.
For further information on the FCC program or FCC reports, please write to: Executive Secretary, Federal Construction Council, Building Research Board, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20418.
FEDERAL CONSTRUCTION COUNCIL
CONSULTING COMMITTEE ON ARCHITECTURE AND ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING
Chairman
Daniel Hightower,
Division of Health Planning Facilities, U.S. Public Health Service
Members
James V. Allred,
Medical Facilities Office, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
James Binkley,
Facilities Department, U.S. Postal Service
Doyle Carrington,
Office of Construction Management, Department of Veterans Affairs
Daniel W. Duncan,
Architectural and Planning Branch, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
John Earl,
Readiness Center, Air National Guard
Michael Golish,
U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories
Thomas Grooms,
Federal Design Improvement Program, National Endowment for the Arts
Rex Hellman,
Office of Foreign Buildings Operations, U.S. Department of State
Ronald Johnson,
Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Department of the Navy
James D. Long,
Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Department of the Navy
Joel T. Matulys,
Office of Engineering Services, U.S. Public Health Service
Dean Philpott,
Voice of America
Gary R. Radtke,
Facilities Planning and Construction, Indian Health Service
Donald L. Ritenout,
Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence Design Group, Department of the Air Force
John B. Scalzi,
Structures and Building Systems, National Science Foundation
Robert C. Wilson,
Facilities Branch, Voice of America
Staff
Henry A. Borger, Executive Secretary,
Federal Construction Council
Lena B. Grayson, Senior Secretary
PREFACE
The term “partnering” was coined by the Army Corps of Engineers in the late 1980s. It refers to the concept of substituting an atmosphere of cooperation among those involved in construction projects for the adversarial climate that traditionally has existed in construction; it also refers to the procedures by which a cooperative atmosphere is achieved through development of a team spirit on a project.
Although the idea that cooperation is better than confrontation is hardly new, the partnering concept, as expounded by the Corps of Engineers, was an important development because it provided a simple but effective method of achieving that goal. And apparently the concept came just at the right time and struck just the right chord. It has captured the imagination of construction leaders throughout the country, and it has gained acceptance in the industry at a phenomenal rate. It has been endorsed by many publications, including the Engineering News Record, and by such influential organizations as the Associated General Contractors. Many federal agencies also have embraced the concept.
Like so many of their counterparts in both the public and private sectors, the members of the Federal Construction Council (FCC) Consulting Committee on Architecture and Architectural Engineering are enthusiastic supporters of partnering. The committee members believe that the concept could, among other things, contribute to the application of W. Edwards Deming's “total quality management” principles to federal construction.
To date the partnering concept has been used almost entirely to improve the bilateral relationship between the owner and the construction contractor. In May 1993 a symposium was held at the National Academy of Sciences by the Consulting Committee on Architecture and Architectural Engineering to explore the feasibility of applying the partnering concept to the design phase.
This report comprises summaries of several papers presented at the symposium. The summaries were prepared by the speakers, and the opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the FCC. However, the papers are believed to be relevant and timely and to contain information that will be useful to the sponsoring federal agencies.
