The Use of Partnering in the Facilities Design Process: Summary of a Symposium (1994)

Jerome J. Sincoff

Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, Inc.

I'm very pleased to be here today and pleased to be discussing this subject. I'm an enthusiastic supporter of partnering.

All of us who want this idea to be the process idea for project delivery, thank the Corps of Engineers for all their work in making partnering an important ingredient in the design and construction industry.

1. Background

The A.I.A. Supports:

• Quality Based Selection (QBS)

• The Brooks Bill.

The A.I.A [and I] believe this to be the best way to plan, design, and build facilities. On balance, and after all these years of experimenting with project delivery, it's still the best way to deliver projects. Now we can work to make it even better through partnering.

The balanced approach that is Q.B.S. has three teams:

1. - Owner/User team - one team

2. - A/E team [design]

3. - Building team [construction]

All three teams have clear responsibilities, clear areas of knowledge and experience, and are dedicated to one goal: a successful project. Success means meeting the clients, requirements.

All three support the project while constructively providing checks and balances.

2. Teaming or partnering (T/P) idea

The central idea [as I see it] is to make the project the center of attention; the focus of everyone's efforts.

Partnering is a:

Way of doing this

Method to do this

Procedure for doing this

There are many positive benefits that come from T/P.

3. For the maximum benefit, partner from start to finish.

Itis very important to partner at the beginning and to continue partnering for the duration. It ensures continuity [total P/T] and shared responsibility with real teammates for the entire process:

1. Facility programming and planning, budgeting and scheduling [project definition]

All teammates should be there at the beginning, being invested in and co-responsible for the goals of the project.

In the private sector HoK has worked and is currently working with several corporate clients in start to finish partnering. However, if all three partners can't be there at the start, then we should briefly pause, review, and educate, when the team takes on additional partners.

For several public sector projects we have started with just two partners and added the third at the start of construction and the results have been good.

2. Design

During the design process the design team may take the lead, but constructive input and review by the owner/user team is required for the best results.

In addition the consultation of builders [of course builders with specific experience in the particular project type under development] in the areas of constructability, costing, scheduling, local contracting will enhance the reliability of the design.

It's during the design phase of the project's life that constructive collaboration can have the most beneficial impact on the outcome with the least penalty in

wasted time, money, and frustration.

Surely this is the time for the team spirit to be in play.

4. The basic ideas about partnering or teaming.

Being teammates goes back to our youth. Being on teams creates team spirit.

The team's goal was to win and win for the team. The individual players could take pride in their own accomplishments, but it was always a team victory.

What's our team's record this year?

These were real feelings that produced real results.

Partnering is perhaps a more adult version of teaming and, of course, implies contractual relationships. Even so, the idea can be, should be the same. Each partner can take pride in their accomplishments, but it's the partnership that wins.

What's our partnership's record this year?

Just as the team mates are devoted to the team so the partners are devoted to the partnership and devoted to the project.

5. Is this way of looking at it too simple?

Am I overlooking the difficulties?

Not taking them into consideration?

1. $'s are involved.

2. The importance of one's own organization.

3. The destructive doctrine of constructive conflict.

4. 20 years of adversarial practice to overcome.

5. Pride in your own special knowledge—I know best. Invented here.

6. The design team or the construction team wants to be right and importantly look right in the client's eyes.

During the process the partners must work to overcome these impediments.

6. I believe partnering is proving beneficial during the construction process.

I'm old enough to remember the 1960's when—without the methodology or formalization—we informally, intuitively teamed/partnered on projects—and it worked very well.

If it's successful during construction, it will, I believe, be even more successful

when applied from start to finish. As I've mentioned before, there are excellent examples in the private sector.

Let's stop experimenting with project delivery—the method of the month.

Let's combine quality based selection with total partnering and win one for the project.