As a means of trying to minimize later construction project problems, the Defense Department is increasingly putting an emphasis on how and why sites for certain projects are selected, well before the first pile is driven.
In a seminar sponsored by the Design-Build Institute of America, Michael McAndrew, assistant Secretary of Defense for construction, noted that in previous years an emphasis was placed on getting Congressional funding for a project, even if that that project wasn’t entirely ready to go.
“What we found was the site conditions weren’t properly looked at, and we were guessing things,” remarked McAndrew.
Because a lack of foresight in the site selection process ended up causing future project problems, McAndrew said DOD officials are more and more today asking such questions as, “How can we do this better?” and “What are things that we are not doing right?”
The enhanced construction project review process at the DOD has been an ongoing one, McAndrew continued, noting that now the agency is increasingly likely to bring in outside partners who can help at the vetting stage.
As an example of how the DOD is changing its construction process, the seminar also revealed that design-build projects for the agency are expected to increase by just under 8% in the next four years. Forecasts additionally suggest that nearly half of all the Defense Department’s construction projects will be design-build by 2025.
The House Military Construction Subcommittee recently approved $11 billion in funding for new military construction projects. That funding must still be approved by the U.S. Senate.
Intended projects for funding under the legislation include military base family housing, child development centers, and the construction and upgrading of Veterans Affairs facilities.
By Garry Boulard
