BUNDLING: AN INNOVATION IN BRIDGE DELIVERY

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel D'Angelo ◽  
R. Edward Minchin ◽  
Yifeng Tian ◽  
Bang An
Keyword(s):  
Public Transportation ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Civil Infrastructure ◽  
Federal Funds ◽  
Federal Highway ◽  
The Us ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Tools And Techniques

Public transportation agencies in the US have broken down the management of their bridge assets into four parts: preservation, preventive maintenance, rehabilitation, or replacement. As these agencies continue their battle to update and rehabilitate their civil infrastructure, bundling multiple bridge construction projects into a single contract can save money, human resources and time. State and local public agencies (LPAs) are beginning to employ this concept, but since practices and methods for bridge bundling are not yet standardized, the Federal Highway Administration has pursued tools and techniques to help these agencies successfully apply bridge bundling. A successful bridge bundling program focuses on a specific group (or bundle) of bridges that are slated for any of the four management areas, and navigates all the bridges in the bundle through the process from conception to completion. This is accomplished in the shortest time possible, with the support of the proper funding options and/or partnerships, Bridge bundling has demonstrated its ability to serve as an efficient and effective approach for sustaining and upgrading bridge assets through use of both federal and non-Federal funds. Use of the tool has led to cost savings and accelerated project delivery, and bridge bundling has proven itself valuable in all four of the major tactics currently employed to manage bridges.

ANALYSIS OF IMPEDIMENTS TO A SUCCESSFUL CONSTRUCTABILITY PROCESS IN HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Edward Minchin ◽  
Reihaneh Samsami ◽  
Dan Tran ◽  
Dan D’Angelo ◽  
Sidney Scott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Delivery Methods ◽  
Contract Duration ◽  
Federal Highway ◽  
Project Delivery Methods ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
Permitting Process

The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Every Day Counts Program (EDC) has resulted in state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) putting evermore emphasis on speeding up the delivery of highway and bridge construction projects for use by the driving public. This has resulted in an increase in the use of integrated project delivery methods and adding alternative technical concepts (ATCs) to traditional design-bid-build (DBB) contracts. ATCs have exhibited great potential for delivering substantial benefits like cost savings, increased constructability, and quicker project delivery. Previous research has found that knowledge of project constructability was lacking in state DOT planning, programming, and environmental staffs. At the same time, the permitting process for several government agencies has become increasingly restrictive. The intent of this paper is to report on the research team's progress in an ongoing effort to furnish the US government with a uniform set of guidelines for the application of the constructability process during all phases of project development and delivery. The research uses surveys, focus groups and interviews to determine which states have implemented formal programs to ensure that the constructor is furnished with a set of contract documents that affords said constructor with the best possible opportunity to successfully construct the project with the highest quality standards, within the contract duration and without exceeding the construction budget.

EFFECT OF DESIGN MANAGEMENT ON COST PERFORMANCE OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita ◽  
Hemanta Doloi
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Design Management ◽  
Cost Performance ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Downstream Cost ◽  
Project Objectives

Design management is one of the key processes of any construction project, and its effects across other construction processes are quite pivotal. Irrespective of the particular project delivery system, design management plays a significant role in overall cost outcomes in a project. Design management requires a careful investigation in relation to its potential influence on downstream cost over-run issues in most construction projects. In this research, a selected set of 25 attributes associated with design management have been analyzed from the perspective of three key stakeholders: designers, clients and contractors. Based on Factor Analysis, pre-design consideration is found to have significant effects on managing cost performance in project. Regression analysis reveals that the initial follow-up of design with respective parties potentially contributes in cost savings at the latter phase of project. The finding is expected to lead towards improvement of Design Management practices, and meeting the project objectives through better quality, improved constructability, and, eventually, providing value for money to both investors and owners in the project.

Minimizing Work Zone Mobility Impacts using Project Coordination

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-219
Author(s):  
LuAnn Theiss ◽  
Gerald L. Ullman
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Systematic Approach ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Federal Highway ◽  
Key Steps ◽  
Project Coordination ◽  
Corridor Network

Under the Every Day Counts program, the Federal Highway Administration has been promoting technologies and practices that can shorten the project delivery process, enhance durability and safety, reduce congestion, and improve environmental sustainability. The focus is on providing efficiency through technology and collaboration. This includes strategies for Project Coordination (PC) which can be applied to a single project, or more commonly, among multiple projects within a corridor, network, or region, and possibly across agency jurisdictions, to minimize work zone impacts and produce time and cost savings. The purpose of this document is to provide guidance on implementing PC in the planning, design, and delivery phases of projects. It summarizes key steps for successfully implementing PC, using a systematic approach to meet a specific set of clearly defined objectives. The steps include: establishing the PC vision; developing details of how PC will occur; educating and informing personnel and stakeholders; implementing the PC process; and refining the process. A case study of PC in Texas is included to demonstrate successful application of the approach.

Treatment of venous leg ulcers using bilayered living cellular construct

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (13) ◽  
pp. 907-918
Author(s):  
Aseel Bin Sawad ◽  
Fatema Turkistani
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare System ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Healthcare Resource Utilization ◽  
Psychological Status ◽  
Leg Ulcers ◽  
Venous Leg Ulcers ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Us ◽  
Economic Analyses

Background: Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) present a significant economic burden on the US healthcare system and payers (US$14.9 billion). Aim: To evaluate the quality of life (QoL) of patients with VLUs; to analyze the limitations of standard of care (SOC) for VLUs; and to explain how using bilayered living cellular construct (BLCC) with SOC for treatment of VLUs can help heal more VLUs faster (than using SOC alone) as well as help improve QoL and help reduce the burden on the US healthcare system and payers. Materials & methods: This is a review study. The search was conducted in February 2020 by way of electronic databases to find relevant articles that provided information related to QoL of patients with VLUs, limitations of SOC for VLUs and economic analyses of using BLCC for treatment of VLUs. Results: VLUs impact patients’ physical, functional and psychological status and reduce QoL. A total 75% of VLU patients who used SOC alone failed to achieve healing in a timely fashion, which led to increased healthcare costs and healthcare resource utilization. Although the upfront cost is high, the greater effectiveness of BLCC offsets the added cost of the product during the time period of the studies. Therefore, BLCC helps to improve the QoL of VLU patients. As an example, for every 100 VLU patients in a healthcare plan, the use of BLCC can create cost savings of US$1,349,829.51. Conclusion: Payers’ coverage of BLCC results in reduction of the overall medical cost for treating VLU patients.

Public-sector Contracting for Investment Services

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon L. Clark ◽  
Ashby H. B. Monk ◽  
Gordon L. Clark ◽  
Ashby H. B. Monk
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Pension Fund ◽  
Institutional Design ◽  
Economic Significance ◽  
The Us ◽  
Public Pension Fund ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Administration And Supervision ◽  
Institutional Ecology ◽  
The City

In Chapter 7, the focus shifts to public agents and the process of contracting financial services and local pension funds in the US states. The costs of governing and managing this sector are addressed and an idealized model of the institutional design, administration, and supervision of the investment management process is introduced, laying out the forms and functions of pensions in relation to their beneficial purpose. In a brief overview of the US state and local PERS sector, its economic significance and distinctive institutional ecology are noted. The authors’ research demonstrates the extent to which the market for financial services in the US public pension-fund sector is Balkanized, implying significant transaction costs for both the buy and sell sides of the market, more often found at the city or metropolitan level than among funds within states or between funds of adjacent states.

Little filtered cigars: US sales, flavours, package sizes and prices

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 346-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doris G Gammon ◽  
Todd Rogers ◽  
Ellen M Coats ◽  
James M Nonnemaker ◽  
Lisa Henriksen
Keyword(s):  
Regional Differences ◽  
Sales Volume ◽  
The South ◽  
Sales Data ◽  
Pack Size ◽  
Cigarette Taxes ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Total Sales

ObjectiveAt least four varieties of little filtered cigars (LFCs) violate the US prohibition on flavoured cigarettes other than menthol. This study characterises the sales of prohibited products and other LFCs by flavour category and pack size, as well as the price of LFCs relative to cigarettes.MethodsUsing retail sales data for 2016, we computed the sales volume in dollars and equivalent units and the percentage of total sales by flavour and pack size for the USA by region and state. Paired t-tests compared the prices for LFCs and cigarettes sold in same-sized packs and cartons.ResultsLFC sales totalled 24 033 equivalent units per 100 000 persons in 2016. Flavoured LFC varieties accounted for almost half (47.5%) of the total sales. LFCs were sold in 12 different pack sizes, but 79.7% of sales were packs of 20. The price of 20-packs averaged $2.41 (SD=$1.49), which was significantly less than cigarettes (M=$5.90, SD=$0.85). Regional differences suggest a greater proportion of menthol/mint LFCs and lower prices in the South than in other regions.ConclusionClassifying all LFCs as cigarettes would require that they be offered in a minimum package of 20, eliminate flavoured varieties other than menthol and increase prices through applicable state and local cigarette taxes.

Identification of Tools and Techniques to Enhance Interdisciplinary Collaboration During Design and Construction Projects

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 28-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yolanda Keys ◽  
Susan R. Silverman ◽  
Jennie Evans
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Interprofessional Collaboration ◽  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Organizational Dynamics ◽  
Healthcare Design ◽  
Interior Designers ◽  
Tools And Techniques ◽  
Design And Construction

The purpose of this study was to collect the perceptions of design professionals and clinicians regarding design process success strategies and elements of interprofessional engagement and communication during healthcare design and construction projects. Additional objectives were to gather best practices to maximize clinician engagement and provide tools and techniques to improve interdisciplinary collaboration for future projects. Strategies are needed to enhance the design and construction process and create interactions that benefit not only the project but the individuals working to see its completion. Meaningful interprofessional collaboration is essential to any healthcare design project and making sure the various players communicate is a critical element. This was a qualitative study conducted via an online survey. Respondents included architects, construction managers, interior designers, and healthcare personnel who had recently been involved in a building renovation or new construction project for a healthcare facility. Responses to open-ended questions were analyzed for themes, and descriptive statistics were used to provide insight into participant demographics. Information on the impressions, perceptions, and opportunities related to clinician involvement in design projects was collected from nurses, architects, interior designers, and construction managers. Qualitative analysis revealed themes of clinician input, organizational dynamics, and a variety of communication strategies to be the most frequently mentioned elements of successful interprofessional collaboration. This study validates the need to include clinician input in the design process, to consider the importance of organizational dynamics on design team functioning, and to incorporate effective communication strategies during design and construction projects.

scholarly journals Value Management in Practice: An Interview Survey

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Therese Daddow ◽  
Martin Skitmore
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Value Management ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Construction Work ◽  
Value For Money ◽  
Extra Time ◽  
Prescriptive Literature ◽  
Interview Survey

Despite its obvious theoretical benefits, there has been some reservations regarding the practical implementation of Value Management (VM) for construction projects. In particular, these concerns the extra time and costs involved in conducting VM in relation to the actual benefits gained as a consequence of its use. This paper provides the result of an interview survey of the experiences and observations of 17 professionals working in the property and construction industry to establish the extent to which this is an issue. The main conclusion is that the process is working well, with VM being popular among those with experience in its use - which has been extended into the area of consultant selection. However, in contrast with the prescriptive literature, much of the participants' experiences appear to be more concerned with VM's contribution to the identification and management of the risks involved in project delivery than the straight value-for-money aspects. This may be due to the higher levels of uncertainty involved in construction work than in VM's original use in construction.

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