The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAFVAC) mandated an extensive renovation to Perry Hall at the Naval Education and Training Center (NETC) at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island. Perry Hall, one of several complexes on the NETC campus, houses various educational commands including the Naval Academy Prep School, Command Leadership Training and a multi-lane small arms firing range. Integration of infrastructure work within the Naval Academy Prep School, Command Leadership Training Program and the multi-lane small arms firing range required careful consideration of the phasing aspects of the work (i.e., 8 separate phases). Further challenging these efforts was the requirement to maintain training functions in areas where significant renovation work was to proceed. Additionally, our firing range renovation work required the design and construction of targeting systems, HVAC systems and controls, security systems, weapons storage areas and sound-proofing to limit impacts to classroom training areas on the floors above. The project incorporated design and construction services to include demolition of interior structures, upgrade of mechanical, ventilation and electrical systems, new fire alarm and life-safety systems, new interior elevator, new windows, architectural modifications and environmental/hazardous materials mitigation including lead and asbestos. A key project element involves the effective phasing of project activities to accommodate multiple users with on-going training throughout the facility.
DTC performed construction services for this project as part of a $30 Million Multiple Award Construction Contract with NAVFAC. DTC and the Navy worked under an extremely tight budget for this project. In fact, sufficient funds were unavailable for the project as originally programmed (in excess of $10 million). DTC and the Navy worked together to revise the scope to meet project intent. In fact, this project did not have a typical contingency budget associated with the construction. Recognizing this, we maintained strict subcontractor compliance with budgets and schedules and we discouraged any subcontractor change requests in order to meet project requirements. The discovery of additional asbestos contamination (not part of our original scope) and the Navy’s desire to include some additional work, has required that DTC and the Navy work closely to achieve project efficiencies and identify credits for responding to these new issues.
Early in the process it became evident that several conflicting user requirements needed careful consideration in line with the scope of the project as contracted. In an effort to meet the user’s needs while maintaining contract compliance, DTC worked very closely with NAVFAC project management and engineering staff to establish on-going communication protocols for identifying issues and achieving consensus so as not to impact project scheduling and budget goals.
This included weekly meetings/briefings with various parties, the review of user training schedules and coordination with subs and government representatives (i.e., Base Fire Marshall). Additionally, we have worked closely with the Navy to make adjustments to the project’s schedules to advance work and/or work in other areas so as to limit impacts to the user’s training requirements. These changes to project implementation did not result in any change order requests. There were no loss time or safety incidents associated with our efforts.
