It goes without saying that the five-year construction of a net-zero wastewater treatment plant, leveraging first-of-its-kind Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) technology, required exceptional collaboration. On the progressive design-build Sterling Natural Resource Center (SNRC) project, the team’s formalized partnering strategy took that collaboration to the next level, ultimately delivering a safe, sustainable and inviting community resource that sets a new benchmark for wastewater facilities.

By the numbers, the power of SNRC’s partnering is clear. Built on time, on budget and with zero claims or litigation during the COVID-19 pandemic, SNRC is a testament to the goals of respect, flexibility and technical excellence established in the team’s Charter. Impressively, the team logged 800,745 total hours worked with only one lost-time incident while navigating a gubernatorial stay-at-home order and distancing mandates. From placing 19,724 cubic yards of concrete to excavating 173,028 cubic yards of dirt and more, SNRC is a model of Zero Harm.

Partnerships at SNRC were also enriched by geographic and cultural diversity. Spanning 20 states and two countries, the team’s 119 firms encompassed 94 local businesses, 81% Inland Empire craft workforce and 29 DBE firms.

But partnering at SNRC wasn’t merely a philosophy; without it, net-zero energy could not have been achieved in a single project. Through partnering, the owner determined the viability of adding biosolids processing and anaerobic digestion. This $33 million enhancement, which occurred at 60-80% design completion, required construction of two 1.3-million-gallon digester tanks and onboarding of a major new subcontractor, Anaergia.

Ripple effects on schedule, procurement, site design and utilities were profound. While many teams would have requested a lengthy extension to re-scope the project, Balfour Beatty/Arcadis had built such synergy through partnering that they incorporated the addition as work progressed, ultimately extending the schedule by a mere six months.

Team Sterling also put their partnering to the test when the original site of the discharge basin fell through. Although they were able to acquire a new land tract in partnership with stakeholder San Bernadino Valley Municipal Water District, the path forward to constructing the Weaver Basin was immensely complex because the current pipeline was already 35% underway construction.

To prevent clashes with existing infrastructure, the team performed significant Building Information Modeling (BIM) work. The Weaver Basin required construction of two additional miles of pipeline at a 100-foot greater elevation with higher pressurized pumps and larger electrical loads. The new pipeline also ran beneath an active Caltrans line, necessitating extensive coordination, utility mapping and re-permitting.

While these represent just a few of the project’s vast challenges, they exemplify the ways partnering embedded the values, behaviors and skills that empowered Team Sterling to achieve the owner’s ambitious goals and community expectations.

Charting a True Course for Budget and Schedule Success

Team Sterling’s Charter formalized their partnering goals through an oath and mission statement. The partnering committee – including representatives from major design-build partners and key subcontractors – convened quarterly to measure progress through surveys. In addition, they took Clifton StrengthsFinder assessments to enhance team dynamics and displayed Charter posters throughout the jobsite to embed within the craft workforce. 

In fulfillment of their Charter, Term Sterling’s major achievements included:

1. Exceptional safety record recognized by ENR Southern California with an Excellence in Safety - Award of Merit
2. Capturing digester gas that offsets operational costs and produces three megawatts of renewable energy
3. Delivering the project on budget and schedule with zero claims or litigation
4. Successful progressive design-build delivery which embedded flexibility to manage the project’s evolving scope
   

Delivering the project on budget, Team Sterling established a “day one” guaranteed maximum price (GMP), and then designed and constructed to future additions, which were funded in part by the State Revolving Fund. Balfour Beatty/Arcadis created early value by inviting Electrical, Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings and Landscaping firms to collaborate as design-assist partners and provide cost insights in Technical Work Groups (TWG). Prioritizing structure was critical for the project’s $4.5M stainless steel package, which faced volatile supply and cost cycles further complicated by “Build America Buy America Act” sourcing requirements.

To deliver the project on schedule, the team maintained a “Trend Log,” which the owner reviewed in real-time to determine whether value engineering (VE), contingency or additional budget authority were needed. The team strategically commenced construction at 60% complete Intermediate Design Review-B (IFR-B) Drawings, facilitating an overlap in design and construction. During GMP, TWGs focused on selecting optimal plant equipment, which reduced long-lead deliveries. With the Anaergia addition, the team held six months of TWG meetings and proactively shared concept drawings at 30% completion to pre-plan logistics and labor.

TWG meetings were also a problem-solving forum, successfully resolving 95% of issues. The remainder were settled with executive leadership, which enabled the project to avoid claims, mediation/arbitration or litigation—an extreme rarity for projects completed during COVID-19 when many contractors invoked force majeure clauses.

Partnering: A Cultural Cornerstone

On traditional projects, organizational charts present a clear picture of stakeholders. But in nearly every regard, SNRC was anything but traditional.

From partnerships with two water districts; multiple city and county municipalities; State of California departments, governing boards and funding authorities; public utilities; sovereign American Indian tribe; and neighboring San Bernardino International Airport which required collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration, SNRC’s stakeholders were as extensive as they were complex. 

This was part necessity, part design. SNRC is a project by and for the residents of East Valley. Community input influenced some of the facility’s most unique elements such as open, green spaces suitable for weddings, a demonstration garden and other public-focused amenities.  

Subcontractors possessed an equally valued voice and stake. Through their proactive coordination efforts with local municipalities on pipeline work, WEKA, Inc. and Rados successfully prevented hazards such as utility strikes or service interruptions to traffic signals on nearby roadways.

Initially, the owner did not budget sufficient funds for landscaping; to achieve the desired aesthetic, the owner turned to Pierre Landscape’s design-assist leadership as the scope grew from $1-10M. Additionally, J&M Concrete provided an innovative, etched concrete design for the Administrative Building’s walkway. This feature, which received an American Concrete Institute Award, beautifies the space for owner and community alike.

A culture in which partnering is the cornerstone is also a culture in which innovation flourishes. In anticipation of escalation and shortages, Team Sterling - with the partnership of WEKA, Inc. - pre-purchased and stockpiled 3,000 lineal feet of cement motor lined and coated pipe at $350/lineal foot for the recycled water pipeline. This intuition and foresight reaped incredible dividends. The material ultimately soared to $1,200/lineal foot.  

Team Sterling opted for stainless steel over ductile iron which had the dual benefit of superior durability and corrosion resistance. The team also leveraged high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe where possible, which required precise calculations to account for its thermal expansion and contraction properties.

In perhaps its finest achievement, SNRC moved the needle towards the adoption of collaborative contracting models for water/wastewater projects, which are traditionally completed under hard-bid or design-bid-build models. SNRC was the first progressive design-build project for every member of Team Sterling, representing a unique learning curve in qualifications-based procurement and risk allocation and representative of the absolute trust the owner placed in the Balfour Beatty/Arcadis team.

At the outset, Team Sterling established one overarching goal to unify all others: to make SNRC the best project on which any team member, from any company, had ever worked. Today, SNRC stands as a living landmark to the realization of that aspiration, a beacon of meaning and purpose for the East Valley community and a signal to the AEC community that the success of our work hinges not just on technical prowess but on the strength of partnerships forged.