Just a few short years ago, an estimator’s toolkit for a major aviation project would have consisted of hefty blueprints and behemoth spreadsheets. Every cost projection was a meticulous exercise in multiple and often siloed manual calculations, and any major scope changes could take an entire project team back to the drawing board.

Today, preconstruction is becoming more efficient, effective and collaborative in ways that have lasting benefits for projects and teams. Balfour Beatty is ushering in a new era of cost certainty and transparency through the application of Join, a digital project delivery platform that empowers timely and informed project decisions. Through its dynamic interface, Join provides real-time cost data and trendlines that help stakeholders understand the full implications of project decisions and collaboratively unite around a single source of truth.

Chance Encounter Changes the Game for SMF

In the wake of the global pandemic that has led to historic backlogs and ongoing cost and supply chain volatility, the challenges preconstruction professionals face to create reliable estimates that meet their clients’ budgetary goals are greater than ever.

As a 10-year industry veteran, Lead Estimator Jorge Vargas has experienced these challenges first-hand, participating in lengthy value engineering exercises for both public and private clients across California. For long-lead projects that were priced prior to 2020 and started within the past five years, Jorge hasn’t merely found those budgets to be inaccurate but virtually obsolete by the time shovel is scheduled to hit dirt.

Balfour Beatty’s use of DESTINI Estimator software has been a dynamic tool to create earlier cost certainty through the development of parametric and model-based estimates. But Jorge still felt there was an opportunity to eliminate inefficiencies, streamline communication and improve team alignment in preconstruction.

Just months prior to the kickoff of preconstruction on the $140 million Sacramento Airport Pedestrian Walkway (SMF) Construction Manager at-Risk project in October 2023, Jorge attended an Advancing Preconstruction conference in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was fortuitously introduced to Join.

Jorge immediately recognized the software’s potential to improve the preconstruction experience for all stakeholders and proposed its application at SMF. Balfour Beatty’s Sacramento market leader, Vice President Kyle Frandsen, shared Jorge’s vision.

Creative Solutions for Budget Constraints

When the first estimate for the Construction Manager at-Risk (CMAR) SMF project came in roughly $20 million over budget, the team knew they had a long value engineering road ahead. An added layer of complexity stemmed from the fact that the original budget had been developed for 10,000 less total building square feet. The project team was cognizant they would have to deliver even more value with less capital. Join was just the platform to help them realize that goal.

Over the year-long preconstruction process where significant scope elements remained in a protracted state of flux, Join was instrumental in driving collaborative project decisions that successfully upheld the owner’s vision for an unparalleled passenger experience. The Hub building, for example, underwent three design iterations that involved major structural elements, including the footprint and exterior façade. The owner also widened the bridge, which added nearly one million dollars to the bottom-line cost. The project team left no stone unturned to identify cost savings from the floor finishes to column covers, wall panels, curtainwall and more.

“Join helped the entire team visualize and agree on our biggest cost challenges and direct our focus to the areas that would make the biggest impact,” recalls Jorge. “The data just jumps off the screen and speaks to you and for you.”

The project ceilings, which were a priority design element for the owner, underwent four major re-designs with differing product types. Join was instrumental in enabling the owner to visualize the cost of each product type and vet against their desired aesthetic.

Ultimately, the owner elected a concept coined “Destination Lift” that achieved a $358,000 cost savings. Incorporating halcyon fiberglass panels, Compässo™ Elite extruded aluminum perimeter trim and Paraline® Baffles, the chosen concept is a semi-open system that evokes fluidity and movement through space through its undulating pattern. An added benefit of the baffle material is its sound-absorbing qualities that improve acoustics and reduce reverberation for passengers.

When the team reached GMP, the project was $4,000 under budget – a testament to the power of a highly collaborative team’s strategic application of a highly collaborative tool.

“At the end of the day, it’s the client’s building and the client’s design,” attests Kyle. “It’s our job to provide the client with a path to achieve their vision, and Join helped make that path clear, highly collaborative and ultimately a very rewarding experience for all stakeholders. Our design partner, DWL Architects, was all-in the moment we rolled out Join, which was a huge factor to the overall success.”

In fact, the client representative for the Sacramento Department of Airports was so impressed by Join that they requested Balfour Beatty present the software to their entire steering committee. The project team received immensely positive feedback for their application of this leading-edge tool and its role in helping bring the SMForward program vision to life.

Streamlining Estimates for Smarter Workflows

Beyond its tangible benefits to the SMF project, Join has reaped significant advantages in workflow efficiencies. By integrating activities from cost management to scoping into a centralized platform, Join eliminates the inefficient cycle of emails and Excel file iterations that once beset estimators’ productivity – as well as that of our project partners. Features such as the ability to attach product sheets and the creation of a historical cost and communication repository are icing on the cake, serving as a valuable reference for future projects and ensuring compliance with regulatory documentation requirements.

“As an estimator, I'm told by a lot of different people what to do with my estimate. Later, it’s easy to forget what the team discussed to arrive at the final decision made,” says Jorge. “With Join, a simple click into the dashboard presents a complete picture of each decision – even years down the line.”

The benefits of Join also transcend preconstruction, creating positive ripple effects that continue to benefit the project long after it comes out of the ground. From an operations perspective, Senior Project Manager Anvesh Motadoo adds, “The transparency of the data in Join drives decisions that may otherwise linger around for very a long time or even create re-work in the field. Sometimes, the ball was in the owner’s court, and other times it was the architect’s court. Join’s dashboard made it easy to see what decisions were holding up the workflow and created a positive culture of shared responsibility throughout the entire project team.”

As new industry technologies continue to take flight, Balfour Beatty is committed to investing in the right tools that add value to our projects and stakeholders and drive results that improve our clients’ bottom lines.