The procurement "lesson-learned" from the DOE/NREL Research Support Facility project in Golden, Colorado is Net-Zero Energy does not add cost to the project. That's right, DOE didn't pay a penny more for Net-Zero Performance of the 350,000 SF building than set forth in the original budget.
Phases 1 and 2 of the RSF Project have now been in operation for more than a year. The energy performance has been verified at Net-Zero and the final cost for the project met the appropriated budget, which did not require a Net-Zero Energy outcome. What caused the FREE upgrade in operational performance was the procurement process used on the project.
Rather than fixing the design and competing the project award based on price, the acquisition strategy fixed the price and competed project award based on performance. The strategy's outcome achieved not only project base-line requirements (not inclusive of Net-Zero Energy), but also many optional "desire-ments" (such as NZE) prioritized in the Project's RFP Documents
NZE is but one of many "desire-ments" achieved using this acquisition strategy known as "The 3PQ Strategic Acquisition & Management System". Other FREE upgrades to the RSF included: LEED Platinum+ (highest earned points of any Federal Building), increased usable space, 50% energy use reduction from ASHRAE 90.1, and an "expandable building" design.
The 3PQ strategy required DOE/NREL to learn an entirely new approach to "buying buildings". An approach that caused trepidation to not only DOE/NREL staff and leadership, but the design-build industry as well. It is rare when a design-build contract is based on no plans or drawings (known as Bridging Documents), it is even more rare when a procurement process allows the market-place to establish the Scope-of-Work rather than the project owner.
By prioritizing the "Scope" via the RFP Documents, the 3PQ strategy allowed the three shortlisted design-build Teams to propose the "Scope" included in their proposals based on a "fixed price" established by DOE.
The 3PQ Process defined and prioritized the elements of Scope. Scope definition used performance and program metrics. The 3PQ RFP documented the proposal requirements, including the process Teams followed in submitting proposals based on the pre-defined/prioritized Scope elements.
The RSF Project (completed in 2012) is one of many projects to have benefited from the 3PQ Process. In 2011, the Air National Guard in Ft. Smith Arkansas created the first LEED Gold ANG facility. Again this project did not require LEED Gold Certification; Gold was achieved at no additional cost, i.e. for FREE.
Einstein stated: "Insanity is repeating the same process and expecting different results". The 3PQ Process yields different results by completely changing the process.
For more details about the 3PQ Process, check out these other sources:
"The World's Greenest Buildings": by Jerry Yudelson
"3PQ Films Documentary": YouTube
No comments:
Post a Comment