NCJ Number
166470
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1996) Pages: 124,126-127
Date Published
1996
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The use of "partnering" in prison construction has potential to save time and money while reducing construction claims by emphasizing communication and common goals among project team members; this article illustrates the use of "partnering" in the construction of the $101 million Coleman Federal Correctional Complex (Coleman, Fla.).
Abstract
Partnering has different degrees of formality and procedure; in most cases, however, it begins with a meeting between the owner, architect, general contractor, and major subcontractors before ground is broken on the project. In the Coleman project activities in the partnering meeting included taking personality tests, discussing each person's needs and goals, and practicing problem solving, using examples of job-site scenarios. At the end of the meeting, the project team members jointly drafted and signed a partnering agreement that laid out their common goals. The owner, architect, and contractor were willing participants in the partnering process. Partnering was crucial in maintaining the rapid pace of construction. It focused on resolving job-related problems by people in the field. When problems could not be solved at this level, they were passed to the next chain of command. Only two problems made it to top management. Frequent meetings offered project team members opportunities to discuss and resolve their problems. If a change order was issued, for example, the project team met immediately to revise the schedule and determine pricing. There were weekly meetings between the subcontractors and monthly meetings between Bureau of Prisons officials, the architect, and the general contractor. By remaining focused on the goal of completing a quality project on time, all of the participants were satisfied.