The facility upgrade of Sonoma Valley Hospital has taken a big step towards its target 2013 completion with the naming of the design-build team, Otto Construction and Nacht & Lewis Architects.
The hospital board authorized the hire last week, culminating a rigorous 10-month, state-mandated process which defined the changes necessary for the hospital to comply with the present earthquake code.
Three design-build teams were invited to submit detailed proposals. Hospital CEO Carl Gerlach said each team put in an average of 3,000 hours to come down to a final design. “They all managed to refine the master plan we unveiled a few months ago, and are saving us a huge amount of money with a few critical modifications.”
The design-build concept is new to public works projects. Hospital project advisor Norman Gilroy said if the hospital had relied on the traditional method, it wouldn’t be at this point in the process until well into 2011.
“With design-build, we have more certain pricing and a considerable compression in time,” Gilroy said, ”and time is money.”
Sacramento’s Otto and Nacht & Lewis submitted the bid rated the “Best Value” by the Sonoma Valley Hospital’s Facility Advisory Committee using a scoring system defined by the relevant public contract code.
The team of Otto Construction and Nacht & Lewis has a proven track record using the design-build method. Most recently, the approach was used for the Sacramento Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the remodeling of the Methodist Hospital of Sacramento, and on the Eskaton Village Grass Valley Senior Living Facility.
The team will work with Sonoma Valley Hospital to complete the renovation and bring the hospital into compliance with state seismic standards. Energy upgrades and aesthetic improvements will also be incorporated.
For a district hospital to be able to use the design-build method is a recent development, made possible by 2008 legislation written by state Senator Patricia Wiggins.
Traditionally for public works construction, local officials invite bids for construction projects and then award contracts to the lowest responsible bidder, in what is called the “design-bid-build” method. In contrast, the “design-build” method allows a single company or consortium to act as both project designer and builder.
The design-build entity arranges all architectural, engineering, and construction services, and is responsible for delivering the project at a guaranteed price and schedule based upon performance criteria set by the public agency.
Wiggins said of her bill, “The design-build method can be faster, and therefore cheaper, than the design-bid-build method, but it requires a higher level of sophistication since design and construction may occur simultaneously.”
