North Miami Beach Water (NMB Water) serves more than 175,000 customers in northern Miami-Dade County. NMB Water is investing approximately $106 million in their Capital Improvements Program (CIP) to enhance the quality and reliability of the water they provide, reduce service interruptions and ensure compliance with local and federal regulatory requirements. To support the growing needs of the North Miami Beach community and surrounding areas, the NMB Water CIP includes aging infrastructure replacements and significant improvements for the water treatment plant, collection and distribution system, sanitary force main and sanitary sewer. A CIP of this magnitude requires an expert program management team.
Why did NMB Water choose Black & Veatch to manage their program?
In pursuit of the NMB Water CIP, Black & Veatch engaged in a competitive qualifications and bidding process. Our team ultimately was selected based on our advanced understanding of NMB Water’s challenges and our “blended capacity” approach to program management. The client was impressed by the quality and caliber of the personnel we proposed; this team of experts was sourced from all over the country and committed to relocating to Florida. We also developed a detailed work plan to begin executing work on day one, demonstrating our abilities to achieve their goals quickly and cost-effectively. Our work plan was designed to supplement NMB Water’s engineering and construction management departments with Black & Veatch’s CIP management team. We embraced a holistic organizational approach, leaving a legacy of a sustainable policies, procedural framework and increased NMB Water staff capacity.
How is Black & Veatch applying our program and construction management expertise?
Black & Veatch is providing program management services throughout the duration of the CIP including planning, design, preconstruction and construction phases. We are operating under our blended capacity program management model, in which Black & Veatch and NMB Water work together as one team managing third-party architects, engineers and contractors.
Black & Veatch also innovated a progressive design-build at budget approach to the rehabilitation of the Norwood Wastewater Treatment Plant. For this showcase project, Black & Veatch has been tasked with working through a list of priorities (rather than a specific scope) to ensure completion at a fixed price. We are working closely with our contractors to develop solutions, adjusting our scope to match the client’s budget — not the other way around. NMB Water benefits from the progressive design-build delivery method because they know the exact guaranteed maximum price (GMP) that the program will cost, and they’re getting the best value out of every dollar. Black & Veatch consistently submits reports on exactly what we have spent so far, our remaining budget and which client priorities have been achieved as a result.
How are we mitigating challenges facing this program?
The Black & Veatch program management team is motivated by solving complex challenges and applying collective lessons learned from more than a century of industry expertise. We are coming up with even better solutions each day as we navigate the following obstacles:
Alternative delivery method. The blended capacity and progressive design-build approaches offer many client benefits but also pose unique challenges that require a lot of flexibility from our team to solve. We have had to adapt quickly to meet budget, schedule and permitting requirements to keep the CIP running smoothly. This means finding creative ways to check off priorities within the constrained timeframe and keep costs down despite supply chain issues.
Existing conditions. As commonly found in many aging infrastructure systems, we have uncovered inconsistent applications of engineering specifications and unreliable construction as-builts. The team also has encountered hazardous materials and conditions including asbestos and sinkholes. In addition, the existing systems we are working on are still operational; we can only take them offline for brief periods of time to minimize disruptions to the community.
Environment. NMB Water’s service area spans across multiple cities, meaning our team needs to be well-versed in various environmental regulations in terms of protected plant and animal species. In addition, construction operations for the NMB Water CIP take place in low-lying areas with very wet conditions; Black & Veatch has advised on various water crossings from both safety and environmental perspectives. Natural disasters are another environmental concern — we have developed emergency shutdown and lightning protection procedures in the event of major storms and hurricanes.
Public safety and events. Construction activities for the NMB Water CIP are happening in close proximity to public spaces. The region is home to major sporting events including Miami Dolphins football games and the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, requiring advanced safety coordination with our operations. The Black & Veatch program management team is exemplifying our commitment to safety through contractor oversight, ensuring compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, and advising on pedestrian barriers and traffic control. We have had zero reportable accidents or injuries associated with our program.
How else is Black & Veatch supporting our client and the community?
We are fully transparent with our clients and the communities in which we work. For the NMB Water CIP, we have developed a public dashboard so taxpayers can see in real-time how their dollars are being spent. Our program management team members are good stewards of the limited funding available for the CIP; so far, we have stayed under budget and are doing everything in our power to extend the reach of this funding. Black & Veatch also supports the North Miami Beach Public Information Office (PIO) through public outreach marketing and events. We put together literature and presentations for town hall meetings, and we address customer inquiries with our credible technical expertise. As mentioned previously, our team members physically relocated to the North Miami Beach area and have become fully embedded within the community as we work from the NMB Water facilities.
View our live public dashboard for the NMB Water Capital Improvement Program
Black & Veatch began work on the NMB Water CIP in August 2020, and we are contracted to provide our program management services through completion in 2027. Our team takes immense pride in the relationships we have built with our client and the resilient infrastructure this program is providing for the North Miami Beach community.
Black & Veatch simultaneously coordinates the delivery of entire project portfolios, benefiting our clients in ways that would not be possible if managed individually. Learn more about Black & Veatch’s program management solutions and how they can be customized for your needs.
