Partnering Case Studies

The Bonneville 2nd Powerhouse
Juvenile Fish Bypass Improvements
North Bonneville, Washington

Partnering Lesson:

• Early emphasis on submittals by the contractor and prompt review by the government kept the project ahead of schedule.
• Design Engineers attendance at preparatory meetings with the contractor Quality Control and government Quality Assurance personnel clarified contract requirements and the design intent.
• While an independent facilitator was used to start the Partnering process, follow-up Partnering sessions were jointly conducted by the senior leaders in the Corps of Engineers and the contractor.

Project Description
The project included construction of a two-mile-long pipeline, modifications to the fish collection system in Bonneville Dam's 2nd Powerhouse, and construction of buildings for fish monitoring and tagging. The contract was awarded for $28.5 million. Work began in December 1997 with a completion date of March 15, 2000, but was completed three months ahead of schedule.

Project Challenges:

• During project construction, the facility was in operation. This required careful scheduling of construction contract work and Government operation and maintenance activities.
• Construction work, including critical activities, was restricted to the months of December, January, and February to minimize the disturbance to migrating salmon and steelhead

Issue 1 - Submittals:
Because of the work schedule during the short winter months, the Contractor's staff and the Government personnel made submittals a high priority. In the first six months of construction, the project went ahead of schedule, which enabled the early completion date.

Issue 2 - Preparatory Meetings:
As part of the three-phase CQC process, the Quality Control personnel, subcontractor foreman and the Government Quality Assurance Representative met for each definable feature of work. On some key features of work, Design Engineers also participated to add information about the intent of the plans and specs and clarify the specified requirements. The designers also could explain any flexibility in the requirements.

Benefits of Partnering:

• Project was completed three months early.
• No unresolved claims.
• Cost growth was less than 5%.

Stakeholders:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Balfour-Beatty Construction, Inc. National Marine Fisheries Service