University Momentum

If recent contracts with universities are any indication, the pandemic and related economic factors have not proven to be long-term obstacles for institutions of higher learning who continue to invest in their buildings and infrastructure. We are looking forward to task orders for work on these three amazing campuses:

  • The University of Virginia has awarded Axias a term contract—one year with four renewals—for a second time. The scope of work includes cost estimating, scheduling, and value engineering.

  • A three-year term contract from Georgetown University to provide cost estimating, project budgeting, and value engineering services for medium to large design scope projects.

  • A three-year term contract with Clemson University in South Carolina for cost estimating and value engineering, to be overseen by our newest office in Georgia.

Axias Opens Atlanta Office

Timing is everything, and sometimes things just fall into place as was the case with opening an office in Atlanta, Georgia. It all came together when we hired Jonathan Bailey, whom we have known for many years. Jonathan, who is based in the Atlanta area, joined Axias earlier this month as a vice president and leader of the new office. He is already hard at work looking for new space, developing our core services in Georgia, expanding condition assessment services nationwide, and creating business opportunities through strategic pursuits and partnerships.

Jonathan brings to the Axias team more than 20 years of related experience and is a Certified Construction Manager by CMAA, and an Existing Building Commissioning Professional and Certified Energy Manager by the Association of Energy Engineers.

USACE Renews Contract for Worldwide Area Cost Factors

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Huntsville Engineering Support Center has renewed Axias’ contract for a second option year following the successful completion of Phase 1 at the end of September. The contract scope entails performing labor, material and equipment cost surveys at more than 400 locations worldwide. Unprecedented market volatility triggered by the pandemic has kept us focused and up to the challenge of gathering the most current data that USACE will then use to develop accurate area cost factors for use in project budgeting.

 The scope of work at each installation requires market research into construction trends; collection of labor rates for eight different crafts; determination of labor availability; costs for 18 commonly used construction materials; hourly rates for construction equipment; typical labor productivity on projects; and currency exchange rates.

Axias Wins National Award for Construction Management at 1770 Crystal Drive

The Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) has recognized 14 projects nationwide for outstanding achievements in construction management, among them one of ours: 1770 Crystal Drive in Arlington, Virginia. Constructed in the 1970s, the 14-story structure was reinvigorated as the first building in the development of the East Coast headquarters of the world’s #1 online retailer.

According to Mark Gedris, CMAA’s VP of member engagement, “Your project submission, Redevelopment of 1770 Crystal Drive for Sole Office Tenant, was selected as the winner in the category of Commercial/Sports/Entertainment/Hospitality: Construction value greater than $50 Million. Once again, competition was fierce and we had an amazing group of entries this year – all of the projects were truly excellent – being selected is indeed an honor.”

This exciting national honor—a first for Axias—follows a thrilling "Project of the Year" award in May from CMAA’s National Capital Chapter. Mark Luria, Scott Cullen, Martin Jacobs, and Thomas Joseph accepted the award on behalf of Axias on September 13 in Philadelphia at the industry awards program held during CMAA’s annual conference. Brittney Madej, who was our key representative on the project and is now with owner JBG Smith, was also on hand to share the spotlight.

Successful construction management is a team effort, and we congratulate the entire project team on this award. Establishing a culture of true partnering from the outset, the team—JBG SMITH, Gensler, Clark Construction Group, and numerous subs—overcame many challenges, including ambitious floor-by-floor delivery dates stipulated in the tenant lease, budget constraints, tenant design changes, a change in mechanical contractors, constructing over an occupied underground mall corridor and Metro tunnel, and of course, COVID-19.

Axias Wins Term Contract with National Park Service

We are excited to announce that the National Park Service has awarded Axias a one-year contract to conduct comprehensive condition assessments of its concession facilities nationwide. These include lodging, restaurants, housing, transportation, golf courses, and marinas. This is our first term contract as prime with NPS, but we have completed 80+ projects since 2014 as a cost estimating consultant to other primes, among them Beyer Blinder Belle, HDR, Stantec, WSP, WRT, and Croft & Associates. The contract has four one-year extension options beyond the base year.

NPS will identify the specific requirements of each project in separate call orders issued under the blanket project agreement. The condition assessment we undertake will produce detailed information on asset life cycles, maintenance, and component renewal tasks and costs required for NPS to maintain facilities over the terms of their concession contracts.

Public entities recognize the value Axias brings in the form of both condition assessment and cost estimating for their budget planning purposes, and we are strategically positioned to fulfill their needs.

Construction Support Services: Capturing Lost Money for Owners

As estimators and cost management consultants, we take a deep dive into the numerical minutiae of a project, from hourly labor rates to materials and equipment pricing. The oversight of cost and risk runs through everything we do.

For owners and developers, the potential for adverse financial consequences is highest during the construction phase of a project. The bigger the project, the greater the risk. Honest mistakes can (and do) happen all the time.

Benjamin Franklin declared that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” We agree, and future pain points for owners can originate with the construction contract itself—the most valuable tool an owner has for managing project cost and risk. A thorough, structured contract will establish a framework for the change order process and include comprehensive hourly labor rates and allowable indirect costs for the GC and all trades.

Because contract integrity and change order management are inextricably linked, savvy owners engage an experienced and objective third party like Axias dedicated to conducting interim and final contract audits and change order reviews. The typical return on this investment is that they either recoup money at the end of the job or gain peace of mind knowing that everything has added up correctly.

The audit and review process is rigorous. Busy owners and their construction managers do not normally have the time to undertake this level of due diligence, which requires combing through contract documents, invoices, wage certifications, and change orders, and conducting a detailed analysis to identify anomalies, disparities, information gaps, and errors amounting to millions of dollars in lost revenue.

Our Construction Support Services group removes the burden from owners and acts on their behalf to verify that billings and payments are in accordance with contract documents; seek out instances of cost duplication; determine and/or negotiate appropriate pricing for change orders; identify opportunities for cost avoidance; and provide information that will result in cost recovery.

And the best part is that on every such engagement we have saved owners significantly more than our consulting fee. Among our repeat clients for contract audits and change order reviews are Brookfield Properties, the Smithsonian Institution, the International Monetary Fund, the U.S. Navy, Carr Properties, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Have a question for Axias’ Construction Support Services group? Contact Ayo Idowu or Patrick Reiser.

Tampa Office Welcomes Bradley Melnyk

Melnyk-600x350.jpg

Our Tampa office, led by Steve Lee, is growing! Bradley Melnyk, who joined Axias’ cost management group this month as a senior cost manager, is already hard at work applying his 20 years of construction experience to a $474 million NAVFAC Southeast repair project at the Trident Refit Facility, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia. In 2013 the Toronto native followed the sun and job opportunities to Florida, where his focus has been on area development, healthcare facilities, theme parks, and design-build projects. Welcome to the Axias team, Bradley!

Meet Ali Mozaffari

AliMozaffari_News.jpg

Ali joined Axias in March 2021 as an experienced cost manager and estimator with 400+ projects to his credit. His career, which began in early 2014 after receiving a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering technology from New Jersey Institute of Technology, led him soon after to the Washington, D.C. area. He will earn a master’s degree from George Mason University in construction engineering and management by the end of the year and is certified by the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International as a certified cost professional.

A bilingual U.S. citizen who hails from the Middle East, Ali is working on one of our largest projects, developing construction cost data worldwide for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He also assists the cost management team with architectural, structural, civil and MEP estimating. When not working, Ali loves playing volleyball, hiking and picnicking, and counts visiting national parks among the items on his bucket list.

New George Mason High School Opens

Rendering courtesy of Stantec

Rendering courtesy of Stantec

We congratulate Falls Church City Public SchoolsBrailsford & Dunlavey, and the design-build team of Stantec, Quinn Evans, and Gilbane on delivery of the new $120 million George Mason High School, which is designed and built for future generations of learners. The 290,000 SF building, which accommodates up to 1,500 students, was designed to LEED Gold and Net Zero Ready standards.

As a proud member of Brailsford & Dunlavey’s owner’s rep team, Axias has been providing preconstruction services and on-site project management since August 2019. Our manager in the field, Ezra Kauffman-Rogoff, managed portions of Phase 1 construction and transition through delivery and is now focused on Phase 2 renovations: athletic field and site work completion.

Watch the February 2021 ribbon cutting ceremony and enjoy a building tour: https://youtu.be/pWSJmptpIn4

Axias Wins Worldwide Cost Data Contract with USACE!

Image-2.jpg

Axias has been awarded the first phase of a five-year contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Huntsville Engineering Support Center to perform area cost factor (ACF) surveys at more than 400 locations around the world. The ACFs are used by the Department of Defense for program budgeting.

The scope of work at each installation requires market research into construction trends; collection of labor rates for eight different crafts; determination of labor availability; costs for 18 commonly used construction materials; hourly rates for construction equipment; typical labor productivity on projects; and currency exchange rates.

Led by Scott Cullen, who is managing a team of seven cost management professionals, the project kicked off in October 2020 and final Phase 1 deliverables are due in September 2021.

In Deep at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

KingsBay-Aerial.jpg

Image courtesy of Bob Webster licensed under CC BY 3.0

Under an IDIQ contract, the joint venture team of Burns & McDonnell and Moffatt & Nichol have been awarded a series of task orders with Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast (NAVFAC-SE) for a $474 million repair project at the Trident Refit Facility, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia. TRIREFFAC-KB’s mission is to provide quality industrial, maintenance and logistics support for the overhaul, modernization, and repair of the nation’s elite nuclear ballistic and guided-missile submarine force.

Alternately titled “Dry Dock Recapitalization,” “TRF Dry Dock Repair,” and simply “Dry Dock Repairs,” the massive effort at the East Coast home of Trident nuclear-powered submarines began with a study, moved into design, and is now in Phase A of construction. NAVFAC-SE’s scope of work encompasses repairs to the massive structure—the largest covered dry dock in the Northern hemisphere—inclusive of building structure and envelope, power, lighting, fire protection, HVAC, plumbing, and support equipment and infrastructure. All existing training and maintenance facilities will be retrofitted, and some new facilities will be constructed to support the next generation of submarines.

As quoted in the March 23, 2020 issue of Seapower magazine, Trident Refit Facility Commanding Officer Capt. Paul Dinius, stated, “The overhaul and restoration of the Kings Bay Dry Dock is the most important strategic deterrence enterprise modernization effort outside of the construction of the new Columbia-class SSBN, a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.”

Axias, a subconsultant on the JV team, provided milestone estimates and construction schedules during the design phases and are currently working on independent government cost estimates for changes during construction. Alberici-Mortenson, a joint venture out of St. Louis, Missouri, was awarded the $191.9 million construction contract for Phase A in late March 2020. Work will be completed in July 2023.

It appears that there will be plenty of work to keep Steve Lee and the new Tampa office busy, as Axias is also on the same JV team that won a new five-year IDIQ from NAVFAC-SE in summer 2020. Under this IDIQ we will continue to provide similar services—estimating, value engineering, scheduling, risk assessment—at King’s Bay and other bases throughout NAVFAC-SE’s expansive region, which encompasses twelve states and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Eagle County School District Workforce Housing Project Begins

ECSD-Image02_News.jpg

Located just 30 miles from the famed Colorado ski resorts of Vail and Beaver Creek, Eagle County covers 1,692 square miles and has a population of more than 55,000 people. Its school district (ECSD) employs a staff of nearly 1,000 who serve 6,800 students living in the eastern part of the county from grades pre-K through 12.

Like many resort communities, Eagle County has an affordable housing problem that has created operational challenges for the district such as recruitment and retention of employees. To address these issues, ECSD released a 10-year master plan in April 2020 that sets forth goals, guiding principles, priority programs and projects, funding options, and a timeline for progress.

Eleven potential housing sites for an initial 120 units were identified, with Battle Mountain High School (Edwards) and 3rd Street (Eagle) getting first priority. The program, including rental versus sale, unit types, and unit sizes, is being developed by housing consultants. In advance of program completion, ECSD issued a request for proposal seeking owners rep/project management services to assist with the myriad tasks related to project development, design, and construction.

Matt Owens of the Axias Denver office teamed with Goulding Development Advisors, LLC, of Edwards, Colorado, on the winning proposal. The contract was awarded in December 2020. Axias will be responsible for project management support, estimating, scheduling and quality assurance services, from pre-construction through construction and closeout.

If Anyone Cares About Cost, It’s a Bank

BryantParkArea_01-2021.jpg

A New York-based private and commercial bank* announced plans to relocate its headquarters from its current office to a new Midtown location in a Class-A multi-story building that is LEED Gold certified.

To facilitate the relocation, the company leased over 100,000 square feet spanning multiple floors with sweeping views of the city and high ceilings that create an inviting space. The move is expected to take place in 2021.

Axias (NY) LLC was contracted to provide cost estimates from schematic design through 100% construction documents. The subject floors were gutted to accommodate the client’s space program, which features private and open offices, conference rooms, colocation areas, and amenity spaces.

*Name confidential per non-disclosure agreement

Axias Wins Contract to Assist the Navy

Axias recently won a contract to assist the Navy in providing cost estimating and scheduling services for the planned submarine propulsor enclosure. The project provides for the fabrication and delivery of a new modular enclosure system to cover the aft section of U.S. Navy submarines at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Typically, the 31-foot wide by 62-foot long by 50-foot tall system is used during maintenance availabilities for the propulsor assembly of Virginia-Class nuclear submarines. The work may include new components such as an aft tower, starboard and port propulsor enclosures, and propulsor roof enclosure.

Axias to Support CFR Engineering on NIST IDIQ

NIST gaithersburg (2).jpg

Axias will be providing cost estimating services on a five-year IDIQ which CFR Engineering recently won with the National Institution of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

This contract will assist NIST by providing professional services as required for a wide variety of projects, from feasibility and programming studies through demolition, design, and construction of campus buildings and infrastructure. The scope of work encompasses repairs, renovations, and new construction related to facilities and the outdoor environment, including landscape, roads, sidewalks, gates, and fences. The team will also be responsible for permit applications to regulatory agencies, overseeing environmental compliance, and construction quality management.

Axias Begins Work at Milken Development in DC

Milken Development.jpg

Axias’ construction consulting team is hard at work for Akridge, providing support on the re-positioning of properties, now called the Milken Museum and Conference Center, on 15th Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, DC.

The Milken Museum & Conference Center program uses include Milken Foundation and Institute offices, a private club tenant, and museum space as an extension of the Milken Institute and Foundation.  The project is being completed in multiple phases. Phase I consists of improvements to the leased space on 15th Street including a new kitchen, recording/broadcast studio, and IT offices. Phase II involves the building on Pennsylvania Avenue and comprises of the modification and restoration of the interior bank halls for Museum uses and event functions. This includes a new theater with auditorium seating and broadcast capability, converting the attic into usable space, an addition on the 6th floor to accommodate office space, and an atrium  to connect both buildings for conference and museum functions.

Welcoming Patrick Reiser as Cost/Project Manager

NewHire-600x350.jpg

Axias’ Alexandria office continues to grow with the addition of Patrick Reiser, who has joined us as a cost and project manager.

Patrick has nine years of experience working in the commercial sector. He has worked on a variety of project types including corporate fit-outs, fitness centers and conference centers. He is a great addition to our team and has the ability to collaborate with owners as well as architecture and engineering firms to effectively manage projects from concept design through final completion.

Ed Brundage On Board in Newly-Created Position

Brundage-600x.png

Axias is pleased to announce that our Alexandria team has grown. Ed Brundage will be joining us as our government sector lead.

Ed has more than 25 years of experience in the business development world for major consultants, construction management, and engineering companies, with concentrated efforts on the federal marketplace using his extensive network among the agencies, architects, planners, and contractors in this specialized arena. Through his business development efforts, he has secured and implemented more than $3.1-billion of construction.

Axias Wins a Term Contract with the Maryland Stadium Authority

Cover Page Photo.jpg

Axias is off to a great start to 2020! Recently, our team won an On-Call Cost Estimating term contract with the Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA). MSA oversees and manages projects with local governments, universities, and the private sector. Projects include, but are not limited to, sports complexes, museums, theaters, schools, convention centers, parks and campus centers. We are excited to bring our knowledge and expertise to MSA and continue to build our portfolio in Maryland.

For more information about this article, please contact Lindsey Gregg at lgregg@axiasinc.com

Axias Moves to New Colorado Office

1801 N Boardway - Pic 4.jpg

We moved! Our office in Colorado has found a new home in Denver. Matt Owens and our team will continue to provide Axias’ clients with the same accurate and effective cost management services that we are known for. This move also gives us the opportunity to further expand our services into the mid-west region.

Feel free to drop Matt a line and come visit him to discuss how he can help you with your next project.

Our new Denver office is located at:
1801 North Broadway
Denver, CO 80202
703.835.3362 (phone)