CEO Update: Selecting a construction manager for the expansion project

A building project as large as our hospital expansion requires a great team of experts working together. We recently added to our team by selecting JE Dunn Construction as the construction manager and general contractor. The company brings expertise and local knowledge to our project.

Selection process

A competitive bidding process started with a request for qualifications and a response from seven companies. We narrowed that list down to three and made a request for proposals for their services. They gave presentations to a selection committee that included members of our board, our leadership team and our architects. After looking at their pricing proposal for their services, we recommended JE Dunn to our board for approval.

Why JE Dunn?

We were really impressed with the level of experience JE Dunn brings to building hospitals this size and even larger. They have local connections with a significant presence in the Springfield market and project team members who are local. They know CMH, and they know the services we provide. That really stood out, along with their pricing being more favorable.

Project Next Steps

JE Dunn is collaborating with the design team to apply current-day costs to the project. A lot has changed in the building environment in the last couple of years. They are using their experience to explore value engineering solutions to get the project within the scope of our budget. They’re working on a full project cost. Then they’ll deliver to us what’s referred to as a “guaranteed maximum price.” It’s the price that they guarantee they can deliver the building for. The GMP will get us ready for construction.

Before construction begins, we will complete several “make ready” projects. These include relocating the cafeteria and office spaces and preparing the site utilities.

This part of the project might seem somewhat slow. We’re going through every item, applying cost and considering our options. A lot of work is going on in the background to prepare for groundbreaking and construction.

This is a very big project, but we’ve got the right people on the team. We’ve done a good job of soliciting feedback from our healthcare providers and from our staff. All that together is going to make this a really successful project.

Michael Calhoun is the CEO/executive director of CMH and the Citizens Memorial Health Care Foundation. He shares the latest happenings at CMH in his monthly CEO Updates.