Technical & Field Engineering Services
In 2003 the City of Plano, Kendall County, Illinois was faced with fast-growing commercial and housing developments and advertised for Request for Qualifications (RFQ’s) from Professional Civil Engineering firms. After submittals of the American Institute of Architects Document A305 Statement of Qualifications and the Illinois Capital Development Board of Professional Firm Prequalification Application, followed by a rigorous Qualification Based Selection (QBS) interview process with other interested Professional Engineering firms, Robert E. Hamilton Consulting Engineers, PC was selected to provide technical and field engineering inspection services for the City.
The scope of services included construction observation for bituminous paving and patching, heater scarification, the installation of sanitary and storm sewers, culverts, water mains, lift stations, roads and streets, curb and gutters, sidewalks, bike paths, traffic signals, providing new Bureau of Design and Environment (BDE) guidelines as they were developed, and testing observation for acceptance on proof rolls, sanitary sewer air and water exfiltration , water infiltration , deflection and televising.
The population of the City grew from 5633 residents in 2000 to an estimated 9500 in 2006, a 68.6% increase. The majority of rapid growth occurred after 2004, which proved a challenge in providing a consistently high standard of construction observation and testing with developers set at a fast-tracked pace for housing supply to meet demand. Contending with unsuitable sub-grade material, milestones nevertheless had to be met, resulting in work extending into winter months when critical cold weather construction observation decisions had to be made without compromising the integrity and quality of the construction services. The City strictly enforced the local stormwater ordinances along with the newly effective Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s (IEPA) National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit requirement of maintaining control of soil erosion, dust, mud and sediment conditions, especially on large developments. For full compliance, and with the simultaneous construction of multiple phases of development, atypical of the industry, innovative long-term solutions at the lowest per unit cost for land development acceptable to the construction approaches for land development and home construction had to be coordinated with the City, developers and contractors.
Not withstanding the challenges, the experienced, proactive and well-qualified team of inspectors from Robert E. Hamilton Consulting Engineers, PC managed to offer leadership in quickly solving problems when they occurred, reducing delays, costs and adversarial confrontations with contractors, developers and the City. We have since established and maintained trust and openness in our working relationship, professional services and communication with the City of Plano.
|
