Sue Dyer, President, founded OrgMetrics in 1986 as a consulting firm specializing in dispute resolution and prevention. She is an acknowledged pioneer in developing and delivering partnering services on major public works projects and is the author of Partner Your Project, the best step-by-step guide to partnering in print today.
OrgMetrics provides partnering services, management consulting, and mediation/negotiation to a broad range of clients. We bring value to our clients by customizing our services to fit their specific needs. We facilitate partnering sessions on over 100 projects each year.
Representative Projects
Construction of over 1,000,000 square feet of new terminal space. OrgMetrics designed and conducted a variety of different partnering sessions, including sessions:
• between Caltrans and the airport;
• between the airport and the cities of San Bruno, Millbrae, Burlingame, and San Mateo County;
• between the airport and BART;
• for construction of the new international terminal parking garages;
• for the construction of the ramps and roadways leading into the new terminal;
• between the multiple construction management firms,
• between the airport and the disabled community to ensure that the needs of the disabled traveler would be met;
• within the airport staff and contractors to ensure timely activation of the new terminal.
In addition, facilitated, over the course of 18 months, multiple partnering sessions between SFO and 65 stakeholders from the various interest groups involved in studying the feasibility of extending new runway(s) into San Francisco Bay.
In the late 1990's the Caltrans Partnering Steering Committee convened to enhance the Partnering Program and produced the Field Guide to Partnering on Caltrans Projects, documenting these improvements. Their efforts were completed in 2000. In October 2006, the Committee reformed under the name Caltrans Construction Partnering Steering Committee (CCPSC), with a goal of taking Caltrans Partnering to the next level. The CCPSC includes the Caltrans Deputy Directors of Construction, construction contractors, and industry association leaders. By the end of 2007, the CCPSC developed 23 recommendations including updating the Caltrans Partnering Field Guide, updating the standard contract requirements for partnering, and training of over 60 Caltrans and industry professionals to be local trainers in the updated program. These trainers went on to train over 3600 Caltrans and industry personnel and will train more each year.
OrgMetrics continues to plan and facilitate quarterly CCPSC sessions and on-going monthly workgroups committed to meet specific goals established for their teams. Sue Dyer, president, OrgMetrics, authored the initial Caltrans Partnering Field Guide, as well as the current 63-page version available on the Caltrans website at: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/construc/partnering.html.
The Marquette Interchange of I-94, I-794 and I-43, built 35 years ago, is the cornerstone of the southeastern Wisconsin freeway system. It requires complete reconstruction for several reasons, including deteriorating bridges, safety, and traffic congestion. Construction began in April 2004 and is scheduled to finish in November 2008.
Because of the likelihood BART will be subject to a major earthquake, and to safeguard the public’s significant investment in the system, BART has initiated the Earthquake Safety Program. The program will upgrade the original BART system operating facilities to ensure that they can return to operation shortly after a major earthquake. Facilities that are not directly related to operating BART trains (such as offices, shops and training facilities) will be upgraded to ensure safety for the public and BART employees. This will be accomplished by using the latest seismic standards to upgrade the structural integrity of vulnerable portions of the system
Fresno County designed a new Juvenile Justice Campus approximately seven minutes from downtown Fresno. The Campus will encompass at one location all the functions and services required of a Juvenile Justice System.
Phase 1 consists of constructing the first 240-bed detention unit, first 240-bed commitment unit, delinquency court building and support facilities. Each housing unit will have eight 30-bed clusters constructed around the perimeter of an open recreations field and will include dayroom areas, school classrooms, indoor and outdoor recreation areas, and juvenile probation offices. The 240-bed detention housing unit that will be constructed in the first phase will have all single occupancy cells. Partnering on the project is following the Mega-Project approach, with both program level and bid package partnering sessions.
The Port of San Francisco lost railroad access to Pier 80 with the construction of the Mission Bay Development. In addition, 2 traffic lanes on the existing 3rd Street Bridge at Islais Creek will be dedicated to Light Rail only with the completion of the Muni 3rd Street Extension Projects. The lost traffic lanes on the existing bridge will impact all traffic and in particular the trucks hauling containers to and from Pier 94.
To remedy this situation, Shimmick Construction Co., Inc. will design and construct a bridge with two 11 feet wide traffic lanes shared with a single centerline railroad track. The work will include realignment and improvements of Illinois Street to the north and south of Islais Creek. The bridge, 525+/- feet in length, will have 40’ spans set on deep steel pile foundations with concrete pile caps. The bridge superstructure will consist of steel girders and a concrete deck. A movable span will provide a 65’ wide clear navigable channel for boat traffic. The movable span will be a single leaf bascule non-counterweighted lift assembly. The bascule will be operated via hydraulic cylinders. Traffic, train and bridge controls and signalization will be provided to handle the various modes of bridge operation.
Project challenges include satisfying all the special permit requirements and making sure the promised funding for the complete project become a reality.
The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake reduced the Cypress Freeway to ruble, killing 41. Hoping to avoid a future tragedy, the California Department of Transportation began planning for the building of a $1 billion replacement that could withstand a similar event. A Caltrans spokesman said “Cypress was probably the most highly visible and highly political contract ever let in any environment in the country.”
The old Cypress was a major truck route that stretched like a Berlin Wall through West Oakland's largely African-American community. The community saw this catastrophe as its only opportunity to save their community. ORG•METRICS was asked by Caltrans to design and facilitate a series of neighborhood meetings (partnering sessions) to gain community input and support for the rebuilding. Over 10 groups, including the West Oakland Community Representatives, the City of Oakland, FHWA, various labor unions, and representatives from the construction community, participated in what were at times very vocal and emotional meetings. It was clear that they wanted Caltrans to understand their concerns for the West Oakland community.
As a result of the outreach (partnering) sessions, the groups (many with strongly divergent points-of-view) began to talk together. Working together, they developed several incentives to entice the construction community to provide what the West Oakland Community needed.
The group’s recommendations allowed the project to go forward just days before the $750 million in federal funds were due to revert back to the federal government. The final section of the Cypress Freeway reopened in 1998. The recently retired Caltrans district director said that the project never would have been built without the partnering sessions conducted by ORG•METRICS.
This $78 million design/build project successfully integrated two new buildings with a historic third around two plazas resulting in a coherent and congenial public space and a functional city administration building. ORG•METRICS facilitated agreement on the qualification process, design contest, and award. ($78 million)
The Secure Treatment Facility is a maximum security 1,500 bed acute care psychiatric hospital located at the edge of the Coastal Mountain Range in the City of Coalinga. The $300,000,000 project consisted of site development of 320 acres, engineering improvements and a campus of one and two-story buildings totaling 1.2 million square feet. The project was constructed using multiple prime contracts awarded through four bid packages. This project was the first time a acute care psychiatric hospital was located completely within a maximum security prison.
Unique to this project, construction was allowed to start prior to site mitigation. The South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston’s most visited attraction, features thousands of amazing aquatic animals. The Aquarium also presents fabulous views of Charleston harbor like no other found in historic downtown. Opened in May 2000, the South Carolina Aquarium is a state-of-the-art environmental learning center that encompasses the entire spectrum of Southeastern aquatic habitats as found in South Carolina. ($60 million)
After the Loma Prieta earthquake, the County of Santa Clara decided to build a new hospital meeting seismic standards. The construction was to take place on a site adjacent to the operating hospital. This project was unique in that the County decided to use 52 prime contractors instead of the more usual method of one prime with multiple subcontractors.
Construction of a new 267,000 square foot city hall complex (200,000 square foot administration building and 67,000 square foot underground parking structure) and reconstruction of the 38,900 historic city hall. ($60 million)
Our Philosophy
We’ve asked dozens of project teams “what makes a project succeed or fail?” They always tell us that it is effective communication. This is why each of our partnering sessions includes a module where we define the lines of communication, along with the roles and responsibilities of the project team members. This exercise helps everyone understand who is going to do what, and it gives the team members a chance to ask questions about who they should talk to about different issues.
The partnering session itself works to create an atmosphere conductive to open dialogue. Open dialogue can be defined as when people feel free to say what is on their minds without being judged. This openness allows the team to have full disclosure on issues and concerns and to create solutions to problems, not just to seek blame.
What Our Clients Have Said
This is a fast track project with A+B bidding and a $1,000,000 incentive/disincentive provision. All of the project personnel... are under tremendous pressure to keep on the very difficult schedule. The contractor and I asked for a Partnering Refresher.. It worked... working relationships on the project were vastly improved. Thanks for helping with a sticky situation. Chief, Office of Construction East |
I want to thank you on behalf of all the participants of the Cypress Partnering for your outstanding efforts to help bring Caltrans, the community of Oakland, the unions, and the contractorws together for a better understanding of the common goals for the rebuilding of the Cypress Freeway. I especially want to commend you for your dedication to partnering... Your eagerness and positive manner... reflected through each day of the partnering. District Director, Caltrans |
Just a short note to express my thanks for a "Partnering" job well done. Greg, Walter, and I were all impressed with how you led the sessions and how concisely you were able to document all of the simultaneous discussions and confusing flip chart notes. Managing Partner |
On behalf of all the attendees, let me extend a sincere thanks for a truly unique event and an important miletstone in the life of this project. I thought is was wonderful. Sugimura & Associates, Architects. |
Memberships
OrgMetrics is a proud founding member of the International Partnering Institute, and a member of the American Bar Association, Associated General Contractors, Engineering and Utility Contractor Association, and the National Speakers Association.