Location Cuyahoga County, OH
Client Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works
Services Construction Management
Project Value $15 million
When COVID-19 struck, local governments raced to control the spread of COVID-19 and protect their citizens. Like other municipalities, Cuyahoga County strove to keep up with the recommendations of health organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Still, financing widespread and rapid relief programs can be difficult. So when the Federal Government’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided time-sensitive funds for governments to deploy in their fight against COVID-19, it was imperative for Cuyahoga County to use its allocated funds effectively and efficiently.
Hill worked with the County to prepare and deliver projects to improve its public buildings during the pandemic. Leveraging Hill’s program and project management expertise, the County was able to package, bid, and complete approximately 65 task orders with 16 different contractors ranging in value from $10,000 to $1,100,000. The projects, totaling more than $15 million, upgraded more than 30 public buildings, including administration offices, family services centers, jails, courthouses, auto title bureaus, an animal shelter, and the County airport. These upgrades included acrylic and laminate glass partitions; office workstation distancing; wave-to-open doors; arm and foot pulls for doors; touchless restroom faucets, toilets, soap, and paper towel dispensers; drinking fountains with touchless bottle fillers; face-temperature scanners; and HVAC upgrades including bipolar ionization, UVC radiation, and negative pressurization.
The time constraint of the CARES Act funds, the use of small business enterprises (SBE), minority business enterprises (MBE), and female business enterprises (FBE), as well as the urgency of COVID-19 prevention made this program unique. The team had to mobilize immediately and start putting together criteria packages with architectural firms. To expedite the task orders, the County opted to use design-build (DB) delivery. Contractors were competitively selected for a DB master project, then the task orders were awarded to shortlisted contractors or through a mini-bid. This process allowed for the quick selection of contractors and the quick ordering of any COVID-delayed materials. To support the County, Hill coordinated the master contracts.
