Vertical Construction Manager is Next Step for KCMO Project Management
In 2004, the city of Kansas City established the Capital Improvement Management Office to improve the management and delivery of various infrastructure projects around the city. Under CIMO, the city has completed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of roads, bridges, sidewalks, sewers, and buildings.
As this first wave of major capital improvements managed by CIMO draws to a close, AIA Kansas City believes the time is right to look for new ways to further refine and enhance the city’s project management and delivery function. Specifically, AIA Kansas City encourages the city to create a new position or group responsible for the management of all vertical (i.e. building) construction.
Over the past four years, the merits of centralized project management have been proven and should be considered for application to all city building projects. Through a comprehensive consolidation of building project management, Kansas City will further increase vendor coordination, stakeholder communication, operational efficiency, MBE/WBE participation, consistency, value, and overall quality of city capital improvements.
While this system has worked well, its current structure does not fully recognize and accommodate for the profound differences between infrastructure and building projects. Put simply, engineers planning and managing the construction of roads and bridges face a different set of priorities and challenges than architects planning and managing the construction of buildings.
To that end, AIA Kansas City proposes the following approach as the next logical refinement to Kansas City’s project management and delivery system.
• The creation of a centralized building project management group or division that oversees vertical construction for all city agencies.
• This entity would have a leader or small leadership team with a strong blend of architectural expertise; credibility among contractors and vendors; political savvy needed to work well across city, state, and federal departments; and overall project management skills needed to keep all stakeholders working together toward a common goal.
• The leadership of this entity would report directly to the City Manager and be closely involved in all strategic planning discussions involving capital improvements, urban planning, land use, and other related topics.
• The leadership of this entity would have a peer relationship with an equivalent position responsible for management of infrastructure projects. The leadership of these peer entities would work closely to plan and coordinate the architectural and engineering aspects of all city capital improvement projects.
• The leadership of this entity would have strong and integrated relationships with the various city departments responsible for operations and management of city facilities. It should also have a close and collegial relationship with the City Planning and Development Department.
• In addition to project management and strategic planning responsibilities, the leadership of this entity would serve as an adviser to the larger development and planning community of Kansas City. In this capacity, the leadership would work as a bridge among stakeholders to better weave individual projects into the fabric of the city and its neighborhoods.
Adopting this set of recommendations, or some derivative thereof, would certainly have a cost associated with it. Recruiting and retaining a leader of this caliber will require a significant financial commitment by the city. While this might seem unrealistic in a time of difficult budgets, AIA Kansas City believes the operational efficiencies that can be achieved through this set of refinements could result in a net savings to the city over the long run.
Furthermore, we believe this change is consistent with the Mayor and Council’s commitment to the effective and efficient delivery of essential services. This entity would be responsible for all city building construction, from police and fire stations to major civic facilities.
Kansas City has enjoyed fantastic growth and revitalization over the last few years. From the downtown renaissance to mixed use developments in the northern and southern reaches of the city, all of Kansas City is burnishing its reputation as a great place to live, work and play. Our city will require strong and visionary leadership to capitalize on this momentum to make next wave of growth and transition even more successful. The refinements proposed above, coupled with strong leadership from the Mayor, Council, and City Manger, will ensure all Kansas City buildings serve our citizens well.