Tom Warne Report, 5 August 2013
ROCHESTER, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation has announced the selection of the Construction Manager General Contractor procurement method to deliver the Winona Bridge project, marking the first use of CMGC on a MnDOT project.
With CMGC, a contracting team is hired during the design phase to aid in estimating costs, assessing project risks, reviewing construction staging and maintenance of traffic, and tailoring the final design towards the most cost effective contractor means and methods. The selection is based on a Best Value process that includes evaluation of the contractor’s background and experience with projects similar to the Winona project. The most highly qualified teams will be shortlisted to become eligible to submit proposals for the CMGC role on the project.
CMGC has been used by other states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Oregon and Utah. Its use is growing in the transportation sector as a means to maximize constrained budgets and benefit from early involvement of the contractor during the design phase.
The Winona Bridge project was included in the Chapter 152 legislation that passed in 2008. This legislation directed MnDOT to establish a Trunk Highway Bridge Improvement Program with an emphasis on structurally deficient and fracture critical bridges. The existing bridge is fracture critical, meaning there is limited structural redundancy in the structure.
