The city of San Diego has selected OBrien Krietzberg (OK) to provide construction management services for the citys eight-year, $773 million water department capital improvements program (CIP).
The CIP includes projects to repair, replace, upgrade and expand water treatment plants, pump stations, pipelines and reservoirs. The projects, designed to meet state and federal regulations, will improve the overall efficiency, reliability and safety of San Diegos water system, which is one of the largest in the country. In addition to replacing many of the water systems aging components, the CIP will upgrade water treatment plants to meet or exceed the federal Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.
"Safe and reliable water service is essential to the economic vitality and the quality of life enjoyed by San Diegans," said CIP program manager Nick Kanetis. "Successful completion of this improvement program will ensure that the water system is ready to meet the citys demands in the 21st century."
As construction manager for pump stations, pipelines and reservoir projects, OKs services include constructability review, bidding process, contract administration, resident engineering, inspection, quality assurance/quality control, cost and schedule control, claims management, environmental mitigation monitoring and reporting, startup and testing support, and contract closeout.
The OK construction management team includes three other Dames & Moore Group companies, HYA Consulting Engineers, Dames & Moore and Signet Testing Laboratories, as well as two minority-owned firms, Pacific 17 and Vanir Construction Management.
HYA brings a background in the planning and design of water and wastewater facilities while Dames & Moore specializes in geotechnical and environmental engineering. Signet Testing Laboratories will provide code inspection and materials testing services. Pacific 17 and Vanir Construction Management will provide inspection, estimating, field engineering and claims support.
OBrien Kreitzberg, HYA, Dames & Moore and Signet are companies of the Dames & Moore Group. The Dames & Moore Group, a global engineering and construction services firm, has capabilities that include general engineering and consulting, process and chemical engineering, transportation planning and design, and construction services. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the group has over 7,800 employees and offices in over 30 countries.
In a separate announcement earlier in May, URS Corporation and Dames & Moore Group announced that they have signed a definitive agreement under which URS will acquire Dames & Moore for approximately $300 million, plus the assumption of approximately $300 million of debt for a total transaction value of $600 million. The transaction has been approved unanimously by the boards of both companies.
The proposed combination will create a global engineering company with revenues of approximately $2 billion and over 15,000 employees in more than 30 countries around the world. The combined companys services will include planning and analysis, design, and program and construction management for transportation, environmental, commercial/industrial, facilities and water/wastewater projects.
Said Martin M. Koffel, Chairman and CEO of URS, "Our clients are increasingly demanding a comprehensive range of services and worldwide capabilities. The combination of the complementary technical and geographic strengths of URS and Dames & Moore will propel the new firm into the top tier of global engineering companies, and will enhance our ability to compete with the largest firms, both in the US and internationally, for major infrastructure, commercial and industrial projects."
Headquartered in San Francisco, URS offers a broad range of planning and design services through 140 offices located in 16 countries, including Europe and Asia/Pacific. URS provides services for infrastructure projects involving air and surface transportation systems; institutional, industrial and commercial facilities; and pollution control, water resources and hazardous waste management programs.
