Job Order Contracting process useful

Job Order Contracting benefits owners, whether the entity serves students, governmental constituents or patients. Job Order Contracting saves time in the bidding process, allowing owners to decrease the time of each project and the related cost, all while generating a quality outcome. One recent Job Order Contracting project from a medical center was accessed through Choice Facility Partners, a purchasing cooperative specializing in facility services; Choice Facility Partners is a division of Harris County Department of Education.

Texas Tech Health Sciences and Alpha Building Corporation
There are few places where the unconditional combination of quality, dependability and reliability carries such a profoundly critical importance than a bustling, fast-moving medical center serving one of the largest and most diverse populations in the state of Texas. Staff at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock work to ensure that the 35-year-old institution is not only operating at its optimum, but that each of its internal departments and external partners are providing the highest level of service, the absolutely best quality and doing so in as cost effective a manner as possible is a daily commitment.

Job Order Contracting, accessed through an interlocal agreement with Choice Facility Partners ,was the solution Texas Tech Health Sciences chose for a recent renovation/remodeling project. Job Order Contracting is just one of the competitively bid building and facility contracts available from Choice Facility Partners , which can be accessed by governmental entities after governing boards have signed an interlocal agreement. By gaining immediate access to quality services, entities save time, which is equivalent to money, by not repeating the bidding process. Colleges and universities, school districts, cities and counties may access the contract that best fits their needs. In addition to Job Order Contracting, available contracts include modular buildings, building/ facility owner’s representative for capital improvement program assistance and building services.

Clearly, when an organization trains more than 7,000 health care professionals, and meets the health care needs of more than 2.5 million people who live throughout a vast 108 county area, stretching from the Texas Panhandle south to the Permian Basin and west into eastern New Mexico, it has to set and maintain strict guidelines on quality and professionalism throughout its internal network.  Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center's doctors, nurses, administrators, scientists and patients all depend on the Center’s staff and their partners to maintain a facility that works and works well.

“When that many people depend on you and your staff, it’s extremely important to have the right mix of people and partners to run the facility,” says George Morales, assistant vice president, Physical Plant, Health Sciences Center, Lubbock.  “We’ve had a good experience with the Job Order Contractor we’ve been using.”

Texas Tech Health Sciences Center contracted with Alpha Building Corporation, a Job Order Contractor, through Choice Facility Partners, the facility services purchasing cooperative operated by Harris County Department of Education.  Alpha Building Corporation completed interior renovations to modify and reconfigure a lab, and to renovate existing space into an internal medicine department lab. One exterior project was also completed to add a street light to the corner of Fifth Street and Texas Tech Parkway.

“I see the Job Order Contracting process as another good tool in our toolbox,” he said.  “But like every tool, the more you use it, the more you become familiar with it, the more you keep it in good condition, the better it will perform.”

Mr. Morales and his staff have seen how Job Order Contracting can save time, remove bureaucratic obstacles and help him keep within his department’s budget.

 “I’ve seen a much quicker turnaround on projects because we spend less time drawing up specs, we’re not creating designs from scratch, and of course, we’re not going out to bid for every project.  We’re even seeing a shortened evaluation period because we are getting to know our contractor and developing a mutually beneficial relationship,” said Mr. Morales.

 While Job Order Contracting has a history going back more than a quarter century, the current JOC contract at Tech’s HSC is less than 12 months old.  “Already, though,” added Mr. Morales, “the contractor shows signs that this will be a very good contract for many years to come.”

 “We’ve got a good relationship with the current contractor, and a good experience with the Job Order Contracting process,” he added.  “I’m glad we’ve gone this route,” Morales concluded.