WSSC ESG Energy Performance – Preconstruction Estimating Services

Key Accomplishments

• The estimating effort considered the types of general requirements, civil and site work, structural construction, mechanical/process systems, electrical systems, controls, testing, startup, and temporary work that can influence construction pricing.
• JCC brought a contractor's perspective to constructability, sequencing, access, shutdown requirements, temporary operations, equipment installation, testing, and coordination considerations that can materially affect project cost.
• The assignment supported Energy Services Group during the estimating phase, before a single final construction package or project-specific scope was established.
• The WSSC reference material supplied with the assignment covered technical standards used for water and wastewater treatment plants, pump stations, control valve vaults, elevated water tanks, and related infrastructure.
• This was an estimating/preconstruction engagement rather than a field construction contract, demonstrating JCC's ability to contribute during planning and budget development before construction begins.
• The assignment brought JCC's construction and estimating experience into the planning process for WSSC infrastructure and energy-performance work. Rather than mobilizing crews for one defined construction project, JCC's role was centered on supporting construction pricing and budget-level planning during the estimating phase.
• The technical information provided for review included WSSC's extensive Facility Guide Specifications. WSSC developed these documents as a reference and starting point for consultants preparing specifications for future water and wastewater construction projects. The guide covers facilities such as water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations, control valve vaults, and elevated water tanks.
• Importantly, WSSC states that the Facility Guide is a compilation of specifications from previous WSSC projects and that the individual sections are not intended to function together as the specifications for one single project. Designers are expected to select and modify only the sections applicable to each specific project.
• For that reason, JCC's estimating assignment should not be represented as construction of every facility, system, or piece of equipment appearing in the WSSC guide material. Instead, the reference documents provided a broad technical basis for understanding the construction standards and potential cost drivers associated with WSSC infrastructure.
• For estimating purposes, these requirements can affect considerably more than material quantities. Work at operating water and wastewater facilities can require consideration of existing-facility access, plant operations, shutdowns, temporary utilities, bypass arrangements, specialty equipment, environmental and safety requirements, manufacturer services, testing, startup, and coordination between civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and control systems.
• JCC's experience with municipal water and wastewater construction provided a practical contractor-level perspective for evaluating these types of requirements during the preconstruction phase. This allowed JCC to support early budget development while recognizing that final project-specific scope would ultimately depend on the individual WSSC facilities and improvements selected for implementation.
• The assignment also demonstrates JCC's ability to work collaboratively with engineering and energy-services firms before final construction documents are complete. Contractor involvement during this stage can help identify construction-sensitive requirements, improve budget reliability, and provide practical input concerning sequencing, temporary operations, specialty systems, testing, commissioning, and other construction cost drivers.