DPR maintains a tight focus on owner/tenant needs, earning it second large project with Sacramento real estate developer

How do you know when you’ve converted a “satisfied customer” into a “Raving Fan”? A recent business book by the same name says that one way to create raving fans is to so far exceed your customers’ expectations that they provide you their repeat business—without considering your competition. Using that definition, DPR has created a Raving Fan with Separovich Domich Real Estate Development.

Weeks after DPR finished the $12 million Capital Imaging Center for Separovich Domich, the developer drafted DPR for an even bigger project: a $30.5 million, 122,000-sq.-ft. medical office building (MOB) in midtown Sacramento for Catholic Healthcare West, known as the 30th and Q MOB project (30th and Q being street names).

“DPR completed the Capital Imaging Center on schedule and within the GMP budget for Separovich Domich, despite an unexpected storm that flooded a large portion of downtown Sacramento, as well as the basement area of the project, which houses the majority of the tenant space,” said Pete Morrison, project executive for DPR.

As with the Capital project, DPR stepped up to the plate immediately to ensure that the owner’s and the tenant’s interests would be front and center throughout the life of the 30th and Q MOB project. “To begin with, the project’s preconstruction effort was highly collaborative,” said Pete Kreuser, project executive for DPR. “One of our added values as a construction company is team collaboration. DPR believes in ensuring that every team member succeeds so that the owners’ expectations and metrics are exceeded.”

“One of the most important aspects of the 30th and Q MOB project’s preconstruction efforts was the selection of quality subcontractors for the MEP trades,” said Morrison. “The preconstruction time period was sufficient for owner-driven changes to take place, such as room reconfigurations and relocations. Our MEP trades have been able to incorporate the changes and keep project delays to a minimum. Our subcontractors also have done a tremendous job, especially Air Systems on the mechanical scope and Gatejen Electric on the electrical scope. Without their can-do attitude, the project would not be trending to complete on schedule.”

DPR’s collaborative spirit, so vital to the preconstruction effort, has sustained itself through the execution of the project. The decision to have all MEP processes performed on a design/build basis is a prime example of DPR’s commitment to a team approach. “Having the MEP design/build subcontractors on board absolutely increases efficiency and quality,” said Kreuser. “The person designing the system is the person installing it. What that means is that unless there’s an owner change, there should be no change orders from the subcontractors. This keeps costs down and the schedule on track.” With the exception of owner-driven changes, there have been zero change orders to date for the project.

DPR also has creatively and effectively dealt with a tight work space and bad weather on the 30th and Q project (much as it did on the Capital project). The project is on a “postage-stamp site with zero lot line,” explains Kreuser. “Our scheduling with our subcontractors has had to be nailed to the T to get the materials to the project because there’s nowhere to stage or store them.” In addition, the project was delayed for four months due to permitting issues and owner/tenant contractual negotiations, which meant that the building enclosure activities had to be performed during the rainy season. “We had to resequence so we could get the building water-tight to proceed with the drywall and other interior finishes.” Yet, even with those challenges, the project has remained on schedule with anticipated completion scheduled for July of this year.

When completed, the 30th and Q MOB will be occupied by more than 70 doctors, representing a full range of medical specialties. The six-story building will also include diagnostic imaging technology, an onsite medical laboratory, electronic medical records, administrative offices, and specially designed exam rooms. The need to sound-insulate exam rooms in healthcare buildings is becoming increasingly important due to HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) privacy requirements, according to Kreuser.