Fast Track Construction Experience
CITA System: Definition
A method of project delivery utilizing a Competent Integrated Team Approach (CITA) in which the sequencing of construction activities is planned and coordinated to enable some portions of the project to begin before the design has been completed on other portions of the project. The CITA management system allows accelerated delivery of projects by replacing a number of sequential relationships with parallel relationships.
Management Approach
Over the past twenty years, InterCon has successfully developed and implemented CITA to achieve early project delivery on a multitude of projects. By using CITA, InterCon is able to bring together its construction management team, design professionals, and a proven complement of building trade subcontractors and effectively concentrate their efforts on a single goal: accelerated project delivery while maintaining premium quality. The CITA approach allows InterCon to implement innovations in project design, procurement of materials and services, schedule condensing and reduction techniques, and recent advances in control systems technology to monitor and manage all phases of the project in real time. The result is a cost-efficient, accountable construction management system with a proven record of success.
Characteristics of the Competent Integrated Team Approach
1. COMMITTMENT: First and foremost, we are builders! The InterCon team — from decisive, self-starting managers down to the field laborers – share a common passion: to succeed. InterCon’s lean organization operates in a no-blame culture which aids in communication and speeds the ability to get results. Anticipation of problems, contingency planning, and delegated decision-making authority replace surprise and corporate inertia when time is of the essence.
2. INVESTMENT: InterCon’s commitment to success begins with investments in its people, equipment and training. By ensuring that the right people have the right equipment and the right knowledge, InterCon is able to exercise greater control over its building processes and make certain that the job is done right, right from the start.
3. TEAM: InterCon has assembled a highly motivated team of multi-disciplined, technically advanced individuals that strike a perfect balance between proficiency in the use of cutting edge building technology and years of tried and true field experience. Team members see the big picture and collaborate to achieve outlined project goals. What sets InterCon apart from other contractors is its ability to self-perform up to 80% of the work that goes into completing warehouse / distribution tilt-wall type projects. Self-performance allows InterCon to maintain better control of the schedule and sets the standard for craftsmanship for the entire project.
4. DEFINED GOALS: A clear focus on the adequacy of the definition of the project goals and detailed scope of work. InterCon has designed and built more than 14 million square feet of similar projects. This enables our Team to implement lessons learned into every design thereby reducing potential design delays in the field.
5. CONTROL SYSTEMS: InterCon management has adopted IT systems to provide rapid transmission of information. This provides the entire Team with budget, schedule, quality and risk analysis throughout the project life cycle. Project control is redefined from “monitoring
results” to “making things happen.”
6. BENEFITS: Aside from providing a framework for rapid project completion, other benefits of the CITA management system include avoidance of learning curve errors, achievement of superior quality control results, and the ability to draw on the expertise of suppliers/specialty contractors during the design phase. CITA allows project design and construction to be developed together and streamlines the drawing/submittal/approval/construction process. In each case, accelerated delivery allowed Owners to realize a sooner-than-expected return on investment.
7. TRACK RECORD: Not only has the CITA system allowed InterCon to exceed Owner expectations, many of these Owners continue to partner with InterCon on additional projects.
