Parkland Hospital
“PSI was not just a subcontractor; they were partners who helped out in a difficult situation.”
Matt Jones + Operations Director, Balfour Beatty Construction
“A single $500 change in one room could mean $450,000 in changes throughout. We needed someone who could tell us, ‘this is similar, it’s half the cost and will last 10 years longer.’ PSI was not just a subcontractor; they were partners who helped out in a difficult situation.”
The Project
For Matt Jones, operations director for Balfour Beatty Construction, building the new $1.3 billion Parkland Hospital in Dallas posed numerous challenges. The six-year undertaking would be the nation’s largest healthcare construction project and a special joint venture team called BARA was formed to provide construction management. The team included Austin Commercial, HG Russell & Company and Azteca Enterprises, as well as Balfour Beatty.
Share:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Email
Print
Parkland is a county-owned facility with multiple stakeholders, which meant many people needed to be kept informed of changes and progress. The new medical complex would replace the old Parkland Hospital, so it would be built with the input of current hospital department heads. The needs and opinions of each department head would need to be taken into account at multiple stages, as they would be the final users of the facility.
Finally, because it would be a complex and high visibility project, the quality of work would be held to lofty standards. “We needed subcontractor companies that had worked in that kind of environment and could adapt quickly to change,” Jones says.
High-quality millwork being particularly important, Jones took the advice of a partner firm and invited Panel Specialists, Inc. to bid on finishing out Parkland’s one million square-foot Acute Tower, with nearly 900 patient rooms. Competitive pricing and a highly experienced team won PSI the bid.
The project would be huge and complicated. Patient rooms needed to mirror one another, so an alteration as simple as changing cabinet hardware might echo across the entire project.
“A single $500 change in one room could mean $450,000 in changes throughout,” Jones explains. “We needed someone who could tell us, ‘this is similar, it’s half the cost and will last 10 years longer.’ PSI was not just a subcontractor; they were partners who helped out in a difficult situation.”
PSI built its internal schedule around BARA’s, coming in early in the morning and late at night to stock each 70,000 square-foot floor, ensuring they wouldn’t interfere with construction progress. They also made sure each piece was installed with precision, a point Jones says makes a huge difference in BARA’s bottom line.
“Having someone following the subcontractor to check their work costs us money and time,” Jones says. “It’s somebody’s salary, or trailer or truck costs. PSI’s quality was outstanding. When they put something in, it was right the first time.”
Good work translates to peace of mind.
“When the company is reliable, it allows me to concentrate on things that aren’t going as well,” Jones says. “With PSI doing their job, we’re making money and it’s less stress overall. They did what they signed up to do — and that doesn’t always happen.”
Parkland Hospital opened August 20, 2015.