Case Study: Robins & Morton Gains Efficiency and Accelerates Healthcare Project Delivery Using Vela Systems Field Software

Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center Project at Ormond Beach

Since 1946, Robins & Morton has grown from a modest construction operation into one of the top contractors in the United States. What's more, they were named the #1 Top General Contractors in the 2009 Modern Healthcare construction and design survey.

A reputable leader in healthcare construction, hospitals account for roughly 95% of Robins & Morton's business. Known for consistently pushing the boundaries of innovation to go beyond the expectations of its clients, Robins & Morton was looking for ways to make the construction process better and ensure quality work for one of its healthcare construction clients—the Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center project at Ormond Beach Florida.

The Opportunity

The Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center is a replacement hospital project consisting of a 12-story, 245-bed new hospital, central energy plant and medical office building –a combined total of 734,000 square feet. The $171 million project is scheduled to be completed in July of 2009. The complex nature of this project involved several buildings and structures to be completed in a sequence, posing several challenges for Robins & Morton including managing tight schedules, over 50 subcontractors, strict budget conditions and intensive coordination requirements.

Early in the planning stages of the project, Robins & Morton started investigating tools and solutions to help increase efficiency, streamline processes and accelerate project delivery without jeopardizing the unparalleled quality product and client service they've come to be known for. "I was looking for a solution to help capture, organize and track field data, that is easy to manage and procedurally efficient" said Angel Colon, Robins & Morton Project Manager. "Saving time in the field by keeping a systematic approach to capture items and closely managing them is critical. So is the ability to easily synchronize and communicate information to architects, engineers and subcontractors in as close to real time as possible."

The Solution

Leading healthcare owners, contractors, architects and engineers are increasingly leveraging the power of mobile field software and Tablet PCs (pen-based computers) to optimize the delivery of healthcare facilities. Prior to adopting Vela Systems software, Robins & Morton field personnel prepared notes and created work-to-complete and punch lists in a more conventional way. "Sometimes the punch list process can be a time consuming and complicated task because there are so many subcontractors, areas, late changes and items being worked on and coordinated. It can very quickly become a difficult task to manage all of these things simultaneously, which could adversely impact the project schedule and quality," said Colon. "In my experience, I've seen field notes get written on pieces of paper and then handed off to someone to type into a spread sheet elsewhere. Eventually, the information gets distributed to the appropriate parties but the resulting downtime created while waiting to receive the information—sometimes several days—is simply not optimal."

On the job site, using Vela's mobile field software empowers field personnel, such as superintendents and project managers, to focus more attention on the details of the healthcare construction process, with less time and fewer resources invested in cumbersome, paper-based administration.

The software also provides a method for Robins & Morton field personnel to better track items and their status and seamlessly collaborate with other team members. Users have a better understanding of where things are and what needs to be completed. Ultimately, it has allowed project personnel to adhere to company policies and procedures in a more consistent, streamlined manner.

"It's been extremely beneficial having a synchronized system to more accurately control processes, information flow and, in essence, project management," continued Colon. "With Vela Systems, you can have more than one person punching the building simultaneously in different areas or trades. R&M has several people using Vela and Tablet PCs who can continuously synchronize data, keeping everyone current and seeing the same information at any given time. In fact, Hunton Brady Architects and TLC Engineering, the project designers, are also using Vela so we're completely synchronized. R&M first used the system to conduct its internal punch list and quality control procedures. Then HBA and TLC conducted their punch process with very minimal items to address. This is of great benefit to expediting the process as a team and to achieve our goal of zero architect punch."

Summary & Metrics

Vela Systems software helped Robins & Morton achieve the following results:

• Faster collection of data saved hours and days normally spent on transcription and communication of field reports and punchlists.
• Accelerated project delivery by potential days per month by reducing communication delays between teams and keeping information flowing seamlessly between architects, engineers and subcontractors.
• Better organization, tracking and synchronization of data gained Robins & Morton days by eliminating the need to retype field information or hire additional staff to manage paperwork volume.
• Improved service levels with automatic reports generated to clients to give them status updates.
• Reduced risk by providing a secure audit trail of the progress of construction. Established documentation consistency across projects and offices.

With the help of Vela Systems software, we are now gaining improved control of quality through faster internal and external punch work, making our project personnel more productive to achieve Robins & Morton's goal of zero punch from the A/E.

— Angel Colon, PE, LEED AP, MCE Project Manager, Robins & Morton

With Vela Systems software, we have a much better handle on the process, improved reporting capabilities and tracking of what items need to be completed at any given time. The way we're now capturing data is saving us significant time. In many cases, we've cut our time by half!

— Jon MacAlpin, Project Engineer, Robins & Morton