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| Each project poses new challenges for finding the right subs to stay on schedule and on budget. |
Almost anyone connected with the sports facilities industry can rattle off most of the high-profile architectural firms — HOK, Ellerbe Becket, HNTB, Heery, NBBJ, Rossetti, HKS and so on.
Likewise, the short list of giant construction companies who build most stadiums and arenas in the United States is equally well known — Turner, Hunt, Clark, Barton Malow, Perini, Beers Skanska, etc.
However, there's a third piece of the puzzle in every sports venue project. It involves dozens — sometimes hundreds — of subcontractors who must blend their expertise and labor with both designers and contractors, and do it seamlessly if the job is to be completed on time and on budget.
These subcontractors, providing everything from mechanical engineering to plumbing fixtures, could be national companies with extensive experience working on sports facilities, or they might come from a pool of local businesses shooting for a one-time success story.
How important are they?
"If a sub goes belly-up or has some serious problem, the construction manager is responsible, but ultimately it hurts the owners and the whole job," said Robert Rayborn, a project executive with Turner Sports Group. "We're fortunate to have offices all over the country, and each of them keeps a database on subcontractors, so most of the ones we use are prequalified.
"Still, we hold training seminars for subs. You have to be careful, and be watching all the time. Let's say a public procurement law in the area you're building requires that the subs be selected by a bid process, and one company comes in with a bid significantly lower than everyone else.
"Well, it's not likely these guys have come up with a better mousetrap. They're probably missing something, so we have to be sure we've explained the exact scope of the project, and that the subs understand it precisely."
Officials of several construction companies mentioned another reason that potential subcontractors must know their work and price it properly; namely, that right up to the last moment of bidding for a major sports facility project, figures are being juggled — and builders who face at-risk positions on, say, a $400 million football stadium need to know the numbers and information they're getting from subs are right on the money.
So how does the process work?
"There are subcontractors who will be dealing with the architects in the design phase of a project," said Michael Hallmark, who worked for Ellerbe Becket and NBBJ before becoming a consultant to facility owners. "The architects will hire and take responsibility for the electrical engineers, structural engineers, mechanical engineers and so forth as they bring the project through the pre-construction phase.
"Once a contractor is in place, the CM [construction manager] hires the subs who actually will be involved in getting the place built, or remodeled — depending on the job."
One obvious trend in the industry, however, has been to narrow the gap between design and construction — and in some cases architects and builders will form a single entity to deliver the project via a method called design-build.
"In the past, architects got involved in doing a stadium or arena well ahead of construction," said Steve Hadujek, principal at Ellerbe Becket. "We'd hire our consultants — for sound, security, data and telecommunications, codes, video and broadcast, transportation, and maybe even master planning, although that's usually done by the owner.
"Once you got as far as schematic design, you wanted to have a CM on board. But it's become obvious, as the whole process gets more sophisticated, that there's a benefit to having the contractor in the picture much sooner. Now, contractors are coming to us to bid together — especially on smaller buildings."
As more and more high-profile venues have been built, both designers and construction companies have come to rely on a cadre of experienced subcontractors — though a high percentage of subs still are hired locally.
Ken Schacherbauer, project manager for Perini Building Co. on the Phoenix Coyotes' new arena, said the location of a job has a lot to do with finding subcontractors in the immediate area.
"Almost all of our subs are local," Schacherbauer said. "A whole lot of companies have moved to the Phoenix area, which makes for more competition and benefits the owners on the price. But there are some things you're almost always going to have to get elsewhere.
"For instance, we're working with Havens Steel from Kansas City. When you think about the size of sports facilities, there aren't many companies that work with structural steel in the sizes we're talking about."
There are other subcontracting specialists who are regulars at major sports projects. Dallas-based Wrightson Johnson Haddon & Williams Inc., for instance, handled the acoustical and electrical systems design at all four of the NFL stadiums that opened in 2002.
"We developed a good working relationship with a number of the prominent architects — the HOKs and Ellerbe Beckets and the rest," said Jack Wrightson, a principal of the firm, which opened in 1990. "All of our partners had backgrounds in sports and entertainment, so the building boom of the last decade or so came at a great time for us."
Wrightson said that about 75 percent of WJHW's sports facility business occurs when a venue designer hires his company as a consultant. "On maybe 20 percent, we're part of a team competing with other design firms for a project," he said, "and only about 5 percent of our sports work comes from a strict bid process."
Despite the need to find critical items like structural steel wherever they can and the presence of some experienced subcontractors like WJHW who operate on a national scale, architects and contractors agree that an overwhelming percentage of their subs are based close to the site of each project.
"There's a strong local focus," said Ted Wellmeyer, a contract manager for Hunt Construction Group. "All of your finishing guys, the people who do carpet and things like that, are local — and, of course, a huge preponderance of the labor force on any project would be local.
"Sure, there are things that maybe you can't find locally — video boards, escalators, seating — but there are good reasons for staying close to the project with who you hire. In some cases, it would be dangerous to go into a place where a subcontractor from out of town doesn't know the work force."
There is another factor that can come into play. Projects being funded by public money often carry mandates for participation by companies owned by minorities, women or people with disabilities.
"A lot of these funded projects have incentives built in for hiring local companies, or companies owned by minorities or women," Hallmark said. "Usually, these are more like suggested targets, but at a project in Cleveland, the city council made a certain percentage mandatory."
Hunt's Wellmeyer said that when his firm was involved in building the United Center in Chicago, over a third of the companies hired were owned by minorities, women or the disabled.
"It hasn't been a difficult issue in any project I know," Wellmeyer said. "The most important thing with subs is to get good people who know their job."
Designers and contractors seemed to be unanimous on that point.
"Every project is one of a kind in this business," said Turner's Rayborn. "We're not building the 45th car on the assembly line. Each structure is unique, and we try to explain the complexity and scope of it ahead of time.
"We monitor the subs' work to prevent them from going over [budget]. And we've always got experienced people there who can jump in if necessary.
"If somebody does fail, we're ready to get right back at it. There's a lot of money at stake and no other option."
Steve Cameron is a writer in Idaho.
