Make Your Running Track More Affordable with Value Engineering

Written by Bill Narozanick / Published in Running Tracks, Track Installation

Words Related to Value Engineering
You’ve hired a running track designer to draw your dream running track design. The project has gone out for bid and the prices come back way higher than you ever expected. Your present track is falling apart and basically unsafe to use. You have to put in a new facility for the next season. What can you do about it? Value Engineer of course!Make Your Running Track More Affordable with ValueEngineering Value engineering is a term that is used when you have an existing design for, in this case, a new running track project and you, the owner, want to alter the design to save money. Typically this practice is performed after bids or proposals have been received and is a result of prices coming in higher than might have been budgeted or anticipated. The owner, who is obligated to meet the budget and does not want to abandon the project, needs to look at options that will allow the project to proceed with minimum compromises. Here’s how value engineering can work: Here are the two basic ways you can build an affordable running track:

1. Keep the original intent of the design.

The first step should be for the running track designer to meet with one or more of the qualified and experienced bidding contractors, (preferably an ASBA Certified Track Builder), and ask for ideas that could mitigate project costs without compromising the original intent of the design. A specific example would be where the designer has designed an 8‐ lane running track with an upscale, very high‐end polyurethane synthetic surface, and sand catchers for the long jump complexes. In this case, Value Engineering can reveal that you could reduce the polyurethane synthetic system down a level or two, and you could place concrete aprons around the long jump complex as opposed to paying for the very expensive sand catchers. These three items alone could POTENTIALLY SAVE YOU $100K or more on your running track project!

2. Change the original intent of design.

In the case where you cannot realize enough savings by keeping the original design intent, you will have to consider altering the original design. If there are no real options to alter the running track design in a way that does not optimize the original intent. The next step is to look at options that could change the original intent/design, but will still yield a project that is of benefit to you and its users, and will still be a high quality project. A good example might be where the owner wants a full 8‐ lane multi‐ team competition running track but may be able to settle for an 8 ‐lane straight with a 6‐ lane oval, or maybe even a full 6‐lane running track that can still fit the needs of the community. There will always be many items you can deduct off the specification options to make your track more affordable. But, you must first begin with an experienced design professional or Certified Track Builder to help you identify the many value engineering possibilities.

Q: There will always be many items you can deduct off the specification options to make your track more affordable. But, you must first begin with an experienced design professional or Certified Track Builder to help you identify the many value engineering possibilities.

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