Case Study: Metropolitan Council achieves effective project controls and reduced cost and schedule risk with Trimble's e-Builder

Metropolitan Council Managing Project Risks through the Establishment of Effective Project Controls

The Metropolitan Council’s Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (CCLRT) was an 11-mile, $956.9M FTA New Starts project linking downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. Facing stringent FTA oversight, complex multi-contract delivery and significant cost and schedule risk, the agency needed tighter project controls, consistent business processes and better visibility to keep the program on budget and on time.

The Council established a Project Controls unit integrated with the project management team, formalized change/configuration management, scheduling, estimating and risk processes, and standardized on tools including Primavera and the e-Builder project management platform. They also used Letters of No Prejudice/Limited Notices to Proceed to manage funding timing. Results included awarding construction contracts about 5% below the construction budget (leaving contingency intact), dramatically faster RFI turnaround (under a quarter of prior times), improved document control and FTA compliance, and positioning the project to open for revenue service in 2014 within the established budget.

Metropolitan Council

Patrick Watz

AECOM’s Project Manager