Project Development Student Competition

The Management Practices in Construction Committee is developing a project development student competition that will require project planning, conceptual design, and construction management planning of a realistic project using sustainable materials and practices.  The initial project under development is a highway rest stop that will require collaborative effort to prepare a comprehensive written proposal to include an evaluation of the design using the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) criteria published by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The competition will be open to civil engineering, architecture, and construction management undergraduate and graduate students.  Team size will be limited to six members, and each team is to be sponsored by an ASCE Student Chapter.  Competing teams will be provided with a Request for Proposal containing the following information:

• Project overview including a list of scope requirements
• Functional design requirements
• Any site constraints affecting the project
• Listing of proposal requirements
• Criteria to be used in evaluating proposals

Student teams will be encouraged to consult with local professionals in the development of their proposals, but the final proposal must be solely based on student work.  Written proposals will be limited to 30 pages and are to be submitted five months after issuance of the Request for Proposal.  Competing teams will be able to submit Requests for Information electronically to the competition sponsors, and responses will be provided to all competing teams.

The submitted proposals will need to describe the planning, design, and construction management process proposed by the competing team to include:

• Planning
• Site utilization plan
• Community and local government interaction
• Preliminary cost estimate and schedule

• Conceptual design
• General layout
• Key details
• Conceptual cost estimate

• Construction management
• Project specific management and staffing plan
• Scheduling, site logistics, and community relations plans
• Project specific safety plan
• Project specific quality control plan 

The committee’s goal is to complete the development of the competition rules and initial Request for Proposal by mid-summer 2006 and to pilot test the competition with two or three teams during academic year 2006-2007.  Lessons learned will be collected and incorporated in a wider competition to be held during academic year 2007-2008.  First and second place prizes will be given to the teams submitting the best proposals.  The objectives of the competition are to provide a venue for collaborative student work in the solution of a realistic project development challenge and to provide an opportunity for students to network with seasoned professionals.