Submittal Exchange™ delivers project-wide collaboration
for the Deschutes County Public Safety Facility project
"Submittal Exchange has helped to get submittals reviewed in a quicker manner. Instantly receiving an approved submittal following the A/E team review is a valuable tool."
- Ben Belt, Project Engineer, Engineered Structures, Inc.
Deschutes County Public Safety Facility - image courtesy of LCA Architects
Bend, OR - Located in the heart of Oregon, Deschutes County began construction July 2009 on a new public safety facility. The facility will serve the 160,000+ residents of Bend, Redmond and Sisters, the three municipal cities making up Deschutes County. The project, estimated at $6.1 million, includes 34,000 square foot of new construction and is using the Submittal Exchange system for submitting, reviewing and tracking shop drawings and other construction correspondence electronically.
With more than 60 project team members and 300+ submittals, the Deschutes County Public Safety Facility project has benefited from the collaboration that Submittal Exchange has provided. Engineered Structures, Inc. (ESI), the contractor on the project, is the largest privately held General Contractor in the state of Idaho. Located in Boise, ESI offers pre-construction, building information modeling (BIM), construction management, general construction, design/build, sustainable building construction, and program management services. "Submittal Exchange has helped to get submittals reviewed in a quicker manner. Instantly receiving an approved submittal following the A/E team review is a valuable tool," stated Ben Belt, Project Engineer for ESI who has worked in the construction industry for four years and is using Submittal Exchange for the first time.
"There are a large number of team members on this project. Submittal Exchange has definitely kept items better organized and we don't have to deal with piles of paper all over the place."
- Alexis Townsend, Project Manager, LCA Architects
LCA Architects, the architect on the project, has 35+ years in the industry. Located in Boise, Idaho the firm employs 27 professionals and serves the justice, educational, commercial, interior, civic, and healthcare markets. "There are a large number of team members on this project. Submittal Exchange has definitely kept items better organized, and we don't have to deal with piles of paper all over the place," stated Alexis Townsend, with LCA Architects, who is serving as Project Manager on the project. Townsend has also seen the advantages Submittal Exchange provides to project organization, "I don't have to deal with the traditional process, everything is in one place and we're not going back and forth through files or flipping through binders."
When asked about the key advantages construction professionals benefit from when using the Submittal Exchange system vs. a traditional paper process Townsend stated, "Submittal Exchange in undoubtedly quicker than the traditional method of mailing and faxing, which has been a tremendous time saver on this project." Townsend continued, "The system provides a complete tracking of documents giving the entire project team the ability to see and follow items through the process."
"Submittal Exchange provides a high level of efficiency and saves time on projects."
- Alexis Townsend, Project Manager, LCA Architects
The project team unanimously agreed on recommending Submittal Exchange to industry professionals for their construction projects. "Submittal Exchange provides a high level of efficiency and saves time on projects, I would definitely recommend it," stated Townsend. Belt concurred, "Yes, it is an excellent tool to track submittals and any changes that occur."
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