Colville Tribal Gov Center 1

Colville Tribal Government Center

Location Nespelem, WA

Client Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

Services Project Management

Project Value $43 million

In July 2013, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation’s (Tribes) Headquarters was lost due to fire. Built in 1975, the Tribal Headquarters was home to the Colville Business Council, Colville Business Council meetings, the Tribes’ Executive Director, Land and Property manager, Information Technology and Elections offices. With plans already underway for a new Tribal Government Center, Hill provided project management consulting services for the new, fast-track facility, located on the Colville Reservation, two miles south of Nespelem.

Hill acted as the Tribes’ independent expert and provided complete project management support for contract administration and site observation during the design, pre-construction, construction, commissioning, and close-out phases. Hill also reviewed and advised the Tribes during negotiations with the GC/CM to establish a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) after completion of the Design Development Documents and 30% construction documents.

Due to the fire, the Tribes designated the new Tribal Government Center as a fast-track project, with construction not to exceed 710 days. Recognizing the project required a demolition phase before the construction could begin, Hill also assisted the Tribes with managing the demolition of approximately 20 existing housing structures with an estimated 30,000 SF.  By getting design packages (ie: demolition, clearing and grubbing, grading, and foundations) ready early, Hill minimized overall project time. Relocation of services in three buildings was accomplished as soon as possible. The demolition of additional buildings was planned to consider current resident needs/relocation and possible environmental (asbestos, lead paint, etc.) As a result, pre-planning was a key part of moving the project forward and in completing demolition as quickly as possible.

Hill also led a significant value engineering effort to reduce the projected cost to meet the original project budget. By guiding the project through the GC/CM delivery approach, Hill added value by having the contractor involved in preconstruction and providing such services including estimating, scheduling, and phasing development.

As part of Hill’s Native American Training Program, Hill also employed a Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance (TERO) certified tribal member as a full-time site inspector.