Healthcare Design - May 2017 - 32

MICHAEL MCLAUGHLIN

Title: Executive Vice President
Firm: Southland Engineering (Phoenix)
Number of firm employees: 300
Healthcare revenue in 2016: $300 million (construction
revenue)
B U S I N E S S

C H A L L E N G E :

E N G I N E E R I N G

LEADERSHIP

Too often healthcare building owners don't get the results they
expect from engineers and builders. Budgets are exceeded and
schedules are missed. They've grown tired of the traditional
project pattern of "design, bid, value engineer, re-design, and
build," which essentially results in a new facility that's considered a compromise. The process is inefficient, disjointed, and
noncollaborative, and often leaves facility leaders and staff dissatisfied. At root is the fundamental issue of leadership.
Healthcare MEP systems have grown to account for nearly 50
percent of a healthcare facility's first costs and a significant portion of the
ongoing operational costs. Project outcomes are therefore heavily dependent on the success (or failure) of the MEP systems. The role and expectations of the MEP engineer, however, haven't kept pace with this change. It's
time for the MEP engineer to serve in a leadership role, which will help enable projects to meet and exceed owners' expectations.
W H AT ' S B E H I N D I T

The traditional expectation of MEP engineers is to provide a technical
solution that satisfies the code, standards, and functional needs of a facility. MEP engineers are well-equipped and trained to solve these technical
challenges. However, solving a technical issue without regard to cost, constructability, or maintainability is a fundamental flaw that leads to poor
project outcomes. The technical solution ultimately defines the cost, constructability, and maintainability of the project and must be considered an
equal "input" into the equation if a project team is to expect better results.
Due to the level of complexity required to design, construct, operate, and
maintain today's modern healthcare facilities, the input of owners, architects, engineers, contractors, estimators, facility operators, and a host of
other stakeholders that directly influence the outcome of a project must
shape MEP designs. This comprehensive contribution in the formative
stages of design is crucial to avoid costly re-design or value engineering later, which is a fundamental indication of poor collaboration.

minimum, our engineers are expected to keep
pace with those changes and the variety of potential solutions. Our expectations, however,
transcend technical expertise. Engineers must
seek to understand what makes the owner's
business successful, how MEP systems can benefit or improve the jobs of medical staff, and what
needs and preferences the facility operators
hold to ensure the features of the MEP solution
remain functional.
Cost. Every line and every word engineers
place on drawings and specifications affect the
cost of the project. Therefore, it's critical that
engineers understand the impact of their decisions. Since engineers aren't traditionally
trained on cost, they need a partner to provide
that insight. Within Southland Engineering,
our engineers have real-time access to full-time
MEP cost estimators.
Constructability. Since the engineer's drawings and specifications define what's to be built,
it's imperative that engineers seek out MEP
contractors to help shape the designs. To take it
a step further, MEP engineers must design for
construction, and this can be done only when
trusted construction experts work with MEP
engineers at the start of design. We've provided
our engineers with access to sheet metal, pipefitting, plumbing, and fire protection tradespeople
to inform solutions.
Maintainability. MEP engineers aren't experts in facility maintenance and must rely on
facility operators to help shape their designs
into a maintainable solution. This is a purposeful choice and requires MEP engineers to engage
facility operators during the design stages. If
those individuals aren't available, having access
to a trusted facility partner is a critical resource.
Leadership. Given the significant effect that
MEP systems have on the outcomes of healthcare projects, MEP engineers must expand
their capabilities to become experts at solving
technical challenges as well as collaborating,
communicating, seeking input, creating valued
relationships, taking responsibility, and being
accountable for results.
WORDS OF WISDOM

THE SOLUTION

As part of an engineering, construction, and maintenance company, Southland is in the position to observe projects delivered via a variety of contractual methods over their entire lifecycle. Over the years, we've identified
and defined success factors that result in better outcomes for clients, regardless of contract type.
Technical expertise. Engineers are faced with regular changes in
healthcare codes, standards, technology, and operating procedures. At

MAY 2017

HCDMAGAZINE.COM

MEP engineers have an opportunity and the
responsibility to become leaders in connecting
engineering decisions to project cost, constructability, and maintainability to improve overall
results. Better outcomes can be achieved by engaging stakeholders and using our expertise to
optimize solutions on multiple dimensions.

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Healthcare Design - May 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Design - May 2017