LA water sustainability facility engages Ferguson as their VDC project partner

The Donald C. Tillman Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF) in Los Angeles is state-of-the-art. It represents a significant leap in sustainable water management, establishing itself as one of the most significant indirect potable reuse projects globally. As a vital solution to drought and water supply shortages in a city marked by its arid climate, this facility will transform Los Angeles’ approach to water sustainability. This is because indirect potable water reuse combats drought conditions, meanwhile enhancing the available water supply for both residents and businesses alike.

Harnessing cutting-edge technologies such as microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and advanced oxidation processes, the AWPF purifies an impressive 30 million gallons of water per day (MGD). Furthermore, it serves over 200,000 customers in the local community. With a price tag of over $740 million—and approximately $224 million in water infrastructure funding secured from the EPA— this ambitious project aims to revolutionize water management. Ferguson Waterworks proudly served as a collaborative delivery partner during preconstruction. We contributed our expertise as Waterworks Supply Chain Procurement Specialists (WSCPS) across various disciplines and trades. This includes fire protection, commercial plumbing, mechanical process piping, and utilities.

This is a large, complex, and technically challenging water purification project. Not only is it at the forefront of advanced treatment with groundwater injection, but it is also operating on a tight timeline due to the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

In order to follow through on the project complexities, the city chose to engage with a reputable design-build service and VDC project partner. They required innovative ways to optimize preconstruction planning to both improve the project schedule and increase cost development transparency. Ultimately, the contractor chose to work with Ferguson Waterworks due to our qualifications, history of integrated collaborative delivery services, and impressive BIM/VDC capabilities.

Starting with pre-construction plans, our experienced project management team collaborated with multiple Ferguson customer groups and project stakeholders. We worked together to condense the project timeline, enhance transparency, mitigate risk, and optimize resources. Our strategic advantages include:

• Technical expertise in waterworks, strategic infrastructure, fire and fabrication, and plumbing
• Local relationships with subcontractors and vendors
• Strategic Infrastructure Group’s Collaborative Delivery Treatment Plant Team
• Deep understanding of design-build processes, including navigating preconstruction as a partner to the design builder
• Proprietary integrated collaborative delivery program, Waterworks Supply Chain Procurement Specialists (WSCPS)
• Ability to supply materials to multiple trades through a single team/PO
• Focus on best value, transparency, risk mitigation, and collaboration

Does early engagement with Ferguson as a project partner save time and maximize budgets?

Ferguson played a pivotal role as the WSCPS and VDC project partner. In order to set a solid foundation for success, the client involved us during preconstruction. To streamline efforts, the Ferguson VDC Project Management team coordinated all Ferguson groups. This included Ferguson Waterworks, Fire & Fabrication, VDC, Strategic Infrastructure Group, as well as Commercial Mechanical divisions. Our multi-disciplinary team reviewed the project documents at each design stage, providing estimating, scheduling, risk mitigation, value engineering, and constructability feedback to the design-build team, along with other services and support.

How does Ferguson’s multi-disciplinary approach benefit large water treatment facility projects?

During this water purification design-build project, the Ferguson Fire & Fabrication team designed a comprehensive fire system. It included accurate Bills of Material (BOMs) that could flow directly into fabrication. Meanwhile, the Waterworks VDC team created intelligent constructible models, providing a visual representation of the facility’s piping systems. This is an example of how these Ferguson teams worked together to enhance collaboration among stakeholders, such as engineers, the city, and contractors. With our seamless teamwork and an intuitive view of the design, we provided clarity. As a result, identifying and preventing potential challenges early on. As well as improving communication and understanding across disciplines. From these models, we created BOMs for accurate estimation and procurement.

Why did our client engage with the Ferguson project management team early?

By providing expert preconstruction support, we enabled the contractor and subcontractors to focus on what they do best – rather than having them worry about constructability, material availability, or costly rework. Then, when the material began arriving on-site, we coordinated warehouse management services to offload trucks and organize/pull material for subcontractors.

Due to our early involvement, our on-site project management team was able to:

• Harmonize deliveries with the subcontractors
• Track material locations and levels
• Maintain material needs timelines
• Schedule inspections

Our multi-faceted, every-phase support for large-scale construction projects uniquely positions us to serve as a single-source design, supply, fulfillment, and project management resource for our customers. Through the integration of various specialties, such as treatment plant and fire protection, our expertise aligned with the customer’s vision for a cohesive project environment. This synergy underscores the value of collaboration in achieving complex project outcomes effectively and the value of having Ferguson as a project partner from the earliest stages of design. For VDC and project management services, contact your local Ferguson Waterworks expert.