by Kenneth M. Wright

Among other missions, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance of military facilities for the Army and Air Force. In support of this mission, the Engineer Research and Development Center's Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL) in Champaign, Illinois, has developed Project Extranet (ProjNet^SM). ProjNet^SM is a secure, web-based information exchange platform that allows interaction between project managers' agents, facility owners, architects and engineers, and contractors to quickly and effectively identify and resolve technical issues.

ProjNet^SM can be accessed via a secure website using any commercially available Internet browser. The platform includes tools for issue identification and resolution during the design, bid, and build life-cycle phases, as well as the capability to extract information from specific projects for future reference—whether as lessons learned or as historical references for similar current projects. For each task during the project's life cycle, an application has been developed and integrated into the ProjNet^SM platform.

During the design phase, a software tool called DrChecks^SM (the Design Review and Checking System) provides the workspace for the collection of design review comments, their evaluations, and resolutions. Users can make specific comments on designs at many review milestones, as well as at other intermediate milestones deemed necessary by the user. The comments are indexed by a variety of categories (e.g., discipline, location, project type, customer etc.), which allows all users to easily sort and respond to comments relevant to their area of interest. DrChecks^SM automatically tracks and collates the technical discussion that develops based on the comments, and allows management personnel to easily identify potential issues and work with appropriate stakeholders to resolve them. DrChecks^SM also helps to prevent later change orders by providing all reviewer participants with clearly identified "open" issues that need to be resolved. To facilitate reviews, checklists and information from similar past projects can be utilized and lessons learned that were developed within ProjNet^SM can also be applied.

ProjNet^SM also has criteria tools—Criteria Change Request, Criteria Management System, and Standards & Criteria Program—that allow users to identify, specify, track and fund specification changes necessary to ensure that new designs will be based on current agency criteria requirements.

The ProjNet-FILER^SM application, originally developed in support of Department of State requirements, facilitates the secure electronic exchange of project documents between stakeholders. The application automatically tracks the creation, deletion, and viewing of documents. This audit trail ensures that team members have the latest document version and eliminates time lost to mailing and delivery delays. By providing a method for the distribution of sensitive but unclassified (SBU) project information to those individuals with the "need-to-know," ProjNet-FILER^SM helps federal agencies comply with requirements for the secure distribution of sensitive documents. FILER is accredited by Department of State Diplomatic Security for the secure exchange of SBU design and construction project information around the world.

The eTasker application allows ProjNet^SM users to track and manage individual to-do lists for assigned jobs.

During the bid life-cycle phase, ProjNet^SM provides the secure distribution of bid documents from the ProjNet-PlanRoom^SM application. Access to unregistered ProjNet^SM users to the ProjNet-PlanRoom^SM is provided through a ProjNet-PlanRoom^SM Key, which is provided with the project solicitation. The ProjNet-PlanRoom^SM serves as a single location for all bid documents and amendments to the solicitation, and can also provide reference folders for bidders to review standards referenced in the specification. Once the request for bid is released, the ProjNet-BID^SM application can be used to both collect and respond to bidder inquiries. This tool allows the Contracting Officer to easily ensure that all technical responses to inquiries are appropriately staffed before a "final" response is issued. Contracting Officers have found that ProjNet-BID^SM formally structures the response process and speeds the development of a response. When an inquiry is resolved, both the question and response (without user attribution) are posted on a ProjNet^SM location for all other prospective bidders to review.

During the build phase, ProjNet^SM can assist the construction manager by providing a secure method to communicate between all stakeholders. Modules within ProjNet^SM provide for the submission of Requests for Information (RFIs) by contractors. The RFIs are automatically forwarded via e-mail to the appropriate discipline member of the evaluation team and the Project or Review Manager. The Contracting Officer can then use the RFI module to track the team member's suggested reply to each RFI and construct the formal response. ProjNet-SubmittalRegister^SM can also be used to coordinate the technical evaluation of construction submittals to ensure that contractors have used the proper materials and met the project specification's requirements. The development team is currently defining a Project Diary function. The goal of this activity is to allow ProjNet^SM to integrate daily information (daily reports and project pictures) with the Building Information Model (BIM).

At the end of the build phase, ProjNet^SM can automatically generate the required construction handover documents to support building operations and maintenance by providing computer maintenance management system (CMMS) installed equipment input files.

ProjNet^SM currently offers two cross-project tools: Design Quality Lessons Learned (DQLL) and Distribution Portals. DQLL allows reviewers to submit possible lessons learned and apply approved lessons learned as they do their work. These items are reviewed by designated regional and/or national subject-matter experts. Once approved, the items can be applied as comments or flagged for inclusion in future criteria and specification revisions. The DQLL database is searchable based on user selectable terms that include project type, customer, geographic location, discipline, and a variety of other fields. Project- or review-type specific checklists can be created in ProjNet^SM, allowing reviewers to utilize these as reference as they review documents using DrChecks^SM. Distribution Portals allow agency program managers to easily distribute model design documents, agency-specific guidelines and requirements, and national standards throughout their organization and to appropriate contractors. The content of the portal is managed by subject-matter experts within each agency, allowing consistency across geographic regions and multiple projects.

ProjNet^SM currently has more than 30,000 users. The use of one or more specific applications within ProjNet^SM is mandated at USACE, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, the Bureau of Overseas Building Operations office of the U.S. Department of State, NASA, General Services Administration, Veterans Affairs, Department of Public Works-WestPoint, the Florida Everglades Project Office, and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. ProjNet^SM applications are available to federal, state, and local agencies, as well as commercial firms, by contacting Earle Kennett, National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), Washington DC, 202-289-7800, ekennett@nibs.org.