Global Best Projects Frequently Asked Questions
The ENR Global Best Projects Awards are dedicated to honoring the best global construction projects and the companies that designed and built them throughout the entire world. The awards focus on the challenges, risks and rewards of designing and constructing in foreign lands - whether you are a Canadian company building in Africa, or a Japan-based firm building in the U.S.
Entries will compete in 20 specialized categories, ranging from airports to education. An independent jury of industry leaders in design and construction will judge the projects using five criteria through a global perspective, including safety, innovation and teamwork. The winners will be featured in the pages of ENR and honored at an awards ceremony coinciding with the ENR Global Construction Summit.
Entries may be submitted by any of the firms working on the project, but the most successful entries are joint entries incorporating input from multiple key team members, such as the design firm, contractor and owner. Remember, to be eligible, at least one project team member firm must be headquartered in a country other than the one where the project is located.
Entries will be accepted from late January until March.
You can view last year’s winning projects here: www.enr.com/2014-Global-Best-projects
Q: Our firm is headquartered outside of the country in which the project was built. However, we opened a subsidiary office to manage the project. Does that still qualify as a global team?
A: Our judges will mainly focus on the text of the essay questions, so be sure to explain how the project and the project team fits in the global context.
If the project can show how it demonstrates international collaboration and the challenges of working outside one's home country, then it will have a better chance of success. Perhaps the challenges of establishing an office outside one's home country and hiring team members who have the skills required to work with local codes and standards, laws and labor requirements could be part of the submission.
Q: Does a U.S. company working on a project in a U.S. territory (such as Guam) qualify?
A: Yes. Any U.S. territory is considered a separate country for purposes of this contest, except for Puerto Rico, which is considered part of the U.S.
Q: The rules state that the project must be completed between January 1, 2014 and Dec. 31, 2014. Is that completion of the design, or construction?
A: The completion date refers to the construction completion date of the project, or, if the project was built in distinct phases, the completion date of the phase you are submitting.
Q: Is there a rule about when a project’s construction started?
A: No, it does not matter when a project began design or construction. The only rule is that construction has to have been completed sometime between January 1, 2014 and Dec. 31, 2014.
Q: Can I download a copy of the entry form?
A: The entry form is web only. You can get more information or view the entire form during the entry period at http://enr.construction.com/bestprojects/global/2014/.
Q: How much does it cost to enter? Will I be required to purchase anything if I win?
A: Global Best Projects 2013 is a free competition. You can submit as many projects as you like. You are not required to make a purchase of any kind to be eligible or to win. Options will be made available to you if you wish to purchase additional award plaques for your team, or advertising, but it is voluntary and
Q: Does my project have to be completely finished, or could this include phased portions of the project that have been completed?
A: Phased projects are allowed as long as the phases are a natural aspect to the job, such as a freeway project that was built in phases, under several, separately bid contracts. If the job was all bid under one contract and the phases were done internally with the contractor (Example: the contractor split the project into separate GMPs internally, but the whole project was under one negotiated bid) then it wouldn’t normally be considered a separate phase. However, if a building’s shell was built under a separate contract from the interior or tenant improvements, then those could be considered separate ‘projects’ (see question below).
Q: My firm built the shell of Building XYZ, but the interior build out (being performed by another firm) is not complete. Is the project eligible for this year’s competition?
A: Yes, as long as the shell and interior/tenant improvement work are being performed under separate contracts or phases, you can submit, even if the same firm is performing both.
Q: Are we required to have professional photography to submit?
A: No, your photos can be good-quality photos taken on the jobsite by a project team member, but they should still meet the resolution and size requirements. Just remember that the jury of industry experts will be judging your project against other projects in that category, so try to select the photos that best capture the uniqueness and quality of your project. Also, if you are submitting a renovation/restoration project in any category, please include at least one before-and-after photo.
Q: Your entry form only allows me to submit in one category. If my project could be eligible in several different categories, which category gives my project the best chance of winning?
A: The panel of independent industry judges makes the final decision for the winners in all categories, so there’s no way of predicting ahead of time what the competition will be like in any given category. As you are writing your project narrative, consider which aspect of the project will be the most compelling and the most unique to the judges. An example would be a LEED-certified or equivalent office project, which could go into 'Office' or 'Green Projects'. If your project met exceptional green building standards, or used a ground-breaking, innovative sustainable strategy, then you may want to consider submitting in the Green category. However, if the sustainable aspects were commonplace, or just one facet of a project with many innovative or compelling aspects, then it might be a better strategy to submit in the Office category.
Q: For the Green Project category, is it required that my project be seeking certification?
A: Certification by LEED or another professional organization is not required as long as the project is equivalent to a project seeking certification. The judges will expect the same level of sustainable features as other entries that are seeking certification.
Q: Should I submit my solar projects under the green category? If not, do you have a suggestion as to what category solar projects would fit under, if any?
A: Submit any solar or renewable energy power projects in the Power/Industrial category.
Q: The rules state that any project with a construction-related fatality is not eligible. What if that death occurred on a different phase of the project?
A: Your project is eligible as long as it meets the other rules for eligibility and meets the definition of being a separate phase or ‘project’ detailed in the questions above.
Q: Can winners or entries submitted to the Regional Best Projects or Best of the Best Projects also submit to this contest if the project fits into the time frame?
A: Yes, as long as it meets the requirements for Global Best Projects.
Q: My question isn’t answered above. Who can I contact for more info?
A: For inquiries about contest rules or the entry form, please email enr.regional.contests@bnpmedia.com.