We Energies and Domtar both stand to benefit from their unlikely alliance. By employing forest residue and wood waste from Domtar to generate electricity, natural gas and steam, the powerplant owner moves a step closer to meeting a state mandate that it derive 10% of its energy from renewable sources by 2015. The powerplant, in turn, will generate heat for Domtar's paper-drying operations while producing enough electricity to power 45,000 homes in Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

As the project passes the halfway mark, participants continue to "base decisions on the needs of the project rather than those of their firms," says Mihm, who explains that contracts include cost and schedule incentives, with team members putting a percentage of their fees at risk for both.

Both cost and schedule are driving implementation of practices Boldt either adapted from the Lean Construction Institute or developed on its own, says Lichtig, who explains that early involvement by team members assisted in identifying and resolving issues early, before they ballooned into costly bones of contention. "Smart discussions begun early in design allowed for a collaborative approach on issues ranging from lay-out to material selection," he says.

As part of a "whole target-cost program," dedicated teams manage specific aspects of the design to ensure they remain within budget, says Lee. One team, for instance, focused on concrete with the understanding "they have a certain amount of money to work with and therefore need to assist designers in maintaining that budget," Lee says.

Appleton-based Poyry, the project's architect and engineer, engaged Boldt in constructability reviews "while we were still in the development phase," recalls Michael Hooyman, Poyry president. "The worst thing you can do is assemble a final construction package the contractor looks at and says, 'I'd do this a little bit differently.'"

Boldt, for its part, brought the project's steel fabricator on board early to consult during the design phase. "Their delivery is just in time," he says. "We didn't have to store the steel somewhere, then move it to the point of installation."

Some steel fabrication traditionally performed on site is being moved to the shop to minimize man-hours and weather-related delays. "By fabricating larger pieces in the shop, we're eliminating welding and bolt-ups in the field," says Lee.

Construction is 55% complete; design, 90%. Team members have opened lines of communication with surrounding residents, hosting regular meetings to apprise them of the project's progress. Crews erected siding at the site's perimeter to reduce noise, and they remain mindful about confining activities to business hours. "We've had to be really sensitive about that," says Lee. In addition to its normal outreach efforts, Boldt also is managing traffic flow to minimize the project's impact on residents, a goal that involves deployment of water trucks to keeps streets clean and reduce dust.

Good communication between the project's collaborators also ensures that the Domtar plant remains operational. In addition to participating in early planning, plant representatives attend plan-of-the-day meetings to inform the team of plant activities and to learn what crews hope to accomplish that day. "If we discover conflicts, we deal with them before the day's activities begin," says Lee. "As basic as that sounds, it doesn't always happen that way."