State of Tennessee Decides to Bring In Outside Help
Heery International was one of several companies selected at the time for that job. But the win gave it a foot in the door for a much larger and longer-term role in managing the state's construction activities. In 1991, the Atlanta-based firm won an exclusive contract to oversee construction of all state capital projects except those for its transportation department. With two competed contract renewals since then, Heery has overseen about $2 billion in construction since then. The firm says it has saved the state about $85 million by reducing change orders, implementing more efficient scheduling and using value engineering and other total quality management efforts.
State officials are not so sure about Heery's savings claims because "they are extremely difficult to measure," says State Architect Mike Fitts, one of nine members of the State Building Commission and its chief staff official. "If we ran the same study, we probably wouldn't come up with the same amount.'' But he adds that any premium Tennessee has paid over the years for Heery's services is worth the money.