VIEW FROM THE TOP
SINGLE-COMPANY MANAGEMENT BOOSTS PROJECT EFFICIENCY ROBERTO CALVET Director General of AECOM
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Q: How is AECOM innovating in project management and
or financial feasibility because neighboring communities
how are its clients benefiting from this?
are always severely affected by infrastructure projects.
A: Clients require a single contact that understands the
The third factor is innovation. Mexican companies do not
project’s needs and that can single-handedly address
invest enough in their innovation departments, especially
those needs. It is risky to have several companies develop
in implementing information technologies like BIM or
processes and introduce distinct technologies without
Lean construction. Mexico continues to plan and execute
coordination. AECOM’s Integrated Delivery Strategy (IDS)
projects as it has done for 40 years. Finally, ethics and
allows us to manage a project with a unified guarantee
transparency weigh on the ability of foreign and national
and a client-supplier strategy. We can manage every stage
companies to jointly work on large infrastructure projects
of a project, from conception to operation throughout the
in Mexico.
project’s life. This includes planning, design, engineering, construction and operation.
Q: What can be done by the government to address these challenges?
Q: What are the challenges of implementing this strategy
A: The National Council on Infrastructure (CNI) is an initiative
in Mexico, where several companies are usually involved
developed by CMIC. Its purpose is to provide a roundtable
in the management of large projects?
opportunity for the private and public sectors to discuss the
A: Clients need to understand the advantages in terms
planning of complex projects. It was designed to guarantee
of technology, efficiency and quality of having a single
that the government is not the only one to conceive and
company manage the entire process. Implementing
define the priorities for an infrastructure project by having
AECOM’s IDS does not imply that other companies will
the private sector – represented by chambers of commerce
not take part in the project, but that a single management
and associations — present its ideas. The government
methodology is established and that suppliers from various
could take advantage of similar roundtables by listening
sectors are more efficiently integrated into each step of a
to scholars and businessmen to address projects with more
project’s development.
than political priorities and budget in mind.
Q: What factors are the most troubling for foreign
Similar councils or committees where private companies,
companies that want to develop infrastructure projects
government dependencies and academic institutions
in Mexico?
can take part would be ideal. If they existed, large
A: Planning, sustainability, innovation and ethics. First,
infrastructure projects would have to be revised by a
infrastructure projects in Mexico are not properly planned.
committee integrated by members of all three groups and
All the necessary conditions and factors are not addressed
each aspect of the project would be thoroughly analyzed.
in the best possible way. Second, project sustainability
The participation of the government through a public
must go beyond addressing how environmentally friendly
organism is important so that the social and political
projects are. The economic, political and social elements
aspects of infrastructure projects are not ignored by the
of sustainability must also be considered. Social impact
private sector. This is critical because public infrastructure
studies must be as important as environmental impact
projects are oriented toward creating a social benefit. This interaction between sectors has provided satisfactory results in other countries. In the UK, for instance, the
AECOM designs, builds, finances and operates infrastructure
private sector has come up with innovative concepts
assets in more than 150 countries. In 2016 its revenues totaled
within public tenders – the compulsory use of BIM is a
US$17.4 billion, it was ranked first in Engineering News Record’s
good example. Today, tender packages are delivered in a
“Top 500 Design Firms” for the eighth straight year
BIM format instead of a blueprint format.
