MWH Meeting Notes
I attended a meeting with Larry Laws from MWH on Wednesday. Chuck Pavlos and Philip Tunnah also attended the meeting. Our topic of discussion was the various issues surrounding MWH from the previous audits.
Larry showed a presentation first, which included information that was presented by Chuck during a meeting in Washington. You may, or may not know, Cape Coral is actually considered on the cutting edge of public works utility delivery. That little fact is often over looked by residents who are in the midst of heated discussions surrounding our UEP. The newness of the selected management system has it’s own good and bad points. I will however, save that portion of the discussion for another posting.
Today, I will detail one of the conspiracy theories surrounding MWH, and the explanations and offerings of MWH in relation to this theory.
There was much made of Larry’s switch over from KBR to MWH. Many theorists think that KBR, and therefore Halliburton secretly runs the Cape Coral UEP project. Immediate inferences are then made to the overcharging in Iraq by Halliburton. There are enough holes in this theory to drive an overpriced Halliburton Rental Truck through. The real story behind Larry’s switch over from KBR to MWH had everything to do with knowledge retention, and nothing to do with conspiracy or puppet strings.
Larry was the Project Manager selected by KBR for the UEP project. Due to an issue with KBR getting a bond issuance, Cape Coral was forced to select a different Project Manager for its UEP. KBR approached MWH, which was tasked to be the design engineer, and they worked out an arrangement. The arrangement was that KBR would provide the field inspectors, and MWH would take over the Project Management process. The deal was struck, and the idea was presented to the City. The City accepted the change of terms, and the project continued.
During this time, from the initial start of work, through the inability to secure the bond, and until MWH took over and placed their own bonds on the work, KBR had choices. They could have chosen to stop everything, and risk nothing. Instead, they chose to put 7 million dollars out of their money to keep the project running. That meant people’s lives would not be interrupted. Streets would not remain torn up, and the workers in the field could continue doing their jobs. The project continued, and continues today.
Larry’s switch over to MWH occurred at a later time. It was a move on MWH’s part to keep the same team in place to manage the project. These people had experience with the City, and experience with the local geography. Much the same as the contractor’s selected to perform the work.
When I was leaving, I took a brief tour through the office. It’s a non descript office. A disarray of cubicles, every wall covered in a dizzying montage of engineering diagrams. It’s a place of work, and planning, not some richly enlaid enclave of evil fat cats.
My last stop, on my way out, was by Philip’s office. His floor was completely covered with huge stacks of paper. The product of Council Member Day’s information request. He is carefully preparing all of the information Mr. Day requested. Beyond the shock of the reams of dead tree sprawled upon his floor, I noted only one other thing in Philip’s office. Something that struck me as infinitely more important than everything I knew that data represented.
Four simple plaques adorned the window sill. Project Management awards for each year, from 2000 to 2004. A true testament to the work that is ongoing.
