planning guide - Mechanical Contractors Association Northwestern ...

Business StrategistsSteve ShirleyWhat’s Next in BIM and IPD?Monday, March 18, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.Over the last five years, the mechanicalcontracting industry has witnessed anonslaught of new and innovative processesand technologies, such as Building InformationModeling (BIM) and Integrated ProjectDelivery (IPD). As the number of contractorstakeholders skyrockets, there is no relief insight from the accelerated, and often veryconfusing, application and implementation ofnew management and delivery approaches.Contractors often find themselves on thedefensive as clients demand new software andnew technology-based procedures.In this session, Steve and members of MCAA’s BIM Committee will leada discussion on ten new trends that mechanical contractors are and willcontinue to experience. Each trend will be defined by its potential benefitsand the challenges it presents. Suggestions on how to respond when thetrend appears in your region will be provided.Steve Shirley is the president and CEO of University Mechanical &Engineering Contractors, San Diego, CA. He has over 39 years of experiencein the mechanical contracting industry. He is an active member of MCAA,has served on the association’s Board of Directors and is a past recipientof the Distinguished Service Award, MCAA’s highest honor. He has servedon the MCAA Technology Committee and is currently a member of theEducation Committee and chairman of the Building Information Modeling(BIM) Committee.Walt Sperko and Phil MartinThe NCPWB/UA Competitive AdvantageTuesday, March 19, 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.Walt SperkoPhil MartinSince welding became an accepted method forconstruction of piping in the 1930s, contractorshave been saddled with code requirements.Codes are often seen as esoteric, arcane andchallenging, but an outside-the-box joint effortbetween the UA, the MCAA and the NCPWB hasmade code compliance easy—and ensures thatthe welder or brazer you hire can do the job.In this joint program, code requirements havebeen distilled to simple and streamlined weldingprocedures and other standard practices thatfacilitate compliance with code rules. Contractorsno longer have to decipher welding codes tomeet them. Not only are these tools availableto NCPWB members, but best-in-class technicalsupport is provided by NCPWB members whoserve on the committees that develop the codes.This expanded NCPWB program also ensuresthat UA-trained welders and braziers aresufficiently skilled and qualified to workwithout further testing by contractors whoidentify project-specific training requirementsbeforehand and work with welders in advanceof the project to ensure that they have the skillsneeded to do the job.Walter J. Sperko, P.E. is president of Sperko Engineering Services, Inc., whichprovides engineering consulting services to customers in the metal fabricationindustries.Phillip Martin is the administrator of UA certification programs.15