Project Overview

The Oakland Macomb Interceptor Drain (OMID) and the Northeast Sewage Pumping Station (NESPS) were constructed between 1969 and 1972 to service approximately 350 square miles of service area in Macomb and Oakland Counties. OMID flows are conveyed to the NESPS located south of 8 Mile Road within Wayne County. The NESPS lifts the incoming sewage flows for discharge and conveyance to the GLWA Water Resources Recovery Facility in southwest Detroit. Much of the electrical and mechanical equipment within the NESPS facility was original to the pump station’s construction. In 2019 the OMID Board approved plans to upgrade the station’s pumps and electrical equipment. While maintaining the facility’s current functionality, the project will install five new 90 cfs, 1,250 HP centrifugal pumps and motors. A new supporting electrical building and associated electrical equipment will also be constructed. Electrical upgrades include two 24 KV substation transformers, five new 5 KV motor starters, one 5 KV switchgear lineup to feed starter motors, and 1,500 KVA, 4160-480/277 V double ended substation to feed auxiliary electrical needs for the facility’s pumps and building systems. In 2020 NTH was selected by the OMID Board to provide Construction Contract Administration services for the construction phase of the upgrade project.

Project Scope

The major upgrades for the NESPS facility replaces the facility’s pumping capacity and supporting electrical equipment while not taking the facility out of service. NTH provided the following Construction Contract Administration roles to support the Owner, OMID, during the project’s construction. NTH provided a Construction Contract Administrator, Document Controller, and Administrative Support Staff for this project. The tasks and services provided by the NTH Construction Contract Administration Team include:

  • Management and overseeing of project field engineering staff and coordination of day-to-day field engineering and contract administration services with representatives of OMID.
  • Conducted progress meetings with the Contractor and Owner and performed a monthly review of the Contractor’s progress schedule. Working closely with the Owner representatives and engineer of record to keep them informed on project issues, and initiate input or action required by those representatives.
  • Reviewed Contractor progress payment requests and provided recommendations to the Owner relative to actual work progress, stored materials, as well as any delays or holdbacks, as appropriate.
  • Provided document management services and maintenance of construction records. Including reviewing and managing all correspondence (submittals, request for information, pay application, claim letters etc.) among the Owner, Engineers, and Contractor using a cloud-based document management software.
  • Performed initial review of claims by the Contractor. Coordinated with the design team and assisted in providing recommendations. Based on the evaluation, prepared change orders and provided estimates, related payment terms and draft correspondence to the Owner for review and approval.
  • Reviewed notifications of differing site conditions by the Contractor, assisted the design team to perform an initial evaluation of the condition encountered, and compare it to contract information. When required, recommend appropriate investigative services to quickly evaluate and assess the condition and keep contractor standby time to a minimum.
  • Coordinated flow control activities through the project Flow Control Manager with the Contractor.
Client Benefit

For this large, critical infrastructure project NTH served as the Owner’s eyes, ears, and communication hub for coordination between the Contractor, Engineer, Owner, and other project stakeholders. Through active management of the project’s contract and continued engagement of the project’s stakeholders, NTH worked to proactively address issues throughout construction and efficiently facilitate solutions.