CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR THE 2010 COMPETITION AGC CONSTRUCTOR AWARDS Entries will be judged in the following categories: Excellence in Project Management Projects $5 million or below Excellence in Project Management Projects over $5 million Innovation in Construction Techniques or Materials Contribution to the Community Meeting the Challenge of the Difficult Job Builder Classification Meeting the Challenge of the Difficult Job Heavy Engineering Classification GENERAL REQUIREMENTS General Requirements for projects substantially completed in calendar year 2009. 1. The Constructor Awards Program is open to all Contractor, Specialty and Associate firms in good standing in the Associated General Contractors of California, Inc. All parties of a joint venture, must be member firms, or the joint venture itself must be a member in good standing. 2. Only one entry per category may be submitted by each member firm. A project may be entered in up to two categories, but will be judged in only one. The Awards Committee will decide upon the category in which the project will be judged. Member firms are limited to two entries per year. 3. Each entry must be accompanied by an official entry form or a photocopy. 4. Each project entered must be accompanied by an entry fee of $500.00, check to be made payable to AGC of California Inc. Members are responsible for all costs associated with creating entries and transmitting them to the AGC State Office. 5. Each entry, and each part thereof, must be identified with the member s name and the project name. 6. Each entry must consist of the following required elements: A. The display portion, should consist of materials, including photographs (which are an integral part of the entry), that are securely fastened to foam boards. The ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF CALIFORNIA, INC.
display must consist of two approximately one-quarter inch thick foam boards, each measuring 20 wide by 30 high, which have been hinged along the 30 length. When unfolded, the completed display must measure 30 high by 40 wide. The name of the firm and the name of the project must appear on the face of the display. No deviation from the foregoing requirements will be accepted. B. A written narrative description on CD (MS Word), plus hard copy; should be no more than five typewritten pages, double-spaced and must detail the project and why it is being entered in the category. Do not fasten the written portion to the display portion. C. The following items are required, but not considered in the judging process, which are used for publicity, media and other presentation purposes do not attach to the display: 1. At least 15 different color photos must be submitted on CD in jpeg format, 300 dpi resolution for each project entered. Photos submitted must support the written documentation. Photos should highlight the construction process and finished product including special or unique techniques. 2. One page typewritten (approximately 250 words) summary of the project and why it exemplifies the category in which it was entered must be submitted on CD (MS Word) plus hard copy. 3. A color print of the company logo in a jpeg format file on CD must be submitted. 4. To enhance recognition of the project team, entrants must submit a list of the subcontractors and suppliers who have contributed to the success of the project. The list should include company name, address, telephone & fax numbers, and contact person in an MS Excel format on CD. The companies listed will receive an invitation from AGC to attend the Awards Banquet. 5. All entries should be submitted to the AGC office in a standard 3-ring binder, no larger than 1½ in diameter with a CD. Each entry should be in a separate binder. JUDGING The Awards Committee will select three finalists in each category. Finalists will be notified of their selection in early March 2010. The final judging panel consists of seven judges. The final judges are the three AGC Division Chairs, three members of the Awards Committee and one individual from the public or private sector allied with the construction industry, as selected by the Awards Committee. Finalists will be honored and Constructors will be presented to winning member firms at the Constructor Awards Banquet (black tie requested) on Saturday evening, April 10, 2010 at The Fairmont San Francisco. Winners will not be announced until the dinner program. There will be only one Constructor sculpture per category per year. Joint Venture entries receive one sculpture. Additional sculptures can be purchased at cost. Finalists will receive plaques recognizing the significant achievement. There is no promise, either expressed or implied, concerning publicity for finalists or winners, although AGC intends to take all reasonable steps to secure such publicity in all media. AGC is not responsible for returning entries, nor for loss or damage to entries. Members are therefore urged not to submit originals or indispensable copies of photographs or documents. All finalists and winning entrants agree that AGC shall have the right to use, without compensation, those entries or any portion thereof for promotional purposes in connection with the Constructor Awards Program or any other purpose. Neither AGC of California, Inc., its members or staff, nor the judges for the Constructor Awards Program assume or accept any liability for any error or omission or claim arising from this awards program, including, but not limited to, loss or damage to entries by the Postal Service or other means of transmittal, loss or damage in transit or in storage, misinterpretation by members of these rules, loss of or damage to reputation or prospective business advantage or any consequential damage as a result of any of the foregoing. Entries not in compliance with these rules, as determined by the Awards Committee in its sole discretion, may not be considered. All decisions of the Awards Committee are final. 23RD ANNUAL COMPETITION CLOSES FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2010
NOTE Some things to keep in mind as you prepare your entry for the AGC Constructor Awards competition: First and foremost, no matter how slick the presentation it s the merits of the project that can win you an award! Recently, sixteen award winners and finalists were contacted regarding the time and material cost associated with submitting an entry. Here are some of the interesting findings: 1. Most submittals were done in-house by staff. Surely you have a talented person in your office that can art direct your project. 2. Time to prepare a submittal ranged from a low of around 20 hours to literally hundreds of hours for those that use their entries to solicit future business as the project display boards are great advertising tools. The best way to conserve time is to begin now to be sure you are getting project photos and to start documenting the progress of your construction project then you ll have everything at hand when it s time to prepare your entry. 3. The cost of preparing an entry can range from a few hundred dollars, up to thousands. Obviously, the high-side costs are incurred when you hire graphic designers, professional photographers and writers to prepare your entry. That s probably okay if you want to use your entry to solicit future business. But if it s just for this competition, then concentrate on the merits of the project in clearly describing the challenges you faced, coupled with good photographs that show what you accomplished. 4. Photographs of previous award winning entries are available on AGC of California s Web site www.agc-ca.org. Please contact the AGC State Office (916/371-2422).
Awards Entry Checklist 4. SUMMARY 1. DISPLAY PORTION Tape Hinge Foam Board Backing Company Name (or logo) and Project name on Face of Display A one page typewritten summary (hardcopy and copied on CD in MS Word) describing why the project should receive a Constructor Award. 5. COLOR COMPANY LOGO 2. WRITTEN PORTION Maximum of 5 Double-Spaced Typewritten Pages and copied on CD in MS Word. Separate entry form for each category or project entered 6. ENTRY FORM 4. B & W PHOTOS 3. COLOR PHOTOS Before submitting entry, please check to make sure the data was correctly burned onto the CD! Not less than 15 color photos on CD in jpeg format in 300 dpi resolution for each category entered. 7. ENTRY FEE 8. SUBCONTRACTOR & SUPPLIER LIST List names, addresses, telephone numbers and a contact person of subcontractors and suppliers who have contributed to the success of the project. There is a $500 fee for each project entered.
OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM 2010 CONSTRUCTOR AWARDS PROGRAM Deadline for submission: January 8, 2010 MEMBER NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP TELEPHONE NUMBER FAX NUMBER EMAIL RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUAL(S) (Please Print) NAME OF PROJECT LOCATION OF PROJECT DATE PROJECT STARTED DATE PROJECT COMPLETED CATEGORY IN WHICH THIS ENTRY IS SUBMITTED (One project may be entered in up to two categories. A separate entry form must be submitted for each project and for each category in which a project is entered): EXCELLENCE IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROJECTS $5 MILLION OR BELOW EXCELLENCE IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROJECTS OVER $5 MILLION INNOVATION IN CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES OR MATERIALS CONTRIBUTION TO THE COMMUNITY MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF THE DIFFICULT JOB BUILDER CLASSIFICATION MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF THE DIFFICULT JOB HEAVY ENGINEERING CLASSIFICATION (One entry fee of $500.00 applies to each project entered.) I have read, understand and agree to abide by the rules of the Constructor Awards Program: I certify that this entry is in full compliance with the rules and that I am authorized to make this entry on behalf of the member firm identified on this form. SIGNATURE OF RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUAL NAME OF MEMBER FIRM DATE Send this entry form, entry fee, display board and your binder to: AGC of California / 3095 Beacon Blvd. / West Sacramento, CA 95691
INFORMATION FOR AWARD PARTICIPANTS One of the most often heard questions is What do these awards categories really mean? They are awfully vague! The category descriptions mean whatever you want them to mean. No entries will be disqualified or ignored because they don t seem to fit the category. It is hoped that this information sheet will provide assistance to you in planning your entry for this year s competition. As the contest rules make clear, only one entry per category may be submitted by each member firm. Entries are limited to two categories per year, and each category must have a different project. It is recognized that in many respects the categories overlap. The same project which advanced the state of the art through innovation in materials or techniques may also require excellence in project management. By the same token, excellence in project management may have been accomplished by meeting the challenge of the difficult job or making a tremendous contribution to the community. The member must choose which category is most appropriate for each project submitted. Once a category, or categories, has been selected by the participant, it is important to provide the reasons that the project deserves an award in the specific category. In the past, many of the written summaries have simply been narratives of the elements of the project and have not specified reasons why the project deserves an award for the category in which it has been submitted. All entries should explain the contractor s sensitivity to the environment and surroundings. Excellence in Project Management could apply to projects where strong management techniques brought about a substantial savings to the client for a savings in time, or where scheduling presented unique problems and was successfully accomplished. For example, during the course of the project, a client s needs change and an amended schedule was requested and met with a quality product. The contractor s efforts to preserve the environment should be addressed in the submittal; the problems and solutions to the environment, endangered species, historic buildings and how the contractor mitigated the environmental impact of the project. Innovation in Construction Techniques or Materials could be a project where a state of the art method of construction was employed with exceptional results or where special expertise of the contractor resulted in the successful utilization of a new material or material in a new application. The contractor s efforts to preserve the environment should be addressed in the submittal; the problems and solutions to the environment, endangered species, historic buildings and how the contractor mitigated the environmental impact of the project. Contribution to the Community this a project where the contractor performed work that was above and beyond any contractual requirement in order to bring additional benefit to a community or charitable organization. The primary emphasis of this category is on a single project. The focus should be on the efforts of the contractor that went above and beyond the contract to bring added value to the community or charitable organization what did the contractor do for the community and how was the reach out to the community accomplished? These efforts could include a unique or special contribution such as building a park for the community within the project, or hosting tours, project fair, or barbeque for the community and workers. In many cases, contractors have built projects for charitable organizations either as a donation or at a bare cost which enables those projects to be judged in this category. Volunteer effort and financial support will be weighted in this category. The contractor s efforts, not those of any of the designers, should be the basis of the submission. Meeting the Challenge of the Difficult Job has been jokingly referred to as the one where the contractor actually turns a profit on his job. The difficult jobs are those often featured in national magazines where difficult terrain, restricted working space, adverse elements or other conditions make completion of the job difficult. Examples could include a project where an aged nearby structure must be preserved intact, where archeological areas must be left undisturbed, where an historic site is to be restored without damage, etc. The contractor s efforts to preserve the environment should be addressed in the submittal; the problems and solutions to the environment, endangered species, historic buildings and how the contractor mitigated the environmental impact of the project. It was never contemplated that any of the awards categories could be easily defined. They are limited only by the imagination of the contractor submitting his project in the category. Judges are not constrained in their consideration of projects. It is envisioned that the evolution of the judging process, and the identification of what projects are recognized in a specific category will better define the categories themselves.