Trabanjando Juntos en Espana – Working Together in Spain, Public Works Rota Hosts First Industry Day

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Brianna Green | NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (Nov. 17, 2020) – Members of Public Works Department Rota and UTE Castellano-Cobra work through the night in order to install two new transformers and conduct standard lift procedures in order to provide inter-connection to the transformers and to the existing overhead medium-voltage pole in support of Galley Utilities Replacement project (N33191-15-D-0826 TO N33191-18-F-4498). The $4 million project will replace and upgrade existing plumbing, sewer, electrical, fire protection/alarm system, and kitchen ventilation systems at the NAVSTA Rota Galley, Building 38. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Chanhan Lee)  

ROTA, SPAIN

03.04.2021

Courtesy Story

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Europe Africa Central

NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain - How do you prepare for a 40% population increase onboard a Naval base that already has 6,010 people on any given day working at 35 tenant commands on a 670-acre airfield with three active piers and 400 facilities with approximately 375 family housing units?

You design, contract, build, renovate, and you talk a lot.

The leadership at Public Works Department (PWD) Rota recognizes the vital importance of communication and held their first Industry Day event, Feb. 11.

"I am very proud to see the government-contractor team come together to deliberately address known challenges,” said Cmdr. Joseph Dunaway, public works officer, NAVSTA Rota. “This is exactly the type of proactive approach we will need to be successful with the anticipated construction program on the horizon.”

Nineteen people from seven contractors in Spain and one from France attended the event. The goal was to identify challenges in contract execution and seek possible solutions before the contracts are awarded.

Some of the topics included: procuring U.S. approved construction materials, the document review process, quality control and inspection scheduling.

When dealing with industries across the world, there can be multiple differences. The major difference between U.S. and Spanish codes is the composition of materials used in construction like bricks and asphalt. Also, Spanish contractors are faced with different labor laws, contractor and subcontractor relationship, Spanish holidays and customary reduced workday during the summer months. These factors are important for PWD to be aware of when monitoring the progress of projects.

“We would have to say that the way the meeting was handled was professional and formal in every way but at the same time KTRs felt comfortable expressing their opinions and experiences (both positive and negative lessons learned),” said Virginia Trigueros Garcia, project manager for Spanish contractor ELECNOR SA. “We shall certainly be more than happy to attend this type of meetings in the future if this helps the project's development. We think that Lessons learned sessions may be a great next theme.”

Currently, PWD Rota oversees 24 major contracts valued over $156 million with another five projects identified that will cost approximately $130 million and expected to begin soon.

• Date Taken: 03.04.2021
• Date Posted: 03.08.2021 09:52
• Story ID: 390819
• Location: ROTA, ES