Public School Facility Underfunding: A New Tool to Maximize Construction Dollars and Improve Performance Outcomes

Public education systems are facing pressure on the performance of existing infrastructure amid a growing population, while also decreasing costs and meeting tight deadlines. However, this area also presents opportunities to improve the students’ experience, produce high-performing infrastructure, and positively impact learning conditions. A longitudinal study of improvement projects at a Midwestern school district was conducted to analyze project performance and contractor response to a selection and project management initiative. The initial data reviewed were: hit rate, proposal performance, proposal cost, and interview performance. The school district also achieved exceptional performance results: the overall contractor-generated cost and schedule changes was .001%, with overall cost and schedule changes at 3.5%. Charting contractor response over time shows that the number of contractors proposing did not significantly impact cost. Public school districts can use this research as they seek to improve efficiencies through alternative selection and management initiatives.