On Friday, January 8, 2016 Mount Sinai Health System (MSHS) became the first health system in New York City to execute an Integrated Form of Agreement (IFOA)  for their capital program ongoing at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital.  The IFOA signatory parties include Francis Cauffman (architect), Syska Hennessy (engineer) and Turner Construction Company (contractor).  In addition to the prime parties, the following New York City based trade contractors have also signed adjoining agreements as part of the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) team: EJ Electric, Fresh Meadows Mechanical, Heritage Mechanical, Cardoza Plumbing, Jacobsen Carpentry, Sirina Fire Protection, and Skyline Controls. The IFOA was based on a modified agreement developed by Hansen Bridgett LLP.

“We could not be more pleased with the progress,” stated Ken Holden, Chief Facilities Officer for Mount Sinai Health System. “The team has proven the value of the IPD process and the results thus far are leading us to consider wider adoption of the delivery model for capital programs at our other facilities.”

While not new to the industry, the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) process is relatively new to the New York construction market. CBRE Healthcare, retained to provide IPD advisory services, collaborated with MSHS on the delivery model development beginning in 2015. Though the details of the contract have just been finalized, the IPD team operating in a collaborative manner began work on the various projects over a year ago.

“We have great partners on the team for Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital campus, and Francis Cauffman is delighted to be part of the first IPD contract in New York,” said James Crispino, AIA, Design Principal and President of Francis Cauffman. “Our team is committed to demonstrating that IPD will yield a project of extremely high quality that benefits the Mount Sinai Health System.”

According to Chris Kristensen, Construction Executive for Turner Construction Company, “With an emphasis on collaboration and communication, our team will drive efficiency and we are happy to be a part of the team that will help Mount Sinai St. Luke’s serve the community for another 100 years.” 

Cyrus Izzo, PE, Co-President for Syska Hennessy, agrees that it is exciting to be part of the dynamic team.  “The opportunity to collaborate with Mount Sinai and the other key stakeholders on this first ever healthcare IPD agreement in NYC is an real honor for Syska.”

Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is a project delivery approach that integrates people, systems, business structures and practices into a process that collaboratively harnesses the talents and insights of all participants to optimize project results, increase value to the owner, reduce waste, and maximize efficiency through all phases of design, fabrication, and construction. IPD principles can be applied to a variety of contractual arrangements and IPD teams can include members well beyond the basic triad of owner, architect, and contractor. In all cases, integrated projects are uniquely distinguished by highly effective collaboration among the owner, the prime designer, and the prime constructor, commencing at early design and continuing through to project handover.

The American Institute of Architects introduced the concept in 2007 to provide owners with improved cost control and budget management, contractors with stronger project preplanning and the ability to resolve design-related issues, and architects with more time for design.

Though acceptance of the IPD process was slow initially, implementation over the past few years has increased rapidly. Early successes with Sutter Health, Owensboro Health System, and recently with UCSF Medical Center have generated interest and motivated implementation.

CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG) visit website at www.cbre.com.