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NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

E D.,1 T O R I A L >r.

End of the World Book Best Industry Skills Needed Shows Value of Engineers For Leading Trade Center Job 'he industry’s anguish over its public image and lack of It does not look like Bechtel Group Inc. or any other private ; T respect is largely caused by the feet that it has not made ■firm will be heading up the cleanup of the World Trade sufficient effort to build a foundation of knowledge in the Center site, at least for the time being. New York City had public to generate any excitement over the work it does. been in talks with Bechtel to assume the role of program man- Those efforts can take many forms. Some associations like ager for the site, one that the city’s DepL of Design and Con- the Associated Gen- I struction had been performing since Sept 11 (see p. 13). Cost eral Contractors concerns over the cleanup may have been the reason, but have launched suc- cessful efforts to get 1^'AFuIKInmU safety also is critical, despite a good record so fer. The poten­ tial deal may have been smothered because of protests from construction indus­ some members of the city council and the union that repre­ try activities into I sents the city’s engineers, technicians and surveyors. classrooms. And This is a very special project that raises a lot of emotions there even have in many people. But the site remains an extremely danger­ been some well-done • ous place that requires the very best skills that the industry television programs, i can offer, whether in a private firm or city agency. There are SURVIVAL emergency conditions, but site conditions have stabilized to such as the Building Big series on public I the point that now is the time to seriously assess management television. Those skills on the project, costs and accountability. The feet that i types of things tend DDC has managed the site since the attacks does not mean to take a lot of mon- I ey and support from I SAMUEL C. that it is the very best organization for the job. It also does not mean that it is unqualified. The answer lies in a qualifi- large organizations. I But there are activi- IEI iORMAN ties that individuals I tois’es Bf cations-based selection analysis typically used to select firms for program management positions. Qualifications and tech- nical skills are assessed first, and price secondarily. rttinau si !ninn»f can do, like writing | The municipal union’s political lobbying is especially trou- books that showcase engineering and construction themes bling. The same issues were raised in California in the long and their value to society. One good example is a new work of and bitter fight between the Professional Engineers in Cali- fiction by engineer and author Samuel C. Florman called The fomia Government union and a private sector coalition led Aftermath, published by St Martin's Press, New York City. by the Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of Califor- Florman, co-chairman of Kreisler Borg Florman General nia over contracting out of government worik performed by Construction Co., Scarsdale, N.Y, creates a scenario in which state employees. In 2000, voters in the state approved a most of the world is destroyed by a comet strike on Christmas Proposition 35, which allowed contracting out using QBS Eve 2009. Spared from the impact, firestorms and tidal waves when it was deemed appropriate. is a cruise ship off the coast of Africa with 600 leading engi- It is hard to compare public agencies and private firms, but neers attending a seminar dedicated io finding solutions to that does not mean that it is impossible. Private contracts the world’s shelter, food, energy and environmental issues, have a beginning, end, cost and result Public agencies tend Along with about 25,000 survivors on land, the engineers are to have hidden costs. But performance is what counts. thrown back to the Stone Age in terms of resources but they "~ remain intellectually at the peak of their profession. They now are in a position to practice what they preach and the survival of modem society depends on their success. While the book tends to dwell on the evolution of tech­ nology and doesn’t take full advantage of the excitement and horror of a very plausible and possible event, it shows how fragile our world is and the things we tend to take for grant- [ .. A I ed. It also demonstrates the essential value of knowledge, education and skills in building and preserving what we have. » s The Aftermath is a thought-provoking book that puts the t industry and particularly the engineering profession on cen- ■ ter stage, where it belongs. We hope that there are more authors out there with good ideas like this one. It is a slow I I process, but there is hope in generating public enthusiasm for construction and its professions;

48 ENR/DECEMBER 17, 2001

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