Environmental Services - II. Project Management
The best way to judge an environmental management firm is to measure its clients’ cost savings. Integrated’s record of client savings since its inception in 1995: $40 million.

With such a strong track re-cord, Integrated attracts clients across a wide spectrum of industries seeking insight and assistance man-aging their large, complex environmental programs. By consistently bringing these projects in on time and under budget, we have earned our clients’ trust and confidence.

Business owners can realize tremendous cost and time savings and avoid ad-verse publicity and litigation if they manage their environ-mental affairs prudently. How-ever, because of the multimillion dollar scope and complexity of most large-scale environmental projects, the technical, financial, legal and administrative coordination and decision-making process can become difficult and time consuming.

Since the stakes are so high, our clients take no chances in selecting the firm to manage their projects. In choosing Integrated, they expect - with justification - to achieve their goals sooner and significantly cheaper than they would on their own. Our clients are always seeking a competitive business advantage. That is why on every project, we look for ways to convert environmental challenges into business advantages. This leads to more efficient regulatory compliance, improved public relations through better corporate citizenship, and ultimately, enhanced shareholder value. We deliver creative solutions that ensure compliance while keeping the bottom line profitable. Each site is physically unique in its contamination, lithology, and hydrogeology, and programmatically unique in its planned land use, applicable regulations, and client goals. Thus, each project re-quires a specific technical and managerial approach tailored to meet its needs. Integrated’s staff is renowned for its creativity in providing quality solutions to difficult technical and managerial problems. We have adapted to a multitude of project circum-stances in devising innovative, viable strategies for every environ-mental concern. Integrated’s strategies not only meet regulatory requirements but also serve the needs of your business and community. We advise our clients on liability and pocket book.

Technical Leadership, Management Expertise
Integrated brings many benefits to a project. We work closely with the client and team members to identify key result areas, integrating measurable performance goals into project execution plans. We couple state-of-the-art techniques with business organization skills to streamline project execution. We enhance project efficiency by keeping the team focused on the big picture, shortening the learning curve and avoiding redundancies. And we work with the client and project team to find and fix areas needing improvement.

With Integrated, the entire remedial project is executed based on most-favorable cleanup criteria, aggressive selection of remedial alternatives and technology, and well coordinated field operations. We increase the return on investment and reduce environmental expenditures through cost savings and cost avoidance. In the end, the project is executed in the manner that fulfills all remedial obligations while protecting our client’s interests.
Combining the client’s goals and commitments with Integrated’s broad knowledge of environmental science and engineering, we become an extension of the client’s existing organization, fully accountable for the execution of environmental programs. Integrated serves as the client’s advocate, assisting in the direction and management of the environmental projects such that the goals and objectives are achieved in a timely, cost-effective and smooth manner.

For each project, we share our skills, knowledge and experience with team members and design efficient project organizations with direct client accountability. We develop and implement comprehensive quality assurance and quality control programs to ensure work product quality. We control project schedule and costs, track and justify claims and change orders, and supervise and coordinate subcontractors.

Integrated Project Management

• Customized project approach and compliance strategies
• Task-specific objectives with measurable performance and schedule goals
• Detailed project execution plans with oversight mechanisms to ensure each task is cohesively designed and smoothly implemented
• Clearly defined, stringent standards in project quality control and health & safety that exceed regulatory requirements
• Reporting programs that provide clear, direct communications to the client and project personnel while maintaining responsive decision making
• Planning, monitoring and managing day-to-day project activities
• Regular technical and management assessment and, when needed, mitigative services
• Contract review and definition of scope of services to be procured
• Bid package preparation and selection and assignment of contractors
• Detailed project schedules, budgets and control/monitoring systems to ensure tasks are executed on schedule and under budget
• Liaison during regulatory negotiations and compliance determination
• Risk communication and community relations
• Project information and resource management systems that maximize the use of existing data, maintain project documents/files and effectively exploit project resources

1. Define the project as a real estate development endeavor with environmental requirements or components.
   
   • Understand benefits and impact to surrounding communities.
   • Foster political and community support for the project. Raise support from cities and agencies.
   • Designate a project spokesperson for environmental matters. Protect credibility. Ethically avoid negative publicity.
   • Establish and maintain project emergency response capabilities.
   • Identify and enforce clear chain of command.
   • Offer periodic project updates and briefin
2. Determine corporate risk-tolerance factor. Disseminate decision to the project team.
   
• Consider corporate culture and objectives, including legal, financial, schedule and marketing necessities into determination.
• Account for agency’s “triangulation” of acceptable risk, schedule, and land use.
• Understand roles and responsibilities of Potentially Responsible Parties and others, particularly their impact on the development schedule.
• Employ Health-Based Remedial Goals to assist in determining land use and location of residential, recreational, commercial and industrial sections.
• Appoint a project manager to carry out corporate vision.
  
3. Develop an environmentally practical, realistic and cost-effective master plan.
   

   • Base approaches on site-specific data and experience with regulatory agencies, guided by precedent and case law.
   • Identify issues early. Prioritize solutions for each major issue and develop logical, efficient work sequence to avoid redundant handling.
   • Develop project cost and schedule according to master plan. Consider technical, cost and schedule feasibility and acceptability.
   • Understand intricacies of key agency jurisdictions and approach to issues, particularly Cal/EPA Department of Toxic Substances Control, Regional Water Quality Control Board, and Air Quality Management District.
   • Take the initiative. Anticipate potential problems and agency concerns, and develop contingencies. Understand pros and cons of potential alternatives before agency imposes its will.
   • Negotiate with agencies from position of strength. Reach a project strategic agreement with the lead agency that ensures flexibility.
     
4. Design field activities as logical steps in the execution of the master plan.
   
   • Use qualified personnel only. Ensure staff understands project goals and approaches.
   • Enforce accountability of project management and field staff.
   • Enforce meticulous “site awareness” and record keeping.
   • Ensure emergency response capability.
   • Strictly control field operations. Allow no deviation.
   • Collect, analyze and generate only those data required to achieve project goals.
   • Conduct internal QA/QC of field operations, record keeping, and documents.
5. Periodically review data. Modify project approach if warranted.