Boulder & Westminster, Colorado

Program Management, Cost Controls, Cost Segregation, Construction Management, Startup & Commissioning

In 2004, Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation (BATC) undertook its largest facilities expansion in over twenty years. The CPI Group was hired as part of the BATC Capacity Expansion Program (BCEP) and construction management team to oversee six projects across two sites, Boulder and Westminster.

There were four separate design teams involved – one for each piece of large equipment and one for each site – that had to be managed as an overall program.

Each project offered unique challenges:

• Remodel work in occupied buildings 
• High-bay manufacturing spaces
• Cleanroom environments & testing labs
• A 10m anechoic RF range & a large thermal vacuum chamber
• Annual cashflow targets mandated by Ball Corporate

During the multi-year effort, CPI provided cost control for the entire program, project management during three phases of construction, and start-up/commissioning validation for all completed projects. By working with the program team, Owner’s staff, designers, and construction contractors, CPI was able to meet every cashflow target perfectly and all projects were completed on budget and met BATC’s scheduled occupancy dates.

As part of our services, The CPI Group developed several new technology tools and a cost reporting process given to BATC for ongoing use. The program’s monthly invoices were processed through our cost control database directly into BATC’s accounting system saving hundreds of hours of data entry and eliminating errors. Our team built a cleanroom materials database providing the design and construction teams a list of materials approved by BATC’s internal quality control and EH&S groups. CPI also redefined how project construction costs were allocated and reported to corporate accounting. By using cost segregation methods and designing a standard process, we generated over $1 million in savings and tax avoidance for the Owner. This new cost control process has been adopted as the standard process for BATC’s facilities group and will continue to provide benefits for years to come.

• 50,000 sf of new construction
• $28 million budget