Serving as Client Liaison to Ensure Wastewater Project Success

The Situation:

Secondary Clarifier

Company leadership was concerned about the outcome of their large turnkey water and wastewater treatment plant project.  The consultant they had hired to lead the project was not familiar with the client’s industry, process needs, safety standards, design requirements, or project management standards.

The client had limited budget and scarce engineering resources.  They could not afford to make a mistake by allowing the turnkey consultant to proceed without proper guidance.

The Solution:

The company project team engaged Mr. McKinnon to serve as a liaison between themselves and the consulting firm.  He also served as a water and wastewater treatment process subject matter expert for the project.

Mr. McKinnon reviewed the consultant’s design documents, corrected issues that conflicted with the client’s water and wastewater process needs, recommended alternative equipment when the consultant’s choices were inadequate, and provided input on functional specifications and control strategies.

He assisted with construction inspections, identification of equipment installation problems, design safety reviews, risk assessments, and proposed design changes to address safety problems.  When the schedule slipped beyond reasonable extensions, he stepped in to assist the project manager with construction and start-up management.  He prepared materials for and led operator training along with the consultant’s staff to ensure that operators and engineers received the information they needed.  Finally, he assisted the project team and site staff with start-up of the equipment.

In addition to serving as client liaison to ensure wastewater project success, Mr. McKinnon assisted in negotiations with governmental agency staff regarding project monitoring requirements and schedule changes.

The Result:

While the project did experience some delays, the client’s resulting treatment plant has exceeded initial objectives.  The client has stated that Mr. McKinnon’s guidance throughout the project was the key to its success.

View testimonials from the project manager, sector engineering manager, and project partner.