ware, but rather to integrate the different tools and soft-
ware resources appropriate to the different stages in
the design, construction and operation cycle.
He said the university had 206 active users in its e-
management system in 2016; by 2018, the active users
had increased to 660. “Most are consultants,” he said.
As more capital projects have been managed by the
system, he said the number of automated processes in-
creased from nine in 2016 to 27 in 2018. There’ll be
more changes including managing capital expenditures
and operations, moving from a manual to automated
deferred maintenance program, better BIM integrations,
more robust and consistent laser scanning of existing
conditions, and the introduction of virtual reality to pres-
ent projects to senior leadership.
“Our value proposition is not to build faster and
quicker,” he said. “It is to get students into classroom
seats and researchers into labs so they can spend their
NIH (National Institute of Health) grants.”
Meanwhile architect Jan Leenknegt of BIG hinted at
how working as an architect for Google on a massive
new million plus sq. ft. office complex in Sunnyvale is
challenging traditional design practices with new tech-
nological resources. (I may be able to see the site first-
hand this fall when the search-engine giant invites me
to the northern California community for its annual
Google Product Experts summit/meet-up. Leenknegt
could only allude to the building’s design challenge be-
cause he, like most contractors and others with some
direct access to Google staff, including me, are required
This graph shows the incredible and sudden decline in
newspaper advertising revenue correlated with
Google and Facebook’s rise.
https://charman-anderson.com/2016/09/28/us-newspapers-lost-advertising-revenue-found/ to sign non-disclosure agreements.)
However, speaking generally, he explained how col-
laboration is pushing “interoperability across contractual
boundaries” as the number of design tools is declining
through consolidation, and documentation is becoming
increasingly automated. He also said BIM is becoming
increasingly important and is vital for complex architec-
tural designs.
However, technology doesn’t replace the human ele-
ment. Owners, designers and contractors need to
“bring (software) tools to the teams and empower intel-
ligent humans,” he said. “The tools are not the same for
every project.” There needs to be training, standards
and templates, annual BIM model audits, and feedback.
Can we draw any take-action conclusions from these
observations? The answer, I think, is we need to be
aware of the technology adaptation drivers/disruptors –
namely forward-thinking owners and disruptive technol-
ogy service/building companies and develop our own
awareness on how to integrate and implement the new
tools in a more collaborative environment. Otherwise,
we might be caught in the newspaper industry trap,
through which only a few nimble, creative and techno-
logically astute businesses are surviving.
Mark Buckshon is the president of the
Construction News and Report Group of Companies,
which publishes New York Construction Report
and several other publications. See his blog at
www.constructionmarketingideas.com. See this video re digital
take up by industry
6 – SUMMER 2018 — Florida Construction News
South Florida brothers deny charges of wire fraud,
conspiracy for lowballing public housing labor estimates
Florida Construction News staff writer
Two brothers who run a South
Florida construction company say
they will fight charges that they
low-balled labor estimates on bids
to scoop up Miami-Dade County
public housing contracts.
Javier Estepa and Diego Estepa
Vazquez have been charged with
wire fraud conspiracy and wire
fraud, according to a grand jury in-
dictment issued in June.
Their attorneys have denied the
allegations. View a copy of the indictment
here. “At trial we will not only demon-
strate the company’s (Aaron Con-
struction) integrity but will show the
efforts the company undertook for
the protection of the subcontractors
who associated with them,” Neil
Taylor, Estepa’s attorney of the Law
Offices of Neil G. Taylor in Coral
Gables, said in an emailed state-
ment. “The indictment is a rush to
judgment conclusion by the govern-
ment and we are very confident a
jury will exonerate both Javier and
Diego Estepa.”
Susy Ribero-Ayala, Vazquez’s at-
torney of The Law Office of Susy
Ribero-Ayala in Coral Gables, also
denied the allegations.
The two underreported the num-
ber of workers on a project, falsified
the number of hours worked and
falsely stated they would have no
subcontractors working on a project
to land public contracts and profit
from repair work on low-income
housing managed by the county’s
Public Housing and Community De-
velopment program, the indictment
alleges. PHCD, which receives federal
money, is one of the largest hous-
ing agencies in the U.S. that pro-
vides Section 8 rent subsidies and
manages low-income public hous-
ing, according to its website.
The indictment charged the false
bid information allowed Aaron Con-
struction to list lower costs when
applying for repair contracts
through the competitive bid
process. The lower employee headcount
and the fewer work hours that they
reported allowed them to “artifi-
cially lower company costs, includ-
ing workers’ compensation
insurance premiums and payroll
taxes, thereby enabling Estepa and
Vazquez to submit false and fraudu-
lent low-ball bids for PHCD work,”
the indictment said.
The county awards its repair con-
tracts to the lowest bidders as long
as they meets other terms and con-
ditions. If convicted, each could face up
to 20 years in prison, a $250,000
fine and restitution.
Discover more construction,
more cities, more
opportunites www.floridaconstructionnews.com
www.ncconstructionnews.com www.chicagoconstructionnews.com
www.newyorkconstructionreport.com www.newjerseyconstructionnews.com
www.californiaconstructionnews.com www.indianaconstructionnews.com
www.cadcr.com Florida Construction News — SUMMER 2018 – 7