March 10, 2004—Citing the desire to improve its business processes and public confidence in its building program, Miami Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) has selected Constructware as its standard applications platform for managing its capital improvement program over the next several years.
The District has over $900 million in school projects in various phases of design and construction, and has projected capital improvement needs of $1billion over the next five years. MDCPS is the fourth largest school system in the United States, with more than 350,000 students.
The District selected Constructware after a lengthy review of project and program management applications, said Victor Alonso, Director of the Capital Improvement Projects.
The District will begin using Constructware on several large, new construction projects.
Immediately included in the program are several high schools, valued at $50 million each, and two new middle schools, at $15 million each. The Office of Capital Improvement Projects staff and its affiliates are being trained on Constructware, and all major parties involved in project (A/E firms, contractors, consultants, etc.) will be required to undergo training and use Constructware as the standard means for communication and collaboration on MDCPS projects.
One example of how Constructware will help with fiscal management and accountability for the program is the application’s ability to track multiple sources of program funding.
Accurately tracking the disposition of funds allocated by different sources is very important to the District and has been difficult in the past, says Alonso, because project accounting systems and job costing systems are typically not flexible enough to accommodate the level of complexity and client-specific customization needed.
