Construction Awards
The Center for Construction Excellence is pleased to announce the commencement of the Construction Awards submission window. The U.S. General Services Administration recognizes exemplary achievements demonstrating construction excellence on GSA projects of all sizes. From small projects to capital construction projects, from limited scope repairs and alterations to new construction projects, GSA will consider all projects that, at a minimum, resulted in highly successful outcomes while delivering best value and demonstrating excellent practice of the following values: safety, construction quality and craftsmanship, collaboration and team dynamics, sustainability, innovation, and technology.
The general contractors who best exemplify construction excellence in the delivery of GSA projects will be publicly celebrated at the biennial GSA Construction Awards Ceremony in early 2026. The winning projects and teams will be highlighted in a video and shared publicly through GSA’s media network. Please let your general contractors know that we are accepting applications starting January 3, 2025 and the window will remain open until Sunday March 2, 2025 at 12:00pm EST. If you have any questions, please visit our website or email GSAConstructionAwards@gsa.gov.
Training Opportunities
A complete list of training opportunities can be found on the PM Hub Training Calendar.
Kahua Focus Day
The second quarter Kahua Focus Day is scheduled for Wednesday, January 8, 11:00 AM - 4:45 PM ET. Opening remarks are provided by Jennifer Groman, Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Project Delivery. Q1 Kahua Challenge Champions will be recognized. Updates on integrations, instructions for managing tasks, tips on improving performance, overview of Level 2 utilization for owned and leased projects will be covered by the Kahua National Team. The day will conclude with an Ask Kahua session where all questions Kahua are welcome. Click to review the Kahua Focus Day agenda and add applicable sessions to your calendar. All sessions will be recorded and posted on the Kahua Google site under the Resources tab.
Kahua Training Calendar
Upcoming Kahua training can be found on the Kahua Google site under the Calendar tab and the January training calendar.
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Applied Lean for Owners Training (virtual)
As a follow-up to the Lean For Owners Training, Applied Lean for Owners (AL4O) 8-hour training seeks to increase comfort around Lean ideas, address wariness and fear, and accelerate implementation by correlating Lean with the GSA experience through project case studies, contracts and guiding documents, leader & peer testimonials, and in-class exercises. Project team members are encouraged to attend together. Completion of Lean for Owners Training (level 1) and/or virtual Lean education is required (see "Lean Construction Institute eLearning courses", below). The training will be taught by a team of owners, designers, and builders.
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Register for one of the dates, below, asap.
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January 14-15, 2025 (Tuesday- Wednesday)
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February 11-12, 2025 (Tuesday- Wednesday)
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March 11- 12, 2025 (Tuesday- Wednesday)
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April 15-16, 2025 (Tuesday- Wednesday)
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May 13- 14, 2025 (Tuesday- Wednesday)
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Participate virtually in all 4 sessions.
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Day 1: Session 1 10am - 12pmET, Session 2 2pm-4pmET
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Day 2: Session 3 10am -12pmET, Session 4 2pm-3pmET
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Earn 6 AIA and 7 CLPs.
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POC: Stephanie Holstein
RWA Policy & Process Training
Tuesday, Jan 14th, 2025 12-2pm ET
This training is an overview and discussion of the Internal Reimbursable Work Authorizations (RWA) Policy and Process. The training is designed for anyone who manages any aspects of the RWA program with the course goals to increase consistency and understanding of the policy and process of RWAs through its life cycle process. It will also include some commonly asked questions and identify some areas in the process that can be unclear and provide guidance for better understanding.
Design Excellence Speaker Series
Thursday, January 16 at Noon ET
Registration is required to attend any speaker session. If you previously attended a GSA Climate Change session, you're already registered.
After more than 3 years of Climate Change sessions, we're broadening our Speaker Series to include more design and innovation across multiple disciplines. Presenting: the Design Excellence Speaker Series! This series will be the same date and time (noon on the third Thursday of the month) and continue to offer CLP and AIA learning units for attendees.
Our first session will be on the renovation of the AIA headquarters facility. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) headquarters in Washington, DC, was completed by The Architects Collaborative in 1973 as a statement project for the longstanding professional organization. The building's Brutalist design vocabulary was a counterpoint to the classical language of the nation's capital, and its thick concrete walls and systems demonstrated the best midcentury technology on offer. Confronting multiple systems' obsolescence, in 2022 the AIA selected a design team led by San Francisco–based EHDD to undertake a historically sensitive, ecologically high-performing modernization of the facility. Once again the project is envisioned as a demonstration project—this time, among other things, as one of the first fully decarbonized major renovations in the United States. At a time when pathways to zero embodied carbon are not nearly as direct as achieving net-zero operational energy, the project will meet its moment by, among other things, maximizing energy efficiency, converting to full electrification, rigorous materials analysis, and offsetting remaining embodied emissions through an innovative agreement with Habitat for Humanity. EHDD will present this strategy in detail, on the eve of the building's reopening as the AIA Global Campus for Architecture and Design, as part of an in-depth case study that includes the project's other transformations in biophilia, workplace design, and inclusion.
Target Audience: All sessions are targeted to GSA architects, designers, engineers, project managers, project executives, building managers, and anyone else involved with the design and construction of GSA projects. The sessions are open to all federal employees at GSA.
Certifications: Participants will receive 1 CLP for attendance. AIA HSW credit is pending.
A+E training series
Training sessions will typically be held the third Tuesday of the month from 1pm-2pm ET. Additional sessions may be scheduled as needed.
Register here by completing the form. Calendar invites will be sent to each registrant.
Upcoming Topics:
- 1/21/2025, MADCAD Training (GSA’s Online Codes and Standards Subscription)
- 2/25/2025, 2024 P100 Submittal Matrix
Overview: The Office of Architecture and Engineering’s (OAE’s) Architecture + Engineering (A+E) Training Series provides an opportunity to improve the knowledge base of Public Buildings Service (PBS) architects, engineers, project managers, and other design and construction professionals. Training topics will include all aspects of design and construction projects within the PBS portfolio including but not limited to: architecture, historic preservation, urban planning, sustainability, emerging technologies, design and construction procedures, and commissioning. The training will enhance attendees’ PBS and building industry knowledge to apply across projects and facilities. The Program Goals and Objectives are:
- Improve technical proficiency across PBS’s design and construction programs
- Foster innovation in design and construction solutions
- Promote collaboration across PBS’s design and construction community.
Target Audience: All sessions are targeted to GSA architects, designers, engineers, project managers, project executives, building managers, and anyone else involved with the design and construction of GSA projects. The sessions are open to all federal employees at GSA and contractors with a GSA.gov email address.
Certification: Continuous learning points (CLPs) will be entered into Cornerstone on Demand (CSOD) for attendees that attend at least 75% of the session.
Please contact Ben Pisarcik for more information.
Principles of Global Project Management
Thursday, January 30th, 2025 1pm-2:30pm ET
This course will feature an overview of a Project Life Cycle; including Identification, Initiation, Planning, Execution and Closeout.
It will cover the major components of each phase, and discuss both the technical aspects of what occurs in each step along the way. It will also address the responsibilities and expectations of PBS and Customer agencies as we partner to develop and execute space projects to serve your mission needs.
Target audience is all federal customers engaged in real estate or reimbursable services (RWA) project planning, budgeting and execution.
PM Boot Camp 2025
The goal of PM Boot Camp is to introduce you to the resources and people available to support you on your projects. We assume you are already familiar with GSA’s strategic goals and will provide you links to organizational charts. At the end of this training, you will have followed a sample small owned project from start to finish and seen the PBS-specific processes and computer systems we use to complete tasks during the project lifecycle. We will pause at key moments to discuss important PM concepts and roleplay difficult situations that often arise during these types of projects. You will leave the training with a list of resources for future reference, as well as contact information of subject matter experts to address your questions. We will also discuss other training and professional development opportunities you have at PBS to further your career.
This training is targeted for project managers with less than a year at PBS. Others are welcome to attend.
PM Boot Camp will be held February 18-19th from 11am-4pm ET each day. Register on OLU by February 13th You can earn 8 CLPs for full attendance. Contact Chris Barfield for more information.
Lean Construction Institute eLearning courses
Create an LCI corporate membership account and then register for free eLearning courses and access Lean resources. When creating an account, under “Organization” write in and select “U.S. General Services Administration”. If there is an issue with creating an account and/or registering for classes, please contact the systems administrator, Julie Pinches. Once you’ve made an account, there are 6 available courses: Effective Big Room, Introduction to Lean Project Delivery, Introduction to the Last Planner System®, Last Planner System® in Design, Lean in the Design Phase, and Target Value Delivery. 1 CLP per course completion is credited to CSOD on a quarterly basis.
Lean Community of Practice
The intent of the Lean CoP is to help apply Lean concepts learned in training to real life project environments. Join the Lean CoP meeting which takes place the last Wednesday of every month at 3:00PM (ET). Contact Stephanie Holstein with questions.
Objectives include:
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Build confidence around practical use of Lean concepts through collaboration
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Share/receive live peer feedback
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Address questions
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Adapt to community needs
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Share resources through the Lean Shared Drive
Manage Subscription Settings
Do you have something we should include in next month's PM Report? Email suggestions to Chris Barfield. Visit the PM Hub to view an archive of past issues.
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