Project Controls Expo USA is holding their annual event on Sept 25- 27, 2023. Expo is all about project controls to enhance delegates’ skills and knowledge. All the major project controls professional bodies will be represented. This event is for anyone interested in project controls, from schedulers and project managers to risk managers, Directors and Engineers.
The Project Controls Expo USA venue will be Nationals Park, Washington DC, accessed by the Media & Suites Entrance gate at South Capitol Street.
1500 S Capitol St SE
Washington DC 20003
Project Controls Expo will offer an Activity Day on September 25 and two full conference days on September 26th and 27th. The format will be Keynote Speakers, workshops, and tracks (by industry professionals) spread across Nationals Park, a Partners Showcase and Networking.
Activity Day September 25
Batting Practice, including Speed Pitching, will be held at Nationals Batting Cages from 1 pm until 3 pm. A behind-the-scenes Ball Park tour (including Speed Pitching) will be held at Infield Clay from 4 pm until 5 pm. The activity day is a great way to meet new delegates and relax with old friends.
Workshops
Workshops will only be available on September 26:
- Chris Carson, Vice President of Arcadis, will run a workshop on Integrated Project Controls with Risk & Value Management Focus.
- Michael Nosbisch, Director of SMSI, LLC, will hold an EVM workshop on a Practical Approach.
Keynote Speakers
September 26
Brian McCarthy, Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) chairman from 2021- 2022. Brian will offer a keynote on the ‘Future of Construction & the Role of Project Controls’. Brian will discuss how the construction sector significantly drives economic growth in countries worldwide and directly impacts global GDP. At the same time, construction is recognized as one of the least innovative sectors. Brian will explain that whilst the benefits of new digital technologies are significant, the construction sector needs to be faster to embrace these developments, and innovation still needs to catch up to other industries. Brian will offer insights on how technology, innovation and data analytics can transform the industry.
September 27
Jason Lee Assistant Director, Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Jason will offer a keynote on ‘U.S. GAO Project Control Best Practices Guides’. Jason will offer insights on how GOA has issued best practice guidelines on cost, schedule, agile software development, and technology readiness. Jason will discuss the benefits of these user guides that promote the development of reliable schedules and cost estimates so that programs are more likely to be completed on time and within budget. Jason will explain how these guides also help assess the maturity of technologies to determine whether and when a system is likely to work as intended.
Tracks and More Tracks!
There will be over forty-eight topics and fifty industry expert speakers. The tracks will be divided into different zones; Technology, Case Studies, Masterclass, Megaprojects, and Innovations. With so many presentations available, we have selected a few from each zone.
Technology Zone
Rich Humphrey is the Chief Product Officer at Contruent. Rich will present ‘Building Digital Trust in Construction Project Controls.’ Rich will offer his insights on leveraging technology to build trust, collaboration and success in project controls. Rich will discuss the importance of building a shared data environment to strengthen team collaboration. Rich will also offer insights on how teams can make informed decisions to advance the business by visualizing data.
Prasad Velaga is a Scheduling Consultant at Optisol LLC. Prasad will present ‘Job Shop Scheduling Methodology for Partitionable Projects.’ Prasad will offer his insights on Finite Capacity Scheduling and Advanced Production Scheduling, two methods for scheduling in producing products in manufacturing units known as job shops. Prasad will explain how these two scheduling methods are superior to CPM for scheduling projects with repeated activities. Prasad will offer his insights on their applicability and benefits to construction projects.
Case Studies Zone
Henry Chance is a Master Scheduler at Janus Research. Henry will present ‘Schedule Management and Project Culture.’ The Modernize and Innovate the Delivery of Agricultural Systems (MIDAS) was an I.T. modernization programme run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (USADA FSA). Following a third audit by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), it concluded that MIDAS’s poor project performance was directly accountable to poor project controls. Henry will discuss FSA’s journey to remedy the programmatic deficiencies and offer insights on the initial resistance to implementing new project control strategies. Henry will explain how the team achieved measurable improvements by adopting a schedule process based on industry best practices.
Michael Pink is CEO of SmartPM Technologies, Inc. Michael will present ‘SmartPM: Safeguarding Project Success with Automated Project Controls.’ Michael will discuss case studies from SmartPM clients. Michael will offer insights on how SmartPM’s automated project controls and schedule analytics platform help construction stakeholders overcome challenges that lead to overruns, delays and disputes.
Masterclass Zone
Thomas Polen, a consultant with Clearplan Consulting, will present ‘You’re Quite Ready for a Schedule Risk Assessment, but is your Culture?’ Thomas will offer his insights on Operational vs Cultural maturity. Thomas will define the key attributes of a successful Risk-appreciative culture and discuss a framework for assessing cultural readiness for comprehensive Risk Management. Thomas using real-life examples, will offer his insights on the positive and negative indicators of true cultural Risk maturity.
Eric Wilson is the Executive Vice President of Development at Pivotal. Eric will present ‘Integrating Cost and Schedule to Improve Project Delivery.’ Eric will offer his insights on adopting modern software platforms and improving planning protocols. Eric will discuss how this can help achieve higher cost and schedule certainty. Eric will explain that by eliminating Excel spreadsheets and replacing them with a shared data environment, all project participants can collaborate and access data in real time, creating a single source of truth for project data.
Stephen Cabano, FAACE, is president of Pathfinder, LLC. Stephen will present ‘Project Control for Owners’ Small Project Portfolios.’ Stephen will offer his insights on the need for effective baselines in small project portfolios. Stephen will share lessons learnt with project controls methods. Stephen will discuss successful organizational structures, control tools, and processes resulting in small project solutions suitable for the plant/site-based environment.
Megaprojects Zone
Shiv Pathak is the Executive Director at Fluor. Shiv will present ‘Managing Productivity on Mega Projects.’ Shiv will offer his insights on how mega projects depend on the productivity of each job phase. Shiv will explain how Megaprojects can have job hours ranging from 10 million upwards. Therefore, a 5% productivity hit will save 0.5 million hours, translating to a $150 million impact on the bottom line. In contrast, improved productivity by 5% can add the same amount to the profit. Shiv will discuss the importance of proactively identifying and acting on issues before productivity starts denting contingencies or profit margins.
Brendan Paradis is the Deputy Director of Project Controls Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Marc Caruso is the Senior Manager of Project Controls Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
Marc and Brendan will present ‘Effectively Scaling Project Controls to Address Rapid Project Portfolio Growth.’ Marc and Brendan will offer their insights on how the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has maintained an effective project controls organization whilst scaling to support a rapidly growing project portfolio. Marc and Brendan will explain how the team adjusted legacy processes to support the organization’s transition from executing hundreds of millions of dollars in project work to billions annually. Finally, Marc and Brendan will offer their insights on the implemented framework, and the value project controls provide to the broader project delivery organization.
Innovation Zone
Douglas Marner is the Project Controls Lead at B.C. Hydro. Douglas will present ‘Utilizing Lidar and Photogrammetry on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Quantification of Excavation and Backfills.’ B.C. Hydro is building the Site C Hydroelectric dam across the Peace River, British Columbia. Douglas will offer insights on how the project utilizes Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or Unmanned Drones to cover large expanses of areas where excavation and backfill activities occur. Douglas will discuss the massive Earth-filled Dam (EFD) that is approximately 1050 meters long and rises 60 meters above the initial valley floor. Douglas will offer insights on tracking progress and weekly reporting needed to construct the large EFD over many construction seasons.
Vladimir Milovanovic is CEO of Lupa Technology Inc. Vladimir will present ‘Unleashing the Power of AI-Driven Data Discovery to Enhance Construction Project Controls.’ Vladimir will offer his insights on Lupa technology, an innovative AI-driven Data Discovery methodology designed to transform construction project data chaos into a valuable asset. Vladimir will discuss the significance of project controls in improving project outcomes.
Networking
Networking will be available after each track, where colleagues and friends can meet up and discuss best practices and problem-solve. The presenters will be on hand to offer further advice about their presentations. The Activity Day is designed for networking where delegates can make new contacts before Project Controls Expo begins. There is also a networking event on September 27, an evening drinks reception, where delegates can relax and review the conference.
Partners Showcase
Vendors will offer hands-on demonstrations of their products and advice on upcoming industry trends and best industry practices. All partners have been carefully selected for project controls.
Registration Details
Date | Description | Price |
September 25 | Activity Day & Ballpark Tour | $60 |
September 26 | Workshops, Speaker Sessions & Partner Showcase | $200 |
September 27 | Speaker Sessions & Partner Showcase | $200 |
*A combination pass can be purchased for $375 for September 26th and 27th.
Accommodation
We reviewed two hotels near Nationals Park, the Phoenix Park Hotel and the Residence Inn by Marriot Washington DC National Mall.
Phoenix Park Hotel
520 N. Capitol St NW
Washington DC, 20001
Phoenix Park is a three-star hotel situated approximately 1.7 miles from Nationals Park. Phoenix Park is a historic 1920s hotel with a contemporary design. The beds are comfortable, and the staff are friendly and accommodating. Complimentary coffee is served on the second floor for guests. A two-night stay costs $746.15.
Residence Inn by Marriott
Washington DC National Mall
333 E St SW
Washington 20024
Residence Inn by Marriott is a three-star hotel approximately 0.85 miles from Nationals Park. The rooms are spacious with comfortable beds. Check-in and out is fast with professional, friendly staff. The hotel is immaculate, and the lobby area is bright and welcoming. Complimentary tea and coffee are provided in the kitchen area of each room, along with some cooking essentials. A two-night stay costs $735.94.
Summary
Project Controls Expo has something for everyone interested in project controls regardless of expertise, as they focus on applying project control techniques. Last year Project Controls Expo attracted 800+ delegates; this year, they are estimating over 1,000.
Project Controls Expo is not industry-specific, and a broad range of industries will be represented, ranging from Oil & Gas, Aerospace, Pharmaceutical, and Construction, to Rail and IT. The Activity Day is a great way to network in a relaxed atmosphere, making new contacts before the start of the Expo.