Report: Impact of MySmartPlans on the Mountain Home Air Force Base Project

Project Overview: The $40 million Mountain Home Air Force Base project faced considerable challenges, including navigating the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic and working with a contractor (KTR) known for previous issues on government contracts. Despite these hurdles, the project was successfully completed three months ahead of schedule with no modifications, apart from a deductive change order benefiting the government.

MySmartPlans Investment & Role: MySmartPlans was implemented on this project with an investment of $124,000, covering both the platform and the dedicated service of Digital Information Librarians (DILs). This system served as the central hub and bridge of the USACE RMS platform for project information management.

Key Impacts and Benefits:

1. Significant Schedule Acceleration & Cost Savings:
   • Completing the project three months early generated substantial savings in overhead costs.
   • Based on the provided overhead schedule data, the estimated hourly overhead cost for a project of this approximate size is $789.14 (interpolated value based on the $25M rate of $493.21/hr and the $50M rate of $986.43/hr).
   • Assuming a standard 176 working hours per month, the early completion resulted in an estimated total overhead cost saving of approximately $416,666.
2. Impressive Return on Investment (ROI):
   • The total overhead cost savings ($416,666) significantly outweighed the MySmartPlans investment ($124,000).
   • This yielded a remarkable ROI of approximately 236% ($292,666 Net Savings / $124,000 Cost).
3. Enhanced Operational Efficiency (RedZone Delivery DayOne):
   • MySmartPlans facilitated the “RedZone Delivery DayOne” approach. The platform’s Digital Information Librarians (DILs) began assembling and vetting critical project deliverables and closeout information from the very start.
   • This ensured that all necessary operational data was organized, accurate, and readily available for a seamless transition to the facility operators upon project completion.
4. Real-Time Client Visibility & Data-Driven Decisions:
   • The platform provided a transparent, single source of truth for all project documentation and data.
   • This offered the client real-time visibility into project progress.
   • Access to organized, audited, and instantly searchable information empowered the project team to make timely, informed decisions, crucial for navigating the project’s inherent challenges.
   • Digital Information Librarians (DILs) played a vital role by meticulously organizing, auditing, and distributing documents, ensuring data integrity, and freeing up the project team to focus on execution rather than administrative tasks.
5. Risk Mitigation:
   • By ensuring all documentation was complete, accurate, audited, and accessible, MySmartPlans minimized risks associated with miscommunication, errors, and potential disputes, especially important given the contractor’s history and the pandemic backdrop. This likely contributed to the project’s completion with only a deductive modification.

Conclusion:

The implementation of MySmartPlans, coupled with the expertise of the Digital Information Librarians, was a key factor in the exceptional success of the Mountain Home Air Force Base project. Despite significant challenges, the platform delivered substantial cost savings through schedule acceleration, provided a significant return on investment, enhanced operational readiness via the RedZone Delivery DayOne methodology, and improved decision-making through real-time data visibility. This demonstrates the powerful impact of leveraging a comprehensive project information management solution to achieve efficiency, transparency, and successful outcomes even in complex project environments.