Project Controls Engineer

The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) directs the worldwide overseas building program for the Department of State. Working with other offices and bureaus, foreign affairs agencies, and Congress, OBO’s challenge is to set worldwide priorities for the design, construction, acquisition, maintenance, use, and sale of real properties and the use of sales proceeds.

Construction and Security Management Directorate (CSM), Office of Construction Management (CM), Is responsible for OBO’s construction program, including leading the coordination of the contractual design activities, in conjunction with other offices, on design/build projects and construction and commissioning on design/build and design/bid/build projects. CSM/CM provides management oversight and on-site construction supervision for OBO worldwide construction program.

As a Project Controls Engineer assigned to the Controls Branch of OBO/CSM/CM/CS/CON, the contractor serves as a Project Control Engineer (PCE) assigned to one or more of the Department’s overseas facility construction projects and performs a wide range of engineering-related functions in support of the planning, implementation, and oversight of the assigned project(s). The PCE will also support the Office Risk Program and will work in coordination with the primary scheduler and risk team.

The contractor will provide engineering expertise on several projects from a schedule and risk perspective and will work with the team members to achieve effectiveness in meeting the scope, schedule, and cost goals of the OBO construction management office. The contractor must be fluent in all technical requirements of the project, including those related to other engineering disciplines and architecture, as well as in a full range of administrative requirements.

• Reviews OBO project execution schedules (PESs) developed by construction contractors awarded the work; and prepares and submit comments based on technical errors or omissions from the PES to the Project Director (PD) and to appropriate OBO management personnel.
• Reviews contractors pay applications to determine conformance with the updated project execution schedule.
• Serves as a member of Technical Evaluation Panels (TEPs) for the evaluation of bid proposal project execution schedules.
• Actively participates in project kick-off meetings with the contractor awarded the project and provides general comments on the Division 1 Project Scheduling specification and on schedule development and use on the project.
• Performs annual review of OBO Division 1 Project Scheduling specification for necessary changes based on lessons learned, technical clarity, and discovered errors.
• Evaluates new projects to determine estimated construction duration to be used as the basis for the OBO Request for Proposal.
• Evaluates the contractor’s Request for Equitable Adjustment (REA), Time Impact Analyses (TIA), and claims to determine their validity, and apportions responsibility between contractor and OBO.
• Meets with the contractor’s project control engineer to discuss appropriate PES development for compliance with the Contract Division 1 Project Scheduling specification, good scheduling practice, and what data should be presented to OBO.
• Develops PES fragments to detail the schedule elements of commissioning, accreditation, and close-out procedures.
• Trains CSM office and field personnel in the use, importance, and evaluation of the project execution schedule.
• Works with other office members on special projects and initiatives to improve our business processes.
• Maintains competence and awareness of state-of-the-art through training for professional development and completion of courses required by OBO at the Foreign Service Institute or outside training vendor.
• Requests through the IDIQ Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) that a scheduling consultant be issued a task order to perform scheduling support services as workload increases; provides technical direction to the scheduling consultant; monitors the consultant’s work and reports; and serves as the liaison between the consultant and project management; and
• Performs special projects…