Esther M. “Sam” Stafford is owner and president of Help at the Helm,Inc. Sam is certified by SAVE International® as a Certified Value Specialist (CVS®), the highest level of value management certification. Prior to owning her own business, Help at the Helm, Inc., Mrs. Stafford had a more than 20-year career in the healthcare industry as a registered nurse specializing in cardiovascular intensive care and recovery. This gives her the special insights to understand the need for evidence-based design as an integral part of value management workshops on healthcare facilities.

Sam’s value management experience includes a variety of healthcare facilities, management systems, water, wastewater, conveyance, storage and treatment facilities, and buildings. A few recent examples of her value management experience are listed below:

South Hartford Conveyance and Storage Tunnel
Hartford, CT (2014)
Estimated direct construction cost: $357,000,000
Value Management study on design of South Hartford Conveyance and Storage Tunnel for the Hartford Metropolitan District Commission at the 30% design stage. The VE team’s scope consisted of Utility Relocation, Deep Rock Tunnel and Drop Shafts, West Hartford Consolidation Pipe and Electric for Retrieval Shaft, Tunnel Pump Station, and consolidation conduits. Significant constraints that the alignment corridor and diameterwere both fixed as any major change would have major negative impacts on the schedule. Owner-accepted savings totaled approximately $3.32 million.

Hartford, CT MDC Wet Weather Expansion
Hartford, CT (2012-2013)
Estimated direct construction cost of the program: $356,971,000
Three Value Management studies on design of Wet Weather Expansion Program for the Metropolitan District Commission to expand the capacity of the Hartford Water Pollution Control Facility (HWPCF) and to provide treatment of wet weather flows. The scope for the VE team included Influent Pump Station, new Headworks Facility that would accommodate design wet weather flows of up to 200 MGD, new wet weather treatment system, seasonal disinfection of wet weather flows, and effluent pumping. The VE team was also asked to evaluate the site layout due to a 30 foot set-back which the District and Design team were informed of the week prior to the first workshop. Owner-accepted savings totaled approximately $66.5 million.

Tarrant Regional Water District IPL Program
Ft. Worth, TX (2012-2013)
Estimated direct construction cost of the program: $966,082,000
Four Value Management studies on the IPL Program which is a new raw water supply program that integrates the TRWD and Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) water supplies from Lake Palestine, Cedar Creek Reservoir, and Richland Chambers Reservoir. The four workshops were Booster Pump Station and Midlothian Reservoir at 30% and 60% design, IPL Pipeline sections at 60% design and the Lakes Intake Pump Station at 60% design. The IPL will be implemented over the next 20 years and will provide additional raw water to both TRWD and DWU. Owner-accepted savings for these four workshops totaled approximately $88.3 million.

Ft. Irwin Hospital Replacement
Washington, DC 2011
Estimated construction cost: $225,000,000
Team Leader for the Value Management study on the design of the Ft. Irwin, CA Replacement Hospital and remodeling of the Mary Walker Clinic for the USACE Sacramento District, an approximately $225 million project. Although this value study was done at the “35%” stage, the design had progressed and site and building layout was a constraint as this would have major negative impacts on the schedule and therefore funding. Owner-accepted savings totaled approximately $2.5 million.