Celebrating Collaboration: OrgMetrics’ 2025 San Francisco Partnering Award Winning Projects
Since its founding in 2016, the San Francisco Collaborative Partnering Steering Committee and Programs have helped eliminate Government Code claims across City departments, elevate project leadership capabilities, and deliver measurable value to taxpayers. With more than $270M saved across 80 recognized projects, the program continues to prove that collaboration is a strategic advantage for San Francisco.
Each year, the San Francisco Collaborative Partnering Awards recognize project teams connected to the six downtown project delivery departments that demonstrate what is possible when collaboration, trust, and structured partnering guide project delivery.
At the Eighth Annual San Francisco Collaborative Partnering Awards Ceremony, held at San Francisco Public Works, six exceptional project teams – including five supported by OrgMetrics – were honored for delivering complex public infrastructure and building projects through collaboration, saving the City millions while strengthening relationships across departments and industry partners. The event included a Keynote Speech by Public Works Director Carla Short, was co-emceed by City Architect and Partnering Coordinator Julia Laue and the Assistant General Manager of Infrastructure Stephen Robinson, and included highlights on the judging process by Awards Judge Kelli Rudnick, Deputy Director for Capital at San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department. It was an engaging and inspiring event!
By the Numbers
The results speak for themselves:
- 6 award-winning projects
- $51M in total construction value
- $116,000 invested in partnering
- $5.2M in estimated cost savings
- 45:1 return on investment
- Zero lost-time safety incidents
- 100% delivered within budget
- 2 projects delivered early and under budget
These outcomes reinforce what the San Francisco Collaborative Partnering Steering Committee has demonstrated year after year: Partnering works!
The big winner of the day was the SFO AB/TRTS 12kV Power Distribution Replacement – Phase 1 project, who took home a Gold Level Award and “Best in Class” for the 2025 Awards program.
Below are highlights from each of the 5 award-winning project team’s OrgMetrics supported this year.
Building Projects – Under $20M
San Francisco Rent Board Tenant Improvement Project
Silver Level Award
Owner: San Francisco Rent Board and Real Estate Division
Prime: C.M. Construction
A&E: San Francisco Public Works
CM: San Francisco Public Works Bureau of Construction Management
Facilitator: Cinda Bond
Though modest in size at $1.6M, this historic tenant improvement required creativity, flexibility, and teamwork to overcome tight logistics and occupancy constraints. This team led by San Francisco LBE contractor C.M. Construction, went above and beyond for the tenants, starting work early to avoid operational impacts and hand-carrying equipment and materials up the stairs to avoid impacting the limited elevators. Through coordinated sequencing, early mobilization, and transparent communication, the team delivered a successful transformation that better serves the public demonstrating that partnering excellence is not only defined by project size.
Geary Stabilization Unit Project
Gold Level Award
Owner: San Francisco Department of Public Health
Prime: W.E. Lyons
A&E: San Francisco Public Works
CM: San Francisco Public Works Bureau of Construction Management
Facilitator: Cinda Bond
This critical public health project transformed underutilized space into a 24-hour stabilization facility serving one of San Francisco’s most vulnerable communities. Amid evolving program requirements, accelerated timelines, and community sensitivity, the team relied on strong partnering to open the facility one month early, on budget, and with zero safety incidents, delivering life-saving infrastructure while strengthening neighborhood trust.
Infrastructure Projects – Under $20M
DB-135 O’Shaughnessy Dam New Bulkhead System Project
Silver Level Award
Owner: San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Prime: Alltech Engineering
A&E: SFPUC Engineering & Barr Engineering
CM: SFPUC Construction Management
Facilitator: Cinda Bond
Located within Yosemite National Park, this $6.4M Progressive Design-Build project modernized essential water infrastructure while maintaining environmental sensitivity and worker safety. By right sizing the scope of the project and practicing effective collaboration and teamwork, the team saved the City more than $3M. They worked through diver safety challenges, and complex logistics, and worked successfully in an incredibly environmentally sensitive area. Ultimately, they delivered the project safely, on time, and under budget.
Waterfront Resilience Program – Wharf J9 Replacement (Phase 1 Float & Gangway)
Gold Level Award
Owner: Port of San Francisco
Prime: Yerba Buena Engineering & Construction, Inc.
A&E: Moffat & Nichol
CM: San Francisco Public Works
Facilitator: Cinda Bond
As part of San Francisco’s Waterfront Resilience Program, this $4M Port of San Francisco project rebuilt critical infrastructure supporting the City’s working waterfront. The team embraced innovation by introducing fiber-reinforced plastic structural elements and one of California’s first HDPE fire and domestic water systems while navigating dredging delays and pile failures through collaborative issue resolution. The result is a safer, more resilient dock that supports local livelihoods and public access.
SFO BA/TRTS 12kV Power Distribution Replacement – Phase 1 Project
Gold Level Award and “Best in Class”
Owner: San Francisco International Airport
Prime: Schembri Construction
A&E: San Francisco International Airport Design & Construction
CM: San Francisco International Airport Design & Construction
Facilitator: Rob Reaugh
This $14M project strengthened the electrical backbone of San Francisco International Airport while maintaining uninterrupted operations across half of the campus. This team saved substantial cost and time by sharing on the prior project’s Lessons Learned Partnering that amending key cabling specifications to emphasize performance would enable the airport to receive the same level of product, but with increase marketplace competition. The result for the BA/TRTS project was that the team was able to secure high quality materials at a much lower cost and 5 months earlier. This earlier procurement set up the entire project for success and serves as a great example for the value of long-term relationships in public works construction.
Through strong partnering, early contractor input, and rapid response to unforeseen outages, the team completed the project 28 days early and $723,500 under budget earning both a Gold Award and Best in Class recognition.
OrgMetrics is proud to support the San Francisco Collaborative Partnering Awards Program. These Silver and Gold award recipients exemplify what it means to deliver projects as One Team – where owners, contractors, designers, and facilitators succeed together. We look forward to seeing more outstanding San Francisco project teams continue to raise the bar of collaborative project delivery for years to come.
Visit SF Partnering for more information about Partnering in San Francisco and this annual awards program.
– Rob
Rob Reaugh is President of OrgMetrics LLC. He facilitates the City and County of San Francisco Collaborative Partnering Steering Committee and currently works with San Francisco International Airport, San Jose International Airport, BART, Caltrans, and others. He holds a Masters’ Degree in Alternative Dispute Resolution.
For more information please contact Rob Reaugh, RobReaugh@Orgmet.com / (925) 487-2404 (cell), or OrgMetrics, (925) 449-8300.