Washington State University construction management students took the top prize in the recent Northwest Construction Consumer Council (NWCCC) annual student bid competition for the second year in a row.
The competition for construction management programs in the Pacific Northwest is the main event for the NWCCC meeting held in January every year.
Teams from construction management programs at Oregon State University, University of Washington, and Washington State University participated in the competition, which was held at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Phillips 66 was the project sponsor and developed the competition around a plant response center at the Phillips 66 Ferndale refinery that houses emergency and medical response equipment as well as space for first responders training and emergency operations management. The competition requires that students solve complex problems based on an existing project, present proposals, and participate in a rigorous question and answer session in a conference-like setting.
Coached by Jason Peschel, director and associate professor in the School of Design and Construction, the WSU commercial team used construction management skills such as scheduling, estimating, site logistics, site safety, and technical writing to develop a proposal for a real-life construction project. The students included Zach Vernon, Collin Murray, Logan Prouse, Garrett Nelson, Shaaki Shaik, and Molly Mahoney.
“Year after year, the students work hard and invest a lot of time preparing, and it has certainly paid off,” said Peschel. “We appreciate the opportunity provided by the NWCCC. This win will boost the teams’ confidence they continue to prepare for the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) student competition in early February!”
Several industry partners, including Exxel Pacific, Howard S. Wright, and Mortenson provided financial support and practice problems for the WSU Commercial team before the competitions.
“The industry support we receive makes such a big difference in the students’ preparation for the competitions,” said Peschel. “The alumni and industry partners are amazing and the students benefit greatly from engaging with these industry professionals.”
