What is ezIQC®?
ezIQC is an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) procurement process that helps facility and infrastructure owners
complete many repairs, renovation and straightforward new construction projects with a single, competitively-awarded contract.
Unlike traditional bidding where each project is identified, designed and then put out to bid, ezIQC is made available through
cooperative purchasing networks who have satisfied the competitive bid process up front. This eliminate the need to repeat the bid
process on a project by project basis.
Gordian’s ezIQC solution is another tool in the procurement toolbox for expediting construction projects. Gordian’s localized
construction cost data, software and expert field personnel help guide owners through each step of the process, ensuring cost and
timing efficiencies are maximized right from the start.
Q:How Long Has ezIQC Been Around?
A:ezIQC was brought to the cooperative landscape in 2008. Gordian created ezIQC to help tackle the demanding requirements, tight
timeframes and stringent, complicated competitive bidding requirements placed on public and educational facility managers all
across the country. The purpose of ezIQC is to simplify the process of completing routine and/or straightforward repair, renovation,
alteration and new construction projects. Since its inception, thousands of projects have been completed using Gordian’s ezIQC
solution.
Q. How Does ezIQC Ensure a Higher Quality of Work?
A: Since the competitive bid process is already complete, facility and infrastructure owners are able to include the contractor at the
inception of a project. This allows the contractor to provide professional input and advice as to how to complete a project more
effectively. ezIQC motivates the awarded contractor to meet and exceed the owner’s expectations of quality, timely construction
through a performance-based contract. The owner is not obligated to give the contractor more work, therefore encouraging them a
collaborative and lasting relationship.
Q. How Does ezIQC Save Money?
A: Budgetary control and cost savings is a cornerstone of Gordian’s ezIQC solution. The owner does not have to repeat the entire
procurement cycle for each project, so the cost of procuring projects is less. The upfront and open collaboration allows the awarded
contractors to provide their professional insight which can lead to greater project success and immediate value engineering to
ensure budgets are met. Contractors also see a benefit in ezIQC as they are not having to continuously respond to public facility bids
which costs them valuable time and money. Because contractors are bidding on a series of project opportunity not just a single
project, they often provide volume discounts in their construction costs.
Q. How Does ezIQC Save Time?
A: The traditional design-bid-build cycle typically takes months to complete and uses a significant amount of agency administrative
and technical resources. With ezIQC, you can immediately access local contractors through a competitively-awarded contract with a
cooperative agency. There is no need for preparing, copying, advertising and distributing bid packages for each project. The
procurement process takes weeks instead of months.
Q. What Is the Construction Task Catalog®?
A: The Construction Task Catalog® (CTC) accesses data from Gordian’s construction cost database of more than 275,000 Tasks with
associated costs for all areas of construction. Each Task includes a detailed description, unit of measurement, unit price and, where
applicable, demolition cost. The labor, material and equipment price components are updated to reflect local prices, prevailing
wages and working conditions at the time of publishing. There are a set of Technical Specifications for each of the construction tasks
and general conditions that contain the specific contract language concerning the execution of the contract.
The awarded contractor has competitively bid an Adjustment Factor to the pre-established Unit Prices, so the owner is assured a
competitive price for each element of a project’s Scope of Work.
Q. How Are Change Orders Handled?
A: Change orders are significantly reduced because the contractor participates in the Joint Scope Meeting with the owner and
Gordian field personnel. This upfront, open communication eliminates the misunderstandings and mistakes that lead to most
change orders. The owner has the right to change the Scope of Work at any time during the project. With ezIQC, additional work and
changes are priced using the preset Unit Prices in the CTC. The performance-based contract ensures the contractor is motivated to
be efficient and reduce costs without sacrificing quality or customer satisfaction.
Q. I Am Sensitive to the Use of Local and Minority/Women Subcontractors and Other Considerations. How Is This Handled?
A: ezIQC has a history of attaining and exceeding participation goals. Local, minority and women-owned businesses and residency
initiatives can be handled on a project-by-project or program-wide basis. The owner has the right to approve all subcontractors prior
to issuance of the purchase order. Any specific conditions of the project, such as bonding or special insurance, is specified in the
purchase order and provided to the owner.
Q. What About Price Fluctuations from Year to Year?
A: The Adjustment Factors are modified on the anniversary date of the contract award, based on the Construction Cost Index (CCI) in
the Engineering News-Record. The average CCI for the current year is divided by the average CCI for the base year and equals the
increase or decrease in the construction costs. The percentage is multiplied by the original Adjustment Factor and thus equals the
Adjustment Factor for the next 12 months.
Q. Do I Still Need a Construction Manager? What About Professional Services?
A: Most of the time you don’t. The ezIQC contractor is the single point of contact for construction schedule and construction quality.
Many agencies use the services of an architect to prepare the contract documents for procurement purposes. With ezIQC, this has
already been completed. More complex projects may require engineering and architectural services to define the Scope of Work
or for permitting. If architectural or engineering services are required, the ezIQC contractor can obtain these services.
One of the unique benefits of the ezIQC process is the knowledge and expertise Gordian’s field personnel provides throughout the
process. Gordian will help you prepare a Detailed Scope of Work that describes the work the contractor will perform. Then,
seasoned field personnel will review the Price Proposal to make sure the contractor has selected the appropriate Tasks and
quantities and will ask the contractor to make any required changes. Only then will the Price Proposal be submitted for final review.
The process is streamlined so construction is ready to begin in a fraction of the time than it would normally take to procure a
project.
Q. Why Would I Use ezIQC?
A: ezIQC simplifies and expedites the construction procurement process, so work can begin faster. It puts the owner in greater
contractual control and increases the quality of work. Changes to the project scope are based on firm prices and Gordian’s solutions
virtually eliminate defaults, terminations and claims. Owners have access to full-time, performance-based professional construction
contractors, working under a competitively-bid contract through a cooperative agency. ezIQC will save time and money, allowing
owners to complete more projects.
Q. How Do I Get Started?
A: Go to www.ezIQC.com and enter your project information. A Gordian representative will be in touch to set up a time to meet and
discuss the project.
