MCAA selects “Final Four” in student chapter competition

Finalists will compete on stage during MCAA’s 2013 convention.

The Mechanical Contractors Association of America Inc. (MCAA) has announced the four finalist teams that will make oral presentations of their written bid proposals during the next phase of the 2012-2013 Student Chapter Competition. The teams are from the:

Milwaukee School of Engineering;
Southern Polytechnic State University;
University of Washington; and
Northeastern University.

The competition’s next phase will take place March 19 at MCAA 2013, the association’s annual convention, which this year focuses on Unconventional Thinking: The Essential Ingredient of Success. The convention will run from March 17–21 at the JW Marriott Hill Country in San Antonio, Texas.

A panel of judges convened on January 9 to read, discuss and score the written proposals submitted by 25 MCAA student chapters from across the U.S. and in Canada. Six of these teams will receive Certificates of Merit for their work on the competition proposal. They are from the: Wentworth Institute of Technology, Colorado State University, California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, McMaster University, Illinois State University and Central Washington University.

Judges John Powell of Marelich Mechanical Company Inc. (Hayward, CA), Matthew Miller of Irven Bob Miller Inc. (Long Branch, NJ), J. L. Williams of Ryan & Associates Inc. (Davenport, IA) and Kathleen McCauley of McCauley Mechanical Construction Inc. (Bridgeview, IL) evaluated and scored each written proposal’s overall quality, project management and organization, feasibility of construction and program schedules and accuracy/feasibility of conceptual costs.

The next phase of the competition

The oral presentations will be evaluated by a different panel of judges according to the following criteria: overall quality of the oral presentation; feasibility of project management, organization and schedule; accuracy and completeness of project costs; and answers to the judges’ questions.

This year’s competition project involved a 50,000-sq.-ft. building that houses the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Space Exploration Center. The facility is located near Cape Canaveral, Fla., and bidders were required to recommend design elements that meet or exceed LEED Platinum criteria. The project also required that the bids include a post-construction service component.

Finalists will compete for a $5,000 first-place prize. The second-place team will receive $2,500, and each of the other teams will receive $1,000.