- Project completed as part of 30-year public-private partnership (P3) Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain (DBFOM) program
- Project received multiple awards from P3 Bulletin, including Best Social Infrastructure Project of the Year
- Johnson Controls OpenBlue Enterprise Manager enables detailed energy consumption tracking, the identification of anomalies in system and reduced carbon footprint.
MILWAUKEE (December 14, 2021) – Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, is part of the Edgemoor-Star America Judicial Partners consortium selected to design-build-finance-operate-maintain (DBFOM) the new Howard County Circuit Courthouse in Ellicott City, Maryland. As a result of the consortium’s efforts, the project received multiple awards from the P3 Bulletin including Best Social Infrastructure Project of the Year.
“The Maryland Judiciary’s core values are to provide fair, efficient and effective justice for all, and this project is helping us achieve those goals,” said Jennifer Keiser, Court Administrator for the Howard County Circuit Court. “The new facility will allow for the county to continually meet sustainability targets while delivering a comfortable environment that upholds the dignity of the court.””We’re excited to see how this project’s success leads the way for other DBFOM programs in local government throughout the country.” – Maureen Blase, Vice President and General Manager of Performance Infrasructure for Johnson Controls
The new courthouse represents the largest capital project in Howard County history. Working with the Edgemoor-Star America Judicial Partners consortium including Johnson Controls, the $178M project opened for use in July 2021 and was delivered through the DBFOM model with the County making milestone and availability payments. As a result, Howard County has minimized the need for upfront capital and will make monthly payments provided the facility is available for use and meets the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the project.
Johnson Controls was heavily engaged with the design team to maximize the use and application of their building technologies in order to offer the project guaranteed operating costs over the 30-year operating term. The combination of all project costs into a monthly availability payment allows Howard County to maintain a flat lined facility budget over the term.
“We’re excited to see how this project’s success leads the way for other DBFOM programs in local government throughout the country,” said Maureen Blase, Vice President and General Manager of Performance Infrastructure at Johnson Controls. “This procurement method offers customers the benefit of a fixed payment program creating budget integrity, as well as a higher quality of asset performance due to contractual obligations. We have an obligation to continually renew and maintain the facility, so at the end of the term, facilities have zero deferred maintenance and are in better condition with more useful life than traditional public buildings.”
For comprehensive efficiency, the building will be controlled and optimized by Johnson Controls OpenBlue Central Enterprise Manager integrated with Metasys®. This technology will enable real-time insight into the courthouse’s energy efficiency and performance, allowing Johnson Controls to make informed decisions to reduce utility costs, energy and water usage, peak electric demand and greenhouse gas emissions. By integrating data-driven technology, the courthouse is prepared to continually meet the key performance indicators originally put in place in the contract and maximize the uptime of the facility to ensure it is available to the staff and public as designed and intended. Johnson Controls will support Howard Country in providing a safe, comfortable environment so that occupants can focus on delivering justice for the community.
Through this contract, Edgemoor-Star America Judicial Partners created employment for more than 2,000 local workers and 100 companies for the construction, operations, maintenance and supplies of the project. Throughout the hiring process they also focused on creating a local and diverse workforce by employing minority and veteran-owned businesses. Over a third of the operations budget was awarded to Equal Business Opportunity (EBO) firms, which exceeded the original goal set in the contract.
