Medford, MA According to PROCON, their design-build project, the Tufts University Joyce Cummings Center, has earned the company a national Excellence in Construction Eagle Award and National Design-Build Award, presented during ABC Convention 2023 in Orlando, FL, on March 16^th. The EIC awards, presented to 82 of the nation’s top construction projects in 2022, are the construction industry’s leading national competition that honors general and specialty contractors for world-class, safe, and innovative construction projects from across the country. Through an ABC partnership with Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), special recognition is given to select Eagle Award winners to recognize efficiency in design build.

PROCON designed and built the 150,000 s/f seven-story academic building, which houses classrooms, seminar rooms, meeting space, research labs, offices, and a 160-seat auditorium.

“The Excellence in Construction Awards are the cornerstone competition in our industry, honoring projects like Tufts University Joyce Cummings Center because the work by the design-build team at PROCON exemplifies the best of the best in construction,” said 2023 national chair of the ABC board of directors Milton Graugnard, executive vice president, Cajun Industries LLC, Baton Rouge. “This world-class construction project shows the diversity of what the merit shop construction industry builds and how we build projects safely, on time and on budget. It is an honor to congratulate PROCON for showcasing construction excellence.”

From the judges: “The PROCON team demonstrated how architects, contractors, and engineers working together with estimating and preconstruction through construction in a seamless process lead to successful high performance projects which meet or exceed the owners expectations. PROCON delivered a seven-story academic building 25’ from an active MBTA railroad while a new train station was simultaneously under construction on an extremely tight urban site despite numerous challenges including the pandemic. A project truly worthy of this award.”

“Words cannot express how much Tufts University enjoyed working with the PROCON team on the Joyce Cummings Center. The process with PROCON was a streamlined approach to designing and constructing this energy-efficient, complex building filled with interdisciplinary offices and learning space, said Ruth Bennett, Sr. Director of Capital Programs at Tufts University “PROCON is an exceptional, trusted design-build partner that we look forward to working with in the future.”

Elements of the Cummings Center building that contributed to PROCON's recognition as the best construction project include PROCON's unique and sustainable design and pre-construction planning strategies, including significant coordination with Tufts University and various utilities and public transportation entities. Successful pre-planning included weekly 3D coordination and architectural detail review meetings, which allowed for more efficient sequencing and adjustability for construction tolerances. Construction challenges included identifying a materials laydown area in an urban environment and devising an erosion control plan for the area. Construction of the Cummings Center was happening simultaneously with an expansion of the abutting MBTA Green Line and the laying of conduits under the Cummings Center by the Green Line Extension project. The urban environment and close proximity of the MBTA, rail lines, and pedestrian traffic called for significant logistic and signage planning. Additionally, when the project was near completion, the university decided to make some design changes to better suit their needs, which PROCON handled seamlessly.

"We are deeply honored and humbled to receive this very special award," said John Stebbins, PROCON managing director. "It is a tribute to the talented and hardworking men and women we work with daily, who offer our clients exceptional projects and innovative ideas. The Cummings Center represents the type of partnership we strive to achieve with all our projects." 

“This was not an easy project. From contract negotiations through to commissioning and COVID in between, this project threw everything AND the kitchen sink at us. This award is a testament to the vision of the Cummings Family, the partnership of Tufts University, and the talent, perseverance and hard work of the PROCON team and our incredible subcontractors,” said Jen Stebbins Thomas, PROCON managing director. “This is a first-class, cutting-edge facility for one of the top academic institutions in the world – something we will be proud of for years to come.”

After 50 years of working with the traditional design-bid-build delivery system for construction projects, PROCON developed its own fully integrated design-build process, which includes architects, designers, and engineers working together from estimating/pre-construction through construction completion under one roof. PROCON's unique process contributed to the success of the Cummings Center and its other award-winning projects over the last 35+ years. 

The EIC Awards honor every member of the construction team, including the contractor, owner, architect and engineer. The winning projects are judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, innovation, and safety.

A panel of industry experts served as the competition’s judges. This year’s judges included representatives from At Home, the Design-Build Institute of America, Engineering News-Record, Marriott, the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Building Sciences, T-Mobile, the University Research Institute and various construction-related firms nationwide.

A full list of EIC winners is available on ABC’s website.