Draper & Associates has provided construction scheduling and project management controls services for more than 80 Publix Supermarkets in the States of Florida and Georgia over the past 14 years. Owner-furnished key materials and equipment drive Publix construction schedules. Draper & Associates originally helped define these key material deliveries by creating model schedules and redefining the calculation spreadsheet Publix uses for purchases from its vendors. Reflecting a truly integrated product, the construction schedules incorporate the dates for the owner-furnished materials throughout each project.

Publix schedules are considered "dead certain" schedules - store-opening dates are considered sacrosanct. As part of the Project Control System used by Draper & Associates, we help identify, track and resolve issues relative to the construction schedule. Draper provides significant input into each issue and assists the client in driving these issues to resolution in a manner that supports the schedule. The "make it happen" atmosphere fostered in the Draper-facilitated Project Team meetings benefits clients and subcontractors financially by reducing uncertainty, establishing reliability of the schedule data allowing just-in-time delivery and by focusing these construction projects on a production-oriented basis. The owner benefits by reduced project costs over time, reduction in cost by owner-controlled major equipment purchases, and faster, more manageable, less risky project delivery cycles - a key element to the retail trade. As a result, the facilities produce revenue faster at a lower unit cost.

Draper & Associates virtually "wrote the book" on the scheduling of the construction of Publix Supermarkets in Florida and Georgia . Over a decade ago Draper refined a material matrix in which delivery dates are geared in a date sequence calculated against each other for the "typical model schedule". Publix and key contractors have refined this matrix based on project history. The client and the Draper consultant provide Publix with four dates to input into this matrix - foundation start, walk-in freezer/cooler delivery, display case delivery, and the eleven-week inspection date. The resulting output includes the delivery date for all owner-furnished key material down to when Publix operations occupies the store and starts their 5-week opening clock. Draper provides these dates based on three key elements - steel delivery date, roof dry date and the proposed store completion date.

The project schedule developed reflects the subcontractor long-lead items, such as steel, canopy trusses, etc., using the dot, bar and arrow format. These dates become the required submittal, fabrication approval, and delivery date that must be supported by the Project Team. As a result, the schedule drives the material deliveries, rather than the schedule being "held hostage" by the deliveries. The current Publix equipment delivery schedule, the right-to-left sequencing and many more schedule-related time and money saving details are a net result of Draper's work for many years on numerous Publix projects.