DOT Veteran Walt Childs Joins Cardno TBE

Clearwater, FL, October 21, 2011—Cardno TBE is pleased to announce that Walt Childs has joined the firm as Department of Transportation/Utilities Liaison, after 42 years of employment with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

In 1977, Mr. Childs pioneered the concept of using utility work by highway contractor agreements (UWHCA) to prevent delays during construction and was instrumental in drafting the first UWHCA still being used successfully in Florida today.

Mr. Childs started his career with FDOT's construction department in 1969. In 1972, he joined FDOT's utilities department as a project manager. Mr. Childs was named District Utilities Administrator (DUA) for District One in 1987. As the DUA, Mr. Childs was responsible for managing the utility coordination process on all projects in the production schedule for design, design-build and construction.

Mr. Childs' utility delay claim task team was recognized locally, regionally and nationally, including by the Transportation Research Board for the innovative ideas on improving the utility coordination process. FDOT District One adopted his team's recommendations, and they continue to save the district millions of dollars each year in preventing utility delay claims.

In addition, Mr. Childs produced a comprehensive utility coordination manual providing a systematic approach for the coordination process and is available to consultants and design-build firms to assist in their efforts to better coordinate with utility owners during the design process. He also established minimum qualifications for utility coordination staff when the engineer of record is responsible for the utility coordination efforts. These standards have since been accepted throughout the state.

Cardno TBE (www.CardnoTBE.com), member of the Cardno family of companies, offers a full range of consulting, design, engineering and construction services, including civil, environmental, transportation planning and design, right-of-way acquisition/relocation, subsurface utility engineering, surveying and mapping, 3-D underground imaging, and utility coordination. Cardno TBE currently ranks #9 on Trenchless Technology's Top 50 Design Firms. Cardno TBE is headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, and has more than 40 offices serving clients in the United States, Canada, Australia, and United Kingdom.
Cardno (www.cardno.com) is an integrated professional services provider, locally delivering the specialist advice necessary to create or improve the physical and social infrastructure that underpins communities around the world. Our team comprises leading advisers who plan, design and deliver sustainable projects or community programs.

Cardno has over 4,300 employees in more than 160 permanent offices worldwide. Key areas of expertise include international development assistance, civil engineering, structural engineering, geotechnical services, subsurface utility engineering, survey and mapping services, environmental services, and project management. Cardno USA ranks #34 on Engineering News-Record's (ENR) List of Top 500 Design Firms.