Compared to the traditional design-bid-build method, design-build delivery can accelerate design and construction schedules by 20% to 30%. Many cities and counties have implemented new fast-tracked permitting review processes to reduce the turnaround time for issuing permits, which are critical to maintaining the construction schedule.
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A growing number of utility managers and influencers in the wastewater sector are transitioning to an operating model that mirrors private industry. One of the leading reasons for this shift is the fact that major infrastructure has not received the investment needed to keep pace with a changing economy and environment, let alone innovations in technology. To bridge the gap between their current operations and this new model, utilities are frequently turning to progressive-design build.
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When considering a project delivery approach, municipal owners may be reluctant to choose a collaborative-delivery method. Design-bid-build (DBB) has been the standard approach in public works contracting, so changing to a different approach can be challenging and uncomfortable. Some owners may fear that they have less influence with a collaborative-delivery approach than they do with DBB. Owners still maintain influence throughout collaborative delivery but will exert that influence differently than with DBB. This influence starts with the procurement documents and is memorialized in the design-build (DB) contract.
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With a rise in use of collaborative delivery, owners have begun finding ways to make the process easier and reduce stressful oversight on their end. Collaborative delivery methods are often complex with multiple contractors and moving pieces as part of the day-to-day tasks. Because of this complexity, owners may be hesitant to transition from design-bid-build given their unfamiliarity. That’s where an owner advisor comes in.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused worldwide chaos, economic devastation, human loss, and widespread suffering for millions of people around the world. In spite of these challenges, progress must continue on design-build projects. This is especially important for critical infrastructure such as water/wastewater systems, transportation networks, and building construction. Managing design-build projects during a pandemic presents unique challenges and valuable lessons have been learned in the past few months of the “new normal.”
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Located in Fulton County outside Atlanta, GA, lies a 24-mgd water reclamation facility known as Big Creek WRF. The facility has been an asset to Fulton County (owner) for over 50 years, treating flows from the ever-growing population and business expansion within the area. Its current treatment process is based on a traditional, activated sludge process discharging into the Chattahoochee River. Over the years, it has been a reliable facility, with awards lining the administration building for exceptional environmental compliance and operational excellence. However, as the adjacent properties have been developed, it has lacked some of the more “neighborly” features of a modern facility – including effective odor control, noise reduction, and light pollution mitigation. With development increasing in the North Fulton area, regulatory discharge limits decreasing, and the age of the existing plant, the County has embarked on a full-scale upgrade of the facility utilizing the progressive design-build delivery model. The design-build team of Archer Western Construction and Brown and Caldwell are delivering the project.
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The world enters another month of the COVID-19 pandemic and we all slowly continue to figure out how to deal with it. “This new normal,” “in these uncertain times,” and wishing friends and colleagues to “stay safe” are the phrases of today. We use these now because they are necessary. As of mid-July, COVID-19 has infected over 13 million people worldwide {update 10/6/2020: 35.5 million} and caused over 580,000 deaths {update 10/6/2020: over 1 million} – over 135,000 in the United States alone {update 10/6/2020: 208,787}. For a time, the U.S. economy essentially shut down and the unemployment rate went from 3.6% in January to 11.1% in June. Children went to school from home or stopped altogether, and now I have masks for my family hanging next to my car keys in the kitchen. This is all anything but normal.
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The construction management at-risk (CMAR) delivery model requires contractors, engineers, and owners to think differently about how, why, and when change orders are executed. For the sake of this topic, we will assume that the owner has a separate and autonomous contract with the contractor and the engineer and the project is a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) arrangement for a collaborative delivery.
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In the wake of the coronavirus crisis, maintaining critical water and wastewater operations has never been more important. Yet, ensuring continuity of operations has never been more challenging, and it will require using every tool in the utility manager’s toolbox.
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Collaborative Project Delivery (CPD) methods, such as design-build, progressive design-build, and construction management at-risk, can offer a means to deliver a project faster than traditional design-bid-build. CPD methods can offer significant overall schedule reduction since the contractor and engineer collaborate early in the project, instead of the contractor taking over the design to implement once completed. The type of delivery model selected has different contracting methods, risks, and potential control for the owner. CPD is not right for every project, but there are many projects where it can offer significant advantages.
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