If you’re considering building a new facility or expanding the one you’re in now, you owe it to yourself to take a close look at the design-build delivery method. Design-build construction is not a fad. It’s a proven system that offers design and assembly integration, resulting in reduced costs, minimized project duration, higher quality materials and increased efficiency and productivity for the involved design consultants, contractor and owner.
Construction experts expect design-build to exceed the conventional design-bid-build approach and become the industry standard in the next decade.
During the late 1990s, the Construction Industry Institute teamed with Pennsylvania State University to conduct a study of design-build construction. They found that, on average, design-build projects were completed 12 percent to 33 percent faster than traditional projects.
The study also found that using the design-build process resulted in cost-savings of 6 percent, with savings reaching as much as 40 percent in some instances.
I’ve seen the positive results of the design-build process and I’ve seen what can happen when things go wrong during design-bid-build jobs. Too often, projects are not delivered on time or on budget.
In most cases, problems can be traced back to a single factor – the lack of single-source oversight of design and assembly, sometimes resulting in huge cost overruns.
So if you’re a project owner interested in the design-build model, where do you begin?
Your first step is to determine who qualifies as a legitimate design-build contractor.
An examination of the following questions should provide a good assessment:
• Is design-build the company’s primary focus? If so, it will be able to supply you with design-build literature, information about continuing education provided to management and staff and evidence of design-build marketing efforts.
• Does the company have a solid track record? This comes in the form of a list of successful design-build projects and recommendations from past clients, designers, engineers and subcontractors.
• Is a delivery system in place to manage and coordinate design-build projects? A company representative should be able to describe roles, responsibilities and a sequence of general procedures, and supply organizational charts used for design-build jobs.
• Does the company possess the necessary technical equipment to handle a design-build project? This includes large-format scanning, AutoCAD document control software and high-capacity electronic correspondence.
• Are conceptual estimating systems and data available for client examination? For a design-build project to be successful, skilled conceptual estimators are essential – they must be able to apply costs with or without drawings. In addition to experienced estimators, the company should have a preliminary cost model system and historical cost data specific to various building types and local markets.
As an owner, you will be engaging in a long-term relationship with the company so it makes sense to conduct due diligence and choose a design-build contractor that earns your trust and confidence.
Mark Jackson is a project manager at Schlecht Construction Inc., which has offices in Kelso and Vancouver.
