Development and Interpretation of Geotechnical Contract Provisions for Design-Build Projects: Success Strategies for Owners and Contractors

Abstract

In an era of dwindling public funds, design-build contracts are becoming increasingly popular for infrastructure projects. Subsurface conditions and their influence on earthwork, foundations, and underground construction are widely recognized as being a major area of risk exposure to all parties to the contract. One of the key functions of design-build contract documents is to define the allocation of risk between the owner and the design-build contractor. This paper outlines broad principles of equitable development and application of geotechnical contract provisions, and illustrates these principles through examples from several recent public agency design-build projects. Some of the principles illustrated include subsurface risk allocation through contract terms; proper coordination of all geotechnical elements of the contract documents; best practices for geotechnical design criteria and performance criteria; application of Alternative Technical Concept (ATC) proposals; and project quality control and quality assurance provisions in the design and construction phases.