Does Design-Build Project Delivery Affect the Future of the Public Engineer?

Abstract

More than half the U.S. states have some form of legislated authority to procure transportation projects through design-build project delivery. Some states use the design-build delivery method extensively and some not at all because of perceived implementation barriers. One concern is that the use of design-build could result in major staff cutbacks within public agencies. To evaluate this concern objectively, this study employed a combination of literature review, surveys of state departments of transportation (DOTs), and content analysis of design-build requests for proposals and policy documents. It sought to quantify the impact on the state DOT professional workforce when the state authorizes design-build project delivery. The study reached a number of conclusions, but primarily implementation of design-build had no negative effect on the number of engineering jobs at public agencies that use it. The study also found that implementing design-build did not eliminate the use of the traditional design-bid-build procurement method. Last, it found that design-build projects performed better than design-bid-build projects in terms of cost and schedule and were comparable in quality outcomes.