Design-build Contract Research Articles

Barriers for Innovation in Road Construction – a Technical Consultant’s Perspective

Technical consultants develop visions into buildable designs. Despite having a large impact on a construction project, there is a lack of research into the consultant’s potential contribution to innovations. The main measure to stimulate innovation in the construction sector is providing contractor with degrees of freedom through design-build contracting. This contracting form is not new, but there are still problems with the sector productivity. Consultants enter construction projects in the planning stage and set the framework for what the contactors, in the following phase, can build. This paper aims at identifying the consultants’ incentives for innovations in road construction. Four barriers for consultants to preserve degrees of freedom in the planning process have been identified: the legislation, strive for concretion, fixed prices payment schemes and monetary bonuses on finishing the road plan obstruct innovation. Removing such barriers can both improve productivity and contribute to a more sustainable construction market.

Sound Transit to Build Light-Rail Maintenance Facility [Transportation Systems

Sound Transit in the Seattle, Washington, area held an open house on 17 May 2018 at its site for a new light-rail Operations and Maintenance Facility in Bellevue, Washington. The Operations and Maintenance Facility East (OMF East) is needed to support expansion of the region's lightrail system in the city of Bellevue. As part of its design build contract for the facility, Hensel Phelps will deliver a temporary bike and pedestrian trail connection and identify portions of the construction staging area that can be developed for transit-oriented uses in the future. The Sound Transit Board will take separate action to manage surplus property and approve those development proposals. The budget for this project is USd449.2 million.

Optimization of Spherical Reticulated Shells in Design-build Contract Mode

Optimization of Spherical Reticulated Shells in Design-build Contract Mode

Procurement of Railway Infrastructure Projects – A European Benchmarking Study

This benchmarking study compares how railway investments are procured in five European countries: Sweden, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. In total, 19 procurement managers and project managers were interviewed. This study compares the national rail clients’ procurement strategies regarding: delivery system, reward system, contractor selection, and collaboration model. Historically, these clients have used in-house production. The first step towards a gradually increased usage of the market was to outsource the construction activities while keeping the design and development competence in-house. All five countries have mainly used Design-Bid-Build contracts in their initial outsourcing. However, the last few years there is a discernible trend in Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK towards allocating more design and development responsibilities to contractors (i.e. Design-Build contracts) and increasing the strategic focus on cooperation. The UK and the Netherlands are forerunners in this trend that can be viewed as a third step in the transition towards a market oriented railway sector. Norway and Sweden is in the middle of this transition, whereas Germany has not initiated this change. The transition towards a gradually increased usage of the market has two main dimensions; degree of cooperation and degree of contractor freedom, which differs among the countries. The UK and Sweden focus on increasing both these dimensions, while The Netherlands and Norway mostly focus on increasing the degree of contractor freedom. Germany still limits both dimensions by performing design and development in-house and letting contractors compete for construction work in Design-Bid-Build contracts. Due to historical and cultural reasons, Deutsche Bahn in Germany is very hesitant to engage in collaboration with external suppliers; focusing on competition is considered more appropriate and less controversial.

Causes of rutting in flexible and semi-rigid test sections after 14 years of service

Rutting is a major distress and is commonly targeted in design-build contracts as a key requirement, but at the same time, contemporary design methods usually provide scarce information on evolution in absolute terms. The objective of this paper is to investigate and analyse rutting results from a large full-scale road test. The analyses concerned magnitudes and the causes of rutting with a main focus on flexible and semi-rigid structures: one Reference, one high-performance asphalt (HPA) and one asphalt on a lean concrete (LC) base. Field measurements and sampling for the current study comprised acquiring transversal profiles and coring pavement samples. The results suggest that for the HPA and the LC base pavements, rutting is mainly caused by studded tyre wear and densification of the asphalt layers. For the conventional reference pavement additional rutting, most likely in the lower layers, was noted.

Managing the Room of Maneuver in Design Build Contracts – A Comparative Study of Norwegian Road Projects

Most public infrastructure projects in Norway are conducted with design-bid-build contract form. However, the traditional design-bid-build contract seems to be both time consuming and demand a lot of resources. And at the same time contribute to a high level of conflict between the project owner and the contractor. Because of this, and an increased amount of big and complex infrastructure projects, public project owners are boosting their use of design-build contracts. Use of design-build contracts can potentially shorten project time, and reduce cost. In addition, the use of this contract form can release the project owner's resources and make use of the contractor's competence. Within the design-build contract form and delivery method there is a certain room of maneuver. This can be utilized and potentially contribute to achieve the mentioned benefits. The problem occurs when the public project owner's laws and regulations limits this room of maneuver, and puts too many restrictions on the contractor's choice of technical solutions and ways of construction. To explore this a literature review and multiple case studies were conducted. Four public road projects were explored through semi-structured in depth interviews and document studies. This identified the room of maneuver in the studied projects, as well as the potential room of maneuver for the projects. The level of detail set in the contract by the project owner, through deployment of the laws and regulations, seems to be the most critical factor. This decides whether the contractor has a satisfying room of maneuver or is too restricted and not able to propose and execute alternative solutions.

Challenges Found in Handover of Commercial Buildings

This paper examines the handover process in Norwegian construction industry, focusing on commercial buildings. Improving handover processes reduces the number of conflicts, increases user value, improves indoor climate along with securing overall building performance, both in closing construction phases as well as throughout the building lifetime. As little research is found on the subject, a collective project was initiated by the municipality of Trondheim. This case study is limited to a single, environmentally certified, office building in Norway. The paper aims to determine main delay and defect causes. Finally, some countermeasures are identified. A literature review along with a document study was performed. Seven semi-structured, case specific interviews were conducted in addition to a pilot study consisting of three interviews on the same topic. The case respondents are project managers from contractor and client with extensive experience from the Norwegian construction industry. Several causes in contractor-client interfaces were identified. Among the most critical were late changes and decision-making, lacking understanding of limitations and potential in design-build contracts, conflicting interpretation of specification of work along with complex technical installations. Possible countermeasures are found to be strict decision planning, sufficient time buffers, early reconciliation of client expectations together with sufficiently detailed specification of work and significant specialist knowledge in complex technical coordination. This paper investigates a little scrutinized part of Norwegian construction projects in an effort to better commercial building performance and profitability. Future research on multiple construction projects would help confirm or disprove findings and the identified countermeasures.

Comparing EPC contracts with conventional contracts and their effectiveness on risks of projects in National Iranian South Oil Company

Abstract. The present research aims at comparing the joint design-build contracts with conventional contracts and their effectiveness on risk of projects in National Iranian South Oil Company. This research is a practical and descriptive type. The library and field methods were used for data collection. The researchers made use of self-made questionnaires which include 55 questions. These questions are designed to include the performance indicators basics of major industrial projects. The answering scale of questionnaire is a 5scale Likert type. The statistical population of this research includes all managers and experts of Iranian South Oil Company who are involved in engineering and implementing the oil and gas projects. The number of subjects exceeds 180 people. 123 subjects were selected as samples based on Cochran formula. Because, some teste's might have left a question unanswered or because of some mistakes regarding the questionnaires, 123 questionnaires were distributed, 115 of which were collected and analyzed. The samples were selected through systematic sampling. The descriptive statistics (frequencies, mean, deviations) were used for special data and inferential statistics were used for testing the hypotheses (ANOVA , T test, Bonferroni test). The main hypothesis and all of the subsidiary hypotheses were confirmed.

Managing geotechnical risk on US design-build transport projects

Awarding design-build (DB) contracts before a complete subsurface investigation is completed, makes mitigating the risk of differing site conditions difficult, if not impossible. The purpose of the study was to identify effective practices for managing geotechnical risk in DB projects, and it reports the results of a survey that included responses from 42 of 50 US state departments of transportation and a content analysis of DB requests for proposals from 26 states to gauge the client’s perspective, as well as 11 structured interviews with DB contractors to obtain the perspective from the other side of the DB contract. A suite of DB geotechnical risk manage tools is presented based on the results of the analysis. Effective practices were found in three areas: enhancing communications on geotechnical issues before final proposals are submitted; the use of project-specific differing site conditions clauses; and expediting geotechnical design reviews after award. The major finding is that contract verbiage alone is not sufficient to transfer the risk of changed site conditions. The agency must actively communicate all the geotechnical information on hand at the time of the DB procurement and develop a contract strategy that reduces/retires the risk of geotechnical uncertainty as expeditiously as possible after award.

A parking structure in Moscow

This article describes the design of a parking structure for the Golovino residential complex in Moscow as part of a design-build contract with the Krost Companies. The precast concrete structure is the first in Russia to use pretopped double tee beams, and the structure's design has undergone careful scrutiny because of its novel features. The author discusses the process of obtaining the building permit and challenges to the building process, which have included the development and consistent production of the right concrete mixture for both durability in cycles of freezing and thawing and resistance to chloride-ion intrusion. Also described are the cost savings that have resulted from choosing precast concrete pretopped double tees instead of typical cast-in-place concrete construction.

국내 토목산업의 설계-시공 균형발전 방안 도출에 관한 연구

In the recent global construction environment, EPC contracts that integrate planning, design, procurement, and construction have been widely used for industrial facilities. Similarly, as the importance of the engineering capability such as project management consulting(PMC) and front end engineering design(FEED) has been increased, design-build contracts also have been gradually adopted for infrastructure projects. Whereas, the Korean infrastructure industry has fragmentary features which mainly emphasize on the construction sector. Therefore, this study aims at developing strategies for enhancing the engineering capability and for balancing the competitiveness between engineering and construction sectors in the Korean infrastructure industry. To this end, the authors first carried out market analysis for both global and domestic market. Then, a structured survey and expert in-depth interviews were sequentially performed in order to reflect practitioners` perspectives and needs for institutional strategies. As a result, five strategies drawn from this study are as follows: 1) rearranging the government`s roles for supporting the engineering sector; 2) establishing institutional bases being compatible with global standards; 3) fostering value-added workforce for undertaking complex tasks; 4) constructing an consortium between an engineering association and general contractors; and 5) building a nationwide collaborative networks for overseas market expansion.

Special Issue on Off-Site Construction

Special Issue on Off-Site Construction

設計・施工一括発注方式のダム用選択取水設備工事への適用とその効果についての一考察

設計・施工一括発注方式のダム用選択取水設備工事への適用とその効果についての一考察

Using a design-build contract for Lean Integrated Project Delivery

Purpose: By making a distinction between design-build as a project delivery system and design-build as a contract type, I suggest that design-build contracts can be a useful vehicle for implementing Lean Integrated Project Delivery. Research Method: Experience, observations and personal insight. Findings: Not all owners are legally allowed or institutionally prepared to enter a threeparty relational contract that some consider the hallmark of Integrated Project Delivery™. Some of those owners are better suited to a design-build contract format. A design-build contract can be structured as a relational contract in order to more fully implement Lean IPD, or can be structured as a transactional contract using a traditional design-build form in which the supply chain chooses to implement Lean IPD principles without an owner mandate. Limitations: Design-build contracts do not displace the need for three-party relational contracts. Owners who have legal authority and suitable temperament may be better served by a three-party integrated agreement. Since not all owners fit that description, design-build contracts may be useful vehicles to deliver Lean IPD projects. Implications: Lean IPD can more deeply penetrate the industry if more owners are able to utilize it. Increasingly, public owners are gaining legal authority to use design-build procurement. Many private owners would have difficulty getting internal stakeholders to agree to a three-party integrated agreement, but may be able to implement Lean IPD using a design-build contract instead. Value for practitioners: Having an alternative contracting method opens up new avenues for practitioners to implement Lean IPD on projects that might not otherwise allow for it. Keywords: Lean; Integrated Project Delivery; design-build; contract type; relational contract Paper type: Forum essay

Determining the Appropriate Proportion of Owner-Provided Design in Design-Build Contracts: Content Analysis Approach

AbstractThe request for proposal (RFP) with the design-build (DB) procurement arrangement is a document in which an owner develops his requirements and conveys the project scope to DB contractors. Owners should provide an appropriate level of design in DB RFPs to adequately describe their requirements without compromising the prospects for innovation. This paper examines and compares the different levels of owner-provided design in DB RFPs by the content analysis of 84 requests for RFPs for public DB projects advertised between 2000 and 2010 with an aggregate contract value of over $5.4 billion. A statistical analysis was also conducted to explore the relationship between the proportion of owner-provided design and other project information, including project type, advertisement time, project size, contractor selection method, procurement process, and contract type. The results show that the majority (64.8%) of the RFPs provides less than 10% of the owner-provided design. The owner-provided design proport...

Assessing the Effectiveness of Road Construction Project Delivery System in Indonesia

In today's ever increasing demand for transportation services, the national road agencies are finding themselves in mounting pressure to provide reliable road transportation system. Despite efforts to improve the programming and implementation by the central and regional road agencies, the quality of national road system is constantly decreasing. For years the government of Indonesia has relied on traditional design-bid-build approach for delivery of road and highway construction and maintenance projects. This paper reports the result of study on alternative project delivery methods for road construction in Indonesia as way to improve the quality of national road system. The study is the first step toward identifying the potential application of alternative delivery method for the national road network system. The paper also summarizes the survey results from road agencies and contractor concerning the current road project delivery system as well as attempts to assess the viability of implementing design-build and performance-based contract approach.

A Framework for Guaranteed Maximum Price and Contingency Development for Integrated Delivery of Transportation Projects

This paper discusses the components of a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) and proposes a framework for the development of GMPs as contract payment provisions for construction manager-at-risk (CMR) and design-build (DB) contracts for transportation projects. The framework is the synthesis of a comprehensive literature review, a content analysis of CMR and DB solicitation documents and contracts, and case study project output from twelve projects in nine states worth $3.1 billion. The research also discusses the development of three common types of contingencies that are often utilized in projects with GMPs. The study concludes that owners should specify the structure of the GMP and its components to enhance clarity and understanding of the GMP`s composition. It recommends that this structure be included in the CMR and DB solicitation documents so that pricing proposals can be formulated in a manner that is consistent with the contract payment provisions that will be useful to practitioners that need to implement GMP-based contracts.

Green BIM: Successful Sustainable Design With Building Information Modeling by Eddy Krygiel and Bradley Nies

<i>Green BIM: Successful Sustainable Design With Building Information Modeling</i> by Eddy Krygiel and Bradley Nies

효율성 저해요인 분석을 통한 건축설계분야의 해외건설 계약단계 개선방안에 관한 연구

세계 시장에 먼저 뛰어든 건설업계에 이어 국내 설계분야 또한 최근 해외 진출이 활발해 지고 있으며, 그의 대부분은 디자인빌드(Design-Build)계약을 통해 동남아, 중동지역을 중심으로 점차 확대되고 있다. 그러나 계약단계에서 다수의 이해관계자가 존재하는 해외건설의 특수성으로 인한 업무상 많은 시행착오와 그로 인한 실패 사례도 증가하고 있는 실정이다. 이에 본 연구에서는 건설 분야의 해외진출 현황 통계 및 사례들을 통해 문제점을 제시하고, 전문가 인터뷰와 설문조사를 실시하여 건축설계분야 해외건설 계약단계의 효율성 저해요인을 분석하였다. 분설 결과를 바탕으로 마스터아키텍트제도 도입 및 내부 평가조직 구성을 통한 문제점 개선방안을 제시하였고, 이는 해외건설시장의 신규 진출 기업에게 실무적 자료로 활용 될 것으로 기대한다. Following the successful entry of Korean builders into overseas construction markets, Korean architects have also become active abroad, and have expanded their market share centered on the Southeast Asia and Middle Eastern areas through Design-Build contracts. However, there have also been However, conflict can arise among the project applicants in the contract stage due to the special characteristics of overseas construction. This sometimes leads to the failure of a project. Using statistics and case studies, this study identified problems in the overseas construction market. It analyzed inefficient factors of the architectural design contract phase in the overseas through a survey and an interview of specialists. Based on the results, this study suggested a master architect system, and some resolutions to the problems of organizing an internal evaluation system. It is expected that the results can be used as practical data for companies that want to advance into the overseas market.

Sources of Changes in Design–Build Contracts for a Governmental Owner

In recent years, many U.S. federal, state, and local governments have been authorized to use the design–build method of project delivery instead of the traditional design–bid–build method. Recent studies have not been definitive on the cost advantage of design–build for governmental owners. There are fewer change orders in design–build due to design errors because the designer (architect/engineer) and contractor are one entity, but there are other causes of change orders. Some literature suggests that changes requested by the owner of the facility are greater with the design–build method. This research examines the causes for construction-phase changes in 14 design–build and 20 design–bid–build projects. Total changes, expressed as number per contract, cost per contract, or percentage of original contract, were significantly lower in design–build. Fewer design errors in design–build accounted for this advantage. The number of owner-requested changes was significantly greater in design–build. The cost of o...