Design-Build Project Administration: Case Studies from Water Utilities in the U.S. Southwest/Pacific Region

摘要

Water utilities were traditionally required to deliver their projects using the design-bid-build (DBB) method. However, innovative and more efficient project delivery methods such as design-build (DB) are growing in use in this industry. The objective of this study is to benchmark DB project administration practices in the water industry, focusing on the U.S. Southwest/Pacific region. Structured interviews were conducted with four utilities that are experienced with successful DB delivery. One utility was selected to represent each of the four following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, and Nevada. The interview questions were organized into eight different categories: procurement, roles and responsibilities, risk and quality assurance, design, design review, cost and schedule estimates, submittal and submittal review, and communication and information flow. Findings include that all four utilities engage the design-builder before 10% of design completion. This study supports utilities interested in using DB and in identifying practices to improve their DB project performance.