Understanding Risk in Design-Build Schedules

摘要

From 2013 to 2017, the value of design-build construction put in place within the United States grew nearly 43%. The dollars projected to be spent in this market through 2021 is expected to grow another 26%, reaching approximately $324B. [1] The design-build delivery method presents additional challenges to the development and management of a project schedule. Detailed scope is under development for the first phase of the project and as more information becomes available, design and construction operation plans change. Unlike a schedule for a traditional design-bid-build project, a design-build schedule can be extremely volatile in its early stages. This paper highlights the added variables to schedule management present in the design-build delivery method and evaluates the inherent schedule risks during each phase of a design-build project. The authors provide insights to both design-builders and owners to better understand how schedule risk evolves through each design-build phase based on the authors' experiences with the design-build delivery method in public transportation projects.