Contractual practices on the Downriver Regional Storage and Transport System for Wayne County, Michigan

摘要

In 1987, a federal court mandate was issued to 13 suburban Detroit communities under the direction of the US Environmental Protection Agency. The mandate required compliance with the Clean Water Act and elimination of wastewater discharges into the Detroit River and its tributaries by October 1, 2001. To facilitate timely construction to meet the consent decree schedule and control costs for this multi-phased construction project, the following innovative contracting practices were implemented: 1. Partnering agreements between the owner, contractor, engineer, and other public entities. 2. Bid items allowances and construction contingencies. 3. An alternative dispute resolution procedure that incorporates geotechnical baseline reports for the main tunnel contracts and escrow bid documents. 4. Value Engineering (VE) incentive clauses, which encourages innovative modifications by the contractor. The paper will discuss how each of the above features has contributed to the success of this project.