The transportation construction world continues to learn lessons about risk and relationships in design-build. With an unprecedented amount of federal aid anticipated for highway, bridge and transit projects, it is also starting to move further toward progressive design-build (PDB).

“渐进设计建设是运输方面的新事物，”高级建筑替代交付总监戴夫·纳尔顿（Dave Nardon）说。“就在几年前，如果您问二十个人是什么进步的设计构建，那么您会得到30个答案。不是[建筑经理总承包商]或设计建造。”

Nardon, speaking at the Design-Build Institute of America’s annual transportation/aviation conference held in Orlando April 6 to 8, noted that in PDB, the two-phased selection process becomes qualifications-based and requires the engineer, contractor and owner to act as one team. The method is best for “schedule-driven, complex, phased construction,” he noted.

Kathryn Weisner, construction and contractor administration engineer for the Federal Highway Administration’s Resource Center, said that recent PDB projects in Utah and Maryland were state-funded, but now states are considering the delivery method for federally-funded projects and are reaching out to the FHWA for help.

But potential PDB teams should “be prepared with the manpower, time, and patience needed in changing processes,” she added. “We saw some design-build trends that were not good,” such as an owner trying to shift all risks onto the team or having a high price component for bid submittals along with the qualifications requirement. “We’re hoping to see that shake out better,” she said of these situations. “Owners are seeing now how contractors will price the risk passed on to them. In some cases, the states have said they will take the risks back. With progressive design-build, they don’t just pass on the risks and walk away.”

犹他州运输部的工程经理迈克尔·罗梅罗（Michael Romero）表示，乌托特（Udot）的3.85亿美元美国89次加宽工作，与PDB完成，从开发开始到建设开始仅14个月，与传统的设计建设相比节省了大约四个月。他说，通常乌托特及其顾问会创建一个基线和文件来捐赠给承包商，“现在没有任意设计”“承包商不会使用”。取而代之的是，承包团队参与了范围和设计，并使用独立的成本估算器来调和任何差异。

While PDB can maximize transparency and creativity from the PDB team, it can be daunting at first, said Geoff Neumayr, chief development officer with San Francisco International Airport, which has utilized alternative project delivery for 16 years on billions of dollars’ worth of projects. “When you start with a blank sheet of paper, it makes people uncomfortable,” he said. But working through that discomfort can build trust and social engagement, he added.

坦帕的希尔斯伯勒县航空管理局项目主任杰夫·西德尔（Jeff Siddle）表示，该机构已经使用PDB已有23年了，“几乎没有任何诉讼。”他说，关键是所有者必须合理和公平。

Neumayr说，所有者的代表还必须将目标从“保护所有者”转变为“成为PDB团队的拥护者”。韦斯纳（Weisner）唤起了电影《冰雪奇缘》（The Movie）的“ Let It Go”歌曲，建议业主在开处方对项目的偏好和他们真正希望项目结果的区分之间进行区分。而不是关注所需的车道宽度或要使用的材料类型，“所需的最终结果是什么？”她说。

Contractors’ Input

In another session at DBIA, contractors spoke candidly about what they would like to see in design-build jobs. “Standards of care and limits of liability are the biggest players,” said David Pupkiewicz, senior director of business development for Archer Western Construction, a division of Walsh Group. Owners should be more communicative regarding why they might shift risks onto the team, and design partners might take on more quantity risk.

He added that some states like Florida have a risk register in place early in the procurement phase. “What risks do we see—or that the owner thinks we see?” he said. “Owners need to share more information … we will keep that information confidential.”

Branch Civil的副总裁Jason Hoyle表示，劳利（Wryly）希望承包商希望他们可以向业主索取设计建设资格。他指出，所有者的顾问经常用评论淹没一套计划，最好“尽早进行这些对话”。

He also noted the balance between doing many things early on versus the potential to utilize innovative ideas. “Do we potentially squelch innovation by doing things upfront? It’s a trade-off.”