Effective implementation of the design-build delivery system on transportation projects

Abstract

The use of design-build project delivery systems today is popular for delivering commercial, industrial, and institutional construction projects and is increasingly used on transportation projects. While some states have used design-build to deliver transportation projects for over a decade, others have little to no experience with this method and have not yet established any legislation to use design-build. Design-build has been shown to shorten the duration of a project as compared to the design-bid-build traditional delivery method, together with increasing cost certainty and without sacrificing quality. While these benefits make design-build a very attractive delivery system, its implementation is not always as easy. This report combines the knowledge from existing literature as well as Departments of Transportation (DOTs) from around the United States familiar with design-build to form an overview of the entire implementation process including: passing legislation, choosing appropriate projects, overcoming the barriers specific to design-build, selecting the best design-build team, and conditions for successful implementation. By being aware of the barriers to implementing design-build and how to best deal with them, DOTs can use this delivery method effectively, taking advantage of its benefits.