Construction

Design-Build (D-B)

What is the Design-Build (D-B) Method?

Compared with the traditional Design-Bid-Build project delivery method, the D-B offers potential time and cost savings. The D-B projects combine the design and construction phases of a project into a single contract. This reduces costs without reducing quality, since construction can begin while the plans are still being developed. Since the Design-Builder is responsible for both design and construction activities, this reduces the potential for cost increases due to design errors, and/or for discrepancies between design plans and construction activities.

A D-B contract can be awarded as either "low-bid" or "best-value," which is an important advantage. While low-bid is used for most traditional contracts, best-value selection permits the consideration of additional factors, such as experience, qualifications, innovation, technical approach, quality control methods and project management. Often this can reduce costs as well as increase quality.

D-B Resources

• D-B Enabling Legislation
• D-B Sample Manuals of Instruction
• D-B Skill Sets: Essential project management knowledge required by public owners.
• D-B Procurement Strategies
• D-B Contracting:
  • Request for Proposal (RFP) templates
  • Key elements of D-B construction & services contract
• Risk Registries and Risk Allocation Guidance
• Performance Measures to Gauge D-B Success
• Post Award
  • Change Orders
  • Contract Administration
  • Quality Assurance
  • Safety
• Other Handy D-B Resources

D-B Enabling Legislation

• State of Arkansas: Act 460 of 2003; Senate Bill 305 (.pdf)
• State of California: Senate Bill (X2) 4 (.doc)
• State of California: Senate Bill No. 4: Chapter 2 (.pdf) (See also, California Transportation Commission: Policy Guidance: Project Authorizations Under the Design-Build Demonstration Program (.pdf))
• State of Connecticut: Substitute Senate Bill No. 33: Public Act 12-70
• State of Colorado: Part 14: Design-Build Contracts (page 76) (.pdf)
• State of Delaware: Act to Amend Title 29 of the Delaware Code Relating to Public Works Contracting
• State of Florida: Statute 337.025: Innovative highway projects
• State of Idaho: Title 40: Highways and Bridges; Chapter 9: Contracts - Bids; 40-904
• State of Louisiana: (Contractor looking into)
• State of Maryland/MDOT: (Contractor looking into)
• State of Minnesota: 2013 Minnesota Statutes: Chapter 161: Sections 161.3410 - 161.3428
• State of Nevada: Title 28 - Public Works and Planning; Chapter 338 - Public Works; Section 1711
• State of New York: (Contractor looking into)
• State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations: 8.11.3.3 Design-Build (.pdf)
• Tennessee DOT: Rulemaking Hearing Rules of the Tennessee DOT Construction Division: New Rules: Chapter 1680-5-4: Procedures for the Selection and Award of Design-Build Contracts (.pdf)
• State of Vermont: Design-Build Contracts
• Commonwealth of Virginia:
  • Design-Build for State and Federal Funds
  • Design-Build Authority for Local agencies
• State of Texas/DOT: (Contractor looking into)
• Washington State: Design-Build--Competitive Bidding
• Washington State: Design-Build--Qualified Projects
• State of Wisconsin/DOT: (Contractor looking into)
• State of Wyoming: 16-6-708. Design build alternative delivery method (.pdf)

D-B Sample Manuals of Instruction

• Alaska DTPF: Guidebook for Design-Build Highway Project Development (.pdf)
• Arizona DOT: Design-Build Procurement and Administration Guide (.pdf)
• Arkansas SHTD: Design-Build Guidelines and Procedures (.pdf)
• Colorado DOT: Design-Build Manual
• Louisiana DOTD: Design-Build Manual (.pdf)
• Minnesota DOT: Design-Build Manual (.pdf)
• Montana DOT: Design-Build Guidelines (.pdf)
• Nevada DOT: Pioneer Program Guidelines (.pdf)
• New York State DOT: Design-Build Procedures Manual (.pdf)
• Tennessee DOT: Design-Build Standard Guidance (.pdf)
• Virginia DOT: Design-Build Procurement Manual (.pdf)
• Washington State DOT: Guidebook for Design-Build Highway Project Development (.pdf)

D-B Skill Sets: Essential project management knowledge required by public owners

• Caltrans: Proposed Design-Build Process Flowchart (.pdf)
• Oregon DOT:
  • Design-Build Schedule Template (.pdf)
  • Decision Matrix for DB Delivery Options (.pdf)
  • Design-Build Procurement Process Flow Chart (.pdf)
  • Design-Build Low Bid Procurement Process Flow Chart (.pdf)
  • Quick Guide to Design-Build Delivery (.pdf)
  • Schedule Comparison Between Delivery Methods (.pdf)
  • Design-Build Low Bid: 15-Step Project Delivery Process Summary (.pdf) (See also, 15-Step Design-Build Low Bid: Project Delivery Procedures Flow Diagram (.pdf))
• Virginia DOT: Guidance for Locally Administered Design-Build Projects: Roles and Responsibilities (.pdf)

D-B Procurement Strategies

• Idaho DOT: Design-Build General Procurement Activities (.pdf)
• New York: The Role of Design-Build Procurement
• Virginia DOT: Design-Build Standard Template Documents (Lump Sum Agreement, General Conditions of Contract, Division I Amendments to the Standard Specifications) (.pdf)

D-B Contracting

Request for Proposal (RFP) templates

• Caltrans: Current Design-Build Advertisements (See also, Past Design-Build Advertisements)
• Colorado DOT: Current DB Project Solicitations
• Florida DOT: Design-Build RFPs (standard RFP, Maximum Price RFP, Hybrid RFP, Low bid RFP, Pushbutton RFP, Local Agency RFP)
• Maine DOT: Current DB Solicitations
• Michigan DOT: Current and Past DB Projects with all project-related documentation
• New York State DOT: LOI, RFQ, RFP templates (.pdf)
• Texas DOT: Request for Qualifications: The Dallas Horseshoe (.pdf)
• Virginia DOT:
  • Current Design-Build RFPs
  • Current Design-Build RFQs

Key elements of D-B construction & services contract

• New York State DOT: Contract Document Templates (.pdf)
• State of Ohio: Design-Build Selection Criteria (.doc)
• South Carolina DOT: Utility Involvement in South Carolina Design-Build Projects March 2005
• Washington State DOT: Design-Build Design Documentation Checklist (.xls)

Risk Registries and Risk Allocation Guidance

• Caltrans: Project Risk Management
• Washington State DOT:
  • Risk Allocation Matrix (.xls)
  • Project Risk Management (.pdf) (See also, Risk Management Plan Spreadsheet (.xls))

Performance Measures to Gauge D-B Success

• Current Design-Build Practices for Transportation Projects: A Compilation of Practices by the Transportation Design-Build Users Group June 2009
• Design-Build Contracting for Highway Projects: A Performance Assessment (.pdf) May 2005, Tom Warne and Associates, LLC
• Prerequisite for Design-Build - Considerations for Implementing Design-Build Contracts in the Federal-aid Highway Program by L. Gary Byrd
• New York State DOT: Performance Specifications (page 546)

Post Award

Change Orders

• Minnesota DOT: Design/Build Change Order Approval Process (.pdf)
• New York State DOT: Orders on Contract webpage
• Ohio DOT: Change Order Policy (See also, Standard Procedure for Processing Change Orders (.pdf) and Change Order Process Flow Chart (.pdf))
• Oregon DOT: Contract Change Orders/Force Account/Work by Public Forces (.pdf)
• Texas DOT: Construction and Materials Tips (Change Orders) (.pdf)

Contract Administration

• Minnesota DOT: Contract Administration webpage (See also, Contract Administration Manual (.pdf))
• Mississippi DOT: Contract Administration webpage
• Ohio DOT: Contract Administration webpage
• West Virginia DOT: Contract Administration webpage

Quality Assurance

• FHWA: Construction Quality Assurance for Design-Build Highway Projects
• Louisiana DOTD: Construction Program for Design-Build Projects (.pdf)
• NCHRP: Guidelines for Optimizing the Risk and Cost of Materials QA Programs
• New York State DOT: DB Construction Quality Control/ (page 422) (.pdf)
• Texas DOT: Design-Build Program (.pdf)
• Virginia DOT: Minimum Requirements for and Quality Control on Design-Build and Public-Private Transportation Act Projects (.pdf)
• Washington State DOT:
  • Design-Build Guidance Statement: Design Quality Control, and Quality Verification on Design-Build Projects
  • Independent Assurance (IA) for Design-Build Projects (.pdf)

Safety

• FHWA: Design-Build Projects and Work Zone Safety and Mobility
• North Carolina DOT: Safety Manuals

Other Handy D-B Resources

• FHWA:
  • Design-Build Effectiveness Study - Report to Congress required by TEA-21, Section 1307(f)
  • Design-Build Procurement - Federal-aid LPA Essentials video
  • EDC-2 Webinars
    • Design Build Model Overview 10/16/2014
    • Design-Build Project Selection Process 11/06/2014
    • Design Build Project Set 11/13/2014
    • Design Build Team Procurement 11/20/2014
  • Oversight of Design – Build Projects
  • P3 – Special Experimental Project No. 15 (SEP-15)
  • Right-of-Way Design/Build
• FHWA EDC D-B Fact Sheet (.pdf)
• "Innovative Project Delivery Methods for Infrastructure An International Perspective" Finnish Road Enterprise (.pdf)
• Alaska DOT & PF: Design-Build
• Arizona DOT: Stipulated Fee Letter (.pdf)
• California Transportation Commission:
  • Guidelines for Organizational Conflict of Interest Policy for the Design-Build Demonstration Program (.pdf)
  • Standard Form of Payment and Performance Bond (.pdf)
• Colorado DOT:
  • Innovative Contracting (Design-Build and CM/GC) 
  • 120th Avenue Connection - Lessons Learned Meeting Minutes (Design-Build)
  • US 285 Design-Build Project Lessons Learned
• Florida DOT: Design-Build Program Evaluation (November 2004) (.pdf)
• Idaho DOT: Innovative Contracting 
• Illinois DOT: 2002 Survey on the Current Use of Design-Build by SAIC for Illinois DOT
• Nebraska DOT: Accelerated Project Delivery Methods 
• New York State DOT: SOQ Evaluation and Selection Templates (.pdf)
• Oregon DOT: Design-Build Project links
• South Carolina DOT: Design-Build Project Development and Procurement Best Practices (.pdf)
• Virginia DOT: Design-Build Evaluation Guidelines (.pdf)
• AASHTO: Modification and Amendment of Environmental Permits on Design-Build Projects (.pdf)
• NCHRP:
  • Synthesis No. 429: "Geotechnical Information Practices in Design-Build Projects" (.pdf)
  • Liability of Design-Builders for Design, Construction, and Acquisition Claims
• TRB:
  • Current Practices to Set and Monitor DBE Goals on Design-Build Projects and Other Alternative Project Delivery Methods
  • November 2015 Webinar
  • Design-Build Highway Projects: A Review of Practices and Experiences, Phase I Report