Engaging a DB Consultant for Design-Build Projects - Design-Build for Water and Wastewater Projects - page 128

Owner's Evaluation of In-House Resources
As owners prepare for a DB project and evaluate the need for a DB consultant, they
should assess their organization's core competencies, attributes, and available time and
other resources. This includes an assessment of the organization's
• Willingness and commitment to change
• Capability to be a “learning” organization
• Understanding of the value of relevant experience
• Openness to address and manage project risk
• Ability to perform by being goal-oriented
Many of these characteristics focus on the owner's ability to embrace change from the
“tried-and-true“ policies, processes, and procedures of traditional DBB to those of DB.
Without a commitment to change and an appreciation for the value proposition presented
by DB, it is difficult to get staff and multiple departments to make the changes that are
necessary. Having a culture of openness to address and manage project risk is also related
to an ability to change. Assessment of the project's risks, consideration of and selection
of appropriate risk mitigation measures, and establishing these risk allocations clearly in
the procurement documents are essential to defining the project adequately and getting
comparable DB pricing from proposers.
The ability to perform by being goal-oriented is beneficial to implementing DB because
there should be an acknowledged set of reasons for using DB for a project. There should
be objectives that are identifiable and tangible with clear goals for the project. Chapter 8
describes goal setting during the planning and procurement phases of a DB project.
Owners need to honestly assess the experience level of key staff of the project team.
Some owner organizations strive to perform any type of project work with their own staff,
regardless of the experience level of that staff. While this approach can work, it often results
in less than optimal performance. Having staff with DB planning experience, procurement,
and project execution will improve the implementation and management of a DB project.
Owners need to identify what skills and attributes are needed for the owner's project team,
and if they are not available with existing staff, an outside DB consultant is recommended.
It is important to recognize the diverse skill-set that is needed by the owner's project
manager. This person must work with each aspect of the project, including policy, manage-
ment, legal (i.e., contracts), procurement, engineering, operations, and public information.
The required skill-set of the owner's DB project manager is as follows:
• Communicates well
• Willing to challenge the status quo
• Can “tunnel” through bureaucratic inertia
• Clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of DB
• Clear understanding of the owner's business and technical project objectives
• Understands risk assessment, risk management, and contractual methods for risk
allocation
• Knowledge of the development and use of performance specifications
• Knowledge of the key differences in management and implementation of a DB
project