The History of Design-Build - Design-Build for Water and Wastewater Projects - page 2

management at risk (CMAR) is gaining in popularity as a way to include qualifications as
a selection criterion for the contractor, instead of a low-bid selection. CMAR still main-
tains two separate contracts for the project (i.e., one for the contractor and one for the
designer) but is viewed as a delivery approach that incorporates some principles of DB
into the project structure.
THE HISTORY OF DESIGN-BUILD
The history of DB is a fascinating tale that chronicles its rise, its fall, and its ultimate re-
emergence as a leading methodology for design and construction delivery. Moreover, the
history teaches a number of critical lessons about DB and, indeed, about the design and
construction industry as a whole. Among them are the critical roles of motivation and
incentives, law, and the effects of inertia on human thinking.
The Pyramids: Motivation
The pyramids were extraordinary DB projects. The first pyramid-like project was built in
the Egyptian Third Dynasty by a design-builder named Imhotep for the Pharaoh Djoser.
Built in the City of the Dead, the pyramid looked like six stacked boxes, with each higher
box slightly smaller than the one below. The result was a step pyramidal structure that
was about 200 ft tall.
The Egyptian Fourth Dynasty built the first smooth-sided, stone-clad, “traditional”
pyramid. After several attempts and one unfortunate Bent Pyramid, which had its angles
changed in mid-construction, Fourth-Dynasty builders finally succeeded with the most
dramatic pyramid, the Great Pyramid built for Pharaoh Khufu. His son Khafre built the
slightly smaller Second Pyramid shortly thereafter.
Although the technical aspects of pyramid design and construction are interesting, it
is the manner in which people harnessed their design and construction capabilities toward
achieving the pharaoh's objectives that is relevant to the current DB industry. Modern DB
is so successful because it enables people to work in a collaborative environment, which
makes them more productive. Having the ability to work collaboratively, however, is not
the same as actually doing it. Inherent in the DB process is the opportunity to influence
the motivation of the participants. Motivators can be positive or negative.
For Fourth-Dynasty pharaohs, negative motivation prevailed. The extent of the
enslavement and cruelty was so great that Egypt was described as being reduced to a
“truly awful condition” with almost everyone being harnessed to build the pyramids. The
construction of the Great and Second Pyramids tested the limits to which people can
be motivated through the use of negative incentives. When Khafre died, his son Men-
kaure inherited a population ready to revolt and, despite his status as a living god, the
people refused to continue building extravagant pyramids. There were ultimately more
than thirty dynasties that reigned over ancient Egypt, but after the Fourth Dynasty, there
were no more great pyramids.
If ancient negative motivational techniques such as threats, torture, and death failed
to provide long-term motivation, their pale modern counterparts such as penalties, liq-
uidated damages, or deductive assessments may likewise temporarily spur performance,
but are ultimately less effective than positive motivators that provide rewards for good