Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
17
Options for Evaluating
Design-Builder Proposals
Susan M. Bogus, PhD, PE, University of New Mexico, and
Keith R. Molenaar, PhD, DBIA, University of Colorado—Boulder
INTRODUCTION
The selection of the design-builder can be the key to a successful project delivery, and
because most water and wastewater projects are public works, the selection process must
be fair and transparent. Under the DB delivery method, the owner selects one team to
complete both the design and construction of the project. When using traditional project
delivery, public sector owners select separate design and construction firms. For these
projects, the selection process is well established: design firms are typically selected based
on qualifications, and construction firms are selected using price via sealed bids. The fun-
damental challenge of design-builder selection is the need to balance or combine these
two vastly different selection approaches (i.e., qualifications versus sealed bids) for public
owners. For some owners, design-builder selection may be constrained by state or local
procurement laws, which may dictate a specific method for selecting teams (e.g., low-bid
procurement).
No single procurement method works for all projects. Unique goals and characteris-
tics of the project, as well as traits of the owner and market, dictate the appropriate pro-
curement method for each project. This chapter introduces a broad range of topics related
to selecting the design-builder, including
• Defining the procurement spectrum
• Evaluation criteria
• Evaluation rating systems
• Award algorithms
In this chapter, the discussion of evaluation criteria, rating systems, and award algo-
rithms focuses on those that would be used for best-value selection (BVS) projects (i.e.,
those that incorporate both cost and other criteria in the selection process). For QBS,
owners can review the information for the evaluation criteria, rating systems, and award
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