Permitting and Regulatory Approvals - Design-Build for Water and Wastewater Projects - page 274

challenges should be anticipated and contingency plans made so that one misstep or delay
does not adversely impact the entire project schedule. For example, for a water treatment
project that used a decarbonator that required an air discharge permit, a contingency plan
of temporary chemical addition in lieu of the decarbonator was planned for in case the air
permit was delayed.
The completion of the project customarily marks the end of the role of the design-
builder in the permitting process, yet regulatory requirements remain for the owner. To
ease this transition, the design-builder must develop startup and commissioning plans for
the owner. These include commissioning and performance testing plans, operations and
maintenance manuals, and an operations plan. Though the permitting and regulatory
process becomes the owner's responsibility after the project is built, the DB team will
often provide the owner with a complete guide to operate the facility and continue to meet
the requirements.
SUMMARY
As set forth in the DBIA Manual of Practice (DBIA 2008), integrating water and wastewa-
ter permitting and regulatory approvals into the DB process requires collaboration in the
early stages of the project, but it is essential for avoiding delays or changes to construction.
With thorough preparation, risk analysis, and communication, a project team can make
the regulatory process part of that successful DB partnership rather than an unforeseen
challenge.
REFERENCES
Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA). 2008. Design-Build Manual of Practice. Wash-
ington, D.C.: Design-Build Institute of America, www.dbia.org.
DBIA. 2011. What Is Design-Build? Accessed July 28, 2011. http://www.dbia.org/about/
designbuild.
Mortenson Construction. 2010. The State of Design-Build. http://www.dbia.org/NR/
rdonlyres/0ADA1EF4-586D-456F-80B1-1306AB507CBF/0/2010stateofdesignbuild.
pdf . Accessed Dec., Sept. 12, 2011.
Water Design-Build Council (WDBC). 2010. The Municipal Water and Wastewater Design-
Build Handbook, 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: Water Design-Build Council.
Worth, R., K. Miller, S. Handley, C. Lopez del Puerto, and D. D. Gransberg. 2009. Design-
Build Services: A Marketing and Business Development Handbook. Vista, Calif.: BNI
Publications.