Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
PROVIDE ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP
AND SUPPORT
Owners need to display strong leadership whenever there is the need for change. This
leadership can come from governance and top management, such as the board of direc-
tors, general manager, or director of engineering, as well as champions within the man-
agement team. Leadership must be legitimate, vocal, and continuous. Leadership must
express expectations and support for the owner's project manager and team, and make
it known that their efforts are important to the organization's mission. Leadership must
take the initiative to inform and educate other stakeholders who will be instrumental in
developing and supporting new DB processes and procedures. Departments within the
owner's organization must receive orientation and direction on the ways that DB project
delivery will affect department roles and responsibilities.
PROACTIVELY EDUCATE, INFORM, AND
COMMUNICATE WITH ALL STAKEHOLDERS
Water and wastewater projects often entail a large number and variety of stakeholders,
including public residents, regulatory permitting agencies, municipalities, the water or
wastewater utility, other public agencies, and private sector companies. Because DB is
a relatively new delivery approach, all stakeholders must be informed in advance of the
potential benefits of DB and the unique aspects of its procurement and selection proce-
dures. For a specific project, stakeholders need to clearly understand the project objec-
tives as well as the scope of work, performance requirements, project schedule, estimated
cost, and the expected beneficial outcomes to stakeholders and the community.
A project will likely be more successful if, at a very early stage, the stakeholders
understand the project, when and how the procurement process will be conducted, and
the roles and responsibilities of all parties. A proactive, comprehensive communications
outreach program is essential during the planning, procurement, and execution of any
DB project.
SELECT THE RIGHT PROJECTS
Any project can be built using DB, but the potential benefits of DB are not the same for
all projects. Some organizations believe DB is best suited for projects on green-field sites
because the site conditions and interfaces can be better characterized and defined. Other
organizations have learned that complex projects, such as existing plant expansions, reha-
bilitation, and upgrades, are particularly well suited for DB because the collaboration
between designers and constructors allows for better problem solving.
If allowed under the prevailing legislation, some projects may be good candidates
for using qualifications-based selection or progressive design-build. In this approach,
the owner and selected design-builder develop jointly the scope, price, and schedule for
the project. This approach facilitates an accelerated schedule with optimal allocation
of risk, which tends to reduce the overall project risks. This approach may also better
address certain critical issues that require early collaboration between the owner and
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