Status of Design-Build in the US Water and Wastewater Sectors - Design-Build for Water and Wastewater Projects - page 31

Design-build-operate (DBO); see also chapter 26) is making some headway, especially
in the northeastern states. DBO is a delivery method in which a single entity assumes
responsibility for design, construction, and subsequent operation. Prior to 2008, industry
observers could point to one or two DBO projects per year for water and wastewater proj-
ects in the United States. Now five or more are being advertised per year. For example,
five DBOs had sales value of $147 million for the DB portion in 2008, $152 billion in 2009,
and $394 billion in 2010 (WDBC 2008).
The federal segment of the business was the strongest public water DB growth segment
from 2008 to 2010, partially as a result of the recent recession and slowing in the munic-
ipal business, and also due to the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC), which
includes the expansion of certain bases and infrastructure upgrades. Most of this work
is contracted through the Army Corps of Engineers, since 2005, and uses DB whenever
possible.
REFERENCES
Farkas Berkowitz & Company. 2008. Internal research market report.
R. W. Beck Inc. 2009. Alternative Project Delivery Survey of Water and Wastewater Utili-
ties: How Owners Are Doing More with Less. Framingham, Mass.: R. W. Beck.
University of New Mexico, University of Colorado, and Iowa State University. 2009. “Inde-
pendent Comparative Evaluation of Design-Build v. Conventional Design-Bid-Build
Project Delivery for Municipal Water and Wastewater Facilities.” September. Washing-
ton, D.C.: Water Design-Build Council.
Water Design-Build Council (WDBC). 2010. Survey of Municipal Clients for Design-Build
of Water and Wastewater Systems. Washington, D.C.: Water Design-Build Council,
www.waterdesignbuild.org. September.