Preparing an Owner Organization to Perform Design-Build - Design-Build for Water and Wastewater Projects - page 63

14. Limit the number of pages for design-builder's SOQs and/or proposals. Consider
providing standard forms where practical. This can make review of proposals
much easier for the owner's selection committee.
15. Always provide a sample or draft DB contract with the RFQ, so design-builders
can evaluate and properly assign contract risks with their teaming partners and
provide the contract to their surety to obtain support for bonding.
16. Consider paying stipends to the unsuccessful short-listed DB teams when there
is significant design development required for the technical proposal, especially
when the owner can benefit from obtaining the rights to the intellectual property
contained in the proposals.
17. Develop a collaborative, partnering approach with the selected design-builder.
When selection is based on qualifications and/or the best value, it provides more
potential to establish a trusting and partnering relationship.
18. When developing the contract, balance liquidated damages with incentives or
bonuses when the owner can obtain a significant benefit from early completion
or higher quality.
19. Clearly and thoroughly document contract negotiations and conform the con-
tract documents with all responses during the RFP phase of the project. This
prevents disagreements at a later date over what was agreed to between parties.
20. Thoroughly prepare the owner selection committee for evaluating propos-
als to select a DB team. They should understand their time commitment, the
owner-provided technical support and logistics, and, most importantly, the RFP
requirements, including the technical requirements. It is sometimes beneficial
to include a neighboring agency person who is familiar with DB in the owner's
selection committee.
21. Provide training for owner staff in the DB process, contract terms and condi-
tions, and project procedures to be used for the specific project.
CHARACTERISTICS FOR SUCCESSFUL
DESIGN-BUILD PROJECTS
After more than a decade of DB being performed in the public sector in every state in the
United States, and many projects in Canada, there is now significant experience with this
delivery approach. With this experience, the owner's organizational and project charac-
teristics that contribute to the success or failure have become evident. Some of the factors
that are common to successful DB projects are listed below.
• Owner leadership was determined, positive, clear, and consistent.
• The selected DB procurement process or selection method was clearly defined
and understood, and perceived as fair and transparent by all stakeholders.
• The procurement schedule provided adequate time for competitors to respond
with high quality proposals.
• The DB contract incorporated a fair and clearly defined risk allocation.
• The owner's budget and schedule were adequate for the project as defined.