Engineering Inc. - May/June 2003 - 19

Work in Progress more flexibility to both team and its profitability. We t
h e designer and con- h a v e to design to minimum D e s i g n - b u i l d
's shortcomings s t r u c t o r, Luca says. standards, of course, but there
c a n n o t be resolved overnight, We plan to have the may be any number of
ways to but there are indications that the m a s t e r template com- meet
them, not all of which pro- e n v i ro n m e n t is improving for plete
this summer and v i d e the level of quality and engineering companies. On
the apply it to the F.Y. 2005 value the owner received in the f e d e r a l
level, ACEC and the construction program. past. Design Professionals
Coalition The Corps is taking a DeYoung adds that unlike the are working
on legislation that similar approach, devel- largest engineering companies
w i l l standardize design-build o p i n g standard templates by w i t h
design and construction will find itself engaged in a proj- p r o c e d u
r e s across all federal facility type. We've discussed arms, most design
firms don't e c t that involves a delivery agencies. s t a n d a r d i z i
n g the approaches have the luxury of gambling to method other than
design-bid- The legislation, called the w i t h NAVFAC in the past, get a
job so they must be subor- b u i l d . For that reason, it I n f r a s t r
u c t u r e Delivery, Effi- Gr a m m e r says. And we may d i n a t e to a
contractor who behooves engineers to become ciency, and Accountability Act
look at it again down the road. does. s t u d e n t s of design-build and
of 2003 IDEA , seeks to elimi- Welcome news for engineering Part of the
reason is the deliv- other project delivery methods. n a t e
inconsistencies that have companies also comes from the ery method's
economics. When A good place to start, Ander- limited opportunities for
many s o n says, is ACEC's Multiple Fe d e r a l Highway Administra- p r o
j e c t awards are based on e n g i n e e r i n g firms for a long Project
Delivery Systems guide- tion's recently announced rule p r i c e , the
design-build team's t i m e to participate in federal book. The data and
case histo- g i v i n g state highway agencies paramount objective is to
pre- design-build projects. ries are extremely relevant to the more
flexibility to use design- s e r v e profit. That requires a Current
federal procurement issues and problems design firms build for federally
funded proj- perspective that is more preva- p o l i c i e s focus on
design-bid- are encountering, he says. e c t s . The rule provides that
lent in the contracting industry, b u i l d , leaving each agency to
Similarly, Loulakis advises design-build decisions should be A n d e r s o
n says. Engineering e s t a b l i s h its own processes to e n g i n e e r
s to study up. The based on value, and that the pre- determine when not
processes, case law, standards of liminary design must fully iden- t o use
design-bid- performance, and responsibilities tify risks and who is best
quali- build and, if design- a r e very different, he says. f i e d to
manage the project build is used, how it Consider any and all potential
regardless of size, says Jim Hor- should be procured, d o w n s i d e s ,
and determine in rocks, an ACEC Transportation s a y s Tim Psomas, a d v a
n c e how you will handle Committee member. There also chairman of ACEC's
problems. is flexibility for the design firm Pr o c u re m e n t Advo-
Loulakis also points to to lead the design-build team. cacy Committee. A
Tim Psomas, Bill Mielke, another essential step. Be sure Ho r ro c k s
admits that while u n i f o r m procure- chairman of ACEC's m e n t
process using co-owner you can work with the contrac- the rule is not
perfect i.e., no Procurement Ruekert & Mielke tor, he advises, and make
sure mandate for professional engi- Q u a l i f i c a t i o n s - Ba s e d
Advocacy both of you agree on responsi- neers to oversee design, concerns S
e l e c t i o n is im- Committee bilities and expectations. w i t h
warranty, and guarantee p o r t a n t to ACEC DeYoung couldn't agree more.
requirements , it is nevertheless m e m b e r s who pur- I n d e e d , he
credits DJG's firms don't work that way. As a s u e w o r k from the
federal a step in the right direction for remarkable 90 percent success r
e s u l t , we are dealt a smaller government. engineering firms. These
defi- rate in design-build pursuits to h a n d , with some disciplines
ciencies can still be addressed at A handful of federal agencies its
relationship with the contrac- s u c h as mechanical/electrical/ are
already taking steps to elimi- t h e state level, he adds. We tor.
Personalities and trust are plumbing considered little more nate their own
internal inconsis- need to bring them to the atten- everything, he says.
You need than a commodity. tion of their respective depart- t e n c i e s
. NAVFAC will soon W h a t 's more, DeYoung release its Design-Build
Master to find someone with an organi- ments of transportation. a d d s ,
the responsibility of Template to provide for a sim- z a t i o n and
character you can Looking Forward p re p a r i n g a partial design for
pler, more consistent process in count on. Otherwise, you will bidding
also works against the t h e agency's engineering field rarely be
successful. Design-build may never achieve d e s i g n e r. If the team is
not d i v i s i o n s . We want design- Remember, DeYoung adds, the
pervasiveness its most ardent selected, the engineer has essen- build
procurements to be more this relationship of trust works advocates
envision. But, at some tially provided free design work. p e r f o r m a n
c e - b a s e d and give both ways. p o i n t , every engineering firm l
June 2003 ENGINEERING INC. 1 9 May
Engineering Inc. - May/June 2003

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