TRIPLE DESIGN/CONTRACT-BUILD CAN DELIVER HIGH-QUALITY CONSTRUCTION IN A COLLABORATIVE AND OFTEN COST-SAVING SETTING. W hat do you get when you put an owner, a designer and a contractor together as a team near the beginning of a project? You get design/contract-build not to mention high-quality work, usually done quicker and at a reasonable price. Design/contract-build, an innovative delivery method now being applied to more public-sector projects, allows owners to select a designer using quali- fications-based selection QBS and a contractor using best-value-type proce- dures. The owner holds independent contracts with both parties. And the contractor is brought in early often when the design is only partially com- plete to work collaboratively with the designer on the final design. The con- CHARLES O'REAR / CORBIS tractor gives the owner a firm price to construct the project, usually after the design is finalized. 1 8 ENGINEERING INC. S e p t e m b e r l October 2003