Experience the Benefits of Design-Build

Experience the Benefits of
Design-Build

Clean, safe and reliable water should be a given for all communities. As water sources become more strained, municipalities and industry alike need new ways to make water and wastewater systems more resilient and fix aging or failing infrastructure quickly and affordably before a catastrophic event occurs. Using design-build helps achieve higher-quality results in less time.

Why Design-Build?

Your plant is one of your most important assets, so give it the treatment it deserves. Design-build is a project delivery approach in which an owner contracts the design and construction teams under a single contract from the earliest stages of the project, reducing cost and producing higher-quality results in less time. It also facilitates a higher collaboration among project stakeholders to turn the owner’s vision into reality.

Early Cost Certainty

Design-build allows a firm project price to be established early that reduces owner risk and manages market volatility. With design-build comes a transparent fixed price, or guaranteed maximum price (GMP), typically at the 30% to 60% percent design stage. This allows teams to tailor the project scope to meet client budget and schedule expectations. This form of delivery also provides upfront information for the owner, enabling confident and informed decisions regarding budgeting, project financing, and public education on potential cost and rate impacts. According to the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), change orders and disputes are rare as well.

Speed to Market

Construction can begin earlier, which reduces the overall schedule and streamlines the path for regulatory compliance. Nationwide, communities face stricter compliance regulations and must act quickly to update infrastructure and avoid penalties. By engaging an integrated team of designers, builders and regulatory specialists, owners can understand requirements and define project costs earlier in the process.

Enhanced Collaboration and Communication

Leverage the know-how of builders and designers from the start for consistency between design and construction, reducing risk of change orders or constructability hang-ups. Sometimes construction means modifying an existing facility, which can create unique challenges, including maneuvering equipment in tight spaces and keeping facilities safely running during construction.

Construction at Existing Facilities

Sometimes construction means modifying an existing facility, which can create unique challenges, including maneuvering equipment in tight spaces and keeping facilities safely running during construction. Having a highly skilled and experienced design-build team is particularly important for outdated systems where projects need to be built around existing operations. A specialized and cohesive team that knows how to sequence and execute projects so that facilities stay online during construction reduces risks, saves time and money, and improves project efficiency.

Ron Coker, PE

Senior Vice President, Water Group, Burns & McDonnell

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Ron Coker, PE

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