Last Thursday, the Washington Department of Transportation signed a $1.35 billion contract with Seattle Tunnel Partners to design and construct a tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct near Seattle’s waterfront.  Seattle Tunnel Partners – a joint venture between Dragados USA and Tutor Perini Corporation – was identified last month as the best value proposer. An engineering [...]

Touting the speed offered by design-build (MDOT reached the construction phase 8 months earlier than it would have with design-bid-build), MDOT will start a new Stimulus Fund design-build projects April 12.  http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192-29907-234692–,00.html

Public design-build competitions are nothing like competitive bidding.  They require teams to compete based on qualifications, technical expertise, and price (not just price alone).   Here are six rules to remember during your next competition: 1.  Form the best team.  The public owner will begin by “short-listing” the most qualified teams.  It will consider the teams’ prior performance, [...]

Many of you know that the American Institute of Architects (AIA) published what it calls Integrated Project Delivery research papers and model contracts (see link at the right of this page).  There is some ambiguity in AIA’s conclusions for the ideal delivery method for executing IPD projects.  AIA’s research focuses on delivering integrates services (without [...]

Illinois may join the growing number of states looking to alternative contracting arrangements (and variations on design-build contracting) to build the country’s largest and most complex infrastucture projects – http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/2113693,high-speed-rail-illinois-032010.article.  The Illinois Senate passed a bill creating a Commission to ”[p]repare and issue a report to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the public recommending the best governmental structure for [...]