News
DBIA-UM in the News
Members of DBIA-UM have written articles for the Minnesota publication Finance and Commerce with the intent to educate the public about the importance of design-build. Please contact the DBIA-UM Office if you're interested in writing an article. Click on the links below to view DBIA-UM articles from this publication, and other news about our Region:
July 27, 2010: Getting It Right -- The First Step Is Training
by Tom Hannasch
A number of the articles we have written have addressed the progress made in establishing design-build as a viable alternative to design-bid-build for public sector work.
The desire is for public entities to obtain best value. In some cases, design-bid-build is very appropriate. As a taxpayer, I want to be certain that design-build can be used on those projects where it makes the most sense.
So how do we determine which approach would be best? We could say that the more complex the project and the tighter the schedule, the more design-build is likely to be the best approach. But it’s not as simple as that.
For that reason, the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) has published a position statement on best-value selection. In the statement, the DBIA stresses that the basis for evaluation “be clearly articulated by the owner in the requests for proposals and in making the award.”
That transparency is what every proposing firm and each public entity are seeking. Transparency builds trust, and trust is what design-build should be all about.
So how do we guarantee that the public sector is indeed getting best value with design-build? Perhaps the best approach is to ensure that owners are trained in the design-build process.
The DBIA offers a number of training programs, including certification as a design-build professional. The Upper Midwest Region of DBIA is planning its training programs for 2011. One of the tentatively scheduled training courses, called “Super-Charged Source Selection,” aims to help owners develop effective requests for proposal, evaluation and award processes.
The goals are to train owners to be able to identify key contractor qualification elements, the steps involved in a two-phase selection process, the method to select an effective evaluation team, the determination and weighting of evaluation factors, and the scoring and award process.
Training is the first step toward successful project delivery, to getting it done right. We encourage public- and private-sector owners alike to take advantage of this training. Together, we’ll ensure design-build delivers the best value.