Alternative Project Delivery Selection Framework

The water and wastewater industry is increasingly delivering capital projects with a variety of “alternative project delivery” methods that, depending on the project, can provide advantages over the traditional method of design-bid-build (DBB). Potential advantages over DBB include more involvement of the contractor during project design, greater opportunities to encourage innovation and collaboration, and better allocation of project risks. After identifying which delivery methods are permissible by applicable law, a number of factors should be considered when selecting the most appropriate project delivery method for a particular project. This manuscript describes an evaluation framework, similar to one adopted by the City of San Jose, for analyzing specific project characteristics in order to determine the most appropriate project delivery method. Delivery methods considered by the framework include design- bid-build, low-bid design-build, progressive design-build, design-build-operate, and construction management at risk. The evaluation parameters include project size, project complexity, design performance risk, design control by owner, optimizing quality and costs, and project schedule.