WCDA Blog Archives - Water Collaborative Delivery Association

Best Practices for Owners Making Collaborative Delivery and Procurement Decisions

by Joe Wingerter, Vice President, Kiewit Infrastructure Group

Last month in working with a client to prepare for a collaborative delivery project, they asked some interesting questions about how they can achieve a successful project with more certainty and predictability. This was not the first time this topic has been raised. Others have also expressed a desire for guidance. The good news is that across the board we are definitely seeing a significant increase in successful client/contractor experiences that result from working in a collaborative and transparent environment. The guidance provided below is part of the discussion that occurred on actions needed to achieve a successful project.

How to Solve Project Budget Challenges

by Erik L. Anderson, PE, Assoc. DBIA, Director of Collaborative Delivery | Wharton-Smith

Has anyone been left scratching your head wondering, “Why is my project over budget? What could I have done better to align project budget and cost?”

Transparent Collaboration Maximizes Value on Big Projects

by Steven Lynk, PE, BCEE, DBIA, Senior Vice President | CDM Smith and Tom Visosky, PE, Senior Vice President–Project Development - Construction | CDM Smith

Collaboration, innovation, and inclusion are key to the success of big design-build projects. Implementing such measures in the early phases of a project helps ensure overall project success and should be a guiding principle on all large design-build projects.

Balancing Self-Performance and Subcontracting in Collaborative Delivery Projects

by Shane Lippert, Assoc. DBIA, Vice President – Water Group | Clark Construction

As the number and size of infrastructure projects continue to increase, while the qualified available workforce continues to decrease, contractors who traditionally identify as “self-performing” contractors find themselves having to make decisions on what scopes of work they ultimately need to self-perform for project success. This is especially true on the “mega-sized” projects.

Do You Really Want to Contract with the Greater Fool?

by Michael C. Loulakis, Esq., FDBIA, President | Capital Project Strategies, LLC | WCDA Outside Director

One of my typical roles as an owner advisor is to review proposed construction management at-risk (CMAR) and design-build contracts from a commercial perspective—i.e., what’s the likely marketplace reaction to the contract and is the contract consistent with the philosophy behind collaborative delivery? I am continually amazed by what I see.

Addressing the Wish List

by Wesley A. Smith, Director of Business Development – Design-Build | Black & Veatch and Justin Sobol, PMP, DBIA, Director of Project Development – Design-Build Water East Region | Black & Veatch

What happens when your project has a fixed budget and an open-ended project scope? Or what if there is a desire to deal with not only a specific need, but also address a “wish list” of additional improvements?

Mitigating Market Volatility During Construction Through Collaborative Delivery Methods

by Jana Bendinelli, Senior Strategic Writer – Water Marketing Team | Garver and Kyle M. Kruger, PE, Water Implementation Leader | Garver

Across the board, supply chain issues and rising costs are impacting engineering and construction projects. The costs of construction materials have elevated over the past year due to growing demand and major disruptions to production fueled by the pandemic. These disruptions are responsible for construction material shortages much like the auto industry is facing with microchip shortages.

“BIM” is Not a Four-Letter Word

by Grant Johnson, BIM Construction Professional | MWH Constructors

The term BIM (Building Information Modeling) has the power to make a seasoned construction veteran cringe. I get it. BIM may sound scary to those who have not used its full advantages. A foreman once told me, “I’m not going to let a Nintendo tell me how to do my job!” Fair enough, but when applied appropriately, BIM can benefit building projects in a variety of ways by aiding design planning, coordination, construction, operations, and facilities management.

Addressing Critical Water Infrastructure Needs in Uncertain Times

by Tracy Streeter, Business Development Manager – Water Group | Burns & McDonnell

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the continued development of critical infrastructure, creating growing uncertainty concerning financing opportunities and project delivery.

Why Should Water Collaborative Delivery Projects Have an Integrated Design Manager?

by Michaela Rempkowski, PE, Integrated Design Manager | McCarthy Water

The idea of an integrated design management role for collaborative delivery projects is not a new one. For over 20 years, vertical commercial collaborative delivery projects have assigned an integrated design manager to drive seamless collaboration for overall project success. However, when describing this position in the water industry, the immediate response is, “What is an integrated design manager?”