The world enters another month of the COVID-19 pandemic and we all slowly continue to figure out how to deal with it. “This new normal,” “in these uncertain times,” and wishing friends and colleagues to “stay safe” are the phrases of today. We use these now because they are necessary.
WCDA Blog
Extraordinary Times Call for Extraordinary Partnerships
In the wake of the coronavirus crisis, maintaining critical water and wastewater operations has never been more important. Yet, ensuring continuity of operations has never been more challenging, and it will require using every tool in the utility manager’s toolbox.
Is Your Water Project Shovel Ready for Government Stimulus Packages?
Collaborative Project Delivery (CPD) methods, such as design-build, progressive design-build, and construction management at-risk, can offer a means to deliver a project faster than traditional design-bid-build. CPD methods can offer significant overall schedule reduction since the contractor and engineer collaborate early in the project, instead of the contractor taking over the design to implement once completed. The type of delivery model selected has different contracting methods, risks, and potential control for the owner. CPD is not right for every project, but there are many projects where it can offer significant advantages.
Leadership is Key on Design-Build Projects
The design-build delivery method demands people from various backgrounds, companies, and professional expertise work together to deliver a successful project that benefits the entire team—owners, contractors, and engineers alike. Leadership from all members of the team makes the difference in delivering great results; however, how does such a varied team ensure that each member contributes elite leadership? How does each member of the team be the best version of themselves and contribute the most?
Communication Leads to Shared Success in a Design-Build-Operate (DBO) Partnership
A standard design-build-operate (DBO) partnership in the water and wastewater market may include an operations company, a lead design engineering firm, and a contractor to complete the construction phase. Depending on the contractual arrangement, each organization is typically contractually bound to one another through the completion of the construction elements of the project, and in some cases this relationship extends into the steady-state, long-term operations and maintenance period. Given the complexity of these projects, the question arises: How does each company succeed in a DBO partnership?
The Spearin Doctrine in Water and Wastewater Projects
When choosing a project delivery method for a water or wastewater project, it is imperative for the owner to understand the concept of the Spearin Doctrine and which party is accountable for the project design.
Value Engineering’s Role in Collaborative Delivery
Value engineering (VE) is a creative, systematic approach to providing the essential functions of a project at the best value. Successful VE results are achieved through an open, collaborative review of the project that considers life cycle costs, performance, quality, reliability, and safety. VE is one of the many benefits that collaborative delivery methods such as CMAR, design-build, and progressive design-build offer to project owners.
The Perks of Partnership
At the end of the day, a successful design-build project comes down to working alongside people you can trust as true partners. Whether considering technical innovations, nailing down costs, or exploring creative delivery solutions, it’s essential that all players work together to achieve the project’s end goal.
Price and Schedule Aren’t the Owner’s Top Drivers Anymore When Choosing Collaborative Delivery
The Water Design-Build Council is at it again…collecting data and doing research. The latest efforts are being finalized for public release shortly. In the meantime, I’d like to share some preliminary results that I find interesting.
Deeply Engrained Paper Use Is Impeding Construction’s Digital Shift
It’s not news that the construction industry has been undergoing a digital transformation journey. Digitizing the industry comes with the novel mission of creating safer workplaces, increased margins, and better quality.