The Water Collaborative Delivery Association serves as a trusted source of independent research on collaborative delivery in the water industry. We work collaboratively with utility owners, educators, researchers, and other stakeholders to understand and evaluate industry trends, owner perspectives, and project priorities, drivers, and impediments in DB and CMAR delivery methods. Our research highlights the transformation of the water industry and explores the elements that can facilitate better outcomes for all projects.

Phase II of WCDA’s latest research focuses on the readiness of owners’ organizations to execute collaborative delivery projects.

Following up on Phase I of the two-phase research project initiated in 2020 to better understand the elements of successful collaborative delivery projects, this new report conducted owner and practioner interviews and focus groups to answer the following questions:

• What are the key elements of readiness within owners’ organizations?
• Are there ways to measure the degree to which owners’ organizations are (and are not) ready to execute a successful CDP?
• What steps can owners’ organizations take to fill any readiness gaps that would better prepare them for sucess?

This white paper focuses on supply chain disruption issues facing the water
and wastewater infrastructure sector and highlights some mitigation strategies
available through various collaborate delivery methods, including construction
management at-risk (CMAR) and progressive design-build (PDB).

As the use of collaborative project delivery has increased in the water industry, confusion and questions have increased as well. For owners considering collaborative project delivery, some of the most important questions focus on reaching a fair and reasonable contract price that is within the owner’s budget tolerances. Indeed, this is perhaps the most significant milestone for achieving project success.

This white paper is intended to help owners understand precisely what goes into developing that contract price, the steps involved in getting to an acceptable price, and what to do when the initial cost estimates don’t align with the owner’s budget.

WCDA’s latest research identifies how owners define success or failure for water collaborative delivery projects. Based on interviews with utility executives across the United States, the report also highlights the most critical steps over the project life cycle that lead to success if managed well—or to failure if managed poorly.

The WCDA Research Committee initiated the two-phase research project in 2020 to better understand the elements of successful collaborative delivery projects. The new report summarizes the first phase of research which sheds new light on:

• What criteria owners use to evaluate project success or failure
• How owners rate the relative importance of people, processes, and tools
• Which steps in the project life cycle are most crucial for success
• Which project stages include the most decisions and actions leading to project success or failure
• How early operators should be involved in a project
• Whether owners would pursue collaborative delivery projects again

The results of this annual research study conducted for the WCDA highlight the significant increased use of collaborative delivery methods by owners in the water/wastewater sector and growing trend to continue to do so. The answers to the 2018 research questions give compelling insights into this trend.

Download the report to discover:

• Trends and growth in the use of collaborative delivery methods
• What drives owners to use collaborative delivery methods
• Future trends in collaborative delivery methods
• Trends in types of collaborative delivery methods

WCDA, with the endorsement of DBIA, released the first-ever research report on the use of design-build delivery in North America. This important product identifies the historic trends of growth in both size and number of design-build water/wastewater projects from 2013 through 2017. It also forecasts potential capital outlays on design-build for water and wastewater projects through 2021. Top water/wastewater design-build markets are highlighted as well as how cost, risk, and delivery time drivers affect the future of design-build for water and wastewater projects.

In 2015 the WCDA concluded the final phase of its customer survey series with a research report of project managers and agency/utility executives identifying the core lessons they’ve learned through their experiences with design-build delivery methods. They offer important recommendations and insights on achieving successful design-build projects, from inception to transition. More importantly, the managers emphasized the value of education—including peer-to-peer interaction and familiarity with best practices—with actions that can improve the education process for practitioners at every level.

As a follow-up to the 2012 Customer Satisfaction Survey, the WCDA funded a second tier of research to ascertain the type and level of impediments owners encounter in using collaborative delivery methods for water and wastewater infrastructure projects. The survey participants (representing utilities and municipalities) revealed the numerous impediments they encounter in being able to use collaborative delivery methods within their organizations and jurisdictions. They reported that these impediments were the result of varying situations that exist within the regulatory environment, governance structures, and the public policy decision-making process. In addition, participants also expressed a desire to learn how to overcome these impediments in order to pursue the use of collaborative delivery methods—and to help others do so as well.

In 2012, the Water Collaborative Delivery Association funded research questioning municipal owners about their satisfaction levels with the use of design–build (DB) and construction management at-risk (CMAR) delivery methods for water and wastewater infrastructure projects. The survey findings revealed that the vast majority of owners and project staff involved in these delivery methods are highly satisfied with the following:

• Quality of the completed projects
• Level of owner involvement
• Communication among involved parties
• Innovative ideas used by the DB firm
• Generation of fewer claims/change orders
• Smooth transition from construction to operation