California: Design-build authorization for infrastructure delivery

by CS Editor | October 6, 2014 3:13 pm

On September 30, Senate Bill (SB) 785, Design-build, was passed in the California Legislature, standardizing the state’s design-build laws and clarifying opportunities for project owners and practitioners. According to the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA), it is the eighth bill passed in California in the past year that expands authority for the practice, which involves combining design and construction services into a single contract with one point of responsibility.

This type of project delivery system was first authorized in the Golden State more than two decades ago, but DBIA says succeeding statutes included numerous limitations to employing design-build, and resulted in many challenges, inconsistencies, and confusion.

“In practical terms, [prior to SB 775] this patchwork of laws was so confusing that agency heads and practitioners would often use a less-efficient delivery method… simply to avoid the legal confusion design-build caused in California,” said Richard Thomas, DBIA’s director of state/local legislative affairs. “Project managers often wanted to use design-build to deliver higher-quality projects in less time with fewer change-orders, but wading through the myriad regulations simply became too time-consuming.”

SB 785 allows those state agencies previously precluded from combining design and construction services to now do so.

Proponents of design-build say the method can mean faster delivery, cost savings, and better quality because a single entity decreases owners’ administrative burdens, enabling them to focus on successfully delivering the project, rather than managing separate contracts. The approach is also lauded by its practitioners for reducing risk and resulting in fewer litigation claims.

Source URL: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/california-design-build-authorization-for-infrastructure-delivery/

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