Instructors

Douglas D. Gransberg, P.E., C.C.E., Mr. Gransberg is an Associate Professor of Construction Science at the University of Oklahoma. He received both his B.S.and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Oklahoma, Texas and Oregon, a Certified Cost Engineer, and a Designated Design-Build Professional. Before moving to academia, he spent over twenty years in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In his final posting, Professor Gransberg was the Europe District’s Area Engineer stationed in Ankara, Turkey where he pioneered the use of Design-Build to deliver facilities in remote locations. In 1997, he completed a contract with the Texas Department of Transportation to develop the documentation necessary to implement Design-Build upon legislative approval. He is a member of the Oklahoma Governor’s Task Force on Construction Law and helped draft the legislation that authorized Design-Build contracting for public projects in Oklahoma. Professor Gransberg's research is primarily in the area of highway project delivery. He also owns an active Design-Build consulting practice with many of his clients being public owners such as the Federal Highway Administration, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, the US Agency for International Development, and the Texas Department of Transportation. He also assists design-builders, architect/engineering firms, and construction contractors on projects delivered using alternative methods. Dr. Keith R. Molenaar Dr. Molenaar is an Assistant Professor with the Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) Program in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is responsible for teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in construction. His research focuses on alternative delivery strategies for constructed facilities and infrastructure. He has conducted design-build and project delivery research for the US General Services Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials and other public and private agencies. With funding from the National Science Foundation and participation from 56 Federal, State and Local agencies, Dr. Molenaar developed a Web-based advisory system to aid public sector agencies in successfully implementing design-build delivery of constructed facilities. Upon completion of his B.S. in Architectural Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Dr. Molenaar worked for Architectural Resource Consultants, Inc. where he specialized in pre-construction planning for owners and designers. Dr. Molenaar then received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Before returning to the University of Colorado as a faculty member, Dr. Molenaar was employed as an assistant professor in the Construction Engineering and Management program in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Molenaar is currently Subcommittee Chair of Member Education for the Design-Build Institute of America’s (DBIA) Education Committee and an active member of the DBIA Infrastructure Committee. He was recognized with the Distinguished Academic Leadership Award by the DBIA in 2000. He is currently the Secretary for the American Society of Civil Engineer’s (ASCE) Construction Research Council. He is also a member of the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) and the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International (ACCE). Barbara J. Jackson, Ph.D., Ms. Jackson is an Associate Professor of Construction Management in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo,CA. Dr. Jackson’s teaching and research focuses on integrated project delivery and interdisciplinary collaboration. Prior to teaching, Dr. Jackson spent 20 years in the construction industry working as a project estimator and senior project manager and then as President and Owner of Design/Build Services Inc. in Virginia from 1984-1995. Her project experience included work on various residential developments, office buildings, court house facilities, manufacturing facilities, shopping centers, restaurants, schools, and historic renovation and restoration projects. She holds a B.S. in Housing and Design, a Masters in Construction Management, and a Ph.D. in Education and Human Resources with a specialization in Technology of Industry from Colorado State University. Dr. Jackson received a Design-Build Distinguished Leadership Award in 2000 and 2001 from the Design-Build Institute of America and is currently conducting two research projects regarding design-build education.

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Course Description In the last decade, the Design-Build (DB) method of contracting has been increasing steadily. Since 1982, the volume of domestic DB contracts has grown from $6 billion to $56 billion and now represents 23 percent of the non-residential U.S. market. Both private and public owners are using this method to accrue savings in both costs and time by streamlining the project delivery process. The Department of Defense Non-appropriated Fund projects showed savings of 18% in costs and 14% in time (DBIA, 1996). A Florida DOT study found that DB projects change order costs were reduced by 1.99% of award costs compared to DBB cost growth of 8.78%. The study also showed that average DB construction time was 21.1% shorter, and most strikingly, actual DB procurement times (i.e., from concept to turnover) were 54% shorter than conventional projects. To achieve these returns, the DB project concept must be well developed, and the design process must be totally coordinated with the construction. This seminar will help you understand the dynamics of this innovative process and will impart the technical management skills you will need to capitalize on DB's potential. This seminar is a series of learning modules that have been developed to break down the DB decision-making process into its component steps and reassemble it into a straightforward, logical methodology for the development of DB projects from the owner's standpoint. The seminar will alternate between lecture/discussion periods and short, high-impact team exercises that are designed to reinforce the preceding lecture's learning objectives. Additionally, case studies of actual DB projects will be used to illustrate many of the seminar's points. Following topics are to be covered: DB Risk versus DBB Risk Participants will assess the exposure the owner has to typical types of risk inherent to the  design/construction process. Through discussion and evaluation, they will develop an understanding of differences in contract administration practices that must be made to implement DB as a project delivery method. Scoping the DB Project in Functional Terms The idea that DB allows the owner to compete innovative design solutions will be introduced. Participants will learn to develop definitive performance criteria to describe the project in functional terms that permits industry to propose creative design solutions without a loss in owner control over the form of the final product. DB RFQ / RFP Preparation and Evaluation Planning Before an RFP can be written, the owners representative must know how proposals will be evaluated to ensure that the right combination of information and technical data is requested from potential DB contractors. The concept of optimizing the combination of cost, time, qualifications, and quality will be shown to provide the participants with a model from which to develop realistic DB proposal evaluation plans. The pieces of the DB RFP will be covered in detail, and participants will learn to correlate the project scope and the evaluation plan to write an unambiguous RFP. DB Proposal Preparation RFP interpretation and proposal preparation strategy will be covered to furnish participants with a foundation on which to make the critical “Bid-No Bid” decision for DB projects. DB Contract Administration Both Design and Construction Quality Assurance and Quality Control will be discussed from both the owner’s and the DB contractor’s perspectives. Also, issues such as progress payments, scheduling, web-based project management, and contract closeout will be discussed giving the seminar “cradle to grave” coverage of the DB contracting process.

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Seminar Benefits

• Learn to select projects that will potentially benefit from a DB delivery
• Find out how to optimize the balance between performance specified requirements and method specified requirements
• Avoid costly and time-consuming errors due to poorly written DB RFP’s
• Understand the complex relationships between design and construction on a fast-track project
• Learn how to accrue both time and cost savings by properly implementing DB program
• Learn how to develop definitive performance criteria and apply them to DB RFP’s, evaluation plans, and contract administration after award

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Who Should Attend

This course is designed for engineers and architects who represent owners wishing to procure a project using Design-Build. It is also effective for those large public and private owners who have in-house technical expertise and contract for their own design and construction services. While this course is designed for owners, and construction managers, contractors, and attorneys may also benefit from this seminar.

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Summary Outline

Day One

• Introduction to Design-Build
• Scoping the Project
• Writing Performance Criteria
• Performance Criteria Practical Exercise
• Discussion of Practical Exercise
• Preparing DB RFP’s and evaluation plans
• DB RFP Case Study & Discussion

Day Two

• DB Project Proposal Preparation
• DB Contract Administration
• DB Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA / QC)
• QA / QC Case Study & Discussion
• DB Fast-Track Issues
• Summary and closing remarks

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Attendees’ Comments

"This seminar met and in many areas exceeded my expectations. I plan on encouraging other professionals in my office to take this course."
-Michael N. Griffin A / A, Architect, USCE - CEU JUNEAU, Juneau, AK

"This seminar was very informative for anyone, not only the experienced in design build. It reinforces good practices for even those with experience."
-Frank Powell, Project Manager, Fluor Government Group, Richland, WA

"Dr. Molenaar provided an excellent blend of structured presentation and participant interacting resulting in a very productive seminar which significantly enhanced my knowledge of design-build process."
-Craig Gustafson, Principal Engineer, Worthington, Lenhart & Carpenter Inc., Casper, WY

"The instructor had extensive knowledge of design build contracts from both owner's and contractor's perspective. This enables an unbiased point of view."
-Shawn Gustafson, Principal Engineer, Worthington,
Lenhart & Carpenter Inc., Caser, WY

"Outstanding seminar. Highly organized and the presenter did a great job of covering all the aspects of design build contracting."
-Paul Fredericks, State Engineer, BLM, Lake Oswego, OR

"The instructor made this course interesting bringing in his real-life experience from both owner's and design builder's perspective."
-T.Kent Harbert, Project Engineer, City of Grand Junction, Grand Junction, CO

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