Staffing the DB team Another issue to consider is that not everyone is suited to work on a DB project. Project staffing must include engineers with an ability to work on a DB team, meet design requirements under tight time constraints and with closer coordination among disciplines with a specific focus on construction. Owners may also consider contract language limiting a DB team’s ability to distribute work geographically outside the location of the project area. Industry disruptors Technology and innovative contracting approaches are also changing engineering risk, some of which is not yet fully understood or even realized. In today’s public sector projects, everything is available online, which provides a level of transparency that is unprecedented in the design and construction community. Via internet connectivity, every report, design calculation and drawing for a project is accessible. This access renders engineering products available to not only your clients but also to the world at large, including those for whom you may never have envisioned seeing your work. This unpre- cedented access allows others to view the quality and clarity of your work, your attention to detail, and whether your calculations are either well documented, organized and professionally prepared or are sloppy, handwritten and lacking references. Historically, design reports and drawings were provided with limited background information and limited details about a design recommendation. Most often, the support informat ion for a design recommendation was included and archived in an engineering firm’s project files. For contractual compliance, this practice is no longer acceptable. Potential exposure to industry peers and the public at large should also be considered when assessing one’s risk and while preparing and delivering engineering services on DB projects. Collaborative interdependence – DB team and owner As mentioned above, a successful DB project relies on an integrated team approach comprising an owner and the DB team. The 80 • DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JAN/FEB 2018 owner, as a reviewer for compliance, also bears responsibility in managing risk to ensure a successful delivery of a design sub- mittal. During submittal reviews for a DB project, the owner’s representative does not “accept” a technical submittal, but ensures its contractual compliance. While a reviewer may prefer a different design approach or methodology and may not necessarily agree with a design decision, an individual’s preferences that may interfere with the DB team’s ability for innovation, cost reductions or schedule improvements cannot be tolerated. It is incumbent on the reviewer to examine the basic assumptions on which the designs are based and to raise concerns to the DB team. This is an owner’s prime responsibility, and the DB team should not take the concerns as criticism or refusal of a design decision. The design submittal should be defensible, and the DB team should be prepared for a challenge. Proper interaction via OTS reviews and design discipline task force meetings can reduce risk and contribute to receiving contractually compliant design submittals. This collaborative approach benefits the entire project and its stakeholders. Design-build (DB) and other alternative contract delivery vehicles require engineers to shift from a philosophy of consulting to one of designing for construction. With the increase in the number of projects using alternative contracting methods such as DB, many new firms are getting their first exposure to working in this environment. To be successful, engineering firms looking to participate in this market must reevaluate their skill sets, staff and project experience. The purpose of this article was to draw attention to a potentially undervalued area of risk in DB contracts. As owners shift to a DB procurement delivery vehicle, where they may provide 10% to 15% design, and shift the risk of the design and construction to the DB team, the responsibility for contractual compliance of design submittals has increased, as has the level of detail and supporting documentation that is now required. Noncompliant technical submittals can negatively impact project cost and schedule in ways possibly not anticipated, which may require more attention from the DB team to ensure successful project execution. Conrad W. Felice, Ph.D., P.E., D. GE., F. ASCE, is the managing principal of C. W. Felice, LLC, a trustee of DFI, and chair of the Trans-portation Research Board (TRB) Tunnel and Underground Structures Committee.
