Project Delivery Methods

Posted: April 4th, 2019

Project Delivery Methods
There are different methods or a combination of strategies that can be selected to be used in the delivery of a construction project. When the owner uses combinations of methods, each one of them could have distinct features that come together to enable the owner to achieve the project’s timely delivery. Various methods, including the design-build-warrant and the integrated project delivery (IPD) techniques, can ensure that a project is completed successfully in time.
1. The Design-Build-Warrant
The design-build-warrant is a contraction delivery method that combines a warranty clause’s conditions with the Design-Build contract. The combination is necessary for projects that involve technological features that enable the contracting agency to benefit from a limited warranty. The limited warranty might be based on materials, workmanship, and functionality of the project, including the intelligent transportation system. The combination involves an integrated design and construction process whereby the contractor provides the procedure by which the construction delivery offers a guarantee of meeting the specific performance standards within the budget availed over a prescribed timeframe to complete the project (Gibson & Walewski, 2001). The implementation of the design-build with a warranty comes with various advantages. They include its ability to shift more project risks to the design-build team, enabling the team to focus more on quality improvement and quality assurance. It also reduces the extent to which the contracting agency’s inspection and testing processes need to be conducted.
The design-build-warrant construction project delivery method can be applied in situations where the timeframe is essential. The warranty is such situations is an assurance that the product of the project will serve its useful life; with the failure of the product to attain its timeframe, the provider will have to replace it or pay for the costs associated with returning it to its proper conditions. The construction warranty includes workmanship and materials (Park & Kwak, 2016). The project success in the design-build-warrant delivery method is mostly attained. The project’s success in this situation involves the project’s ability to meet its objective of remaining useful for the stipulated period under the budget and the schedule. The criteria for defining the success dimension are evaluated within the years the project is serving the timeframe within the warrant agreement. Therefore, the project success will be based on the completion within the schedule, the service delivered deemed successful, and the project brings beneficiary values by contributing to the well being of the economy, health, and social factors.
2. The Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)
The Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) method is based on the alignment of stakeholders and team members’ interests with the project work to enhance collaboration and value-based processes to attain high-outcome results. IPD is considered a combination of the Construction Manager-at-Risk (CMR) and Design-Bid-Build. The IPD delivery method involves the owner, the construction manager or general manager, and the architect working together and sharing both the risks and rewards associated with the project. The IPD combination delivery method allows the key participants to be involved in the project as early as practicable, critical in improving decision making through their combined knowledge and expertise.
IPD operates under various principles that include mutual respect and trust. All the involved parties, including the owner, suppliers, designer, consultants, and constructor, work towards the project’s interest in a collaborative structure. The principle of early goal definition is also utilized in the IPD. The early participants in the project development and agree on the project’s key goals in relation to the support for innovation and superior performance. There is also open communication and utilization of cutting edge technologies to maximize interoperability (Ramos, 2017). The benefits of using the IPD include improved planning and management, due to the collaborative management utilizes knowledge and expertise from multiple team members to achieve optimal solutions. The delivery method also enhances the risk mitigation process through shared accountability and shared risk as each member work towards improving the project. The sharing of risks and accountability improves the levels of trust among all parties. With the IPD main approach being all parties working to benefit the project, it enables high standards to be attained through combined skills and abilities.
IPD can be applied in situations where the project involves a large budget and involves multiple subprojects across different locations. The project should also require technological capabilities, such as Building Information Modeling (BIM). The use of IPD in such a situation is based on the fact that the delivery method through its collaboration structure can enable the project to be completed within the timeframe and the budget allocated as parties work together in all aspects and steps of the project delivery. The delivery method also integrates various technologies essential in project management in the current construction environment. Technologies such as smart sheets improve the work and project documentation, enhance collaboration among parties through proactive communication, and help the team save time through accurate resource management.
References
Gibson, G.E., & Walewski, J. (2001). PROJECT DELIVERY METHODS AND CONTRACTING APPROACHES: ASSESSMENT AND DESIGN-BUILD IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved from https://library.ctr.utexas.edu/digitized/texasarchive/phase4/2129-p1.pdf
Haugen, A., Wondimu, P.A., Lohne, J., & Laedre, O. (2017). Project delivery methods in large public road projects – a case study of E6 Jaktoyen – Sentervegen. Procedia Engineering, 196: 391-398.
Park, J., & Kwak, Y.H. (2016). Design-Bid-Build (DBB) vs. Design-Build (DB) in the U.S. public transportation projects: The choice and consequences. International Journal of Project Management, 35 (3), 280-295.
Ramos, D. (2017). Create a Lean, Construction Building Machine with Integrated Project Management. Smartsheet. Returned from https://www.smartsheet.com/integrated-project-delivery