Design-bid-build is still currently the most widely used construction delivery method in the United States but the design-build method as well as a hand full of other alternative delivery methods are quickly gaining popularity. In fact, between 2018 and 2021 design-build construction is expected to grow by 18% which will account for over $320B representing 44% of construction spending. Design-build allows owners to contract with a single firm for both design and construction and is an attractive option for those with tight project budgets and timelines. A report from the Federal Highway Association claims that “documented benefits of design-build include faster project delivery, improved constructability, less cost growth, early cost certainty, and fewer claims”. With exciting new ways of delivering projects comes the important responsibility to secure the right innovation to enable project teams to perform the Owner Verification role for today’s alternative delivery methods.

Many owners find it difficult or even impossible to use legacy systems traditionally used to deliver design-bid-build contracts for their alternative delivery methods. Most legacy systems are inflexible and dependent on the idea of tracking placed quantities and bid items, entities that essentially don’t exist with respect to the Owner Verification role on design-build contracts. Additionally, those legacy systems cannot handle tracking projects by schedule items, activity codes, or work packages provided to the Owner by design-build teams and are an essential piece needed for Owner Verification.

The trick is providing one system flexible enough to capture real-time inspection and verification data for all project types. This innovation has the built in flexibility to dynamically change the categories by which the data is classified and can meet the needs of design-bid-build, design-build, CM/GC, and any other alternative delivery types that may be of use in the future.

As alternative delivery contracting methodologies grow in popularity and continue to evolve, it’s important to choose innovation that can evolve along with them. Future proof your technology investments and you future proof your contracting innovations as well.

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HeadLight in action on major design-build project in the Northeast.