Purpose
The purpose of this procedure is to provide a guideline for employing the design/bid/build (DBB) method of project delivery. This is the Bureau’s traditional method of delivering projects.
REFERENCES
N/A
RESPONSIBILITIES
Project Manager: The Project Manager is responsible for determining the most efficient project delivery method for the project. The Project Manager is also responsible for the overall completion of the design/bid/build process. Within the process, however, others may have responsibility for individual steps. See the appropriate sections of this manual for the individual responsibility for each step in the process.
PROCEDURE
The DBB process involves the preparation of design plans and specifications, either by City staff or by a consultant, and the competitive bidding of those plans through the Board of Public Works, resulting in the award of a construction contract to a private contractor. As mentioned above, this is the Bureau’s traditional method of delivering projects. Role and responsibilities are clearly defined in this approach: the engineer is the designer and the contractor is the constructor. The plans and specifications should contain all information necessary for the contractor to produce a firm bid on the final design. These are generally referred to as “100% plans and specifications.” This does not mean that all aspects on how to construct the project have been designed, only those necessary to define the final project. For example, construction means and methods are customarily determined by the contractor and some minor design work may be needed on the contractor’s part to implement the means and methods. For example, engineering of shoring, fire protection system or a structurally sound shaft to allow underground construction is usually within the contractor’s scope of supply.
The DBB procedure generally calls for defining the project scope, developing funding, selecting a project team, undergoing pre-design and design, obtaining permits, preparing bid documents, resolving utility issues, advertising and awarding the construction contract, monitoring the Contractor’s progress, solving problems during construction, issuing change orders, and closing out the contract.
If the plans and specifications are of high quality and high clarity, every contractor bidding on the work should know the scope of construction that is required. This allows a fair and open, competitive environment during the bidding phase because all contractors are bidding to build the same exact project. In addition to promoting fair and open bidding competition, the design/bid/build approach allows for Owner and/or Client input throughout the design phase. The Owner/Client knows exactly what is to be delivered at the time the documents enter the bidding phase and the budget can be accurately projected.
Because a complete and thorough set of plans and specifications are developed and the project undergoes a formal competitive bidding process, construction costs are likely to be as low as possible. This is another advantage of the DBB method. Of course, the Owner bears the full cost of design, which is not the case with the design/build approach discussed in the next section.
An important aspect of the DBB approach is that it meets the spirit and intent of the State public contracting code and the City Charter (see Links/Attachment section). The DBB procedure, except in very unusual cases, requires competitive bidding. The City Charter states that contracts shall be let to the lowest, responsible and responsive bidder furnishing satisfactory security for performance. Both the City Charter and the State of California Public Contract Code require and define a sealed bid process. The intent of these requirements is to promote fair, open, and transparent competition among bidders with the award going to the lowest, responsive and responsible bidder. This encourages the highest levels of honesty and integrity in the public bidding process. The importance of open, public bidding based on 100% design plans and specifications should not be underestimated.
Disadvantages of the DBB approach is that the required timeframe for implementation can be longer than other project delivery methods and the most innovative approach to the project may have been overlooked. This highlights the point that there is no single method of project delivery that fits all circumstances. Each method presents its own advantages and disadvantages. The tradeoffs are in schedule, construction cost, overall delivery cost, owner control over the final project, and the importance placed on open public bidding.
Most of the projects included in the Program Master Schedules (described in Procedure 1.4 of this manual) are delivered using the DBB method. The DBB method of project delivery is depicted in the Project Delivery Flowchart (see Procedure 1.3) and described in detail throughout this manual. For any project to be delivered using this process, the Project Manager should ensure that each of the appropriate steps described in this manual are completed.
RELATED PROCEDURES
LINKS / ATTACHMENTS
Links
Attachments
N/A
Comments