abstract: Over the last two decades, Alternative Project Delivery Methods (APDM), such as Design-Build (DB), have become more popular in the construction industry, specifically in the U.S., and the competition for APDM projects has risen among construction companies. The Engineering News Record (ENR) magazine analyzes DB firms and publishes the list of the top 100 every year. According to ENR articles and many scientific papers, the implementation of DB method has grown drastically over the last decade, however, information about growth trends depending on firm size and segment is lacking. Also missing is knowledge the future market trends over the next five years. Furthermore, public agencies and DB firms may be worried that DB projects do not distribute wealth equally among DB firms. Using the top 100 firms deemed representative of the DB market, the author has divided the market into volumes based on rankings to analyze the total DB market revenue growth. A comparison between international and domestic revenues indicated that the top five DB firms have 64% more involvement in the international market compared to the domestic market. Furthermore, while the research shows increasing market share only for the top five firms, the author has found that (1) a large portion of their market share is due to a large growth in their international market, and (2) revenues for all volumes of the DB market have increased. Moreover, regression and time series analyses allow for the forecasting of the DB market growth, which the author anticipate to move from about $100B to about $150B in 2020. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Construction 2014

abstract: Much of the water and wastewater lines in the United States are nearing the end of their useful life. A significant reinvestment is needed in the upcoming decades to replace or rehabilitate the water and wastewater infrastructure. Currently, the traditional method for delivering water and wastewater pipeline engineering and construction projects is design-bid-build (DBB). The traditional DBB delivery system is a sequential low-integration process and can lead to inefficiencies and adverse relationships between stakeholders. Alternative project delivery methods (APDM) such as Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) have been introduced to increase stakeholder integration and ultimately enhance project performance. CMAR project performance impacts have been studied in the horizontal and vertical construction industries. However, the performance of CMAR projects in the pipeline engineering and construction industry has not been quantitatively studied. The dissertation fills this gap in knowledge by performing the first quantitative analysis of CMAR performance on pipeline engineering and construction projects. This study’s two research objectives are: (1) Develop a CMAR baseline of commonly measured project performance metrics (2) Statistically compare the cost and schedule performance of CMAR to that of the traditional DBB delivery method A thorough literature review led to the development of a data collection survey used in conjunction with structured interviews to gather qualitative and quantitative performance data from 66 completed water and wastewater pipeline projects. Performance data analysis was conducted to provide performance benchmarks for CMAR projects and to compare the performance of CMAR and DBB. This study provides the first CMAR performance benchmark for pipeline engineering and construction projects. The results span across seven metrics in four performance areas (cost, schedule, project change, and communication). Pipeline projects delivered using CMAR have a median cost and schedule growth of -5% and 5.10%, respectively. These results are significantly improved from DBB baseline performance shown in other industries. To verify this, a statistical analysis was done to compare the cost and schedule performance of CMAR to similar DBB pipeline projects. The results show that CMAR pipeline projects are being delivered with 6.5% less cost growth and with 12.5% less schedule growth than similar DBB projects, providing owners with increased certainty when delivering their pipeline projects. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil Engineering 2015

Continuously increasing demand for faster project delivery of emergency and non-emergency projects, project complexity, and pandemic caused price escalations and material shortages requiring real time pricing and use of available equipment are showing that construction industry needs to shift toward creating designs that will be driven by the construction process or construction-driven designs. The construction-driven designs enable faster than fast project delivery or flash tracking by adopting the mindset that construction is the last phase of the design and by integrating the building approach with the design where the means and methods of construction drive the design development process. However, the development of such designs requires the involvement of the key stakeholders such as contractor, major subcontractors and equipment vendors, and operations and maintenance personnel at the appropriate time in the design. This research presents the framework which addresses the key areas needed to develop construction-driven designs such as (1) formalizing the construction-driven design definition; (2) determining construction-driven design characteristics and the preferred level and timing of involvement of the key stakeholders (contractor, major subcontractor, major equipment vendor, and operations and maintenance personnel) in the design development process; (3) determining key stakeholder’s (contractor, designer, and owner) experience requirements for the successful development and execution of construction-driven designs; (4) identifying potential contractual, licensure, and insurance barriers that can affect contractor’s early involvement in the design and providing recommendations to overcome those barriers; (5) ranking project delivery methods based on their effectiveness and suitability to develop and implement construction-driven designs; (6) identifying and ranking the best practices specific to construction-driven designs; and (7) providing a tool that will allow a company or a project team to measure their readiness to develop a construction-driven design for a project. / Ph.D. / Continuously increasing demand for faster project delivery of emergency and non-emergency projects, project complexity, and rising prices and material shortages caused by pandemic require real time pricing and use of available equipment. Moreover, these issues are showing that construction industry needs to shift toward creating designs that are constructible and led by the means and methods of construction or construction-driven designs. The construction-driven designs enable faster than fast project delivery by adopting the mindset that construction is the last phase of the design and by integrating the building approach with the design process where the means and methods of construction influence and guide the design development process. However, the development of such designs requires the involvement of the key stakeholders such as contractor, major subcontractors and equipment vendors, and operations and maintenance personnel at the appropriate time in the design. This research presents the framework which addresses the key areas needed to develop construction-driven designs such as (1) formalizing the construction-driven design definition; (2) determining construction-driven design characteristics and the preferred level and timing of involvement of the key stakeholders (contractor, major subcontractor, major equipment vendor, and operations and maintenance personnel) in the design development process; (3) determining key stakeholder’s (contractor, designer, and owner) experience requirements for the successful development and execution of construction-driven designs; (4) identifying potential contractual, licensure, and insurance barriers that can affect contractor’s early involvement in the design and providing recommendations to overcome those barriers; (5) ranking project delivery methods based on their effectiveness and suitability to develop and implement construction-driven designs; (6) identifying and ranking the best practices specific to construction-driven designs; and (7) providing a tool that will allow a company or a project team to measure their readiness to develop a construction-driven design for a project.

Massachusetts General Laws (M.G.L.'s) require state agencies to procure construction contracts using the design-bid-build project delivery system, unless special legislation is enacted to allow the use of alternative methods. Considering the wide range of alternative delivery methods for construction contracts, this thesis focuses on design-build on public projects. Even though Massachusetts laws do not expressly prohibit design-build, they do preclude its use indirectly by requiring the separation of design and construction services, and by requiring that construction contracts be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder only after the project is fully designed. The objectives of this study are to specifically examine the reasons behind the legislature unwillingness to allow design-build as a conventional project delivery method; and to determine the likelihood that design-build will become a conventional delivery system in Massachusetts in the future. For this purpose, several academic research papers, case studies and industry reports have been reviewed. As well, pertinent sections of the M.G.L.'s and other references have been examined. Personal interviews were conducted with key representatives of the public and private sectors, who provided valuable input regarding design-build on public projects. The analysis of the information collected reveals that three principal areas seem to hinder any successful attempts to enact a legislation making design-build a conventional delivery method. These areas can be summarized as (1) loss of opportunities for the design and construction community, (2) technical and management issues at the public sector level, and (3) nature of the political environment in Massachusetts. Due to the unpredictable political environment, and the competing interests within the private sector, within the public sector, and between the private and public sectors, it is highly unlikely that design-build will become a conventional delivery method for public projects in the near future. The report concludes with recommendations to increase the likelihood of design-build to become a conventional project delivery method, considering the issues denoted above.

abstract: The water and wastewater industry in the United States is in dire need of renovation due to dwindling infrastructure and requires substantial reinvestment. Design-bid-build (DBB) is the traditional method of project delivery most widely applied in this industry. However, alternative project delivery methods (APDM) are on the rise and touting the benefits of reduced project schedule and cost. The main purpose of this study is to conduct a qualitative and quantitative performance evaluation to assess the current impact of APDM in the water and wastewater industry. A national survey was conducted targeting completed water and wastewater treatment plant projects. Responses were obtained from 75 utilities and constructors that either completed their projects using DBB, construction manager at risk (CMAR), or design-build (DB). Data analysis revealed that CMAR and DB statistically outperformed DBB in terms of project speed and intensity. Performance metrics such as cost growth, schedule growth, unit cost, factors influencing project delivery method selection, scope changes, warranty and latent defects, and several others are also evaluated. The main contribution of this study was that it was able to show that for the same project cost, water and wastewater treatment plants could be delivered under a faster schedule and with higher quality through the utilization of APDM. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Construction Management 2018

abstract: Alternative Project Delivery Methods (APDMs), namely Design Build (DB) and Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR), grew out of the need to find a more efficient project delivery approach than the traditional Design Bid Build (DBB) form of delivery. After decades of extensive APDM use, there have been many studies focused on the use of APDMs and project outcomes. Few of these studies have reached a level of statistical significance to make conclusive observations about APDMs. This research effort completes a comprehensive study for use in the horizontal transportation construction market, providing a better basis for decisions on project delivery method selection, improving understanding of best practices for APDM use, and reporting outcomes from the largest collection of APDM project data to date. The study is the result of an online survey of project owners and design teams from 17 states representing 83 projects nationally. Project data collected represents almost six billion US dollars. The study performs an analysis of the transportation APDM market and answers questions dealing with national APDM usage, motivators for APDM selection, the relation of APDM to pre-construction services, and the use of industry best practices. Top motivators for delivery method selection: the project schedule or the urgency of the project, the ability to predict and control cost, and finding the best method to allocate risk, as well as other factors were identified and analyzed. Analysis of project data was used to compare to commonly held assumptions about the project delivery methods, confirming some assumptions and refuting others. Project data showed that APDM projects had the lowest overall cost growth. DB projects had higher schedule growth. CMAR projects had low design schedule growth but high construction schedule growth. DBB showed very little schedule growth and the highest cost growth of the delivery methods studied. Best practices in project delivery were studied: team alignment, front end planning, and risk assessment were identified as practices most critical to project success. The study contributes and improves on existing research on APDM project selection and outcomes and fills many of the gaps in research identified by previous research efforts and industry leaders. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil Engineering 2014

abstract: Water utilities across the United States are facing numerous challenges, such as limited funding and increasing project complexity, in constructing and upgrading their aging infrastructure. One innovative method to overcome these challenges is through the use of alternative project delivery methods (APDM), such as construction management at-risk (CMAR) and design-build (DB). Previous research has shown that APDM have the potential to deliver higher performing water infrastructure projects when compared to the traditional design-bid-build (DBB) method. However, there is a need to further examine APDM practices and develop tools that may support utilities in the delivery of their APDM water infrastructure projects. This study fills the knowledge gap by conducting several studies that may support public and private utilities in improving the delivery of their APDM water infrastructure projects. First, APDM implementation practices for water infrastructure projects are identified by assessing the state of practice, particularly during project procurement and execution. Second, DB project administration best practices are determined to support utilities seeking to add DB to their organization’s project delivery toolbox. Third, a pioneering web-based project delivery method decision-support tool was developed to aid utilities in selecting the appropriate delivery method for their water project. Finally, project-specific factors and attributes that impact project delivery performance are investigated through exploratory modeling and analysis. The study collected data on 75 completed treatment plant projects, conducted interviews with ten utilities that successfully deliver their water projects using DB, and worked closely with several industry experts through industry workshops and panels. Key findings related to water infrastructure project delivery revealed in this study included: (1) guaranteed maximum price (GMP) is the preferred compensation type for APDM projects; (2) utilities statistically having the lowest comfort level with delivering CMAR projects; (3) qualifications-based procurement is an effective DB project delivery practice; (4) the identification of 13 key project delivery method selection factors; and (5) the three highest predictors that impact unit cost performance are project complexity, project team chemistry and communication, and project size. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 2020

abstract: The alternative project delivery methods (APDMs) today are being increasingly used by owner organizations in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. Yet the adoption of these methods can be extremely difficult to accomplish and requires significant change management efforts. To facilitate the APDM adoption, this research aimed to better understand how AEC owner organizations have changed from only using the design-bid-build method to also successfully implementing APDMs from an organizational change perspective. This research utilized a literature review, survey and interviews to fulfill the research objectives. The dissertation follows a three paper format. The first paper focuses on identifying organizational change management (OCM) practices that, when effectively executed, lead to increased success rates of adopting APDMs in owner AEC organizations. The results of the first paper indicated that the five OCM practices with the strongest correlations to successful APDM adoption were realistic timeframe, effective change agents, workload adjustments, senior-leadership commitment, and sufficient change-related training. The second paper focuses on investigating AEC employees’ reactions to the adoption of APDMs. The findings of the second paper revealed that employees in AEC organizations react favorably to adopting a change in their project delivery systems. The findings further revealed that increasing the use of OCM practices is related to decreased employee resistance to change. The third paper aimed to provide guidelines detailing on how to lead APDM adoption. The findings of the third paper indicated that there was a general sequence of four implementation phases, which were preparing and planning, pilot project testing, expanding to the intended scale, and sustaining and evaluating. The phases include specific OCM practices that increase the probability of successful APDM adoption. The dissertation results can help in guiding the senior managers of construction organizations and OCM consultants to effectively implement APDMs for the first time in the construction sector. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Construction Management 2020

abstract: The demand for new highway infrastructure, the need to repair aging infrastructure, and the drive to optimize public expenditures on infrastructure have led transportation agencies toward alternative contracting methods (ACMs) such as design-build (DB) and construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC). U.S. transportation agencies have substantial experience with traditional design-bid-build delivery. To promote ACMs, the Federal Highway Administration and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCRHP) have published ACM guidance documents. However, the published material and research tend to focus on pre-award activities. The need for guidance on ACM post-award activities is confirmed in NCHRP’s request for a guidebook focusing on ACM contract administration (NCHRP 2016). This dissertation fills the crucial knowledge gap in contract administration functions and tools for DB and CM/GC highway project delivery. First, this research identifies and models contract administration functions in DBB, CM/GC, and DB using integrated definition modeling (IDEF0). Second, this research identifies and analyzes DB and CM/GC tools for contract administration by conducting 30 ACM project case studies involving over 90 ACM practitioners. Recommendations on appropriate use regarding project phase, complexity, and size were gathered from 16 ACM practitioners. Third, the alternative technical concepts tool was studied. Data from 30 DB projects was analyzed to explore the timing of DB procurement and DB initial award performance in relation to the project influence curve. Types of innovations derived from ATCs are discussed. Considerable industry input at multiple stages grounds this research in professional practice. Results indicate that the involvement of the contractor during the design phase for both DB and CM/GC delivery creates unique contract administration functions that need unique tools. Thirty-six DB and CM/GC tools for contract administration are identified with recommendations for effective implementation. While strong initial award performance is achievable in DB projects, initial award performance in this sample of projects is only loosely tied to the level of percent base design at procurement. Cost savings typically come from multiple ATCs, and innovations tend to be incremental rather than systemic, disruptive, or radical. Opportunity for innovation on DB highway projects is influenced by project characteristics and engaging the DB entity after pre-project planning. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 2019