Contract Administration Tools for Design-Build and Construction Manager/General Contractor Highway Projects

Abstract

Alternative contracting methods (ACMs) such as design-build (DB) and construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC), when used strategically, have been shown in some studies to offer cost and schedule advantages over design-bid-build. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is promoting the use of ACMs, and agencies are increasingly implementing ACMs. However, state agency ACM manuals and federal guidebooks tend to focus on pre-award activities. A need exists to provide guidance to agencies on how to administer ACM post-award activities effectively in order to realize their benefits. This paper presents 36 tools for ACM contract administration that were collected from 30 project case studies with 18 transportation agencies involving 91 interviewees. Integrated DEFinition (IDEF0) modeling was used to map and compare differences between delivery methods at the functional level, whereas previous ACM models focused on contract relationships and lines of communication. This paper contributes to the construction engineering and management body of knowledge by providing a comprehensive portfolio of tools for ACM highway projects that are field-tested by transportation agencies, along with recommendations on appropriateness for project phase, complexity, and size.