Last week I attended the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) Water and Wastewater conference in Dallas, Texas. Mike Angeli, a PC Construction Project Executive, also attended the event. The three days were very productive with the opportunity to meet with many owners, industry contacts, and engineering representatives, including leaders from American Water, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities, ConEdison Solutions, DC WASA, HRSD, Louisville Water Company, and Metro Water Reclamation District, among others.

Central to the conference are technical sessions where specific information on every facet of the design build process is shared. I found it interesting to learn that owners are moving more and more toward the use of “Progressive Design-Build” and selecting design-build teams solely on a qualifications basis.  This selection model maximizes the potential benefits of design-build to the owner and allows the design-build team to offer the best solutions without prescriptive limitations.  Design-build teams are able to offer every possible scenario to the owner and help them to find the best solution not just the lowest price.  Let’s hope this trend moves forward. 

PC Construction was pleased to support the conference as a Platinum sponsor and also display our booth for those interested in learning more about our design-build and construction capabilities.