Construction Field Management Blog

We recently attended Adapting to an Evolving Industry: A Discussion of Project Delivery Roundtable Discussion. The panelists, moderator, and attendees examined current trends in project delivery and their impact on construction phase services, such as Integrated Project Delivery (IPD).

IDP leverages early contributions of knowledge and expertise through the utilization of new technologies, such as BIM, allowing all team members to better realize their highest potentials while expanding the value they provide throughout the project life cycle.

Evolving Construction Project Delivery Methods

First, the group discussed both new and established approaches, including Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), Design/Build (D/B), Design-Assist (D-A), CM-at-Risk, and traditional Design-Bid-Build (D-B-B).

Second, the group discussed how collaborations around these project delivery methodologies and approaches are changing our industry, amidst the increasing competition and the recovering economy.

Third, the group offered anecdotes from firsthand experiences on the assessing the value propositions of IPD from the perspective of various stakeholders, understanding the necessary qualifications and attributes of team members, and discerning the subtle difference between possible models for IPD, e.g., a unique project with an unpredictable outcome such as a museum versus a standard project with a predictable outcome such as a hospital.

The event was hosted by The Boston Society of Architects (BSA) and the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Massachusetts. The event was held at the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) office center and exhibit space in the newly renovated and historically protected Russia Wharf Buildings.

Preti Flaherty Beliveau & Pachios LLP, one of northern New England's largest law firms, with 95 attorneys, sponsored the event. Preti Flaherty's Construction Law Group represents clients at local, regional and national levels with the contracting and litigation aspects of construction projects, large and small.

As speakers varied from a trade contractor, to specialty contractor, to general contractor, to architect, to construction manager, and to construction attorney, the varied viewpoints, resulting in a well-rounded discussion. Speakers included: John Cannistraro, J.C. Cannistraro; Chris Leary, Kling Stubbin; Lee Kennedy, Lee Kennedy Co.; and Ken Rubinstein, Preti Flaherty. Accordingly, attendees varied, including architects, engineers, contractors, owners, trade contractors, vendors, insurers, brokers, attorneys, and others.

AIA Learning Objectives from the event included:

1. Learn how alternative project delivery methods are transforming services during the construction phase.
2. Discuss how evolving technology (BIM, fabrication, and collaboration software) has facilitated collaboration and made alternative project delivery methods viable.
3. Understand the liability implications from these evolving project delivery methods.
4. Discuss if/how collaboration strategies developed from Design-Build and IPD can be implemented in more traditional project delivery methods.

Here are some of the compelling comments and interesting points made by the panelists, moderators, and attendees during the thought-provoking roundtable discussion about project delivery best practices and lessons learned:

1. Early involvement by project stakeholders and other participants is critical to success, including trade contractors, specialty contractors, vendors, and Building Product Manufacturers (BPMs).
2. Early decision-making serves to help optimize the project in its entirety, as opposed individual systems and work elements within the project.
3. Poor planning or late planning impacts owners, e.g., the inability to lease space due to a mechanical room which obstructs the floor plate and impacts the usable area.
4. IPD focuses on project success, not the profitability of any one individual firm or the unique goals and objectives specific for any one organization.
5. In the current market conditions, owners are demanding the same performance in less time, and in some cases, significantly improved performance.
6. IPD shifts team member relationships toward trust and cooperation, versus the adversarial and confrontational status-quo generally associated with Design-Bid-Build (D-B-B).
7. Design-Assist (D-A) offers an alternative to Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), where prior to the completion of the design, a construction contract may be awarded on a best value basis.
8. CM-at-Risk rarely results in negative outcomes, such as a arbitration or litigation, when compared to Design-Bid-Build (D-B-B) and traditional, hard bid, lump sum projects.
9. IPD projects help to reduce construction defects (CDs) based on experiences from major insurers and brokers.
10. On one hand, BIM is not required for IPD, but BIM helps to support IPD and vice versa. On the other hand, other project delivery methods, such as Design-Bid-Build and Design-Assist, can leverage BIM.
11. BIM creates a tremendous amount of rich data, as part of the information model or “I” in BIM, previously unavailable in paper-based or electronic file-based processes.
12. AIA offers an excellent resource: The Integrated Project Delivery Guide jointly developed by the AIA’s Documents Committee and AIA California Council.

For more information on events at The Boston Society of Architects visit their BSA calendar.

More to come next week…