Design-build speakers address regional meeting

Design-build is not a new process, but it is a trend in Missouri municipalities, and it's been used to build several projects, from the Cape Girardeau SportsPlex to the in-progress County Justice Center. But what is it?

At the Missouri Municipal League regional meeting in Jackson Thursday, three officials familiar with design-build spoke to 45 people from 10 municipalities: Molly Mehner, deputy city administrator for Cape Girardeau; George Harris, design-build consultant for Jackson; and Todd Sweeney, a principal with Navigate Building Solutions in St. Louis.

"Design-build itself is not new," Harris said, but in 2016, Missouri passed legislation allowing cities to engage in design-build projects, so many cities are exploring the process for larger projects -- $7 million and up, according to the statute, though Harris said that's not necessarily a firm number.

"Charter cities can do whatever they want long as state law doesn't prevent it, and we can't do anything unless the state law allows it," Harris said jokingly.

That said, design-build has advantages, Harris said.

"You get the opportunity to match the facility and the budget," Harris said. He noted that Jackson's police station project went to market with a $6.5 million budget, and "right now, it looks like that will come together."

Jackson's police station project doesn't have a design-build team chosen yet -- that's set to happen in late November or early December.

The county was successful with its $18 million budget for the Justice Center, Harris said.

Besides that, communities have the opportunity to save time and money, and to have a single contract to manage both design and construction.

Mehner said Cape Girardeau city leaders might consider using the design-build method for a transportation project in the future, but said she didn't know that the design-build process would be good for a less complex project.

Added Sweeney, "It all depends on the systems you want to put in and how many details you know. Having defined performance criteria is also helpful."

The statute lays out specific parameters for projects, Harris said.

One requirement is, the owner, or entity requesting the project, must score each design-build team on technical qualifications and cost, separately.

There are three phases to the design-build process, in two steps, Harris said: phase I, where the owner solicits qualifications from teams and considers those qualifications, and phases II and III, technical qualifications and cost, are received and scored together.

When Cape Girardeau received bids and technical proposals from design-build teams, officials weighed the cost and technical aspects 50/50 in the scoring process, but for the Justice Center project, the county commissioners put a heavier emphasis on the technical proposal, weighing it 60/40, Harris said.

If a city is considering design-build for a project, does the project lend itself to the process?

"My answer is, not necessarily," Harris said.

Will the marketplace produce firms willing to work together on a team that will design and build a project? "We're fortunate that a lot of the facilities the city has historically used have design-build capability," Harris added.

City leaders should be comfortable with the design-build process, he added, and should select a project manager who can manage a complex process.

Mehner said she had worked in Arizona before coming to Cape Girardeau about five years ago, and has been pleased with the city's willingness to use the design-build process for several projects, including the SportsPlex, Fire Station #4, the new police station on Maria Louise Drive and most recently the improvements at Capaha Park for the new baseball team, the Cape Catfish.

"We did get some pushback from contractors in the community not familiar with design-build," Mehner acknowledged.

But, she said, in her estimation, one distinct advantage of design-build is the collaboration.

"Everybody's in the room together, including subcontractors, all figuring things out together," Mehner said. "There's no finger-pointing when something doesn't go well. It saves time."

But owner involvement is intense, she said: "You need a strong manager to make sure you're getting what you want."

Frequent meetings and clear communication are key, she said.

Sweeney emphasized the importance of striking a balance between giving enough guidance to the design-build team that the project goes the way it needs to, and leaving enough flexibility to let the team find solutions.

"We're a big believer in, you hire a team," Sweeney said, adding that different people bring different expertise: structural engineering is a priority, he said, but so are electrical, mechanical and civil engineering.

But that collaborative effort is a real strength of design-build, he said.

Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs said he's enjoying the design-build process, especially the flexibility and the level of information included.

"The construction companies and designers who are good at this, are really good," Hahs said. "They know what to do."

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630