DBIA Design-Build Contracting Approaches 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In best-value design-build selection, the 'adjusted score' method works by:
- Adding technical score and price score using equal weighting
- Dividing the technical score by the price to identify the best value per dollar (Correct answer)
- Subtracting the price from the technical score
- Ranking teams by price only after technical scores meet a threshold
Correct answer: Dividing the technical score by the price to identify the best value per dollar
The adjusted score method divides a proposer's technical score by their price, selecting the team that offers the highest technical quality per dollar spent.
Question 2: A 'developer finance' design-build model is most commonly used when:
- Public agencies want to avoid competitive procurement
- Private developers finance, design, build, and sometimes operate a facility for a public owner (Correct answer)
- The design-builder also provides construction lending
- An owner wants to avoid paying design fees upfront
Correct answer: Private developers finance, design, build, and sometimes operate a facility for a public owner
Developer finance design-build (often called DBFOM or P3) involves private entities providing capital and taking on long-term project risk in exchange for future revenue or payments.
Question 3: Which clause in a design-build contract allocates risk for unforeseen subsurface conditions to the owner?
- Force majeure clause
- Differing site conditions clause (Correct answer)
- Consequential damages waiver
- Indemnification clause
Correct answer: Differing site conditions clause
A differing site conditions clause shifts the risk of unexpected subsurface conditions back to the owner, preventing design-builders from inflating bids to cover that uncertainty.
Question 4: The DBIA standard form contract addresses design professional liability primarily by:
- Requiring the design-builder to carry errors and omissions insurance (Correct answer)
- Placing all design liability on the owner's criteria professional
- Eliminating design liability through waiver
- Transferring all design risk to subcontractors
Correct answer: Requiring the design-builder to carry errors and omissions insurance
DBIA contract documents require the design-builder to maintain professional liability (errors and omissions) insurance to cover design-related claims.
Question 5: In a progressive design-build delivery, when is the contract price typically finalized?
- At contract award
- After schematic design is complete
- After the design reaches a defined milestone sufficient for accurate pricing (Correct answer)
- After construction is complete
Correct answer: After the design reaches a defined milestone sufficient for accurate pricing
Progressive design-build allows price to be established collaboratively as design advances to a level of completeness that enables reliable cost estimating.
Question 6: Which design-build project delivery characteristic most directly reduces schedule duration compared to design-bid-build?
- Fewer contract documents required
- Ability to overlap design and construction phases (fast-tracking) (Correct answer)
- Elimination of shop drawing review
- Reduced permit requirements
Correct answer: Ability to overlap design and construction phases (fast-tracking)
Design-build enables fast-tracking by allowing construction of completed design packages to begin while design of later packages continues in parallel.
Question 7: Under the DBIA framework, 'owner's criteria' documents serve primarily to:
- Specify the exact design solution the owner wants
- Define the owner's performance requirements, standards, and constraints for the design-builder to meet (Correct answer)
- Establish the GMP for design services
- Replace the need for a design-build RFP
Correct answer: Define the owner's performance requirements, standards, and constraints for the design-builder to meet
Owner's criteria establish what outcomes and standards the project must achieve, giving the design-builder flexibility in how to meet those requirements.
DBIA Design-Build Contracting Approaches 3
In best-value design-build selection, the 'adjusted score' method works by: