DBIA Sectors and Application 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal act significantly expanded the use of design-build for highway projects by authorizing states to use qualifications-based selection?
- Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU)
- Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) (Correct answer)
- Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act
- Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21)
Correct answer: Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21)
TEA-21 (1998) authorized FHWA to allow states to use design-build contracting with qualifications-based selection for federal-aid highway projects.
Question 2: A university campus renovation using design-build would most likely establish the Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) to address which unique need?
- Parking revenue projections
- Phasing to maintain campus operations and academic calendar (Correct answer)
- Alumni fundraising milestones
- Faculty hiring timelines
Correct answer: Phasing to maintain campus operations and academic calendar
University projects must carefully phase construction around the academic calendar to minimize disruption to ongoing classes and campus life.
Question 3: In the public sector, which procurement method is most compatible with design-build when the owner wants to consider both qualifications and price?
- Sealed low-bid
- Best-value selection (Correct answer)
- Sole-source negotiation
- Design-bid-build with additive alternates
Correct answer: Best-value selection
Best-value selection evaluates both technical qualifications and price, making it the preferred method for public design-build procurement.
Question 4: When design-build is applied to a P3 (Public-Private Partnership) toll road project, the private entity typically assumes which additional responsibility beyond typical DB scope?
- Traffic signal timing
- Long-term operations, maintenance, and financing of the facility (Correct answer)
- Setting speed limits on the roadway
- Appointing the state DOT project manager
Correct answer: Long-term operations, maintenance, and financing of the facility
In a P3 structure, the private concessionaire adds long-term O&M and financing obligations to the standard design-build delivery role.
Question 5: Which sector commonly uses 'bridging' as an alternative form of design-build, where the owner retains a criteria architect?
- Oil and gas
- Institutional and higher education (Correct answer)
- Single-family residential
- Agriculture
Correct answer: Institutional and higher education
Institutional owners such as universities and government agencies often use bridging to maintain design control while transferring construction risk to the DB team.
Question 6: In the context of design-build for vertical construction, which sector is most likely to require a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) as part of project delivery?
- Private data centers
- Publicly funded urban mixed-use or transit-oriented developments (Correct answer)
- Rural water treatment plants
- Private industrial warehouses
Correct answer: Publicly funded urban mixed-use or transit-oriented developments
Publicly funded urban developments often require CBAs to ensure local hiring, affordable housing, or community amenities as conditions of project approval.
Question 7: Which project delivery characteristic is shared between design-build and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)?
- Single-entity contractual responsibility
- Multi-party risk-sharing through a relational contract (Correct answer)
- Owner retains separate design and construction contracts
- Competitive low-bid selection of trade contractors
Correct answer: Multi-party risk-sharing through a relational contract
Both DB and IPD emphasize early collaboration and shared risk/reward, though IPD uses a multi-party agreement rather than a single DB entity.
DBIA Sectors and Application 4
Which federal act significantly expanded the use of design-build for highway projects by authorizing states to use qualifications-based selection?