To: President-elect Obama

Among these core challenges, few are more integral to the American way of life than the well-being and sustainability of our water and wastewater infrastructure. We agree with the many Governors, Mayors and water industry groups such as the American Water Works Association (AWWA), National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NAWCA), as well as the Associated General Contractors (AGC) and the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) in stressing the need for a federal commitment of stimulus funds to help meet the water infrastructure needs across the country.

We commend President-elect Obama for his commitment to change and to drive efficiency in our economy. As such, we are writing to encourage the President-elect and the incoming Congress to incorporate the use of design-build delivery in water infrastructure project implementation as part of all Stimulus Bills. Design-build project delivery accelerates the speed of executing infrastructure projects. It is a proven and efficient strategy for local, state, and regional decision-makers to employ in facing today’s pressing economic and environmental challenges. Design-build contracting has proven over the last 15 years to accelerate project schedules up to 30 percent, and most often results in lower project costs; in essence, a design-build project is shovel-ready. Historically water infrastructure projects employed the design-bid-build model, which entails two contracts – one with an engineering firm to design the project, and another with a construction company to build it as designed. Design-build entails only one contract – that between the owner and the design-builder, providing more scheduling flexibility and accountability. Design-build features three major distinguishing characteristics:

• Rapid construction start and faster project completion. Construction typically begins before design is complete, resulting in time, quality, and cost efficiencies. With design-bid-build, the owner must review a fully completed design before seeking construction bids. A design-build project can have construction underway within three months (or less) from the time design is commenced.

• The ability to select the design-builder based on overall “best value.” Best value is where a contract is awarded on factors such as experience with similar projects, innovative ideas, and willingness to work as a team, as well as pricing factors. In conventional design-bid-build project delivery, the designer and builder are typically selected solely on the basis of initial price, which does not incorporate changes and final adjustments.

• Single-point accountability for both design and construction. Because the designer and builder work together from the outset, constructability issues and design disputes are less likely to arise. Design-build delivery has fewer change orders, claims, and disputes than conventional design-bid-build delivery.

While most federal agencies and states already have some existing legislation for design-build contracting, we urge you to incorporate the preference for design-build contracting into the Stimulus Package so there is clear legislative authority to utilize funds to contract in that manner. Design-build benefits are indisputable. For that reason, the federal transportation law SAFETEA-LU, encourages the use of design-build for surface transportation projects. Design-build delivery provides:

• Sustainable, energy efficient water systems,

• Accelerated capital spending to speed the creation of engineering and construction jobs,

• Cost efficiency, and

• Faster infrastructure delivery.

The Water Design-Build Council stands ready to contribute our expertise, resources, innovation, and enthusiasm to this most worthwhile task. We would be pleased to sit down with you or your staff to discuss in more detail how design-build can positively affect our nation’s water infrastructure, the economy, and create thousands of needed jobs.

Respectfully yours,

Peter W. Tunnicliffe, P.E.                                                        Sarah L. Chittenden

President                                                                                   Executive Director

Water Design-Build Council                                                  Water Design-Build Council

617.452.6529                                                                           202.833.1950, ext. 4

tunnicliffepw@cdm.com                                                      chittenden@waterdesignbuild.org

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The Water Design-Build Council seeks to advance the development and rehabilitation of the nation’s municipal water and wastewater systems through the use of the design-build method of construction. This process integrates both the design and construction phases to optimize innovation, speed, quality control, and single-point accountability. The WDBC’s mission is to promote the best design-build practices to facilitate productive and collaborative relationships between service providers and local governments.

Additional support and advice for utility executives, municipal managers, and design-build teams can be found in WDBC’s 2008 publication, The Municipal Water and Wastewater Design-Build Handbook. The handbook as well as information about our member firms can be accessed by going to www.waterdesignbuild.org.