DESIGN/BUILD in the Public Sector

摘要

The use of design/build as a project delivery system continues to grow in the United States. However, the adoption of design/build in the public sector has lagged the private sector since its rediscovery in the 1990s. This lag in the public sector is not because federal, state and local governments and their agencies have not seen the advantages of design/build. On the contrary, there have been a number of pilot programs and demonstration projects at all levels of government over the past 15 years that have shown that design/build can be as advantageous for the public owner as the private owner. So what has been causing it? The lag in public sector use of design/build has been primarily due to the laws and regulations that govern the procurement of design and construction services by public entities. Today, these laws and regulations are changing and the use of design/build is growing in the public sector. Electrical contracting firms need to be aware of this expanding market in the public sector, understand federal, state and local government design/build requirements in their market area, and be prepared to take advantage of this trend as it continues to develop.