High Performance Outcomes

C. 2008 Well maybe not “long long ago”. To be real…September 17, 2014 was my last post to this blog. Almost a decade. Back then, bloggin’ was somewhat new, at least to me, having started in 2011. Writing thoughts to anonymous readers was a way to crystallize the research and application of what I’ve developed over my many years in the design and construction industry. Much of this thinkery was applied to projects that achieved great success, beyond my expectations. Many fell flat on their face, providing insult to my ego, a loss of credibility to some, humility, doubt in my mind. What the hell…let’s tweak it and try again! And the outcomes always got better in direct proportion to my learning from both success and failure. On that note, the note of courage to try again, I have a future post coming. The story of a major government project, millions of dollars, a third-party critique of the project approach, an empty office occupied by only me and a government PM (who had about 20 bosses...

www.designsensespa.com As you regular readers should know, I'm the Principal Consultant for DesignSense-Strategic Project Acquisitions.  DesignSense   provides Construction Project Owners a one-stop source to support their staff and stakeholders in the development, documentation, and implementation of Integrated Project Delivery and Design-Build. And as industry leaders in Alternative Project Delivery, DesignSense guides Private, Public, and Federal projects throughout the United States, using the advanced  3PQ Acquisition & Management System : the  elements of which have been discussed extensively at this blog.

Defining Contractual Scope for Design-Build   One of my favorite quotes comes from Maya Angelou: “ We do what we know ”. This definitely holds true for our industry at the outset of a project. 3PQ Film Link; "Satisfying Scope" For most owners, a project’s first step is establishing a budget based on a value-analysis. I use value because it speaks to an owners base business model. If an owner manufactures widgets, the cost of production contributes to the cost of the widget. Once one ascertains the total cost of delivery for each widget (including the acquisition cost of the widget-making-facility), they can in-turn establish a free-market price for said widget. Using this example, what applies to the design & construction industry is the acquisition cost of the manufacturing facility. Since the widget price is set in a free market, the manufacturing facility’s acquisition cost is like wise set (or at least capped). Let’s change the s...

Performance-Based Design-Build Originally Published May 2007: "Design-Build DATELINE" Written: December 2006 Updates shown in blue Click Photo to Discover Performance-Based Design-Build Of the two prominent design-build delivery techniques (prescriptive-based vs. performance-based), prescriptive-based design-build dominates our industry. I make this statement based on my own experience as an owner’s representative and design-build consultant, corroborated through countless conversations with other leaders of the design-build community. The purpose of this article is to discuss and illuminate the latter, performance-based design-build. By comparing the two, I would like to make clear many of the challenges and advantages of performance-based design-build procurement. I believe that just about everybody is familiar with prescriptive-based design-build procurement. This approach includes most or part of the design solution within the procurement or RFP (Request for ...

Since it is a New Year, a time to throw out the old and bring in the new, try this. Reinvent your "Acquisition Process" to "Achieve a High Performance Outcome". Achieving Best Value: RSF Project Documentary This film demonstrates how the "3PQ System" unleashed the power of the design-builder, and created North America's Largest Net Zero Energy Building. LEED (TM) Certified Platinum, the DOE/NREL RSF project shows that "Net Zero Energy" is not necessarily held back by technological advancements, but by antiquated acquisition processes.

O nce upon a time, in a land far far away, people always believed that the lowest price yielded the best value. They took solace in this fact while they rode their white unicorns under bright rainbows that had pots of gold at either end. One day their "Master Keeper of Building Projects" (MKBP) got a headache explaining the process of "Best Value" to his students while they feasted on bacon sandwiches and ice cream (as these, of course, were the best prevention for heart disease and diabetes) . The Master began … "Design-Bid-Build awards the contract to the lowest Price, why? Since the 'plans & specifications' (the solution) are exactly the same for every Priced Proposal submitted (bids), the lowest bid provides the best value. The end."

There are two sides to this coin. The first, and obvious, is in reference to their copyright ownership. Architects do indeed 'own' their designs placed on 'paper'; the tangible medium. I've noticed, for the past several years, that when owners use design-build delivery (or other alternative deliveries) they want to 'own' the designs of competing design-build teams included with their proposals. The owners explanation usually goes something like this: "in consideration of a stipend we want to have rights to, or own, the designs submitted by various teams short-listed in the competition. Sounds logical, but in a deeper analysis one sees that this transaction really doesn't move the owner to the "end game"; the creation and occupancy of a building project. Designs have intrinsic value. They are a prescribed 'solution' to the owners stated 'problem'. Granted, there are likely many solutions to any given problem, but each un...

Using a Performance-Based Statement-of-Work instead of the traditional drawings & specifications has one distinct advantage, at least for  project   users ...it is written in their 'language'; proper sentences, grammatically correct, specific in nature, and complete with punctuation.  Traditional drawings & specifications, which define the 'contractual' scope of a project, are created in a 'language' of lines, symbols, abbreviations, tables, and notes; fashioned for use by designers and builders, but certainly not for project owners and users. Often users review and 'sign off' on the 'design' (documented in traditional drawing & specification format) without really understanding the design's resolution of their expectations, or the impact the design's details have on their occupancy, operation, and use of the resulting building. Drawings & specifications are traditional tools to communicate the design  (solution) to t...

Design-Build is like "getting married" I can't remember who said this quote, but I think it applies to many projects. I notice many folks in the Integrated Delivery World speak of "trust"; an unnatural state for strangers, I think. A delivery-model that prefers objectivity over trust is more likely to succeed. Why…if a design-builder can verify that their decisions are compliant with the contract, independent of the owner's opinion, then they are secure and not dependent on the owner for their 'contractual' success (only perceived perfection).

As a background: design-build has been used for about 20 years now. I know, some say DB has been an available delivery method for decades if not centuries. But I'm speaking 'mainstream' use. The Design-Build Institute of America was founded just 18 years ago, and until recently many states and public jurisdictions could not legally use design-build delivery. So, as I have inferred, design-build is new. I mention this to provide a context for the evolution of this 'new' method of contract and delivery for construction projects. In the 90's, moving in to the early 2000's, DB was widely used by the owner with some sort of preliminary design (solution). In federal contracting, a preliminary design of about 35% of full design was included in the Request for Proposals (RFP) by many agencies and departments. Inclusion of a preliminary design is often referred to as a "bridging" design or "bridging documents". Bridging documents are often inc...

I spend a fair amount of time traveling around the country teaching, presenting, and lecturing on integrated project delivery, collaboration, and acquisition management. I teach the "Owner's Series" course work for DBIA, I just presented a lecture at Drury University (my Alma Mater), I, along with the owner and design-builder, presented a performance-based design-build project at the AIA National Convention. I could go on (lucky for you, I won't)...I just finished a comment in my Linkedin discussion group, and thought I'd share it. During nearly all of these presentations and lectures I ask three (tongue-in-cheek) questions as an 'ice breaker' to get the audience thinking... How do you stump an designer? Answer: Give them a budget. How do you stump a builder? Answer: Give them a blank sheet of paper. How do you stump an owner? Answer: Ask them what they want. The point I want to make is that all three primary players involved in project delivery tr...

Acquisition Evolution With regard to this blog, it concerns the "final outcome" (results) of an owner's Constuction Project. As this is my initial post, and have been wanting to share my views on Construction Project Owners pursuing "High Performance" project outcomes, a definition of "High Performance Outcome" (HPO) is in order. HPO is the absence of deviation between the identified needs of the Constuction Project Owner and the fulfillment of those needs by the Service Provider (designers & builders). Identified needs are those documented, in measurable form, and provided to the designer(s) and/or builder(s)that define what is to be fulfilled. Wow...pretty wordy! How about: "when the owner gets kind of what they expected, and is satisfied." For many of us, in the routines of the day, that would be an improvement. Count how many times you end up disappointed in the 'outcome' of a transaction. I forgot who said it, but ...