Training Owners Representatives Will Enhance Project Delivery

By William J. Angelo

	Crawford

Design-build project collaboration and teambuilding are changing construction industry business practices for the better. But while designers, engineers, contractors and suppliers are slipping easily into their new integrated project delivery roles, owners still lack the experienced representatives needed to successfully facilitate the process, says one industry leader. He believes a new training program may be the solution.

David S. Crawford, president and COO of Sundt Construction Inc. Tempe, Ariz., believes owners can better manage their projects for a successful outcome. "More owners are moving to a team environment and the big question they always ask us is who can help us implement a design-build or construction management-at-risk project," he says. "My answer is the industry needs to train and test owners’ representatives."

The importance of the issue is escalating because use of CM-at-risk (also known as CM-as-Constructor or CMc by the General Services Administration) and design-build is growing rapidly, according to Crawford, immediate past chairman and a board member of the Design Build Institute of America. Some DBIA officials and members believe half of all construction will soon use design-build delivery.

Owners are sold on the team environment and design-build’s single source responsibility for design and construction, says Crawford. They also like the results, which include quicker schedules, reduced change orders, reduced cost overruns and reduced claims and litigation, he adds.

But getting there has not always been easy because many inexperienced owners don’t know how to navigate the system. "Many owners still don’t know the difference between qualification-based selection and best value or have never had the opportunity to prepare a request for qualifications," Crawford says. "They also have questions regarding how to train their selection committee to evaluate team qualifications, price, schedule and technical responses and how to conduct interviews and participate in preconstruction services."

For Crawford, the overriding issue is how to teach owner representatives to motivate for success. His quick answer is to get them to manage the teams, not the details, and the best way to do that is through training. He believes the effort should focus on training the owner’s staff to work in a team environment that anticipates success rather than finger-pointing failures. This can be done by fostering trust and commitment and moving away from mistrust and self-protection. Equally important is teaching reps to focus on quality, value and open and timely communication, something they may not be used to if they come equipped only with design-bid-build experience, says Crawford.

Leading and Listening

"Since the owner sets the goal, it has to lead but also has to listen to the team," says Crawford. "Opportunities for success decrease with uninformed owners. At the very least, they need to understand the selection and alignment of the team and manage it to attain a common set of goals and objectives. It goes beyond just managing the budget and schedule. You have to manage people starting in the preplanning stage. Success there will create its own momentum. If you don’t like the results there you certainly aren’t going to like it when you execute the plan."

Crawford believes that industry organizations should come together to jointly train owner reps on how to implement various forms of negotiated competitive procurement, including design-build and CM-at-risk. Such organizations might include DBIA, the Construction Management Association of America, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Institute of Architects and Associated General Contractors of America, he says.

"A coalition also would involve chapters, which means a nationwide middle- America training effort at the grass-root level where you can impact school districts, local government and local firms," says Crawford. "It should evolve at all levels, not just in Washington and not just for big players."

One possible model for the owner-training program envisioned by Crawford is DBIA’s design-build practitioner certification. It currently involves three one-day-long courses covering fundamentals, principals and risk, plus related elective courses and experience.. To date, about 150 professionals have been certified at a cost of up to $2,000 each.

Working with knowledgeable owner reps will pay dividends for everyone. "When you help others, you know they will help you because no one makes it through a job without being challenged on some issue," says Crawford. "Educated owners will stop project-related abuse and protect assets and the integrity of the system. What we have works extremely well when you know the rules, but good, uninformed intentions just aren’t enough to ensure success."

Crawford hopes to have a DBIA-driven program in place within a year.