PI: Baabak Ashuri
Co-PI(s):
Institution(s): Georgia Institute of Technology
Abstract
One of the main challenges that state departments of transportations (state DOTs) face in their design-build (DB) projects is to ensure that the design-build team upholds the highest standard of care in making complex engineering decisions involving multidisciplinary works. It is crucial to understand the underpinnings of engineering-related problems during both the design and construction phases and identify an effective approach to address these issues in the alternative delivery environment. This research aims to help the Georgia DOT (GDOT) Office of Innovative Delivery clearly define its expectations for the new position of project chief engineer (PCE). The overarching goal of this research project is to identify best practice guidance for defining GDOT?s expectations from the design-build team in proactive management of design-related issues. This study identifies gaps between GDOT?s expectations and the industry understanding of the PCE’s roles and responsibilities. Several emerging challenges related to the successful implementation of the new PCE position are discussed in the context of the dynamic design-build transportation market. The research team conducted content analysis and interviewed various professional groups, including state DOT officers, highway contractors, design consultants, owner’s representatives, legal experts, and insurance experts. To further discuss any issues related to insurability, the research team conducted a separate set of interviews with the insurance experts. The results show that, overall, interviewees agree that the PCE will add value for large and complex projects requiring multidisciplinary parties. The PCE requires a unique set of skills both in design and construction, and, therefore, finding an appropriate pool of candidates for the PCE position may be challenging for design-build teams. Several recommendations are made to enhance the description of the PCE role and responsibilities, in order to minimize any gaps in the understanding of the design-build industry professionals to fulfill this position. Not limited to the PCE position introduced by GDOT, the findings contribute to the DB and public-private partnership (P3) market to better understand the engineering decision-making process for the large and complex DB and P3 projects.
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