The topic of sustainable, energy-efficient building is one that inherently goes hand-in-hand with healthcare, as organizations a
Two weeks ago, I posed a question to our blog readers here on Healthcare Building Ideas: Is design-bid-build going out of style?
The question was inspired by a new federal law for the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Science, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development that encouraged the use of design-build as opposed to the previously favored design-bid-build.
Since the blog was posted on the HEALTHCARE DESIGN Connection on LinkedIn, it’s started to gain some traction. And I can’t help but feel we’re only getting started in exploring what our readers deem to be the best method for building healthcare facilities.
This week, I had an in-depth conversation with Richard Freeark, vice president of operations for C.W. Driver’s San Diego region, regarding the pros and cons of a variety of delivery methods used in healthcare—look for the series to be published here at www.healthcarebuildingideas.com in coming weeks.
In the meantime, a recent move made in the public sector serves as another example from outside the world of healthcare. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and legislative leaders agreed to a plan to create the state’s first infrastructure fund that will invest $1 billion in projects, such as bridge replacement, dam rehabilitation, and flood control.
However, what’s applicable to this conversation is that the legislation permits the infrastructure fund to bid the projects as a single design-build contract.
“Passage of ‘Design-Build’ legislation would shave 9-12 months from the construction time of major infrastructure projects. The fund would also streamline permitting and regulatory approvals for infrastructure projects and procurements and consolidate activities across agencies and authorities,” the press release from Cuomo’s office states.
On both the state and federal level, the same argument prevails: design-build shaves time off the schedule.
It’s no secret that healthcare projects can be just as lengthy and laden with similar permitting and regulatory approval issues. So here in our world, how does the delivery method chosen help remedy some of these issues?
I’ve heard feedback that both design-bid-build and design-build still have their merits, while newcomers like integrated project delivery are viewed by some as the number one choice.
Again, I encourage you to join the conversation. Please post your comments below.