The Performance of Progressive Design Build Project Delivery Method
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Authors
Alameri, Ruqaya
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Abstract
In the past few years, the Progressive Design Build (PDB) delivery method began gaining traction in the construction industry. PDB projects have been shown to be successful specifically for water/wastewater and transportation projects. However, as far as owners are concerned, two main questions still remain unanswered: (1) What are the best practices to maximize the likelihood of success in PDB projects? (2) Under which circumstances should one be using PDB as a delivery method? While owners need to understand the factors that govern project performance and the factors that impact selection of delivery methods, there is no empirical database to provide evidence for efficient decision making. Therefore, to fill this gap in the literature, this study aims to examine the impact of time of involvement, team selection, team behavior, and trust on the performance of projects delivered using the PDB method and to determine the importance of variables that impact an owner’s decision to select PDB as a delivery method for a project. This thesis reports on an empirical investigation of the performance and characteristics of projects delivered using the Progressive Design Build method by establishing a database of completed PDB projects and conducting a descriptive and multiple statistical analysis using the Mann-Whitney U test. The significant results of the statistical analysis provide a list of best practices owners can follow to increase their chances of achieving success in PDB projects. For example, to reduce the severity of disputes in a project, it is better to wait to set the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) when the design has developed more than 60 percent. In addition, this study identified and prioritized influential variables in selecting PDB as a delivery method. This study contributes to both academia and practice. As far as academia is concerned, this study is the first attempt to establish a performance database of PDB projects. Practitioners also can benefit from the results, which identify best practices for maximizing success in PDB projects and provide guidelines for using PDB as a delivery method, based on owner and project characteristics.
Description
This thesis has been embargoed for 2 years and will not be available until July 2021 at the earliest.
Keywords
Project delivery method, Project performance, Project Design Build, Selection factors