Eligibility
To be eligible for an award, projects must have been completed and owner occupied after March 31, 2008. All submissions must be submitted in one of the 11 categories. You may submit a single project for an award under both Design Excellence and another category and you may resubmit a project that did not win previously. However, projects may not be submitted more than twice in a single category.
Again, projects must be delivered under a single-source contract between the owner/user and the design-builder or the design-build team that was considered “at risk” for both cost and schedule. Eligibility is not based on the use of a DBIA contract document; any single-source contracted project meets this criterion.
Entry Requirements
All entries and payments must arrive at DBIA’s office in Washington, DC, no later than May 16, 2011. All entries must be completed in accordance with the entry and submission requirements delineated below in order to be considered by the jury. Please follow all direction carefully.
Entries must include:
- Signed waiver allowing DBIA to use information and images from the entry for DBIA marketing and outreach efforts.
- Completed Design-Build Project Database submission (www.DBIA.org/pubs/projectdb).
- One hard-copy master submission (binder with tabs).
- CD containing the entire entry submission and photos.
- Excel file listing names, addresses, e-mail and point of contact for all key team members, including design consultants and specialty contractors.
Send entries to:
Design-Build Institute of America
Attn: 2011 Awards Competition
1100 H Street NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-682-0110
Questions?
To ensure a fair judging and review process, DBIA staff can answer only questions directly related to the award submission process, eligibiity and rules. Send questions to Susan Hines at shines@dbia.org.
Submission Requirements
Presentation and Conformance to Entry Requirements
- One three-ring binder with labeled tabs and a CD containing the entire entry.
- Font size throughout must be Arial 12 for Headings, Arial 11 for all other text and 1.5-spaced.
- Binder cover and spine should display company name (submitter), project name and entry category.
- Do NOT send videos or DVD presentations.
Cover Page
First interior page should include the following:
- Project name, award category, construction start and completion date, final project cost and project address.
- Primary contact name, company, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address.
- Cover page may include photographs but these are not required. Project photographs are, however, required in other sections (see Tab 3, below, and Design Excellence Tab 9).
- Identify the all companies on the project team.
- Contractual design-build team leader
- General contractor
- Architect(s)
- Engineer(s)
- Specialty consultant(s)
- Specialty contractor(s)
- Owner/developer
- Other team members significant to the submission
Organizational Chart
- Provide a chart depicting the contractual relationship between team members
Project Database Submission and Completed Entry Form
- All entries must submit into the Design-Build Project Database found at www.DBIA.org/pubs/projectdb. The entry form will be found at the conclusion of the database submission.
- Both the Project Database submission and the Awards Entry Form must be completed at the same time. You do not have the option to save and complete at a later date.
Waiver/Disclosure Agreement
Include the following statement and signature:
On behalf of the submitting company, I understand that the contents of this entry become the property of DBIA and will not be returned. DBIA shall have the right to make all text and photos available for publication without compensation, real or implied, and without claim by nominees against the jury, DBIA or its staff, or individual DBIA members. I further understand that DBIA has the right to include information provided in this entry for a public project database.
Provide a line with the signature, the signer's name printed, the signer's title and the date.
Judging Criteria and Point Values
A jury of industry experts will evaluate project submissions primarily on successful achievement of the owner’s project goals through implementation of design-build best practices as defined by DBIA’s Design-Build Manual of Practice. Submissions should highlight the design-build team’s collaborative efforts to add value to the project. DBIA best practices include but are not limited to early integration of key team members during the proposal process via charrette or other collaborative outreach effort; collocation of project team members to encourage coordination between design and construction team members; and the use of incentives within the project team. Owner’s design objectives and the team’s efforts to realize them should be addressed in all submissions and given particular attention if submitting to the Design Excellence category (for specific instructions on that category see Tab 9, below).
Follow all instructions carefully and include all requested materials. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
Tab 1 – Project Overview - Maximum of 2 pages (7 points)
- Provide a narrative description of the project (i.e. size, location, etc.) and the project goals, challenges and constraints identified by the owner as well as those identified by the design-builder. Describe how the project met or exceeded the owner’s goals.
Tab 2 – Owner Letter - Maximum of 2 pages (15 points)
- Include a letter from the owner stating how the completed project met the owner’s goals. The letter must be submitted on the owner’s letterhead and may be addressed to the National Design-Build Awards Jury.
- If the owner cannot submit a letter, please explain why they are unable to do so.
Tab 3 – Photographs – You may submit seven to 10 images and use seven to 10 pages as necessary (3 points)
Applicants are responsible for obtaining the rights from their photographer to reprint the photographs without limitations. Ownership of a physical photo is not sufficient. Photographers normally retain the copyright of photos, so applicants should ensure that they have permission to copy and send photos to DBIA for use without limitations. Professional photographers must be credited. Any liability for copyright violation shall be borne solely by the applicant.
Print Photographs
- Include seven to 10, 8” x 10” or full-page printed photographs. Remember that the best-quality photos receive the greatest number of points. Both “in-progress” and completed project photos are highly encouraged.
- Provide a brief description and photo credit for each photograph. Captions may be included on the front or back of the photo or on a separate introductory page at the beginning of the tab.
Digital Photographs
- A CD with digital photos of the project is required. Include seven to 10 high-resolution images of the print photographs submitted with the award.
- Photos should be saved at 300 dpi at 4” x 6” or larger, as individual high-resolution JPEG, TIFF or EPS files. They should NOT be part of a software program such as PowerPoint, Word or Acrobat.
Tab 4 – Source Selection and Contracting Approach - Maximum of 7 pages (15 points)
- Provide a CD with a copy of the owner’s RFP (for reference only)
- List the evaluation factors used by the owner in source selection.
- Identify the method the owner used in the RFQ/RFP process to accurately communicate requirements (i.e. Performance, Prescriptive, Functional).
- Identify the design-build contract format (cost-based, lump sum, etc.).
- Identify the basis of contract (industry standard, custom developed).
- Describe the risk assumption and equitable risk allocation to the benefit of the project.
- Describe how awards and incentives were allocated within the team (i.e. between the owner and design-build entity and the design-build entity and the specialty contractors).
- Identify three challenges associated with the projects and explain how the team overcame them.
Tab 5 – Schedule and Cost Performance - Maximum of 5 pages (15 points)
- Complete the Table below:
| |
Contracted |
Actual |
| Start Date |
|
|
| Completion Date |
|
|
| Project Cost |
|
|
- Describe how the design-build team met required schedule dates. If there were any changes, explain why.
- Describe how the design-build team saved time and money while enhancing project value to the owner’s benefit. Examples could include the use of value-engineering and BIM.
- Illustrate how design-build best practices were applied to the project from the RFQ/RFP stage through the post-award phases of design and construction (DD, CD, construction and commissioning).
- Provide information about the claims and litigation/arbitration history of the project. Only cases filed in a court of law or claims submitted to a board of arbitration are applicable. Lien claims are exempt. If there were no claims or litigation, please state so.
Tab 6 – Design and Quality Approach - Maximum of 5 pages (15 points)
- Describe the overall complexity of the project and design challenges. Responses should address the entire project including:
- Architectural
- Structural
- MEP
- For industrial, process, research, or technically complex facilities, include a brief description of the significant project requirements.
- Photos included in Tab 3 may be referenced (i.e. before and after photos) and graphics that help illustrate the points being made may be included.
- Describe how the team worked together both pre-and post-award. How did the team communicate across disciplines e.g. how was cost information communicated to designers?
- Describe the quality assurance process that was used on the project. Identify specific instances where the design-build process encouraged cost control and quality assurance.
Tab 7 – Innovations - Maximum of 5 pages (20 points)
- Describe significant innovations developed through this project.
- What innovative systems, and/or materials improved design, construction and lifecycle costs.
- If relevant, explain how the following concepts and/or methodologies were incorporated into the project:
- Sustainability
- BIM/technology
- Value engineering
- Lean construction
Tab 8 – Safety - Maximum of 3 pages; excluding Table of Contents (10 points)
- Describe the safety program.
- Did you develop a site-specific safety and health policy manual? If yes, include a copy of its table of contents. If a site-specific manual was not developed, include a copy of the table of contents of the company manual.
- Were regular on-site safety meetings held? If yes, include a copy of a meeting agenda as documentation.
- Describe specialized safety training conducted on this project.
- Describe any innovative safety and health programs used specifically for this project.
- Include a table that lists:
| Total hours worked on the project |
|
| Duration of construction (in months) |
|
| Fatalities |
|
| Cases with days away from work |
|
| Cases with job transfer or restriction |
|
| Other recordable cases |
|
Tab 9 – Additional Material Required for Design Excellence Submissions ONLY (30 points total))
If you are not submtting in the Design Excellence category, you do not need to complete this tab.
- Describe the owner’s overall aesthetic vision. Describe how this vision was conveyed via the RFQ/RFP process and/or in face-to-face project informational meetings and interviews. (10 points)
- Describe how the design-build team communicated their solution(s) to the owner, include additional photos, schematics, drawings, boards, etc., as necessary. (10 points)
- Include a letter from the lead designer describing how the team responded to challenges and solutions posed by the project; include examples of collaboration among and between design disciplines and across the design and construction team as a whole. (10 points)
Questions?
To ensure a fair judging and review process, DBIA staff can answer only questions directly related to the award submission process, eligibility and rules. Send questions to Susan Hines at shines@dbia.org.