On the eve of Transpower 2008, the Design-Build in Transportation Conference, in Louisville, Ky., from April 16-18, one thing is clear: Design-build is no longer an experiment. It has evolved from the family of innovative contracting methodologies of the 1990s to a highly successful tool for delivering 21st century projects. Design-build has earned its place as a credible and effective way for owners to advance projects, both large and small.
Since the first transportation conference in 1998, we have had 10 years to focus on a design-build evolution. While similar in some ways, this year’s conference will make some new strides. As always, practitioners — individuals who know the design-build process and use it every day — will present the current state of the practice as well as an analysis of emerging issues and show how this process will continue to evolve in the future. But this year, those participants will gain greater understanding of how to launch and sustain design-build as a project delivery tool and how engineers and contractors can be more competitive in their pursuit of these important projects. We have expanded our Owner of the Year awards dinner with an evening on a Louisville Delta Queen to honor this year’s recipients. We will also honor a DBIA individual who has continued to make design-build, the transportation conferences and DBIA successful.
Several years ago we started a scholarship program for owners to help defray the cost of attending this uniquely valuable conference. This year, individual owners can apply for complimentary registration through the Owner Education Fund. DBIA will award up to 10 complimentary registrations for the conference. Please visit www.designbuildtransportation.com to register for the conference and apply for a complimentary scholarship. The entry deadline is April 1. Recipients are determined through the Transportation Committee’s Owners Council. We also will have a silent auction this year, with proceeds going to the Transportation Owners Council to help defray other costs, such as airfare or hotel expenses, which might prevent owners from attending. The Owners Council is a subcommittee of both the national Owners Council and the Transportation Committee.
We are seasoned, but we use the conference as a way to stay ahead of the curve.
We hope you will take with you the enthusiasm of conference planners and speakers. We hope you will feel called to enlighten and promote design-build to your colleagues and owners, as well as stay ahead of the curve. We hope you will see how much DBIA respects and honors owners, companies and individuals who work so hard to make design-build the project delivery method of choice.
Bob Scancella is chairman of the DBIA Transportation Committee