Legislative Update

I took a call the other day from a reporter requesting design-build information and, in the course of the conversation, he complimented DBIA National on the progress of design-build authority at the state level. I thanked him, but then told him that as much as we would be tempted to take credit at the national headquarters, the real credit goes to our DBIA regions. The expansion of design-build authority over the last year and a half has been remarkable. DBIA regions have really stepped up their legislative efforts and this has paid off. Thirty-nine states have expanded design-build authority and nearly half of those states expanded design-build at the local level as well.

Rather than rest on their laurels, our regions continue to forge ahead. In May, the DBIA regions met in Washington for a Region Leadership Meeting. This was an opportunity for the regions to look at their strategic direction and key initiatives for 2010 and 2011, discuss ways to improve their operations, develop strategies for effective grassroots efforts and meet with federal officials. The discussion on grassroots efforts focused on the three aspects of passing state and local legislation: information gathering, coalition building and grassroots lobbying.

The most critical element of grassroots efforts is coalition-building. Regions must identify which professional organizations, interest groups, industries and companies agree with the principles of design-build and will support expanding design-build authority. Successful coalitions meet on a regular basis and develop strategies for presenting information persuasively to lawmakers and the general public. The last element of coalition-building is doing an inventory on the members’ assets. Every member of a coalition brings different strengths and weaknesses to the table and it is important to identify them before moving on to the lobbying phase. The last element of a grassroots campaign is the lobbying phase. The first part of the lobbying phase is developing a short, simple, memorable message to present to lawmakers and the general public which highlights the benefits of design-build and then draft the design-build legislation.

There are three methods of lobbying: direct, indirect and public campaigns. Direct lobbying is meeting face-to-face with lawmakers and their staff. This involves meetings, presentations and giving testimony. This type of lobbying is critical because it gives lawmakers a first-hand opportunity to hear the benefits of design-build and how it would impact their constituency. These meetings should include, whenever possible, campaigns, organizations and residents of their jurisdiction.

Indirect lobbying involves the same message and lawmakers but uses indirect methods. Letter writing, phone calls, email and fax communications can be as effective as direct communications because it is easier for more people to get involved. It is difficult to get hundreds or thousands to take the time and effort to meet directly with policy and lawmakers but relatively easy for them to communicate by indirect means. Combining these two techniques is very effective, especially if everyone is sending a consistent message.

The last element is a public campaign. The first step in a public campaign is to develop a message and media kits. These media kits should be handed out at PAC conferences and campaign events. This message must be repeated to the public through letters to the editor, press releases, blogs and advertisements. It is always beneficial to find fly-ins to other public events like major construction projects, public meetings, etc.

The real benefit of the public campaign is that it puts added pressure on those who make policies and laws to allow the design-build option. The combination of these three elements in a grassroots campaign is unstoppable. The design-build success story is very compelling. If this success story is integrated with an effective grassroots campaign, the expansion of design-build authority is inevitable.