Upcoming Webinar from WPL Publishing to Focus on Design-Build Contracts in Construction
Washington, DC (PRWEB) May 09, 2014 -- Within one week, WPL Publishing will host a webinar to help construction professionals and their attorneys understand the risks and benefits that design-build contracts present.
The number of troubled design-build projects continues to suggest that many of the wrinkles are still being ironed out of this relatively new format and that not everyone in the contracting community is fully prepared to meet the risks and challenges that come with design-build work. The webinar is designed to help various professionals across the construction community recognize and address the risks that design-build project delivery presents. To register for the 90-minute event, which will take place Wednesday, May 14, 2014, at 1:00 p.m. (EDT), visit http://tinyurl.com/kn6m25k.
As owners continue to search for faster and more cost-effective ways to procure their projects, and as they continue to search for the best delivery method for each of their projects, the use of the design-build format is becoming more and more common. This continuing thrust by owners has led to many state legislatures enacting new regulations that change traditional licensing laws and remove the barriers to design-build. The move toward more innovative delivery methods such as design-build has led to the surety community finding ways to deal with the risks that these new formats present to their traditional underwriting calculus. This movement also has prompted contractors, designers, and their lawyers to become more aware of the risks presented by these new forms of agreements and explore joint ventures, new forms of subcontract agreements, and insurance products that enable them to grow more comfortable with the format.
The webinar will clearly present what the unique burdens are in the design-build context. More importantly, the event will explain how the challenges that those burdens present can be met. Information provided during the webinar will explain both the differences in the administration of design-build contracts and the differences in the management of the risks that this format presents to each stakeholder. Webinar speaker Richard Burnham, who recently retired as director of Trauner Consulting Services Inc., has hands-on experience with this format from each of the contracting perspectives and has dealt with it on behalf of owners, contractors, and designers. Accordingly, he will explain the challenges and the methods for meeting those challenges from each of those perspectives.
Webinar topics will include an in-depth description and analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of this contracting format and an explanation of why the design-build format is becoming more common. The materials will describe the up-front burden that must be met by the owner and its consultants in preparing and articulating project requirements, and examples that demonstrate methods for meeting that burden will be explored and presented. The instructor will describe factors that the owner and its consultants should consider when determining what should be included in the request for quotations (RFQ) and request for proposals (RFP), and how to develop and implement the design-builder selection process.
The design review process that takes place as the design-builder proceeds with its work can be a fertile territory for disputes and misunderstandings, so a segment of the webinar is devoted to setting forth design review do’s and don’ts. Differences in how to identify and measure “changes” in the design-build context will be explained.
The webinar will help attendees do the following:
- Understand the fundamental differences between design-build contracts and other contracts.
- Know why this project delivery method is becoming more common and what tools stakeholders are using to enter into the design-build arena.
- Find ways to better meet the challenge of articulating a complete and effective set of project requirements.
- Learn what an RFQ should focus on.
- Get a better understanding of what the RFP needs to include and see examples of effective outlines.
- Evaluate how and why the submittal process is more important in the design-build context.
- Understand the design review do’s and don’ts for both submitters and reviewers.
- Know how and why the definition of a change is different when working in the design-build context.
Following Mr. Burnham’s presentation, there will be an interactive 10-15 minute question-and-answer session addressing relevant topics.
Webinar tuition is based on location, not number of participants, so each registration site can have multiple participants for one low price. To register, visit http://tinyurl.com/kn6m25k.
WPL Publishing Co., Inc. provides expert training, education, and development resources for the construction industry via live webinars and its ConstructionPro Network website (http://www.ConstructionProNet.com). Through ConstructionPro Network, WPL publishes the independent newsletter ConstructionPro Week, providing news, analysis, and insightful commentary about recent developments involving construction law, green buildings, building information modeling, and various construction managerial technologies and techniques.
Steve Rizer, WPL Publishing Co., Inc., http://www.ConstructionProNet.com, +1 (301) 765-9525 Ext: 7013, [email protected]
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