WDBC E-NEWS – May 12, 2021

Freese & Nichols Joins WDBC as Advisor Member

The Water Design-Build Council recently welcomed another new advisor member who we are excited to have join us in our mission to transform the water industry. Freese and Nichols is a privately owned engineering, planning, and consulting firm serving clients across the Southwest and Southeast United States. Founded in 1894, they offer stability as a long-term trusted advisor and use their national expertise to meet contemporary challenges. As the first engineering/architecture firm to earn the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, they consistently deliver award-winning solutions backed by superior client-focused support.

Representing Freese & Nichols is Principal/Vice President Charles M. Wolf, D.Eng, PE, BCEE. Chuck Wolf has spent the majority of his career in progressive leadership positions from project engineering and management to client development and organizational leadership. He has led teams in the successful delivery of more than $500 million in water infrastructure projects as the project manager, engineer of record, principal, or executive in charge and advised delivery teams on more than $1 billion in improvement programs. He has also consulted municipalities and public sector utilities in the development of major capital programs and optimal use of collaborative-delivery methods to maximize their return on invested capital.

Joining us as an alternate representative is Douglas Herbst, DBIA, a collaborative project delivery manager at Freese & Nichols. Doug previously served on the WDBC Board of Directors while under the employ of another member firm. Doug has special focus and expertise in the development, procurement, negotiation, and implementation of collaborative-delivery approaches, such as construction management at-risk, design-build, design-build-operate, and other forms of public-private partnerships (P3s). As a public owner advisor, he has advised many state and local governments on the aspects and activities of collaborative delivery. He also has experience from the practitioner’s perspective having been involved in numerous projects. This unique experience and perspective allows Doug to understand how projects need to be procured, structured, and implemented to be successful and beneficial to all parties.

Six-Session Package of Online Education Begins Again in July - Registration Open Now

Due to the popularity of this course, the WDBC is repeating this package of sessions beginning in July 2021.

Join the WDBC for a six-session package of online education sessions designed for owners and practitioners in the water industry. Officials, managers, and engineering and O&M staff of public water/wastewater facilities who are looking to gain essential knowledge needed to procure and deliver design-build and CMAR projects should attend these classes.

Each session will include a review of the principles and best practices of collaborative delivery as well as the topic of the day:

July 22 : Deciding to Implement a Collaborative-Delivery Project
August 26: Risk Management
September 23: Contracts
October 28: Conducting the Procurement Process
November 18: Managing & Implementing Collaborative-Delivery Projects
December 16: Getting to Project Completion & Transition

All sessions will be conducted on Microsoft Teams from 10:00 - 1:30 p.m. MST (break 11:30 - 12:00 MST)

Package includes a hard copy and PDF of the 5th edition Water and Wastewater Design-Build Handbook. See registration page for single-session options.

To join one of the remaining sessions in the current series, please visit here.

For more information, please contact WDBC Business Operations Manager Bob Golden at 303.641.0550 or rgolden@waterdesignbuild.org.

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Legislative Corner

Water Bill Becomes 'Test Case' for Hill Negotiations

Bipartisan Senate authors of a $35 billion water bill moving now on the floor are hoping it's a starting point for broader negotiations on a larger infrastructure package. A vote to limit debate on the bill, S. 914, quickly amassed 60 bipartisan votes and only a handful of detractors. The Senate voted 92 to 2 to advance the proposal, with Republican Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas voting in opposition. The White House also released a statement backing swift approval of the bill, saying it aligns with the Biden administration's goals of upgrading and modernizing the nation's aging infrastructure facing threats from hackers and climate change. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that S. 914 is "as noncontroversial as it gets," noting that the measure was unanimously approved by both Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee earlier this month. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), the ranking member on the EPW Committee and a co-sponsor of the bill, called on her colleagues to back the advancement and ultimate passage of S. 914. Capito acknowledged there's a broader debate raging over whether Democrats and Republicans can come together on infrastructure, and she said she would define the Senate bill as "basic, core infrastructure."

Member Companies

The Water Design-Build Council stands ready to contribute its expertise, resources, innovation, and enthusiasm to the challenge of strengthening our water and wastewater infrastructure.