WDBC Education Program Receives High Ratings from Users
New Best Practices Guidelines for Design-Build Water Projects
New Research Project Launched on Design-Build Experiences

Over the summer months, WDBC has successfully delivered several education and training programs, tailored to meet the needs of its audience, and received high marks for both its approach and messages. What we are learning is that owners and organizations desire to expand their knowledge base beyond understanding the nuances within the design-build delivery methods to the practical application in how they prepare for, procure and manage their projects. This very important factor illustrates that more cities and utilities are using design-build delivery for their water and wastewater projects. Examples of the programs below were provided for both practitioners and system owners.

Presenting the newly-developed WDBC Best Practices Guidelines for Water Design-Build Projects to engineers in Lansing, Michigan, instructors identified how to integrate these components into their work with owners. Sponsored by the America Council of Engineering Communities, this group represented a wide-range of member engineering firms throughout the Michigan area. WDBC’s instructors – David Kinchen (WDBC 1st Vice President and Black & Veatch Associate VP) and Linda Hanifin Bonner (WDBC Manager) – used and distributed copies of the WDBC 3rd Edition of the Municipal Water and Wastewater Handbook as the basis for their education content. All attendees received certificates with issuing continuing education units and gave WDBC high praise and ratings on the presentation contents, instructors and materials provided.

Gaining a stronger understanding about the fundamental differences among the design-build delivery methods and their procurement process was the focus of a presentation to over 55 engineers within the USDA Rural Development Program in Madison, Wisconsin. WDBC educator Dr. Linda Hanifin Bonner used examples of actual projects to define the successful achievements of the collaborative process that exists within the fixed-price and progressive design-build delivery methods. Copies of the WDBC 3rd Edition of the Municipal Water and Wastewater Handbook, which provided the basis of the education content, were distributed to all attendees.

In preparation for a major public works project in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the city staff set as its goal to learn from previous experiences, how design-build delivery achieves a successful project. WDBC educators and members – David Kinchen, Todd Larson (Black & Veatch), John Doller (Carolla Engineers) and Dr. Linda Hanifin Bonner (WDBC) – structured the two-day program for the Winnipeg legal, procurement, engineering, contracts and management staff around examples of design-build delivery procurement and management.

Attendees who reported low to moderate levels of knowledge about DB before the session, stated they a much greater knowledge basis after the session, Even those who reported to have a good level of knowledge about DB before the session stated a significant improvement in the understanding about the procurement practices. They specifically liked the experiential exercises and project examples and rated the instructors and their materials as excellent. All participants received certificates of continuing education units.