Design Build Approach for Parking Garages

The design build approach to seeking bids for parking garage construction is becoming a more popular model for state governments and the private sector. It offers advantages to designers and contractors, Precast concrete components for parking garage construction can help achieve the goals set out for the design-build format, allowing designers to produce economical, attractive projects on schedule. Design-bid-build is the traditional project delivery approach to procure public works and private sector parking garage projects. That model segregates design and construction responsibilities by awarding them to an independent architect or engineer and to a separate contractor. Design-bid-build separates the delivery process into the three described phases: design, bid and construction. Whereas, the design build approach for parking garages and parking structures is a project delivery system under which the designer/builder forge a single contract with a parking garage owner to provide for architectural engineering and construction services.

The design/builder for parking garages, serving as a general contractor in turn subcontracts through competitive bidding. Under a stipulated price contract for design building for parking structures, the owner specifies how much it will pay for the construction of a parking garage. With a construction management approach, the owner awards the contract to a design/builder who also acts as the construction manager on the basis of a fee. The design builder designs the parking garage and also acts the construction manager on the basis of a fee. Advantages of the design build are: the parking garage is fully defined before construction bids are solicited, competitive bidding typically results in lower costs for the project as defined, quality control is defined and the contract award is objective. The biggest advantage of design build for parking structures is that the owner has the best certainty of the cost of the project at its outset. The price is established before the owner solicits proposals for parking garage construction. The owner avoids conflicts and disputes since they are dealing with one parking construction company. Faster project delivery is also a benefit for parking garage construction. From a cost savings point, design build is ideal for new parking garage construction because it lowers engineering costs by eliminating multiple layers of engineering consultants.

About the Author:
This article is Provided by Carl Walker Construction, they specialize in mixed-used parking structures and parking garage construction in Pennsylvania