Champ Clark Bridge MoDOT
bridge for Route 54 connecting Louisiana, Missouri, to Illinois, in part because they are able to design and build the bridge in a single step.
The Illinois Department of Transportation is backing changes to the procurement process aimed at saving taxpayers money on construction projects.
Most construction projects in Illinois are split into two phases – design and construction – with one company getting a contract to design and another company getting a contract to build. Design-build is a procurement process that combines the engineering and design of a project with the construction, instead of having separate bids for each part.
IDOT’s Director of Planning and Programming Erin Aleman told an Illinois House committee recently that the design-build process will drive efficiency and savings for Illinois taxpayers.
“So you’ve got the designer and the builder working together hand-in-hand and it avoids costly change orders where you have to go back when doing the project in sequential order,” Aleman said.
One project Illinois is involved in is a bridge for Route 54 connecting Louisiana, Missouri, to Illinois. Because the Missouri Department of Transportation can design and build in a single step, that state is taking the lead.
“While the project cost isn’t hundreds of millions of dollars, it’s only a $60 million project,” Aleman said. “MoDOT has estimated that we’ve gained about 10 percent back on price easily, maybe more.”
Aleman also said the traditional process in Illinois would have taken twice as long. Instead with design build, the project has moved from the design phase and is currently being erected.
Illinois is one of five states that doesn’t have design-build for most projects, but it does have a design-build process of vertical construction.
Aleman said there are some benefits to being behind the rest of the nation.
“That means we’re able to learn from the best practices of our neighboring states and make sure that some of the pitfalls they’ve experienced we don’t experience here in Illinois,” Aleman said.
Linda Baker, of the Society of Professional Engineers, said whatever is done, engineers should have a direct pipeline to the project manager to ensure safety is the top priority.
“That obligation exists regardless of what happens in the procurement process,” Baker said. “Public health and life safety are first and foremost for engineers.”
Lawmakers said they continue to evaluate the design-build process and how to best implement it in Illinois.