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NTTA Debuts New Project
Delivery Method The NTTA is using the design-build delivery method for the development of State Highway (SH) 161 Phase 4, which marks the first time the Authority has used a project delivery method other than design-bid-build for any of its projects.
The design-build delivery method saves time by allowing construction to begin before design is complete. The method also establishes a single point of contact for quality, cost and schedule, which can lead to the reduction of costs.
The key to a successful design-build project, according to Elizabeth Mow, Director of Project Delivery, is the procurement process, which has been fine-tuned over time to maximize fairness and minimize the risk of legal challenges.
The Phase 4 procurement process began in December 2008 with advertisement of a request for qualifications, which led to the selection of a short list of three design-build proposal teams. The process continued in April when a request for detailed proposals (RFDP) was issued to the three teams. In June, the teams submitted their proposals, which the NTTA staff reviewed and then in July recommended an apparent best value proposer. The process will culminate in August with the selection of the best value proposer by the NTTA Board of Directors.
Vital to the selection was the three-week proposal review process, which included simultaneous assessments by the following subcommittees:
- Pass/fail – made up of NTTA insurance and contracts staff as well as the corridor management team; this committee looks for compliance in the most critical components
- Price evaluation – supervised by the NTTA’s chief financial officer, whose team looks only at cost factors
- Disadvantaged business enterprise and women/minority/small business enterprise – supervised by the director of business diversity, whose team considers whether a proposal meets business diversity goals on the project
- Technical advisory – consisting of an additional level of subcommittees representing 10 disciplines from environmental to bridges and structures to public involvement
The entire process entails a high level of document control with the proposals stored in a secure room to maintain the confidentiality of the process. In addition, the subcommittees are independent of each other to ensure that each committee remains impartial and unbiased.
The subcommittees provide their recommendations to the senior advisory committee, which scores each proposal based on the recommendations and the requirements laid out in the RFDP. Once the scores are tallied, the committee will announce the apparent best value proposer at the end of July and present it to the NTTA Board of Directors at its August meeting.
The SH 161 corridor project will result in a new, approximately 11.5-mile link in the growing loop around Dallas. The Texas Department of Transportation initiated the project in 1969 and is finalizing an agreement with the NTTA for the Authority to complete the corridor as a toll road.
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