Airports across America with major capital programs underway are trying to push alternative project delivery methods to new levels, although design-bid-build is still used for a majority of horizontal work.
“Are we ready to spend more time on integrated project delivery?” asked Mike Kenig, vice chairman of Holder Construction Co., speaking to attendees of the Airport Construction Strategy Summit, held last month in Kansas City, Mo. The summit was sponsored by Airports Council International-North America, Airport Consultants Council and the Associated General Contractors of America. Kenig noted that the concept of “target value,” as opposed to a guaranteed maximum price, is still rare in airport contracts. He added, “We have no consensus on what the design-build choices are,” e.g., low-bid or qualifications-based.