Utilizing Design-Build Delivery to Provide Water Treatment Solutions on a Deadline

Owners often look to design-build delivery as a means to accelerate the overall schedule for their water or wastewater project. In fact, schedule advantage was cited as the #1 reason for selecting design-build delivery in a recent survey of owners conducted by the UNLV and  Water Design-Build Council. 

The Case for Design-Build

Survey respondents were asked to rank the reasons they used design-build for their water and wastewater projects; the figure below shows the results.  

To meet the operational deadlines of our customers, Haskell has utilized both  fixed-price design-build  an d progressive design-build value engineering  to complete water and wastewater treatment facilities throughout the county. Many lessons have been learned over the course of numerous projects, but a few themes have emerged as critical factors for success when undertaking a treatment plant project using design-build for the first time:  

• Selecting an experienced design-build (DB) team is essential to the overall success of the project. 
• Communication, partnership, and trust are the most important elements within the team. 
• Most cost-saving opportunities are captured during the pre-construction phase due to:   
  • Innovation 
  • Value engineering 
  • Schedule optimization 
  • Team collaboration 
  • Preplanning 

Case Study

City of Venice, FL 
Membrane Replacement Project 

The City of Venice, FL, selected Haskell through a progressive design-build request for qualifications (RFQ), shortlisting, and interview process. Once chosen, the Haskell DB team evaluated the existing facility and collaborated with the owner to identify the areas that required upgrades or replacement. 

The evaluation determined that a new reverse osmosis (RO) system, new supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) within the plant and feed wells, and other general plant updates and renovations were required. Since this is the city’s only water treatment facility, it was necessary for the plant to remain operational during all phases of construction and that much of the work be completed during the low flow season to avoid the high flow, peak demand time of the year. 

The Haskell DB team was able to replace the entire RO system along with the other necessary upgrades while maintaining operations capacity at the level required by the city. Progressive DB also provided the city with transparency – ensuring they had received the best possible value in every aspect of their project.

Want to learn more about the benefits of design-build delivery? Contact Haskell's Water Division Leader, Bryan Bedell.