DBIA Sectors and Application 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a military design-build project, which document typically defines the owner's requirements and serves as the basis for DB team proposals?
- Basis of Design (BOD)
- Request for Proposal with Performance Work Statement (PWS) (Correct answer)
- Invitation for Bid (IFB)
- Master Program Document (MPD)
Correct answer: Request for Proposal with Performance Work Statement (PWS)
Military DB solicitations use a Request for Proposal paired with a Performance Work Statement that describes functional outcomes rather than prescriptive specs.
Question 2: The use of design-build in the K-12 education sector is most constrained by which factor?
- Lack of qualified DB teams
- State procurement statutes that may require low-bid selection (Correct answer)
- Absence of design standards for schools
- School board opposition to fast-track delivery
Correct answer: State procurement statutes that may require low-bid selection
Many states have statutory requirements for public school construction that mandate lowest-bid selection, limiting best-value design-build procurement.
Question 3: Which sector frequently uses design-build for 'design-assist' arrangements where key trade contractors join the team early?
- Highway and bridge
- Data centers and mission-critical facilities (Correct answer)
- Single-family housing
- Recreational parks
Correct answer: Data centers and mission-critical facilities
Data center projects routinely use design-assist to bring in mechanical, electrical, and low-voltage specialists early to coordinate complex systems.
Question 4: When a port authority uses design-build to expand container terminal capacity, which technical specialty is most critical to integrate early in design?
- Landscape architecture
- Geostructural and marine civil engineering (Correct answer)
- Interior design
- HVAC engineering
Correct answer: Geostructural and marine civil engineering
Marine and geostructural engineers must evaluate soil conditions, wave loads, and pile design early because these factors drive major cost and schedule decisions.
Question 5: In the oil and gas sector, design-build is sometimes called Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC). What is the EPC contractor's primary responsibility?
- Providing financing for the project
- Designing, procuring materials, and constructing the facility under a single contract (Correct answer)
- Only managing third-party subcontractors
- Obtaining all environmental permits on behalf of the owner
Correct answer: Designing, procuring materials, and constructing the facility under a single contract
An EPC contractor assumes single-source responsibility for design, procurement, and construction, mirroring the design-build model in industrial sectors.
Question 6: Which characteristic makes design-build especially suitable for disaster recovery and emergency infrastructure replacement?
- Lower bonding requirements
- Compressed schedule through overlapping design and construction (Correct answer)
- Fewer inspections required
- Automatic waiver of environmental review
Correct answer: Compressed schedule through overlapping design and construction
Overlapping design and construction phases dramatically compress schedules, which is critical when rapid restoration of infrastructure is needed after a disaster.
Question 7: In the transit sector, a design-build contract for a light rail extension would typically assign which risk to the DB team?
- Ridership demand forecasting
- Utility relocation coordination and delay (Correct answer)
- Federal funding allocation decisions
- Environmental impact statement preparation
Correct answer: Utility relocation coordination and delay
DB contracts in transit typically transfer utility relocation coordination risk to the DB team since it directly affects construction sequence and schedule.
DBIA Sectors and Application 3
In a military design-build project, which document typically defines the owner's requirements and serves as the basis for DB team proposals?