CONTENT EXPIRES: December 31, 2025

The booming water/wastewater market is keeping design-builders very busy, leaving owners faced with the dilemma of how to sell their projects to the market. Equally applicable to owners and owners’ advisors, this session will explain how economic and technological factors are decreasing the number of bidders on projects and what owners can do about that. In today’s market, it falls to owners to engage in early outreach so potential bidders know what projects are upcoming. Continual communication, in the form of updates, one-on-one confidential meetings, and written communication, will help design-build teams understand the project drivers and keep the project on their radar screens. It is in owners’ best interests to have a strategy and schedule for making key project decisions. Taking the time to select an appropriate delivery approach that aligns with project goals is key to a successful outcome. Sharing draft contracts with potential bidders and soliciting input on the terms will go a long way to developing a fair and balanced risk allocation. Design-builders will focus their efforts on projects they think they can win and successfully execute. Owners who make it easy for design-builders to assess those outcomes have the best shot of attracting qualified bidders.