01620164

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/2630-03

The use of construction manager–general contractor (CM-GC) project delivery is gaining momentum with highway projects across the United States. This project delivery process is different from the traditional design–bid–build (D-B-B) process in that an agency works with one CM-GC to develop the construction cost. To ensure that agencies receive fair market value, many agencies employ an independent cost estimator (ICE) in lieu of competitive bidding. The findings of a research effort to explore ICE roles, responsibilities, and best practices within highway construction are presented. The findings were derived through a review of previous literature, current agency CM-GC ICE policies, surveys of 25 completed CM-GC projects, and in-depth interviews with highway agency officials on six of the projects. The six projects were selected for interviews from the set of completed projects to allow for cross-case comparison. Although multiple best practices are identified, the two key findings of the research are that the ICE should have construction experience and local knowledge and should be an involved team member throughout the design process. In summary, all of the reviewed agencies found the ICE role to be essential in establishing a competitive construction contract cost and thereby gaining value through early contractor involvement. Some agencies found that the ICE added value beyond the costing process as a team member throughout design, but this practice was not found to be universal across all projects studied.

01634656

17-04745

English

pp 15–22

2017

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

9780309441841

Digital/other

Figures (1) ; References (19) ; Tables (3)

Best practices; Construction management; Contract administration; Contractors; Cost estimating; Literature reviews; Project delivery; Road construction; Surveys

United States

Administration and Management; Construction; Finance; Highways

PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Dec 8 2016 11:49AM

• Assessment of State Agencies’ Practices in Managing Geotechnical Risk in Design–Build Projects
• Comparison of Qualifications-Based Selection and Best-Value Procurement for Construction Manager–General Contractor Highway Construction
• Density Observations from a Full-Scale, Untrafficked Test Section with Guidance for Dryback Methods
• Economic Impact Analysis of Bridge Construction
• Estimating Earthwork Volumes Through Use of Unmanned Aerial Systems
• Evaluation of Stainless Steel Fasteners for Bolted Field Splice Connections of ASTM A1010 Corrosion-Resistant Steel Plate Girders
• Exploration of Early Work Packaging in Construction Manager–General Contractor Highway Projects
• Factors Related to the Appearance of Transverse Bumps in Asphalt Overlays Placed over Crack Sealant
• Field and Laboratory Properties of Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements
• Framework for Objectively Determining Best Practices for Alternative Contracting Methods
• Highly Modified Asphalt Binder for Asphalt Crack Relief Mix
• Impact of Alternative Project Delivery Systems on the International Roughness Index: Case Studies of Transportation Projects in the Western United States
• Impact of High Asphalt Binder Replacement on Level Binder Properties for Controlling Reflective Cracking
• Monitoring During Lateral Bridge Slide
• New Quality Assurance Tests for Building Quality Concrete Pavement
• Project Scoping Process Model Development to Achieve On-Time and On-Budget Delivery of Highway Projects
• Wisconsin Department of Transportation Hot-Mix Asphalt Round Robin Laboratory Qualification Testing Program