Author: candid

  • Design-Build Industry News

    For the latest Design-Build industry news and views, visit https://dbia.org/blogs/

  • DBIA-MAR Recognizes Bill Quatman, Names Annual Leadership Award in His Honor

    In honor of Bill Quatman’s dedication to get the DBIA Mid-America Region started, at the DBIA-MAR 2022 Awards Celebration, the organization announced its intent to name the Region’s annual Leadership Award, the Bill Quatman Leadership Award — and the award’s namesake was the first recipient of this important award. Congratulations, Bill and thank you for ALL that you do to promote design-build!

    View this video for more information about the history of DBIA-MAR, and the role Bill played in its formation.

  • ENR Talks Design-Build with DBIA’s Lisa Washington

    July 25, 2022

    DBIA Executive Director/CEO, Lisa Washington, had a freewheeling conversation with ENR Editors on the Critical Path podcast about design-build’s impressive growth and its impact on projects nationwide. We urge you to take a few minutes and listen to the entire conversation, but click here to read highlights.

  • Bill Quatman Receives DBIA’s 2020 Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award

    December 8, 2020

    Congratulations to G. William Quatman, Esq., FAIA, FDBIA ,General Counsel & Senior Vice President at Burns & McDonnell for being honored at DBIA National’s Virutal Conference with the Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award, which is the highest individual honor DBIA bestows. It is presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to the design and construction industry through outstanding leadership and innovation in the advancement of design-build project delivery. Recipients of this award have exhibited originality, vision, and breadth over the course of their professional life, with 25 years or more of strong and well-documented commitment to design-build project delivery.

    Bill Quatman’s experience with design-build began even before we all called it “design-build.” For 30 years, Bill has been a tireless advocate for design-build nationally, and internationally, through his writing, public speaking, university-level teaching, legislative advocacy, and legal skills. Bill founded the Mid-America Region of DBIA, which started the “regional” concept of DBIA chapters, still used today. He has authored dozens of articles, including a series on design-build ethics published by DBIA, and he is the author of many of the DBIA contract forms, including the entire bond series, the BIM, Sustainable and Insurance Exhibits, and the new DBOM Exhibit. He also initiated and authored the DBIA Code of Conduct and has spoken at over 20 local, regional and national DBIA conferences. A past national board chair and outgoing national board member, Bill has led many of DBIA’s key initiatives for many decades.

    Click here to view a video of Bill accepting this prestigious honor.

  • MetroWireMedia Features Lessons from Leaders Panel

    Brittany Jobker

    September 2, 2020

    The final session of the Regional DBIA Virtual Conference Week wrapped up last week, featuring a panel of local leaders who shared lessons learned over their careers.

    Panelists included Maria Maffry, principal with BNIM; Andy Heitmann, vice president & operations manager with Turner Construction; Robert D. Regnier, executive chairman and CEO of Bank of Blue Valley; Dave Harrison, president of VanTrust Real Estate; and Mike Orth, executive vice president with Black & Veatch.

    Click here to read the full article and the key take-ways from the panel discussion:

  • New “Design-Build Delivers” Podcast Examines the Value of DBIA Certification

    It’s no surprise — design-build qualifications help drive our industry’s most successful teams. As the use of design-build continues to grow nationwide, so has the competition and that means teams must demonstrate in quantifiable ways their design-build expertise. DBIA Certification has become a vital part of how successful design-build teams win projects.


    In this month’s episode of DBIA’s Design-Build Delivers podcast, we talk to former DBIA Certification Board Chair Keith R. Molenaar, Ph.D., FDBIA, about the spectacular growth in Design-Build Certification and how it’s benefiting thousands of design-builders nationwide.


    This episode can be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Spotify Podcasts.

  • DBIA-MAR Joins Iowans for Project Innovations Coalition

    DBIA-MAR is excited to announce our membership in an exciting new coalition fighting to bring collaborative project delivery methods like design-build and CMAR to Iowa.

    Iowans for Innovative Projects is a diverse group of Owners and industry organizations who support APD legislation in Iowa. As you probably already know, Iowa is now one of only two states that prohibit design-build. It’s time to change that and we here at DBIA-MAR are fully invested in bringing design-build to Iowa.

    We need your help! Take a moment to check out the coalition website, share it with your industry colleagues and we urge all of our Iowans to reach out to your organizations and become a coalition member here. It will take all of us to bring design-build to Iowa!

  • Design-Build Makes Sense for Iowa

    Article by Roch Player, guest columnist at The Gazette

    Click here to read the full article.

    Change is hard — especially in a state accustomed to delivering infrastructure projects the same way for generations. With our infrastructure needs, Iowa can’t afford to continue to sit on the sidelines while the rest of the nation delivers projects more efficiently using design-build. The Iowa Board of Regents recognizes this, however, you would never know it from the lopsided coverage (“Regents dig in on disputed building method,” July 7). A vocal industry group satisfied with the status quo and opposed to change has portrayed the use of design-build as virtual Armageddon for the state’s contractors and good governance. They also offer zero evidence to support those claims.

    However, abundant research exists detailing design-build’s impressive cost and schedule efficiencies. Iowa’s Board of Regents’ successes can’t be ignored. The University of Iowa recently built two new dormitories. The Peterson Residence Hall used the traditional design-bid-build method and the other, Catlett Residence Hall, used design-build. Catlett Residence Hall was delivered in nearly half the time while also significantly reducing costly change orders resulting from design errors.

    Design-build is the fastest growing and most popular delivery system in the nation for a reason. Its collaboration delivers projects twice as fast as traditional design-bid-build and continues to outperform all other delivery systems in cost, schedule, construction and delivery speed. That’s why Iowa groups including the Master Builders, Mechanical Contractors, League of Cities, the Iowa Chamber Alliance support legislation to allow state agencies the option to choose the best project delivery method to fit each project. Here’s the truth about design-build:

    Myth: Design-build weakens competition when choosing the project team.

    Fact: Just the opposite is true. With the traditional delivery method, the primary factor considered in the competition is price. The design-build selection process, conversely, uses a rigorous competition procedure that focuses on qualifications, experience, technical approach, price, and other factors.

    Myth: Design-build provides an opportunity for favoritism to enter into the contract award process.

    Fact: Favoritism or patronage is the opposite of design-build best practices. While design-build allows for the considering of factors beyond just price — such as team qualifications and project innovation — this is done to achieve best value and superior projects.

    Myth: On large design-build projects, big out-of-state companies will take work from local companies.

    Fact: Actually, design-build is better than design-bid-build at addressing this fear. Traditional large design-bid-build projects will see both in-state and out-of-state contractors submitting ridiculously low bids in order to win the project, then force their subcontractors (which are often local) to lower their costs to meet the low-bid they offered. Because the primary focus is price, there is little incentive to truly collaborate with local firms.

  • DBIA National Executive Director/CEO, Lisa Washington, visits St. Louis Chapter

    DBIA National Executive Director/CEO, Lisa Washington, visited with our St. Louis Chapter on April 24, 2019 to share new Design-Build Tools, Resources and Updates. Click here to download her presentation.

  • Introducing…Sara Craig

    Please join the Design-Build Institute of America’s Mid-America Region (DBIA-MAR) in welcoming its new Executive Director, Sara Craig.

    After a thorough search to attract the brightest talent to lead our organization, the DBIA-MAR leadership team is pleased to have selected Sara Craig as Executive Director. Sara will succeed Oretta Smith, who is retiring at the end of May 2019.

    Sara comes to DBIA-MAR with extensive experience leading successful organizations and events, having served as the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce in Harrisonville, Mo., for nearly 20 years. Sara is organized, professional, open minded and dependable. She is detail-oriented and a skilled communicator who is knowledgeable about organizing events, working with volunteers and providing value to industry partners and members.

    “We are thrilled to have someone of Sara’s caliber join our organization to lead us into the future,” said DBIA-MAR President, Mark Deaton. “While we will definitely miss Oretta, we hope you will join us in our excitement about welcoming Sara to DBIA-MAR.”

    Sara is working in tandem with Oretta over the next several weeks to ensure a smooth transition. She can be reached at sara.craig@dbiamar.org or 816.868.1686. We think you will find her to be a positive resource and great addition to DBIA-MAR, so please drop her a line or say hello at the next event. Thank you!