The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) has announced the release of its updated Transportation and Aviation Design-Build Best Practices Primer, which follows last year’s refresh of the Universal Best Practices and the updated Federal Sector Best Practices introduced earlier this year. Recognizing the need for sector-specific guidelines, the new primer is designed to offer actionable insights for design-build teams tackling the distinct challenges in transportation and aviation projects.

“The transportation and aviation market sectors have witnessed substantial growth and transformation in recent years,” said Chair of the DBIA Transportation & Aviation Markets Task Force Bill Hasbrook, MEMS, TCFM, FDBIA. “As this sector continues to evolve, it has become imperative to revise and update the DBIA Best Practices specific to transportation and aviation projects.”

DBIA's commitment to maintaining industry-standard design-build resources, education and certification programs drove the evolution of these best practices. The primer was updated from its 2016 release by seasoned design-build experts whose extensive experience in transportation and aviation projects has informed the new guidelines. Hasbrook added, “Staying ahead of continuous innovation and rapid evolution in the design-build sector is crucial. Our revised best practices reflect the current state of the industry and incorporate significant insights from key stakeholders.”

The revision process was thorough and collaborative. DBIA’s Transportation & Aviation Markets Committee formed a task force that comprised former and current executives, owners, practitioners and legal experts. Additionally, recommendations were solicited from various industry partners.

“The comprehensive review and update was necessary to incorporate aviation and ensure alignment with the Universal Best Practices released last year,” Hasbrook explained. “Our goal was to create a document that not only mirrors the universal guidelines but also addresses the specific needs of the transportation and aviation sectors.”

Key updates in the primer include enhanced techniques for procurement, contracts and execution, all tailored to the transportation and aviation design-build sector. The primer now mirrors the structure of the Universal Best Practices while augmenting it with sector-specific insights.