Washington Governor Jay Inslee has signed legislation authorizing the use of progressive design-build (PDB) in all agencies already using design-build. Washington is the first state to specifically address the use of progressive in legislative language, building a model that could help inform the use of progressive in other states nationwide.

DBIA enthusiastically supported HB 1295 as it worked its way through the 2019 legislative session. This new authority:

• Allows all public agencies already approved to use design-build to use progressive design-build.
• Expands design-build authority to include projects greater than $2 million.
• Allows owners to consider the management plan and one or more price-related factors, the technical approach, and design concept during the RFP phase.
• Defines price-related factors to include ” an evaluation factor that impacts costs which may include but is not limited to overhead and profit, lump sum or guaranteed maximum price for the entire or a portion of the project, operating costs, or other similar factors that may apply to the project.”

Public and private Owners in the state of Washington have an impressive history of delivering innovative projects using design-build. In fact, there have been 23 National Design-Build Award-winning projects and teams in the state since 1997. Last year alone, Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center and The Spark projects joined the Alternate Utility Facility at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and HAPO Mill Plain as national design-build award winners.

This new legislation will open the door to even more design-build innovation and collaboration in Washington state public projects. In fact, the much-anticipated Spokane SportsPlex project, managed by the Spokane Public Facilities District, is expected to use progressive design-build and is scheduled to break ground this summer and opening in early 2021.

Need to know more about progressive design-build?  Check out DBIA’s many PDB resources, including the nation’s only Progressive Design-Build Done Right® coursework, here.

Progressive Design-Build Classes

Progressive Design-Build Primer

Progressive Design-Build Deeper Dive

Progressive Design-Build Webinars (3 parts)

Progressive Design-Build Presentations (Video)

If you live in Washington state and would like to learn more about this new authority and other design-build activities, reach out to DBIA’s Northwest Region. It’s the perfect place for you to meet your peers and expand your network.