TABLE OF CONTENTS As discussed in Chap. 1, project delivery systems establish an organizational framework for a construction project. This framework not only defines how the parties on the project relate to each other, but also creates the structure for determining what roles and responsibilities they will have as the work is executed. Because each project delivery system has unique features, the specific role of a party under one system can look quite different from the role assumed by that party under another system.
The owner is the most important party on any construction project, as it creates the need for the project. The owner decides every key aspect of the project including what type of project will be built, where it will be built, when it will be built, and who will build it. As a result, the owner, unlike any other party, has the ability to control the destiny of the project and everyone working on it, from conception to completion. The owner also has the corresponding duty to manage how the project will be developed. This, of course, includes the responsibility of selecting a project delivery system.
Owners who choose design-build frequently do so to reduce the complexity of developing the project and to make their lives easier. Under any other delivery system, including at-risk construction management, the owner procures, manages, and coordinates the A/E and contractor teams. This role includes the obligation to resolve disputes between the design and construction teams and to take on the risk, vis- -vis...
