TABLE OF CONTENTS Acquisition of a new or renovated facility is a significant step for a facility owner and the owner s organization. The amount of resources devoted to this task in both staff time and money is substantial, and the potential for problems (time delay, claims for omissions, unforeseen conditions) contribute to the risk and managerial anxiety that may accompany the decision to build a new facility.
After weighing the options, however, owners may determine that designing and constructing a new facility offers a better return than leasing, purchasing, or other forms of acquisition or may decide that a new or renovated facility will provide the special amenities or unique features needed by the facility users. The decision to use a form of project delivery requires the engagement of, at minimum, design services and construction services, replete with the provision of land, labor, materials, and equipment and the management know-how to combine these disparate pieces into a finished facility.
In brief, a project delivery system is the process by which the components of design and construction including professional services, labor, materials, and equipment, as well as responsibility for cost, schedule, quality, and management are combined under an agreement that results in a completed facility. (See Fig. 9.1.) Procurement represents the purchasing steps that the owner or its representative must take to gain the services and commodities required under the chosen project delivery system. For example, the state of North Carolina wants to build a new...
