USE OF THE ALTERNATIVE TECHNICAL CONCEPTS IN TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Touran ◽  
Firooz Panah
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Transportation Projects ◽  
First Case ◽  
Best Value ◽  
Federal Highway ◽  
Design Build ◽  
Request For Proposal ◽  
Selection Of

The use of Alternative Technical Concepts (ATC) is becoming widespread in design-build transportation projects in the United States. According to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) ATC is a request by a proposer (usually in design-build projects) to modify a contract requirement for gaining competitive advantage over competition. The owner, usually a state department of transportation, requires that the ATC provide a better or at least equal solution to the owner’s design requirements. In Design-Build (DB) projects, the ATC is usually proposed by a proposer during the Request for Proposal (RFP) process and is considered in the evaluation and selection of the proposers in conjunction with the Best Value (BV) method of selection. In this paper, the authors have focused on two case studies involving ATC implementation and negotiations with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) highlighting advantages and disadvantages of using ATC in DB contracts. In each case, the nature of ATC and the approval process is discussed. In the first case, the approved ATCs provided the proposer with a clear advantage in winning a contract with the agency despite not being the low bidder. In the second case, the proposed and approved ATCs did not result in winning a contract despite being the low bidder.

A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF ALTERNATIVE TECHNICAL CONCEPTS IN HIGHWAY PROJECT DELIVERY METHODS

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Edward Minchin ◽  
Parth Choksi ◽  
Linda Konrath ◽  
Sid Scott ◽  
Yuanxin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Delivery Methods ◽  
Time Saving ◽  
Federal Highway ◽  
Project Delivery Methods ◽  
Design Build ◽  
Request For Proposal ◽  
Design Bid Build

Department of Transportation (DOT) budgets are being stretched to the limits, while the infrastructure needs of the nation continue to grow. To address this issue, a few DOTs have adopted strategies that promote innovation and motivate industry to propose cost or time saving ideas. The advent of the Design Build (D-B) and General-Contractor-as-Construction-Manager (CM/GC) project delivery methods in highway and bridge construction has established the early involvement of the contractor in the design phase of a project. The next step on this evolution may be Alternative Technical Concepts (ATCs). The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has defined an ATC as “a request by a proposer to modify a contract requirement, specifically for that proposer’s use in gaining competitive benefit during the bidding or proposal process and must provide a solution that is equal to or better than the owner’s base design requirements in the invitation for bid (for a design-bid-build project) or request for proposal (for a D-B project) document”. ATCs have been reported to improve constructability, enhance innovation, and ultimately save costs. Issues with ATC use includes: time and resource constraints, confidentiality concerns, submittal issues, and difficulties in conducting fair “apples to apples” evaluations. This paper will report the findings of the research team as it goes through the early stages of identifying best practices for the FHWA to bring uniformity to the ATC process.

An evaluation of warranty contracting in the United States of America

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Emre Bayraktar ◽  
Qingbin Cui ◽  
Makarand Hastak ◽  
Issam Minkarah
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Construction Costs ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Contract Administration ◽  
State Highway ◽  
Early Failures ◽  
State Highway Agencies

It is believed that warranty contracting would benefit state highway agencies by improving quality, saving money and time, and encouraging contractors' innovations. However, the challenges associated with warranties could be substantial, including higher costs, early failures, a reduction or even elimination of small contractors from the bidding process, and an increase in contract disputes and litigation. The actual impact of warranty provisions on state Department of Transportation (DOT) projects in the United States of America is still unclear because of limited industry experience. This paper provides a detailed discussion of warranty provisions and the benefits and problems associated with the subject matter. The advantages and disadvantages of warranty provisions are evaluated from the conflicting perspectives of state Departments of Transportation (DOTs), contractors, and surety companies. The future prospects of warranty provisions are established based on the findings of a recent study of warranty provisions and existing literature. Also, several options are proposed that have a strong potential to improve the application of warranties on DOT projects.Key words: warranties, highway construction, innovation, highway maintenance, contract administration, construction costs, construction inspection.

USING STATISTICAL MODELS BASED ON HISTORICAL PROJECT DATA TO ESTIMATE DURATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo Nevett ◽  
Douglas Alleman ◽  
Paul Goodrum
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Parametric Modeling ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Final State ◽  
Transportation Projects ◽  
Highway Transportation ◽  
Maximum Effort ◽  
Increase In Accuracy ◽  
Project Data ◽  
Lack Of Commitment

Estimating the duration of highway transportation projects accurately has always been a challenge for State Transportation Agencies (STAs) in the United States (US) due to the differences in projects’ location, scope, nature, size, and goals. Inaccurate estimates of project durations by STAs can lead to a lack of commitment from contractors, not needing to invest their maximum effort to fulfill a project’s scope. STAs have used a variety of methods to estimate and set contract time, mainly relying on historical production rates in tandem with activity precedent logic programs. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has recently attempted to develop a statistical model which estimates contract times by using parametric modeling and historic contracting times with success. This paper attempts to build upon their findings, regressing historical data from Montana Department of Transportation projects using bid tabulations, engineers’ estimates, location, and type of project, among other factors as inputs. The model presented is still under development and is expected to increase in accuracy as it reaches its final state.

Analysis of Florida Transit Bus Crashes

2002 ◽  
Vol 1791 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel R. Rey ◽  
Dennis Hinebaugh ◽  
Jose Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
Florida Department ◽  
Effectiveness Of Training ◽  
Transportation Research ◽  
Led Lights ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Transit Bus

Through its National Center for Transit Research, and under contract with the Florida Department of Transportation, the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) was tasked with reviewing a sample of data on transit bus crash occurrence from selected Florida transit systems. The purpose of this review is to analyze changes in crash occurrence over time in relation to the effectiveness of training programs and capital safety improvements in reducing bus crashes. To this end, CUTR conducted two case studies utilizing occurrence data from Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority in Tampa (which implemented a refresher training course for bus operators) and LYNX Transit in Orlando (which replaced standard rear-end brake lights and turn signal and emergency flasher lights with high-density LED lights). The case studies examined the effect that these two particular safety campaigns had on postimple-mentation bus crash occurrence for the two properties. In addition to the promotion of safety, it is anticipated that this effort will be a preliminary step in the process of establishing a general list of safety campaigns, along with related costs and “rule of thumb” occurrence prevention effectiveness levels for each. A list of this nature will aid transit systems in Florida, the United States, and elsewhere in the selection of safety campaigns that will meet financial and safety goals.

Maine Builds Longest-Span Precast Segmental Bridge with Unique Design-Build Selection Process

2000 ◽  
Vol 1696 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan R. Phipps
Keyword(s):  
Selection Process ◽  
Precast Concrete ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Box Girders ◽  
Best Value ◽  
Design Build ◽  
The City ◽  
The Town ◽  
Segmental Bridge ◽  
Score Point

The Bath-Woolwich Bridge in Maine will have the longest precast balanced cantilever concrete segmental span in America—128 m (420 ft)—when completed. It carries U.S. Route 1 over the Kennebec River between the city of Bath and the town of Woolwich. The bridge is scheduled for completion in July 2000. The bridge designed by the design-build team has a total length of 906 m, with 12 spans at lengths of 56-56-56-80-128-116-101-101-62-50-50-50 m. The 56- and 50-m end spans are cast-in-place concrete box girders. The center spans are precast concrete segmental erected in balanced cantilever. The two-cell box girder superstructure segments vary in depth from 6 m at the piers to 2.8 m at midspan. The Maine Department of Transportation developed a unique procedure to select a design-build team for this project, which included prequalifying four design-build teams to submit proposals; scoring of technical proposals by a diverse group of 19 individuals; and combining scores with price by dividing the price by the score, with the lowest price per score point winning. The Maine Department of Transportation’s design-build selection process assured Maine of the best value for this important project.

Instrumenting Ohio Test Pavement

1997 ◽  
Vol 1596 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shad M. Sargand ◽  
Roger Green ◽  
Issam Khoury
Keyword(s):  
Asphalt Concrete ◽  
Structural Response ◽  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Portland Cement Concrete ◽  
Cement Concrete ◽  
Delaware County ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Highway Research

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) constructed a test pavement on US-23 in Delaware County, Ohio. Of the nine Specific Pavement Studies (SPS) formulated by the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP), four (SPS-1, SPS-2, SPS-8, and SPS-9) were included at the OH-SHRP DEL-23 site. Sensors were carefully selected and installed to monitor structural response and seasonal parameters on the basis of prior field experiences accumulated in the United States and Canada. Criteria used to select the sensors were cost, accuracy, sensitivity, longevity, and level of success in previous pavement research projects, especially projects in Ohio. Described here is the development of the Ohio test pavement in terms of objectives, overall instrumentation plan, and selection of sensors as well as typical instrumentation plans for asphalt concrete and portland cement concrete sections.

scholarly journals Design-Build Project Delivery in Military Construction: Approach to Best Value Procurement

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Birtice Garner ◽  
Kathleen Richardson ◽  
Daniel Castro-Lacouture
Keyword(s):  
Air Force ◽  
The United States ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Delivery Methods ◽  
Traditional Design ◽  
Best Value ◽  
Design Build ◽  
Facility Construction ◽  
Design Bid Build ◽  
Military Construction

Design-Build is rapidly becoming one of the most commonly used project delivery methods in the facility construction industry. The United States Air Force and the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) are expected to establish a target of 75% of all Military Construction (MILCON) projects delivered using the Design-Build method. The use of this delivery method will bring significant changes in the relationships between the various parties associated with facility project delivery when compared to the traditional Design-Bid-Build method. This paper demonstrates that Design-Build delivery with a best value selection is an important tool in accomplishing AFRC’s cost efficient, rapid response transformation goals applicable to facility construction. Three hundred thirty two projects in program years 2002 through 2006, constructed using both traditional Design-Bid-Build or Design-Build delivery methods, were examined. Parameters used for comparisons were construction cost and schedule growth, project cost, vertical versus horizontal construction, and number of days required to prepare solicitation documents, advertise and accomplish construction award. This research reveals significant project schedule advantages with Design-Build best value selection delivery. The advantages are apparent in both pre and post construction award activities. Potential Design-Build cost advantages are hindered by Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations requiring firm fixed price contracts at construction award.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Analysis of an Emergency Bridge Replacement Project

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul G. Swanson
Keyword(s):  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Bridge Foundations ◽  
Federal Highway ◽  
Design Build ◽  
Rail Line ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Grade Separation ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Procurement Method ◽  
Cost Of Construction

A bridge that provided grade separation and vehicle access over a commercial rail line in a small town in the Southeast had sustained soil erosion and settlement as a result of a severe storm. Replacement of the bridge was undertaken by the State Department of Transportation as an emergency project in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration using the design-build procurement method. Subsequent to the bidding, the design-build team made several changes to the bridge foundations and superstructure that significantly increased the cost of construction. The contractor claimed damages against the other members of the design-build team resulting from design errors and an alleged breach of the customary standards associated with the design-build concept.

The Oxford Handbook of the Operatic Canon

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Musical Theater ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
The United States ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Limited Sample ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Formation History ◽  
Artistic Directors ◽  
Selection Of

This collection examines the phenomenon of the operatic canon: its formation, history, current ontology and practical influence, and future. It does so by taking an international and interdisciplinary view: the workshops from which it was derived included the participation of critics, producers, artistic directors, stage directors, opera company CEOs, and even economists, from the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Italy, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Canada. The volume is structured as a series of dialogues: each subtopic is addressed by two essays, introduced jointly by the authors, and followed by a jointly compiled list of further reading. These paired essays complement each other in different ways, for example by treating the same geographical location in different periods, by providing different national or regional perspectives on the same period, or by thinking through similar conceptual issues in contrasting milieus. Part I consists of a selection of surveys of operatic production and consumption contexts in France, Italy, Germany, England, Russia, and the Americas, arranged in rough order from the late seventeenth century to the late nineteenth century. Part II is a (necessarily) limited sample of subjects that illuminate the operatic canon from different—sometimes intentionally oblique—angles, ranging from the influence of singers to the contiguous genres of operetta and musical theater, and the effects of recording and broadcast over almost 150 years. The volume concludes with two essays written by prominent figures from the opera industry who give their sense of the operatic canon’s evolution and prospects.

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