Pramen P. Shrestha

Empirical Comparison of Design/Build and Design/Bid/Build Project Delivery Methods

This study compares the performance of design/bid/build and design/build to see if one project delivery method is superior in regards to time and cost. Similar military buildings were used to identify two samples of projects delivered with each of the two delivery methods. These projects provide a meaningful comparison because they include buildings of the same typology (i.e., U.S. Navy Bachelor Enlisted Quarters) delivered using similar design models. Project duration, project duration per bed, project time growth, cost growth and cost per bed were statistically compared. Upon completion of the analysis, the hypothesis that design/build projects are superior to design/bid/build projects in regards to time and cost was tested. Design/build projects were proven superior in performance in almost every measure. Other findings, including recommendations to practitioners and researchers, will be provided as well.

Performance Comparison of Large Design-Build and Design-Bid-Build Highway Projects

This study compares and analyzes the relationship of design-build (DB) and design-bid-build (DBB) project delivery methods with performance metrics of large highway projects (>

Social Marketing to Plan a Fall Prevention Program for Latino Construction Workers

50 million). Project performance is measured in cost, schedule, and change orders on these two types of highway projects. This study also investigates associations between project characteristics (input variables) and project performance (output variables) of large highway projects. The performance comparison methodology used here is derived from work done on a Texas Department of Transportation study of the State Highway 130 Project. The study results show that the construction speed and project delivery speed per lane mile (or lane kilometer) of DB projects were significantly faster than that of DBB projects for this sample. The study also showed that out of 21 inputs analyzed, 14 inputs have statistically significant associations with one or more outputs of these projects.

Benchmarking of Large Design-Build Highway Projects: One-to-One Comparison and Comparison with Design-Bid-Build Projects

BACKGROUND Latino construction workers experience disparities in occupational death and injury rates. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration funded a fall prevention training program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in response to sharp increases in fall-related accidents from 2005 to 2007. The grants purpose was to improve fall protection for construction workers, with a focus on Latinos. This study assessed the effectiveness of social marketing for increasing fall prevention behaviors. METHODS A multi-disciplinary team used a social marketing approach to plan the program. We conducted same day class evaluations and follow-up interviews 8 weeks later. RESULTS The classes met trainee needs as evidenced by class evaluations and increased safety behaviors. However, Spanish-speaking Latinos did not attend in the same proportion as their representation in the Las Vegas population. CONCLUSIONS A social marketing approach to planning was helpful to customize the training to Latino worker needs. However, due to the limitations of behavior change strategies, future programs should target employers and their obligation to provide safer workplaces.

Magnitude of Construction Cost and Schedule Overruns in Public Work Projects

For generations, highway projects in the United States have been delivered with the traditional design–bid–build (DBB) project delivery method. In 1990, FHWA introduced Special Experimental Project Number 14 (SEP-14) to encourage state agencies to use more efficient alternative methods for delivering projects. As of 2002, approximately 140 SEP-14 projects have been built according to the design–build (DB) delivery method. Although the use of the DB method for transportation projects has increased noticeably in the past decade, attempts to measure project performance under DB as against DBB have been limited to small projects. To fill this research gap, an input-versus-output benchmarking approach was used to assess the performance of large DB highway projects. By means of this approach, factors that could affect performance of highway projects were identified, and a comprehensive methodology for benchmarking was developed. A sample of four DB projects (with contract amounts ranging from

Hard-Hat Detection for Construction Safety Visualization

126 million to

Impact of Design Cost on Design Bid Build Project Performance

1.4 billion) was analyzed to determine how project characteristics and DB practices (inputs) affect project performance in terms of cost and schedule (outputs). Project cost and schedule performance show clear trends against 15 input factors. More data points are needed to determine correlations between these inputs and outputs. In addition, 11 DBB projects (with contract amounts ranging from

Factors Influencing Energy Consumption of Energy Star and Non–Energy Star Homes

50 million to

Correlating Bid Price with the Number of Bidders and Final Construction Cost of Public Street Projects

100 million) were selected for a statistical comparison with DB projects.

Hispanic construction workers and assertiveness training

This study analyzed 363 Clark County Department of Public Works (CCDPW) projects to determine construction cost and schedule overruns in various types and sizes of the projects. The sample projects were constructed from 1991 to 2008, with a total construction cost of