Utility Coordination in Alternative Delivery Methods for Transportation Projects: Utility Responsibility Matrix and Design Development—Lessons Learned from Detailed Design Process and Construction

Stakeholder involvement in large linear infrastructure projects under public–private partnership (P3) usually is one of the main risk contributors in terms of cost overruns and schedule slippages. Utilities are not the exception, and their involvement from the early stages of the project is crucial for the project success. In order to clearly setting rules, a utility responsibility matrix should be conceived since the planning stages of these P3 projects, even before project award. The responsibility matrix not only determines who does what in terms of design but also during construction. Some utility agencies are more conservative and prefer to have both the design and construction done by the Utility Agency or its contractors, while others are open to transfer that risk to the Project Co. There are other cases, in between these two, where the Utilities provide a list of their preferred or approved contractors and consultants, being managed by the Project Co. Construction or Design Joint Venture. However, the fact of having the rules set often creates other challenges that affect the design process and hence impacting the overall schedule, adding more complexities on the Utility Coordination task. This paper will explore and explain these complexities in detail based on a large Light Rail Train Project in Canada and will seek for opportunities to improve this process, sometimes overlooked by the stakeholders involved [Utility Companies, Project Owner/Technical Advisor, Project Co. (Construction and Designer Joint Venture), Approved Sub Consultants, among others].