Impacts of Alternative Contracting Methods for Utility Coordination of Transportation Projects

The utility coordination is part of project development and delivery and can be fundamentally influenced by the contracting method. Effective utility coordination can improve the delivery of transportation and other capital facility projects and reduce project risks posed by delays, safety hazards, and cost overruns. State Transportation Agencies (STAs) are implementing many strategies to address road conditions rapidly. One approach has been using alternative contracting methods (ACMs) to speed project delivery, improve quality and constructability, or manage other resource constraints. This paper investigates the efficiency, safety, cost, and schedule impacts of ACMs on utility coordination compared to traditionally delivered projects through design bid build (DBB). Understanding these impacts may influence the selection of a project delivery method or the utility coordination approach used. A literature review, survey, and interviews with subject matter experts were performed in order to achieve this objective. In summary, differences between utility coordination on ACM and DBB projects were perceived. Furthermore, utility coordination costs can be higher on projects using ACMs when compared to DBB. Challenges were encountered in the availability of documentation regatding utility coordination impacts on safety, and schedule STAs are encouraged to seek approaches to collect this data.