Determining Contract Requirements for Quality Assurance Program in Innovative Project Delivery

As innovative project delivery methods, such as design-build (DB) and public–private partnership (P3), become more common, many state departments of transportation (state DOTs) have implemented alternative quality assurance programs (QAPs). These programs shift quality assurance responsibility from the DOT to the private sector in DB projects, but this transition can be a challenge, creating a gap between DOT expectations and the construction industry’s actual implementation. It is crucial to ensure that DOTs have clear requirements defined for quality assurance programs for innovative delivery projects. It is also critical for the construction engineering and inspection (CEI) industry to understand DOT’s quality assurance expectations in the innovative delivery environment. The major objectives of this research are to identify the state of practice in QAPs and characterize the variability among state DOTs’ DB and P3 projects. This study conducts content analysis and comparative analysis of QAPs across the population of US DOTs. This involves comparatively examining 35 DOTs’ QAPs and analyzing 98 documents such as requests for qualifications, requests for proposals, and quality management manuals to understand different DOT’s expectations for DB and P3 projects. The study identifies five essential criteria representing each DOT’s unique quality assurance requirements and compiles primary similarities and differences in QAPs across the DOTs. This research contributes to the body of knowledge on the core criteria of quality assurance requirements and DOTs’ expectations specified in DB and P3 contract documents. The findings will help practitioners understand alternative QAPs better and increase the quality of performance.