MG+M presents a two-part roundtable series on delivery methods for infrastructure projects, hosted by MG+M Partner David Hatem. With major infrastructure projects set to be underway across the region in 2027 now is the time to get ahead of the delivery method decisions that will shape their outcomes.
 
Register now for Part One, Contractor Involvement in Design: The Landscape of Delivery Approaches on Infrastructure Projects, on September 30. Save the date for Part Two in early 2027—registration details will be announced at a later date.
 
Part One: Contractor Involvement in Design: The Landscape of Delivery Approaches on Infrastructure Projects
This session will survey the range of delivery approaches being implemented on today’s infrastructure projects providing for contractor involvement in the design of permanent project work. These approaches include Design-Bid-Build, Design Assist, Design Delegation, Conventional Design-Build, Progressive Design-Build, and CM/GC. Discussion will cover:

• What are the distinctive characteristics of each approach?
• What typically drives owner selections?
• What are the industry-perceived advantages and disadvantages of each method?
• How do the various methods address risk allocation and professional liability insurance considerations?
• •What are the challenges and opportunities for improvement in each delivery method?

This will be the first session of a two-part special series on various delivery method approaches to contractor involvement in design. The diversified project delivery approaches discussed in the September 30 session all concentrate on the timing and nature of contractor involvement in the design of permanent work and on the roles, responsibilities, and risks (3Rs) of project participants for that design in those various approaches.
 
Part Two: Revitalization of Design-Bid-Build on Tunnel Projects
Building on Part One, this session takes a deep dive into the revitalization of the traditional Design-Bid-Build delivery method in the specific context of tunnel projects—timed to coincide with the ramp-up of major regional tunnel projects. Topics will include:

• Procurement 
  • Contractor Pre-Qualification
  • Escrow Bid Document Requirements
• Contractual 
  • Risk Allocation: Subsurface Conditions Information Disclosure
  • DSC Provisions (EBDs and Geotechnical Baseline Reports)
  • Construction Means/Methods Submittals
  • Contractor Design-Related Proposals or Involvement
  • Observational Method
  • Performance Specifications
  • Risk Management and Insurance Programs
• Case Study 
  • Procurement and Contracting Approach Modifications in DBB Subsurface Projects

Tunnels present significant opportunities for benefits and challenges in the timely involvement and inputs on contractors in the development and execution of design. These benefits and challenges underline the growing interest in early contractor involvement methods—such as progressive design build and CM/GC—on tunnel and other heavy civil infrastructure projects. In the second session, Design-Bid-Build Revitalization on tunnel projects, we will address opportunities of bridging gaps and improving alignments between the 3Rs in the specialized context of tunnel projects. The independent and sequential aspects of design development and subsurface investigations and evaluations in DBB—and the typically limited (if any) opportunity for contractor real time involvement in those activities—pose challenges in effective risk allocation on tunnel projects and often produce disputes. In this session we will provide specific thoughts and recommendations for improving the opportunities for real time contractor involvement and input prior to construction start and thereby enhancing effective risk allocation and dispute reduction. Background for this session is provided in David J. Hatem, Revitalizing Design-Bid-Build for Tunnel Projects (July 2026 Update).
 
We look forward to your attendance.
 
Continuing education (CE) credits will be available for this roundtable. Please provide your AIA member number in the registration form. If not provided, we will not be able to issue your credits, and it will be your responsibility to secure them independently.