Demetracopoulou, Vassiliki A (2023) Risk and innovation in project delivery method selection for complex highway projects. PhD thesis, University of Texas at Austin, USA.
Abstract
The selection of a project delivery method (PDM) is a crucial decision that state highway agencies (SHAs) must make during the pre-procurement stage of infrastructure projects. The chosen PDM will determine the project's stakeholders, contract structure, final design, and construction. However, the PDM selection process remains challenging due to uncertainties stemming from low project scope definition during evaluation and the evolution of PDMs over the last 20 years. When first implemented, design-build (DB) was seen as a way to transfer risk to contractors and improve cost and schedule performance through early integration and overlap of design and construction. However, recent studies have questioned the effectiveness of DB contracts in terms of cost performance and unnecessary risk transfer. As such, SHAs must adjust their PDM selection processes to account for these factors. This dissertation aims to provide comprehensive guidance for efficient PDM selection for complex highway projects, with input from the private sector (Industry), the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The first chapter addresses the gap in defining innovation and complexity for PDM selection, outlining six dimensions grouped by inherent project complexity and exogenous innovation opportunities. The second chapter presents empirical impact assessments for selection criteria to achieve cost- and schedule-related goals, emphasizing the tradeoff between DB and DBB selection and the importance of risk management and mitigation. The third chapter identifies factors that impact risk assessment and allocation in DB contracts. Building on these results, the dissertation's final chapter outlines a deterministic and probabilistic PDM selection framework developed for TxDOT as an implementation case study. Overall, this dissertation contributes to PDM selection literature by providing a novel approach that defines innovation, incorporates uncertainty and risk management strategies, and is independent of project cost estimates. By providing comprehensive guidance for efficient PDM selection, this work can help SHAs make informed decisions to optimize project outcomes.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | O'Brien, William J; Faust, Kasey; Machemehl, Randy; Bickel, Eric and El Asmar, Mounir |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | project delivery methods; selection; design-build; transportation projects; innovation; risk allocation |
| Index terms: | project complexity, cost performance, complexity, agency, impact assessment, mitigation, evolution, integration, tradeoff, project cost, strategy, project scope definition, transportation project, schedule performance, project delivery, infrastructure project, dissertation, dimension, implementation, estimate, selection criteria, risk management, effectiveness, risk allocation, design and construction, risk assessment, highway construction, project outcome, private sector, case study, contract structure |
| Subjects: | tendering, financial risk, organizational theory, environmental science, contractual arrangements, project completion, research dissemination and communication, scope management, decision analysis, sociology, project controls, organizational analysis, systems engineering, industry analysis, infrastructure and transport systems, economics, civil engineering, performance management, management, health monitoring assessment and metrics, project delivery, financial and cost management, risk assessment, data collection methods, value management |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Procurement, Risk Management, Engineering Principles, Project Management, Health and Safety, Quality Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Organizational Design, Time Control |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here