ForeSight has been contracted to provide site design services for the first-ever "design-build" public-school project in Indiana, a $20 million facility within the South Adams School Corporation.

ForeSight will team with its frequent partner, Star Site Design and Development of Bippus, to create vehicular- and pedestrian-circulation designs for the new facility. Site grading, drainage, and utility layout will also be a part of the design. The new facility will be built adjacent to South Adams Junior-Senior High School in Berne.

Groundbreaking for the new school, which will house students in prekindergarten through the eighth grade, is planned for early this spring. It's anticipated that the school will be ready for use in 2009.

The project represents the first time the design-build project-delivery method will be used in the construction of a public-school building in Indiana. In 2005, the state passed a law allowing the use of design-build in the public sector.

Todd Bauer, ForeSight founder and principal, says the relatively new design-build concept offers some very attractive advantages over the traditional design-bid-build method. "We've already been involved in a number of design-build projects in the commercial-construction arena," Bauer says. "Design-build provides an opportunity for an integrated solution that can make the entire design and construction process more fluid, expedient, efficient, and cost-effective than the design-bid-build or 'design-tender' process.

"Of course, saving money is usually at the top of any client's wish list," Bauer adds. "According to industry figures, using the design-build method can result in a savings of as much as 8 percent of the construction costs," Bauer says. "Using this $20 million project for South Adams as an example, that could be a savings of around $1.5 million. That's money a school corporation or any other taxpayer-supported entity can put to good use in other endeavors."

In the design-bid-build process, design professionals prepare construction documents for a project and then issue them for bidding purposes. General contractors must then submit bids, which are also based on bids submitted to them by the many subcontractors or trades necessary to get the job done. If the best bid greatly exceeds the money earmarked for the project, the project must be completely redesigned or abandoned.

In the design-build process, teams comprising all the services and trades—both design and construction—needed to complete a project compete against one another for a job. Using an evaluation system that awards points for every aspect of the project and one-on-one interviews, the client chooses the team that will provide the best design and highest-quality construction for the money.

Many supporters of the design-build process state that one big advantage of design-build is that the client then deals with only one entity on all matters relating to the project. For the South Adams project, the team led by Performance Services Inc. of Indianapolis was chosen. Performance Services is now the "design-builder" or "design-build contractor" and will oversee the entire project.

"With design-build, everyone involved in the project is a member of the team and involved with the project from the onset," Bauer says. "That puts everyone on the same page, and it promotes better communication and collaboration at every juncture."

The real hallmark of design-build, however, is a streamlined process in which the design remains fluid. The design can be changed while the project is in progress to ensure that the project is kept within budget and that the client receives the maximum value.

"With the design-build method, construction can begin before the design is finalized," Bauer says. "And during construction, there's an ongoing reevaluation of everything involved. The client receives continuous feedback from the design-builder so that the client can make decisions that control costs while maintaining maximum value. For example, the client may decide to scale back on size or use different materials. The design can then be adjusted to allow for that."

With its many advantages, design-build may gain widespread popularity in the public sector, Bauer adds. "We're excited to see where design-build goes from here. I think the design-build concept will become more prevalent as more schools and other public entities build new facilities."