The Water Design-Build Council releases —The Municipal Water and Wastewater Design-Build Handbook—

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Design-build and construction management at-risk (CMAR) project delivery methods are practical and cost-effective options for city and municipal leaders across the country to use for water and wastewater systems. To provide a clear and comprehensive overview of these collaborative delivery methods, the Water Design-Build Council (WDBC) has created a second edition to the informative best-practices guide titled “The Municipal Water and Wastewater Design-Build Handbook.”

Drawing on the experiences of both municipalities and firms that specialize in design-build and CMAR project delivery methods, the second-edition handbook provides a step-by-step guide for achieving the benefits of collaborative project delivery methods and avoiding common pitfalls. "This book is a must-have for any community seeking solutions to the considerable challenges they face, including aging or inadequate infrastructure, water scarcity, and consent decrees, to name a few," said the WDBC’s president, Pete Kinsley, vice president of the water division at The Haskell Company. “Design-build and CMAR leverage collaboration between design and construction to reduce cost, shorten schedule, and improve quality. The handbook describes how these benefits can be achieved and provides municipal officials with additional valuable information to consider as they implement their community’s infrastructure projects.”

“The Municipal Water and Wastewater Design-Build Handbook” is a 105-page book that addresses the full range of design and construction considerations that municipalities must weigh when evaluating the advantages of design-build and CMAR. The handbook is based on interviews with more than 60 experts who have used design-build or CMAR for water and wastewater projects, including executives of more than 50 communities. Employing a four-color, magazine-style format, the handbook is supported throughout by illustrative photographs and diagrams.

This special publication is posted to the WDBC’s website as a free download. It will also be distributed at the 2011 Design-Build Water/Wastewater Conference, to be held March 30 to April 1, 2011, in Kansas City, Mo. All participants will receive a free copy as part of their conference materials. Anyone wishing to obtain a hard copy of the handbook should contact Sarah Chittenden at 202-833-1950.