DBIA Honors the Virginia DOT, North Carolina DOT’s Rodger Rochelle and Nossaman’s Evan Caplicki and Elizabeth Cousins for Leadership in advancing Design-Build Best Practices
April 19, 2016
Charlotte, N.C. – The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), the only organization that defines, teaches and promotes best practices in design-build, has announced the recipients of its 2016 Design-Build in Transportation Leadership Awards. The awards serve to honor the agencies and individuals from across the country that have made critical strides to advance and expand design-build project delivery through Design-Build Done Right™ within the transportation sector, resulting in enhanced project delivery ranging from faster completion to higher-quality projects.
DBIA’s 2016 winners include:
- The Virginia Department of Transportation, Owner Agency of the Year
- Rodger Rochelle, North Carolina Department of Transportation, Individual Owner Leadership Award
- Evan Caplicki, Nossaman LLP, Industry Professional Leadership Award
- Elizabeth Cousins, Partner, Nossaman LLP, Young Professional Leadership Award
“We applaud the 2016 Design-Build in Transportation Leadership Award recipients for their tireless work to advance Design-Build Done Right for the benefit of our nation’s economic growth and development,” says Lisa Washington, Executive Director/CEO of DBIA. “With transportation representing the fastest growing design-build sector in the United States, industry leaders like Rodger Rochelle, Evan Caplicki, Elizabeth Cousins and the Virginia DOT are making great strides to advance the growth of design-build delivery to achieve best value in Virginia, North Carolina, California and communities throughout the country.”
The Design-Build in Transportation Leadership Award winners are selected by DBIA’s Transportation Markets Committee comprised of design-build professionals and industry experts from across the country. They were honored on April 19 at the DBIA Design-Build in Transportation Conference in Charlotte, N.C.
Owner of the Year: The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)
Since Since the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) first design-build project in 2004, the agency has become a model for best practices in design-build. VDOT’s Alternate Project Delivery Office has a dedicated staff of eight people who develop the contract documents, administer the procurement and provide guidance during construction for each design-build project.
As of April 2016, VDOT has 29 design-build projects under construction valued at $1.17 billion, which represents 54 percent of its total contract value of $2.16 billion. Furthermore, VDOT has completed 45 additional design-build contracts valued at $882 million. VDOT has been one of the most active agencies supporting DBIA’s objectives and has advocated using DBIA certification as a distinguishing component of project selection.
Individual Owner: Rodger Rochelle, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)
Rodger Rochelle is the Administrator of Technical Services for NCDOT – last year’s Design-Build Owner of the Year. Mr. Rochelle oversees the department’s design-build and P3 programs, and under his leadership, NCDOT has expanded and developed its design-build program to as high as 50% of the agency’s Capital Improvement Program. He has implemented more than $4 billion in design-build and P3 projects, saving North Carolina taxpayers millions of dollars while delivering high-quality projects. His leadership has made NCDOT a model agency that upholds DBIA’s values and best practices with an impressive project success rate.
“I am honored to receive this most prestigious award,” Rochelle says. “Design-Build and DBIA have not only created sweeping changes in the way we approach the delivery of transportation projects in North Carolina and across this country, but have also offered me the exposure to unprecedented innovation and cross-industry collaboration.”
Industry Professional: Evan Caplicki, Partner, Nossaman, LLP
Evan Caplicki is a Partner at Nossaman, LLP, an active member of DBIA’s Transportation Markets Committee and Chair of DBIA’s Legal and Legislative Committee. He has been representing clients on design-build projects since 1998, and since 2006 his primary practice focus has been design-build and public-private partnership work with transportation infrastructure owners. Mr. Caplicki is one of the key authors of DBIA’s Best Practices for Transportation Projects and has helped many public owners with their first design-build projects. He has not only presented and co-chaired DBIA conferences, but has also been a DBIA instructor for the Contracts and Risk Management Course since 2007.
“I have had the good fortune over the past 15 plus years to work on the cutting edge of innovation in project delivery methods,” Caplicki says. “Being associated with DBIA has allowed me to further develop my platform, but I have also had the opportunity, through DBIA, to give back, promoting design-build and shaping its development as a premier project delivery method.”
Young Professional: Elizabeth Cousins, Partner, Nossaman LLP
Elizabeth Cousins is a Partner at Nossaman, LLP where she oversees development of a detailed procurement plan for her clients, consistently employing DBIA Best Practices. Utilizing her broad experience with design-build and P3s internationally and within the U.S., Ms. Cousins’ practice focuses on advising government clients on the full range of design-build and alternative delivery options. As part of her role, she helps clients to better understand their roles in a design-build project through training and workshops. She also acts as Legislative Chair for the Women in Transportation L.A. Chapter, and has recently been appointed to the DBIA Water / Wastewater Committee.
“I am honored to be recognized by DBIA having recently moved from Australia to the U.S. to work in alternative project delivery,” Cousins says. “I rely on DBIA Best Practices when counseling government and private sector clients as to best method of delivery for their projects. I look forward to continuing to be involved with DBIA over the course of my career.”
Established in 1993, the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) is the only organization that defines, teaches and promotes best practices in design-build project delivery. Design-build is an integrated approach that delivers design and construction services under one contract with a single point of responsibility. Owners select design-build to achieve best value while meeting schedule, cost and quality goals. Learn more about design-build and DBIA’s certification and other programs at www.dbia.org.