Darryl VanMeter, P.E.

2016
Distinguished Leadership Award — Owner

State Innovative Delivery Administrator
Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)

Darryl VanMeter volunteered to lead GDOT’s first design-build project more than 10 years ago. As a result of him actively partnering with the design-build team, federal partners and GDOT staff, the $80 million interchange project was a resounding success, completed in just 18 months. Since then, Mr. VanMeter has led the GDOT Office of Innovative Delivery, which has awarded nearly $2 billion of design-build contracts, and has convinced them to steadily adopt DBIA’s best practices. Mr. VanMeter’s advocacy within the department has been the catalyst for legislative changes that have widely permitted the use of design-build in Georgia, including Best Value selection. His tireless support for using DBIA best practices has led initial skepticism of design-build in the state to evaporate and use of the delivery method is now growing quickly.