It’s a historic time for design-build teams delivering water/wastewater infrastructure nationwide. That’s why this year’s Design-Build for Water/Wastewater Conference will be the “go-to” event for the design-build industry and Owners. DBIA’s Water/Wastewater Conference committee planning chair, Jon P. Gribble, is the Senior Vice President, Water Markets & Strategy with Kiewit Infrastructure Group. He says this event will offer incredible opportunities for all design-build teams.
What would you tell someone who’s never been to a DBIA event about why they should attend?
The internet is awash in design-build methods and experiences, with each Owner, Contractor and Engineer having their own horror story or triumph to share. Collaborating with fellow professionals interested and well-versed in the variety of design-build methods and services available is the best way for Owners, Contractors and Engineers to find the best solution and approach for them. DBIA’s annual water/wastewater event provides that forum. DBIA works to ensure the sessions are informative as well as educational, and the interaction with fellow professionals provides a rich context in the design-build methodologies. If you’re active in the design-build market or are interested in the best way to deploy your capital quickly and cost-effectively, you should attend the annual Design-Build for Water/Wastewater conference.
What about those long-time design-builders who’ve “been there-done that” — What can this conference offer them?
Those long-time attendees that feel they’ve ‘heard it all’ or ‘been there done that’ should reconsider attending. This year the trends and issues are clear. Supply chains have been broken and re-globalization is taking hold and affecting project outcomes. Progressive Design-Build is gaining a foothold at a double-digit pace, and both the bidding process and delivery are front of mind for many participants. I think it goes without saying these are rapidly changing times. If you have capital to deploy or resources to allocate to design-build projects, your best chance to anticipate change is at these events with fellow design-build professionals.
What’s your favorite thing about DBIA’s WWW conferences?
The concept of the master builder has always intrigued me, including the evolution of our industry away from that early, around WWI, and our slow transition back from the separation of design and construction. The DBIA conferences are a confluence of technology, engineering, procurement and construction that are all coming together to deliver once again highly complex projects that were the source of the concept of the Master Builder dating back as far as Hammurabi’s code when the world embarked on projects that involved the allocation of scarce resources to advance society.
Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about the Design-Build for Water/Wastewater conference?
A lot of scrutiny has gone into adapting the 2023 conference to include deeper and richer content to understand better and implement design-build delivery in the Water and Wastewater market. DBIA has formed a specialized committee to focus on this topic, and our committee members have been leaning in. Not only do I hope everyone notices a difference, but I hope they also attend and provide vital feedback to this conference. The committee is committed to the next three years of continuous improvement to provide a rich learning environment, which only occurs through participant feedback.