The Design-Build Institute of America’s (DBIA) 2019 student competition closely mirrors best practices in design-build project delivery. The two-phase competition involves the collaboration of students from diverse backgrounds, including architecture and construction management, responding to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a Performing Arts Center on a college campus in the United States. Finalists from the Regional judging will then respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP) and the top three short-listed teams will present in person at DBIA’s annual conference in Las Vegas.

The Student Competition rules are highlighted online; however, teams should also download the complete Design-build Student Competition Resources here:

Resources:

2019 Design-Build Student Competition Project Description
Phase 1 Request for Qualifications
Phase 2 Request for Proposal

Each year, the DBIA Student Competition committee defines unique project details for that year’s competition.

2019 Project Details:

The project is a Performing Arts Center on a college campus in the United States. The arts center will become the home of a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre Degree that is being developed to complement the colleges existing music, drama and dance studies and will begin holding classes in the facility August 2022. The project scope and budget are being finalized and will be presented with the RFQ on September 11, 2019. Assumed program elements at this time include:

1. Main Performance Space
2. Performance Studios
3. Classrooms
4. Office and support areas
5. Front of House Areas – lobby, box office, public gathering areas
6. Backstage – dressing and green rooms, scene shop, storage areas
7. Back of house – loading dock, mechanical, electrical, trash, storage

After two years of the curriculum development for the degree the Board approved the program at their July 2018 Board Meeting. The Building Committee is now in the process of finalizing the building program requirements to accommodate the degree and will present to the Board at the July 2019 Board Meeting for final approval. Currently the assumed program elements are:

1. Proposed project is anticipated to be between 40,000 and 60,000 square footage.
2. Anticipated Fixed Limit of Project Cost is between $24,000,000 and $26,000,000.
3. Three potential sites have been identified for the facility.
4. Final Building Program is scheduled to be complete by June 2019.
5. Using a date of July 15, 2019 for the report to be approved by the Board the following schedule is contemplated:
   • Issue RFQ September 11, 2019.
   • Program and Maximum Cost of Construction will be included in the RFQ.
   • RFP to shortlisted firms will be issued October 3, 2019.

The RFQ requirements will include all or parts of the following components:

1. Provide information to solidify your team’s ability to be a design and construction partner with the college specifically for this Performing Arts Center including:
   • Design-Build Team specifics – integrated firm or design and construction firms forming a JV, teaming alliance, etc.
   • Design-Build Team’s similar work experience in building type will be critical in the evaluation of the team’s qualifications
   • Design-Build Team experience working together (if not an integrated firm)
   • Project Team Key Personnel Qualifications and resumes
   • Design Excellence
   • Available work capacity
   • Insurance and Bonding
2. The RFQ will also address the following:
   • Design
   • Schedule
   • Cost

The scoring criteria will be included with the RFQ.

Project Details

Teams competing first at the regional level will be asked to prepare a Request for Qualifications (RFQ). The RFQ response provides the team experience in responding to a typical industry RFQ while identifying the team’s overall understanding of the design-build process. The RFQ is specifically written to address a project on a college campus that is not a real campus project but utilizes typical industry approaches to RFQs.

The RFQ will ask you to provide information to solidify your team’s ability to be a design and construction partner with the college specifically for this Residence Hall including, but not limited to:

• Design-Build Team specifics — integrated firm or design and construction firms forming a JV, teaming alliance, etc.
• Design-Build Team’s similar work experience in building type
• Design-Build Team experience working together (if not an integrated firm)
• Project Team Key Personnel Qualifications and resumes

The RFQ will also address the following:

• Design
• Schedule
• Cost

The scoring criteria will be included with the RFQ. This is a summary of the RFQ expectations. All teams should download the full RFQ rules below.

RFQ Judging

There will be nine (9) first-place Regional winners.

Complimentary registration will be awarded to each team (faculty advisor and students) for the National DBIA Design-Build Conference & Expo in November. Faculty sponsor and team will receive a minimum of $1,500 from their Region to assist in making their own round-trip plane, rental car and hotel reservations. All teams are expected that if chosen as the winner for their Region, they will attend the annual conference. The $1,500 is ONLY to be used for travel and expenses for team to attend the DBIA conference.

RFQ Rules

The competition is not a design competition, scheduling competition, estimating competition or a construction competition. All of these components will be important in the response to the RFP, specifically Design Excellence, but the competition is to test the team’s ability to look at the problem globally and respond to the whole process, not just one area. These are critical in an industry RFP response and the judges will look for how teams approach each one of these areas and combine them in developing your program response. The logical process and consistency utilized in your design to address the program functional requirements, while providing an aesthetically appealing structure, structure constructability, design and construction schedule, overall design and construction management, and overall cost is important.

This is a summary of the RFP expectations. All teams should download the full RFQ rules below.

What’s Next

The top three highest scoring teams will present in-person at the Design-Build Conference & Expo in November before the National Jury. The top three teams will have three rooms (each) reserved for them at the conference hotel and receive $3,000 for travel and lodging expenses. DBIA will provide complimentary registration to each team and faculty advisor.

RFP Rules

Conference

November 6, 2019 – November 8, 2019
Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV

Phase 1​ ​

Phase 2​ ​

Resources:

2019 Design-Build Student Competition Project Description
Phase 1 Request for Qualifications
Phase 2 Request for Proposal

Teams participating in Phase One – Request for Qualifications (RFQ) of the DBIA Student Competition will compete in one of nine geographic regions. Nine first-place winners in the Phase One (RFQ) Regional competition will move on to Phase Two of the national competition and receive a Request for Proposals (RFP).