Tackling State Design-Build Legislation: California’s PDB Bill as a Starting Point
January 2024
When DBIA was first established 30 years ago, only three states allow the use of design-build for public projects, so advocating for design-build authority became vital to DBIA’s mission.
In 2023, more than 78% of design-build related bills at the state level were passed, up from 25% in 2022. Among the 160 design-build related bills introduced in 2023, there were a record number of progressive design-build or PDB bills, including SB 706, in California, which was led by DBIA’s Western Pacific region.
In this episode of the Design-Build Delivers Podcast, brought to you by USCAD, we talked to a few of the people who made that bill happen, expanding PDB authority to all agencies in California. We take what they learned and we discuss ways to scale it and apply those lessons along with DBIA resources like our updated State Statute Report and our upcoming Model Legislation to guide other states to successfully pass bills to advance design-build authority.
Stay tuned for more from this episode with Design-Build Delivers Minisodes, longer conversations with our guests. Coming soon!
Guest(s), in order of appearance:
Brandon Dekker, M.S., DBIA
Principal, San Diego and Irvine Office Practice Leader
Cannon Design
Christopher Sullivan
Preconstruction Project Manager
Sundt Construction
Marianne O’Brien, FAIA, LEED AP, DBIA
Principal, Architect
SmithGroup
Beau Biller
Lobbyist
Platinum Advisors
- A Labor of Love: Making SB 706 a Reality (01:58)
- How a Steering Committee and an SB 706 Cohort Shaped the Bill (04:28)
- Schoolhouse Rock 101: How an Advisor Can Change the Game (07:33)
- Updated State Statute Report and Model Legislation as Cheat Sheets for State Legislation (09:36)
- What’s the Deal with PDB? (12:28)
- Turning Obstacles into Successes (14:41)
- Scaling the Playbook: How to Apply WPR’s Experience in Other States (17:45)
- Who is this Advisor Person Anyway? Beau Biller on His Role with DBIA (19:55)
- Finding Your Own Beau: How to Choose the Right Advisor for State Legislation (24:10)
- Win or Lose, What Comes Next? (26:12)
Resources
- Design-Build Done Right® Best Practices
- 2023 State Statute Report
- DBIA Bookstore
- Design-Build Delivers Podcast (Dec. 2023)
- DBIA-WPR Sponsors Progressive Design-Build Legislation, Broadening Legislative Authority for California Agencies
- A Word with DBIA-WPR’s Brandon Dekker About CA SB 706, Expanding PDB
- DBIA Regions
- DBIA Advocacy
Thanks to Our Design-Build Delivers Partner
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