After years of being left behind in legislative efforts to expand the use of design-build in the State of New York, the legislature has now granted design-build authority to the City of New York.

“This is the dawn of a new era in the City of New York –one that will allow agencies to deliver to their communities the infrastructure they so desperately need. Design-build is the fastest growing and most popular method used to deliver construction projects in America and the innovation, cost and schedule savings inherent in this process will now be allowed to flourish in one our nation’s most important cities. The passage of this legislation is an important victory for taxpayers, city agencies working to do more with less, and the communities who’ll benefit from projects that enhance their city.” …Lisa Washington, DBIA Executive Director/CEO

Carlo Scissura, president of the New York Building Congress, also celebrated passage of this legislation.

“The projects that we have seen that use design-build have been done faster, quicker and on budget or under budget,” Scissura said. “So it’s good for the state; it’s good for the city. It’s another tool in the toolbox for building New York.” Crains, New York

The legislature has passed design-build authority for city agencies and entities, including: the Departments of Design and Construction, Environmental Protection, Transportation and Parks and Recreation, as well as the School Construction Authority, New York City Health and Hospitals and the New York City Housing Authority. The State of New York has used design-build to spur an impressive infrastructure renaissance including projects such as the Mario M. Cuomo and Kosciuszko bridges, Jacob J. Javits Center and Penn Station renovations.

The latest design-build research shows that design-build out-performs other delivery systems in cost, schedule, growth measures, construction and delivery speed. From design through completion, design-build projects are delivered 102% faster than traditional design-bid-build using the power of collaboration and innovation. These are efficiencies that New York City will soon be able to deliver to its residents.