CEMP-E
TI 800-03
1 July 1998
submitting a deviation, these deviations should be clearly identified so the Government can
easily identify and evaluate those areas.
n. The Government will review the D-B contractor's design for compliance with the RFP.
Reviews are not normally for approval. Design risk is assumed by the Design-Build contractor.
However, there may be certain elements of design that the Government will want to share the
risk of design and require the D-B contractor to submit these elements for review and approval.
These critical elements should be identified in the RFP technical specifications as requiring
review and approval by the Government.
o. Project criteria for unique applications (Security, Tempest, etc.) which private industry
firms have little experience with must be specifically identified in the RFP. When the Corps of
Engineers has project criteria for these applications, they should be included in the RFP.
p. Commissioning (prove-out) is a critical issue. It should be required for not only HVAC
but all complex systems such as plumbing, emergency generators, electronic security systems,
UMCS, and integrated systems like fire alarms. The requirements for commissioning should
be included in the RFP.
2-4. DEVELOPING SPECIFICATIONS AND DESIGN CRITERIA FOR DESIGN-BUILD RFP.
To the extent practical, the Government's needs will be stated in terms of functions to be
performed, performance required, and essential characteristics.
a. General. Criteria can be performance or prescriptive as needed to meet the project
requirements. In most cases there will be a combination of the two. An advantage of a D-B
project is it allows the construction industry to propose a variety of design and technical
solutions for a given project requirement. To maximize this advantage, the technical
specifications and design criteria for a project should allow a wide range of designs and
construction methods and materials while at the same time ensuring the quality levels required.
Performance-oriented technical specifications and design criteria should be used to the extent
possible in ensuring a quality product, in compliance with essential technical requirements.
However, Design Criteria Professionals should be aware that the wider the range, the more
difficult it is to evaluate proposals. Prescriptive requirements should be included when needed
to ensure quality, comply with the minimum needs of the Government, and when only one or
several selected alternate solutions are appropriate. The content and composition of the
technical specifications and design criteria depend on the specific requirements and conditions
for each project and project feature.
b. Performance Specifications and Design Criteria. Performance specifications and
design criteria set forth ends to be achieved and not the means of achieving desired results.
The features desired must be delineated completely and clearly, measurable or observable
criteria must be established, conformance to criteria must be verifiable, and the specification
must be free from unnecessary material and process limitations. Conformance with
performance requirements can be verified through calculation analyses, materials testing, or
simple observation. Verification may occur at the proposal evaluation stage, during final
design review, or field testing during and after construction.
c. Prescriptive Specifications and Design Criteria. Prescriptive requirements can range
from listing a minimum number of mandatory codes and standards to a requirement to use
2-6
Previous Page
