What Does It Mean to Be a Certified Design-Build Professional?

by | Apr 4, 2018 | Design Build

When faced with a major project, you can hire a series of professionals to compartmentalize the various aspects of designing and constructing your vision, or you can have the benefit of an integrated experience with a Certified Design-Build Professional.

In most industries, but particularly in construction, time is money. Delays in design, getting supplies, and the building process can create logistical and financial headaches for paying clients. A leading trend in the construction industry is developing project delivery systems that can help ensure better outcomes. One such system is called Design-Build, which uses certified professionals and is a proven method of project delivery.

 

What is the Design-Build Process?

When you choose the Design-Build process, you have just one entity that provides both professional design and construction services for your project. This integrated solution allows a company to streamline a project’s delivery with more unified teamwork and greater cost-effective operations. This highly-collaborative method of completing projects requires the use of well-trained, certified professionals.

 

What Does It Mean to Be a Certified Design-Build Professional?

The Design-Build approach to projects is defined, taught, and promoted by the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), whose objective is to train and support the professionals involved in using this unique process. If your organization is going to use Design-Build, you will want to hire a Certified Design-Build Professional that has received a DBIA certification.

The Design-Build Professional certification has some rigorous requirements. Among them are two to six years of hands-on experience in Design-Build and three professional references. At least one of the references must be from an owner/client of a Design-Build project that is also listed in the application materials.

A successful candidate for certification must also attend four courses and pass a certification exam. The four courses are:

  • Fundamentals of Project Delivery
  • Design-Build Contracts and Risk Management
  • Principles of Design-Build Project Delivery
  • Post-Award Design-Build

Within one year of initial DBIA Board approval, a new Design-Build Professional must also take at least 18 hours of elective credits to keep their certification. These might include courses such as Conceptual Estimating, BIM Execution Planning, and Developing an Acquisition Strategy.

Certified Design-Build Professional will continue to receive the information and education they need to remain relevant and effective in their industry, ensuring that their credential never gets stale. The certification is only valid for two years, and each professional must accrue at least 24 hours of approved continuing education credits to renew their credential. This ensures that the professionals you have working on your projects have the tools to deliver the best results.

 

Design-Build Services for Government and Commercial Clients

The design-build system for project delivery is so effective that it is now used extensively by both government and commercial clients. In 2016 the DBIA met with the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) along with a group of industry leaders to work on optimizing the process in the public design and construction environment. Of note, the consensus was that the path a project will take is individual to each situation instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach.

Some of the government Design-Build projects that K-CON, Inc. has been involved in recently include a 6,600 SF gymnasium for the state of Michigan Department of Military and Veteran Affairs and a metal operations building to be used by the Army National Guard.

K-CON also serves commercial clients and has recently secured several successful projects. In just 2.5 months, our company installed a 4,300 SF modular office up-fit that includes seven offices, retail space, a large kitchen and break room, a storefront, and a showroom. We have also begun a King Street up-fit renovation project in Charleston, SC.

How can K-Con make your life easier with turn-key design-build buildings and up-fit/renovations? Ready to find out more? Contact K-Con for a free quote and design assistance.