Will Alternative Project Delivery Methods Work for Your Dam Project?

Over my 36+ years in this field, I’ve seen dam projects evolve from straightforward builds to complex undertakings loaded with regulations, environmental hurdles, and tight budgets. Traditionally, most dam projects stick with Design-Bid-Build (DBB), where you design first, bid it out to the lowest bidder, and then build. It’s reliable, but as projects get trickier, I believe that alternative project delivery methods (APDMs) like Design-Build (DB), Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR), Progressive Design-Build (PDB), and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) can step up and deliver real results (and other benefits) for dam owners. These approaches foster collaboration and efficiency, which is huge for critical infrastructure like dams that handle water supply, flood control, and hydropower for communities around the country.

In this blog, I’ll share the upsides and downsides of switching to APDMs, drawing from my own experiences on infrastructure projects. If you’re a utility, water district, or public agency eyeing these methods, let’s dive in and consider if they’re right for your next new dam construction or rehabilitation project.

What are these Alternative Methods, anyway?

APDMs shake up the old DBB sequence by bringing design, construction, and, sometimes, operations together earlier. Think of DB as handing both design and build to one team, a team picked for best value—not just the cheapest bid.

Construction Manager at Risk

CMAR? That’s when you bring a contractor on board early, at around the point of 60% design, for input, then lock in pricing transparently at 90-100% design via open-book bids.

Progressive Design-Build

PDB is a flexible hybrid, in which you select a single entity based on qualifications, then refine costs as design advances, which overlaps phases.

Integrated Project Delivery

IPD goes all-in on teamwork from day one, with shared incentives and liability waivers among owners, designers, and builders.

For dams, PDB and CMAR stand out because of quirks like geotechnical surprises, approvals from folks like the Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD), and environmental permitting, which all need to be defined before full construction costs can be estimated.  But if these hurdles can be expedited, the contractor who is already on board can provide the construction cost estimate sooner and start construction once it is agreed too.  Our GEI team is currently part of a PDB that is being used to shave off project time for a major dam rehabilitation in California.

The Big Wins: Why APDMs Can Be a Game-Changer

First off, speed. APDMs can cut project timelines dramatically—I’ve seen PDB and DB projects deliver more than 30% faster than DBB by overlapping design and construction. For dams, where delays from permits or subsurface woes rack up costs, this is gold. On a water treatment plant I led, a DB let us start heavy civil and utility work while finalizing designs, avoiding a nine-month holdup from having to finish the design and bid the work out utilizing the traditional DBB method. I could envision the same savings on your dam project: Using PDB, you could start excavating the foundation while final design of the dam and appurtenances was completed.

Cost savings follow suit. DB often trims construction expenses and curbs change orders through innovation and shared risks. Savings vary, but they’re real when teams flex on designs—like being able to reduce the quantity of Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) once the foundation excavation is completed, which could result in double digit savings due to savings on materials, equipment, and manpower.

Collaboration is the secret sauce. Early input from the contractor side of the team sparks value engineering, like material selection tweaks, efficiencies from constructability reviews, or eco-friendly mitigations tailored to your dam. I’ve found APDMs shift from “us vs. them” to true partnerships, giving you more say on key decisions while offloading risks to experts. For aging dams or new builds, this means safer, reliable assets on time and under budget. Public agencies are jumping on board and reviewing APDMs as funding becomes scarcer for important dam projects.

But watch out: The risks you can’t ignore

No method is perfect, and APDMs have pitfalls that I’ve navigated firsthand. Loss of control tops the list. In DB or PDB, you hand over design details, which might not match your vision or regulatory must-haves. Dams are picky— the Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) appropriately limits wild innovations to protect the public, so I’ve seen owners frustrated when teams prioritize speed over preferences. On a DB job, an environmental impact report delay can wipe out time savings and lead to contractor claims and overruns.

Upfront complexity and costs sting, too. Crafting RFPs for DB often means stipends for bidders, bumping initial spends. IPD’s multi-party deals get thorny with taxes, data sharing, and trust—owners need to spend extra time building those relationships and sharing risks to avoid breakdowns. Liability amps up; contractors shoulder design risks, but shared third-party exposure can hit owners hard. Smaller owners I work with often struggle with the evaluation resources needed.

Geotech uncertainties? They’re a dam constant. If preliminary data is shaky, surprises can derail even the best APDM. “Best value” selections feel subjective, sparking fairness gripes, and misaligned incentives can balloon budgets. Lesson learned: nail down those contracts tight and share risk accordingly.

Wrapping It Up: Is an APDM Right for You?

APDMs pack serious punch for speed, cost control, and quality on complex dam projects, where teamwork tames risks. But they require weighing control trade-offs and liabilities against your setup, like regulatory mazes. From my experience, success boils down to crystal-clear contracts, sharing risk with those who are most in control of it, picking qualified teams, and matching the method to your project’s vibe.

If you’re pondering a switch, start small—pilot a minor rehab to test waters. If you need help analyzing options and guidance, drop me a line at jreed@geinconsultants.com; let’s chat about making your next dam project smoother and smarter.