Article 6. State Agency Design-build Projects of California Public Contract Code >> Division 2. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 6.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares that the design-build
method of project delivery, using a best value procurement
methodology, has been authorized for various agencies that have
reported benefits from such projects including reduced project costs,
expedited project completion, and design features that are not
achievable through the traditional design-bid-build method.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the following occur:
(1) This article provides general authorization for certain state
agencies to use design-build for projects, excluding projects on the
state highway system.
(2) This article shall not be deemed to provide a preference for
the design-build method over other procurement methodologies.
For purposes of this article, the following definitions
and the definitions in subdivision (a) of Section 13332.19 of the
Government Code shall apply:
(a) "Best value" means a value determined by evaluation of
objective criteria that relate to price, features, functions,
life-cycle costs, experience, and past performance. A best value
determination may involve the selection of the lowest cost proposal
meeting the interests of the department and meeting the objectives of
the project, selection of the best proposal for a stipulated sum
established by the procuring agency, or a tradeoff between price and
other specified factors.
(b) "Construction subcontract" means each subcontract awarded by
the design-build entity to a subcontractor that will perform work or
labor or render service to the design-build entity in or about the
construction of the work or improvement, or a subcontractor licensed
by the State of California that, under subcontract to the
design-build entity, specially fabricates and installs a portion of
the work or improvement according to detailed drawings contained in
the plans and specifications produced by the design-build team.
(c) "Department" means the Department of General Services and the
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
(d) "Design-build" means a project delivery process in which both
the design and construction of a project are procured from a single
entity.
(e) "Design-build entity" means a corporation, limited liability
company, partnership, joint venture, or other legal entity that is
able to provide appropriately licensed contracting, architectural,
and engineering services as needed pursuant to a design-build
contract.
(f) "Design-build team" means the design-build entity itself and
the individuals and other entities identified by the design-build
entity as members of its team. Members shall include the general
contractor and, if utilized in the design of the project, all
electrical, mechanical, and plumbing contractors.
(g) "Director" means, with respect to procurements undertaken by
the Department of General Services, the Director of General Services
or, with respect to procurements undertaken by the Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation, the secretary of that department.
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, the director, following
notification to the State Public Works Board, may procure
design-build contracts for public works projects in excess of one
million dollars ($1,000,000), awarding the contract using either the
low bid or best value, provided that this article shall not apply to
any projects on the state highway system.
(b) The director shall develop guidelines for a standard
organizational conflict-of-interest policy, consistent with
applicable law, regarding the ability of a person or entity, that
performs services for the department relating to the solicitation of
a design-build project, to submit a proposal as a design-build
entity, or to join a design-build team. This conflict-of-interest
policy shall apply to each department entering into design-build
contracts authorized under this article.
The director shall notify the State Public Works Board
regarding the method to be used for selecting the design-build
entity, prior to advertising the design-build project.
The procurement process for the design-build projects shall
progress as follows:
(a) (1) The director shall prepare a set of documents setting
forth the scope and estimated price of the project. The documents may
include, but need not be limited to, the size, type, and desired
design character of the project, performance specifications covering
the quality of materials, equipment, workmanship, preliminary plans
or building layouts, or any other information deemed necessary to
describe adequately the department's needs. The performance
specifications and any plans shall be prepared by a design
professional who is duly licensed and registered in California.
(2) The documents shall not include a design-build-operate
contract for any project. The documents, however, may include
operations during a training or transition period but shall not
include long-term operations for any project.
(b) The director shall prepare and issue a request for
qualifications in order to prequalify or short-list the design-build
entities whose proposals shall be evaluated for final selection. The
request for qualifications shall include, but need not be limited to,
the following elements:
(1) Identification of the basic scope and needs of the project or
contract, the expected cost range, the methodology that will be used
by the department to evaluate proposals, the procedure for final
selection of the design-build entity, and any other information
deemed necessary by the director to inform interested parties of the
contracting opportunity.
(2) Significant factors that the department reasonably expects to
consider in evaluating qualifications, including technical design and
construction expertise, and all other nonprice-related factors.
(3) A standard template request for statements of qualifications
prepared by the department. In preparing the standard template, the
department may consult with the construction industry, the building
trades and surety industry, and other agencies interested in using
the authorization provided by this article. The template shall
require the following information:
(A) If the design-build entity is a privately held corporation,
limited liability company, partnership, or joint venture, a listing
of all of the shareholders, partners, or members known at the time of
statement of qualification submission who will perform work on the
project.
(B) Evidence that the members of the design-build team have
completed, or demonstrated the experience, competency, capability,
and capacity to complete projects of similar size, scope, or
complexity, and that proposed key personnel have sufficient
experience and training to competently manage and complete the design
and construction of the project, and a financial statement that
ensures that the design-build entity has the capacity to complete the
project.
(C) The licenses, registration, and credentials required to design
and construct the project, including, but not limited to,
information on the revocation or suspension of any license,
credential, or registration.
(D) Evidence that establishes that the design-build entity has the
capacity to obtain all required payment and performance bonding,
liability insurance, and errors and omissions insurance.
(E) Information concerning workers' compensation experience
history and a worker safety program.
(F) If the proposed design-build entity is a corporation, limited
liability company, partnership, joint venture, or other legal entity,
a copy of the organizational documents or agreement committing to
form the organization.
(G) An acceptable safety record. A proposer's safety record shall
be deemed acceptable if its experience modification rate for the most
recent three-year period is an average of 1.00 or less, and its
average total recordable injury or illness rate and average lost work
rate for the most recent three-year period does not exceed the
applicable statistical standards for its business category or if the
proposer is a party to an alternative dispute resolution system as
provided for in Section 3201.5 of the Labor Code.
(4) (A) The information required under this subdivision shall be
certified under penalty of perjury by the design-build entity and its
general partners or joint venture members.
(B) Information required under this subdivision that is not
otherwise a public record under the California Public Records Act
(Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1
of the Government Code) shall not be open to public inspection.
(c) A design-build entity shall not be prequalified or shortlisted
unless the entity provides an enforceable commitment to the director
that the entity and its subcontractors at every tier will use a
skilled and trained workforce to perform all work on the project or
contract that falls within an apprenticeable occupation in the
building and construction trades.
(1) For purposes of this subdivision:
(A) "Apprenticeable occupation" means an occupation for which the
chief had approved an apprenticeship program pursuant to Section 3075
of the Labor Code prior to January 1, 2014.
(B) "Skilled and trained workforce" means a workforce that meets
all of the following conditions:
(i) All the workers are either skilled journeypersons or
apprentices registered in an apprenticeship program approved by the
Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards.
(ii) (I) As of January 1, 2016, at least 20 percent of the skilled
journeypersons employed to perform work on the contract or project
by the entity and each of its subcontractors at every tier are
graduates of an apprenticeship program for the applicable occupation
that was either approved by the Chief of the Division of
Apprenticeship Standards pursuant to Section 3075 of the Labor Code
or located outside California and approved for federal purposes
pursuant to the apprenticeship regulations adopted by the federal
Secretary of Labor.
(II) As of January 1, 2017, at least 30 percent of the skilled
journeypersons employed to perform work on the contract or project by
the entity and each of its subcontractors at every tier are
graduates of an apprenticeship program for the applicable occupation
that was either approved by the Chief of the Division of
Apprenticeship Standards pursuant to Section 3075 of the Labor Code
or located outside California and approved for federal purposes
pursuant to the apprenticeship regulations adopted by the federal
Secretary of Labor.
(III) As of January 1, 2018, at least 40 percent of the skilled
journeypersons employed to perform work on the contract or project by
the entity and each of its subcontractors at every tier are
graduates of an apprenticeship program for the applicable occupation
that was either approved by the Chief of the Division of
Apprenticeship Standards pursuant to Section 3075 of the Labor Code
or located outside California and approved for federal purposes
pursuant to the apprenticeship regulations adopted by the federal
Secretary of Labor.
(IV) As of January 1, 2019, at least 50 percent of the skilled
journeypersons employed to perform work on the contract or project by
the entity and each of its subcontractors at every tier are
graduates of an apprenticeship program for the applicable occupation
that was either approved by the Chief of the Division of
Apprenticeship Standards pursuant to Section 3075 of the Labor Code
or located outside California and approved for federal purposes
pursuant to the apprenticeship regulations adopted by the federal
Secretary of Labor.
(V) As of January 1, 2020, at least 60 percent of the skilled
journeypersons employed to perform work on the contract or project by
the entity and each of its subcontractors at every tier are
graduates of an apprenticeship program for the applicable occupation
that was either approved by the Chief of the Division of
Apprenticeship Standards pursuant to Section 3075 of the Labor Code
or located outside California and approved for federal purposes
pursuant to the apprenticeship regulations adopted by the federal
Secretary of Labor.
(iii) For an apprenticeable occupation in which no apprenticeship
program had been approved by the chief prior to January 1, 1995, up
to one-half of the graduation percentage requirements of clause (ii)
may be satisfied by skilled journeypersons who commenced working in
the apprenticeable occupation prior to the chief's approval of an
apprenticeship program for that occupation in the county in which the
project is located.
(C) "Skilled journeyperson" means a worker who either:
(i) Graduated from an apprenticeship program for the applicable
occupation that was approved by the chief or located outside
California and approved for federal purposes pursuant to the
apprenticeship regulations adopted by the federal Secretary of Labor.
(ii) Has at least as many hours of on-the-job experience in the
applicable occupation as would be required to graduate from an
apprenticeship program for the applicable occupation that is approved
by the chief.
(2) An entity's commitment that a skilled and trained workforce
will be used to perform the project or contract may be established by
any of the following:
(A) The entity's agreement with the director that the entity and
its subcontractors at every tier will comply with the requirements of
this subdivision and that the entity will provide the director with
evidence, on a monthly basis while the project or contract is being
performed, that the entity and its subcontractors are complying with
the requirements of this subdivision.
(B) If the director has entered into a project labor agreement
that will bind all contractors and subcontractors performing work on
the project or contract and that includes the requirements of this
subdivision, the entity's agreement that it will become a party to
that project labor agreement.
(C) Evidence that the entity has entered into a project labor
agreement that includes the requirements of this subdivision and that
will bind the entity and all its subcontractors at every tier
performing the project or contract.
(d) Based on the documents prepared as described in subdivision
(a), the director shall prepare a request for proposals that invites
prequalified or short-listed entities to submit competitive sealed
proposals in the manner prescribed by the department. The request for
proposals shall include, but need not be limited to, the following
elements:
(1) Identification of the basic scope and needs of the project or
contract, the estimated cost of the project, the methodology that
will be used by the department to evaluate proposals, whether the
contract will be awarded on the basis of low bid or best value, and
any other information deemed necessary by the department to inform
interested parties of the contracting opportunity.
(2) Significant factors that the department reasonably expects to
consider in evaluating proposals, including, but not limited to, cost
or price and all nonprice-related factors.
(3) The relative importance or the weight assigned to each of the
factors identified in the request for proposals.
(4) Where a best value selection method is used, the department
may reserve the right to request proposal revisions and hold
discussions and negotiations with responsive proposers, in which case
the department shall so specify in the request for proposals and
shall publish separately or incorporate into the request for
proposals applicable procedures to be observed by the department to
ensure that any discussions or negotiations are conducted in good
faith.
(e) For those projects utilizing low bid as the final selection
method, the competitive bidding process shall result in lump-sum bids
by the prequalified or short-listed design-build entities, and
awards shall be made to the design-build entity that is the lowest
responsible bidder.
(f) For those projects utilizing best value as a selection method,
the design-build competition shall progress as follows:
(1) Competitive proposals shall be evaluated by using only the
criteria and selection procedures specifically identified in the
request for proposals. The following minimum factors, however, shall
be weighted as deemed appropriate by the department:
(A) Price, unless a stipulated sum is specified.
(B) Technical design and construction expertise.
(C) Life-cycle costs over 15 or more years.
(2) Pursuant to subdivision (d), the department may hold
discussions or negotiations with responsive proposers using the
process articulated in the department's request for proposals.
(3) When the evaluation is complete, the responsive proposers
shall be ranked based on a determination of value provided, provided
that no more than three proposers are required to be ranked.
(4) The award of the contract shall be made to the responsible
design-build entity whose proposal is determined by the director to
have offered the best value to the public.
(5) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, upon
issuance of a contract award, the director shall publicly announce
its award, identifying the design-build entity to which the award is
made, along with a statement regarding the basis of the award.
(6) The statement regarding the director's contract award,
described in paragraph (5), and the contract file shall provide
sufficient information to satisfy an external audit.
(a) The design-build entity shall provide payment and
performance bonds for the project in the form and in the amount
required by the director, and issued by a California admitted surety.
The amount of the payment bond shall not be less than the amount of
the performance bond.
(b) The design-build contract shall require errors and omissions
insurance coverage for the design elements of the project.
(c) The department shall develop a standard form of payment and
performance bond for its design-build projects.
(a) The department, in each design-build request for
proposals, may identify specific types of subcontractors that must be
included in the design-build entity statement of qualifications and
proposal. All construction subcontractors that are identified in the
proposal shall be afforded all the protections of Chapter 4
(commencing with Section 4100) of Part 1.
(b) Following award of the design-build contract, the design-build
entity shall proceed as follows in awarding construction
subcontracts with a value exceeding one-half of 1 percent of the
contract price allocable to construction work:
(1) Provide public notice of availability of work to be
subcontracted in accordance with the publication requirements
applicable to the competitive bidding process of the department,
including a fixed date and time on which qualifications statements,
bids, or proposals will be due.
(2) Establish reasonable qualification criteria and standards.
(3) Award the subcontract either on a best value basis or to the
lowest responsible bidder. The process may include prequalification
or short-listing. The foregoing process does not apply to
construction subcontractors listed in the original proposal.
Subcontractors awarded construction subcontracts under this
subdivision shall be afforded all the protections of Chapter 4
(commencing with Section 4100) of Part 1.
(a) If the department elects to award a project pursuant to
this article, retention proceeds withheld by the department from the
design-build entity shall not exceed 5 percent if a performance and
payment bond, issued by an admitted surety insurer, is required in
the solicitation of bids.
(b) In a contract between the design-build entity and a
subcontractor, and in a contract between a subcontractor and any
subcontractor thereunder, the percentage of the retention proceeds
withheld may not exceed the percentage specified in the contract
between the department and the design-build entity. If the
design-build entity provides written notice to any subcontractor that
is not a member of the design-build entity, prior to or at the time
the bid is requested, that a bond may be required and the
subcontractor subsequently is unable or refuses to furnish a bond to
the design-build entity, then the design-build entity may withhold
retention proceeds in excess of the percentage specified in the
contract between the department and the design-build entity from any
payment made by the design-build entity to the subcontractor.
Nothing in this article affects, expands, alters, or limits
any rights or remedies otherwise available at law.
This article shall remain in effect only until January 1,
2025, and as of that date is repealed.