1. How to Choose Your Dance Partner
Design-Build Contractor Selection Lessons Learned
Kam Shadan, P.E.
Vice President
Gannett Fleming, Inc.
San Francisco, California

2. Overview
• What is important?
• Who should be involved?
• How to avoid pitfalls?

3. Overview
• Livermore-Amador Valley Transit
Authority (LAVTA)
• Santa Clara Valley Transportation
Authority (VTA)

4. Livermore-Amador Valley Transit
Authority (LAVTA)
• Staff: 15 Administration and 120
Operations
• Project Scope: Bus Fuel & Wash Facility
• Budget: $ 6 Million
• Schedule: January 2013 (14 months)

5. Livermore-Amador Valley Transit
Authority (LAVTA)

6. Livermore-Amador Valley Transit
Authority (LAVTA)
• Design: 30%
• Selection Period: 5 Months
• Selection Panel
• Number of bidders: 4
• Protests: None

7. Livermore-Amador Valley Transit
Authority (LAVTA) – Pre-Qualification
• State of California Public Code
• Key Personnel: 15%
• Architect/Engineer: Pass/Fail
• Claims History: 25%
• Disqualification History: 20%
• Statutory/Safety: 25%
• Financial Information: 15%
• Insurance & Bonding: Pass/Fail

8. Livermore-Amador Valley Transit
Authority (LAVTA) – Proposal
• Price Proposal: 40%
• Experience/References: 35%
• Life Cycle Costs: 5%
• Apprenticeship Program: 5%
• Safety/Environmental: 5%
• Technical/Management/Quality: 10%

9. Santa Clara Valley Transportation
Authority (VTA)
• Staff: 635 Administration and 1406
operations
• Project Scope: Rail Extension, Stations,
and Systems
• Contract: $ 772 Million
• Schedule: June 2018 (6+ years)

10. Santa Clara Valley Transportation
Authority (VTA)
Berryessa Station, San Jose

11. Santa Clara Valley Transportation
Authority (VTA)
BART Silicon Valley
Extension –
Alameda and
Santa Clara
County, California

12. Santa Clara Valley Transportation
Authority (VTA)
• Design: 65%
• Selection Period: 10 Months
• Selection Panel
• Number of bidders: 4
• Protests: None

13. Santa Clara Valley Transportation
Authority (VTA) - Pre-Qualification
• State of California Public Code
• Key Personnel: 15%
• Architect/Engineer: Pass/ Fail
• Claims History: 25%
• Disqualification History: 20%
• Statutory/Safety: 25%
• Financial Information: 15%
• Insurance & Bonding: Pass/Fail

14. Santa Clara Valley Transportation
Authority (VTA)- Proposal
• Price Proposal: 47%
• Schedule Savings: 20%
• Life Cycle Costs: 5%
• Safety/Environmental: 5%
• Technical/Management/Quality: 23%

15. Summary – Lessons Learned
• Thorough Pre-Qualification process to
avoid risk of ending up with a loser:
o Expand on the state mandated
requirements
o Emphasize past experience
o Ask for scope growth history
o Require cost savings history

16. Summary – Lessons Learned
• Thorough Pre-Qualification process to
avoid risk of ending up with a loser:
o Assure local staff are available
o Involve legal and finance
o Allow adequate time
o Eliminate marginally qualified teams

17. Summary – Lessons Learned
• Focus the proposal process to control
risk, scope, budget, schedule, quality
and safety:
o Define and allocate risks fairly
o Define third party, ROW and major utility
work
o Advance design to define and allocate
project risks

18. Summary – Lessons Learned
• Focus the proposal process to control
risk, scope, budget, schedule, quality
and safety:
o Smaller project needs more definition
o Control changes to the prescriptive
requirements
o Define process for changes within
guidance documents

19. Summary – Lessons Learned
• Focus the proposal process to control
risk, scope, budget, schedule, quality
and safety:
o Consider bidding the schedule
o Define change control process
o Require quality assurance process
o Require safety and security process

20. Summary – Lessons Learned
• Focus the proposal process to control
risk, scope, budget, schedule, quality
and safety:
o Require complete design packages
o Have proposers solve real problems
o Allow for stipend to offset proposal costs
o Make cost majority of the score

21. About the Speaker
Kam Shadan, M.S., P.E. is a Vice President at Gannett Fleming. Mr. Shadan has over 35
years of experience in management of major capital projects, including over 13 years as
the Program Manager for Capital Projects at the San Francisco Muni, and 14 years as the
FTA Program Manager for Oversight of the FTA funded mega transit projects on the west
coast.
Mr. Shadan also provides oversight advisory services for Public-Private Partnerships
(P3) and Transit Oriented Development (TOD) projects; and assists agencies in forensic
analysis and dispute resolution services regarding project/construction management
standards of care for mega capital projects.
Mr. Shadan is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Project Development and
Capital Market Access Program and Venture Capital and Private Equity executive
programs. He has a B.S. in Engineering from U.C. Berkeley, and a M.S. in Engineering
Management from University of Santa Clara.
He is the lead author of the FTA’s National Construction Project Management Handbook,
author of articles on “the Art of Oversight” published by APTA passenger Transport in
2010 and articles on Public Private Partnership and Transit Oriented development “Build
it Now” published by California Transit Association in 2008. Mr. Shadan is an elected
member of the Executive Committee of the California Transit Association. He is a
licensed professional engineer, and an engineering and building contractor in California.
He can be contacted at kshadan@gfnet.com; 415-384-0822 x3505