In this economy, money is scarce and opportunities in historically strong market sectors are few and far between. However, resurgence in the educational and health care market sectors are in full swing, and a new trend is emerging in how these projects are being delivered to the client. Design-build is gaining momentum in the educational world, as institutions of higher learning are taking advantage of its benefits. The transference of design risk from the client to the design-builder, as well as the ability to achieve overall lower project costs, are the main drivers behind the latest push towards design-build. According to the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA), total revenue on design-build projects has more than doubled ($47.22 billion to $97.60 billion) from 2004 to 2008. So, what does the design-build delivery format have to do with parking structures and the parking consulting world? Design-Build: A Brief Description The DBIA defines design-build as “a method of project delivery in which one entity (the design-builder) forges a single contract with the project owner to provide both architectural/engineering design services and construction services.” Design-build differs from traditional methods of project delivery such as design-bid-build in the way the contract is set up with the owner. The diagrams below help to illustrate the contractual relationships in a design-build project and a traditional design-bid-build delivery format. Traditional Design-Build-Bid Process In a traditional design-bid-build project, the design team is contracted directly by the owner to provide architectural and engineering services. The team and owner work closely to develop a set of documents that most closely resembles the owner's vision for the 44 National Parking Association PARKING September 2010