Design-Build Contracts in Norwegian Road Projects

Abstract

The use of design-build (DB) contracts are increasing in the Norwegian infrastructure market, but the method is still new. Both contractors and project owners lack experience and knowledge of how these contracts can be carried out in the best possible way. The purpose of this research is to explore and document experiences from the use of DB contracts. In addition to literature reviews, two cases are studied using interviews and document studies to present experiences from Norwegian road projects. The results show that the two projects are different from the early phase. An additional contract written in one of the projects has caused a lot of disagreement and mistrust between the contractor and the project owner and has been a damaging element in the project execution. It is also pointed out that because of the lack of experience and knowledge on the use of a DB contract and method from all parts, the projects are characterized by disagreements between the project owner and the contractor. Lastly, the results show that the early phase of the projects should have been utilized in a greater degree to define the scope and responsibilities of both the project owner and contractor.