Issue: Spring 2025
The Best Way to Survive the Worst Project Delivery Method: A Playbook for Smarter Owners
Design-bid-build may be the most entrenched project delivery method in the U.S., but Paul O’Keef, Capital Project Manager at Virginia Tech, will tell you straight: it’s also the worst. Not because it can’t produce decent buildings, but because it sets up projects to fail before the first shovel hits the dirt.
O’Keef isn’t just another voice complaining about procurement red tape. He’s a former builder turned Owner who’s lived on both sides of the contract and knows just how damaging the design-bid-build model can be … especially when Owners don’t step up.
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The Art of Being a Good Owner: Why Effective Leadership Matters in Construction
In the world of construction and infrastructure, there is one undeniable truth: not all clients are created equal. Some are trusted partners, fostering productive relationships that yield successful projects. Others are dreaded obstacles, driving up costs and pushing away the industry’s best and brightest.
David Skuodas, an industry veteran and author of The Effective Client, has spent years studying this dynamic. Through his work with the Mile High Flood District in Denver, he has seen firsthand how an owner’s approach to managing projects can either set the stage for success or create a minefield of frustration and inefficiency.
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Add This To Your RFPs Immediately
by: Matt Handal, Help Everybody Every Day
Author of Proposal Development Secrets
AI could help us do our jobs better and more efficiently. Heck, it may even replace us at some point. But in the very immediate near future, it might pose an existential crisis to your procurement. Soon, it may become extremely hard to choose the best firm for your project.
Before I explain this, let me tell you a quick story. I used to have a fairly successful blog, but I wanted more traffic. So, I was tutored by a very well-known blogger's team. What I learned shocked me.
To get more traffic, I had to delete all the pages on my site that weren't getting traffic from Google. Just doing that doubled my traffic.
Chapter Spotlight: COAA Michigan
In the heart of Michigan, a new chapter was beginning - both literally and metaphorically. The COAA Michigan Chapter (COAA-MI), which had paused since the world changed in 2020, was ready to rise again. Founded in 2003, this chapter had once been a vibrant community for owners, construction leaders, and innovators. Now, with the pandemic in the rearview mirror, it was time to revive its mission with renewed energy.
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Brain Food Recap: Building the Sonic Environment
The COAA Brain Food Webinar "Building the Sonic Environment – The Role of Acoustic Consulting and Design in the Built Environment" took a deep dive into the critical importance of sound design in the architectural process. Delivered by Ryan Biziorek, LEED AP, CTS of IMEG, the session highlighted how the auditory experience influences how people work, learn, heal, and interact in the spaces around them.