CHARLESTON, WV Within a few short months, the state of West Virginia will be putting out for bid, four contracts totaling an estimated $180M for improvements to a stretch of US Route 35 in Putnam and Mason Counties. Of even greater significance is that the largest of these projects will be a pilot design-build program, selecting one firm to complete all of the design and construction work, thus shaving off a considerable amount of time from concept to completion. The Affiliated Construction Trades (ACT) Foundation, a division of the WV State BCTC, invited the NCA to address union members and contractors about upcoming projects and strategies, and to ensure the jobs go to union contractors and members.
In 1999, the state passed the Design-Build Procurement Act, which called for the formation of the Design-Build Board, whose sole responsibility is to approve or reject proposed projects that are constructed and owned, potentially or ultimately, by a state agency where the design-build method of construction is to be used. Before that, the state’s Attorney General issued an opinion that the state code did not address the issue of design-build, thus making the practice unusable. This year, State Senator Edwin Bowman (D), a member of the state’s Finance Committee and Chair of the Joint Committee on Government Operations, introduced an amendment to the Act which was signed into law on March 29, 2006. This amendment was aimed at strengthening and clarifying the state’s current Act, opening the door for the WV Department of Transportation to enter into this type of contract. At the end of 2005, fourteen states permitted design-build by all state agencies for all areas of design and construction while ten states widely permit the practice. Putnam County is located between the two largest cities in West Virginia – Huntington and Charleston. With a population of over 52,000, according to the 1998 census, and a 17 percent growth rate, Putnam County is considered to be the fastest growing in West Virginia. In Mason County, the population is approximately 26,000, and though growth is not as dramatic, it is the home of two of the largest electric utility plants in the state, as well as an abundant source of minerals and coal.
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