2018 COMPETITION RULES AND GUIDELINES
Sponsors
Purpose:
To establish detailed procedures and guidelines for implementation of the ASC Region 5 Student Competition in accordance with the existing procedures as modified at the Regional Meeting October 5-6, 2017.
Divisions:
There shall be four competition divisions: Commercial Building, Design/Build, Heavy Civil, and Open International Design/Build. Each division shall have a competition problem developed by a problem sponsor.
Sponsors:
Problem sponsors shall be selected by the TEXO Educational Foundation. Problem sponsors shall conform to these General Rules and Guidelines as posted on this ASC Region 5 web site. Problem sponsors may develop the competition problems and judging criteria for their competition division providing they do not conflict with these General Rules and Guidelines. A general scoring matrix for each competition will be provided two months before the competition. The general scoring matrix will include at a minimum the percentage the sponsors will score the proposal and presentation. The presentation scoring cannot exceed 30 percent of the total score. Sponsors will submit the RFP to the competition coordinator for their respective division one week before the competition for content review and feedback.
- Sponsors shall be provided from within the membership of the Host.
- Sponsors shall provide a three-year commitment to problem management.
- Year One: Provide a representative to participate in the competition process as a learning process
- Years Two & Three: Development and administration of competition
Judges:
Problem sponsors shall select the judges. An effort should be made to choose judges from within Region 5 and who are not alumni of one of the participating schools, except in the case of the International DB Competition where judges that have actually worked on the project might be from outside the region or the United States. Judges shall be restricted from having direct access to competitors before or during the competitions. The ASC competition coordinator shall be informed of the judges in advance of the competition to confirm judges have knowledge and access to competition information, and should insure that the judges are fully aware of the competition process, rules, and criteria. It is preferable that judges are owner personnel but regardless, judges are expected to assume the role of the client and score proposal packages as defined in the competition problem package. Each judge will provide a brief bio about themselves and their role in the company/panel for inclusion in the respective competition packets given to competition teams.
Problems:
The competition problems shall be generated from real projects that are good examples of the project delivery system proposed. Care should be taken that the problem conforms to these rules and guidelines. Problems shall be written that clearly define the expected deliverables and whom the presenters shall be addressing.
The estimate, schedule or other information that is requested in the problem should not be accessible by the competition teams.
- The Commercial Building Competition
- The project selected should be primarily a building and may be public or private in nature. The problem should involve the application of all manner of project planning.
- The problem chosen for the competition should require each team to demonstrate skills in the following main categories: written proposal and compliance with proposal request, scheduling/problem solving, plan of construction as well as quality assurance and logic analysis and methodology, cost estimate/pricing, and risk management.
- The Heavy Civil Competition
- The problem should involve the application of scheduling techniques, excavation, pre-stressed concrete placement, asphalt paving, utilities, traffic control, and conventional concrete for a heavy civil project. The successful team should be required to demonstrate: full knowledge of the plans and specifications, problem solving and method analysis, technical ability, cost analysis and communication skills.
- The problem chosen for the competition should require each team and team member to demonstrate skills in the following main categories: quantity take-off, scheduling, cost estimate and pricing, contract questions, and written bid format. A maximum of 30 percent of the scoring can be allocated to the presentation.
- Design/Build Competition
- The project selected by the sponsor should be primarily a building and may be public or private in nature. Design/Build procurement is clearly distinct from all other delivery methods. At the core of the Design/Build process is the concept of interdisciplinary team effort to innovative problem solving. It is intended for designers and constructors to collaborate from the onset, providing any and all services necessary to prepare a strategic response to a Design/Build solicitation. The team may operate as a fully integrated firm, a partnership, or an association, and can be either constructor or designer led. Unlike the traditional delivery methods where price is the predominant selection criteria, the Design/Build process should be more concerned with the creation of “best value.”
- The problem chosen for the competition should require each team to demonstrate knowledge and skills in the design/build process including design process and design management, design phase cost analysis, value management, scheduling and construction planning.
- The RFP should incorporate a realistic and complete program using performance criteria wherever possible. Deliverables should be clearly articulated and appropriate for a preliminary Design/Build proposal.
- It should be noted that it has been the norm to state that each team has already been short-listed on the basis of responses to a RFQ.
- The preparation of a real Design/Build proposal requires considerable research and interaction with the site and client. The sponsors should either create a mechanism to interact with the teams in the role of clients or a mechanism for the teams to document decisions made on hypothetical communications with the client and others. In the latter case, the judges would have to carefully evaluate the proposals based on the assumptions each team made rather than on what undisclosed real conditions were.
- Open International Design/Build Competition
- The Design/Build process is the concept of interdisciplinary team effort to innovative problem solving. It is intended for designers and constructors to collaborate from the onset, providing any and all services necessary to prepare a strategic response to a Design/Build solicitation. The team may operate as a fully integrated firm, a partnership, or an association, and can be either constructor or designer led. Unlike the traditional delivery methods where price is the predominant selection criteria, the Design/Build process should be more concerned with the creation of “best value.”
- The problem chosen for the competition should require each team to demonstrate knowledge and skills in the design/build process including design process and design management, design phase cost analysis, value management, scheduling and construction planning.
- The RFP should incorporate a realistic and complete program using performance criteria wherever possible. Deliverables should be clearly articulated and appropriate for a preliminary Design/Build proposal.
- It should be noted that it has been the norm to state that each team has already been short-listed on the basis of responses to a RFQ.
- The preparation of a real Design/Build proposal requires considerable research and interaction with the site and client. The sponsors should either create a mechanism to interact with the teams in the role of clients or a mechanism for the teams to document decisions made on hypothetical communications with the client and others. In the latter case, the judges would have to carefully evaluate the proposals based on the assumptions each team made rather than on what undisclosed real conditions were.
- The Open International DB Competition problem is not required to be located in the United States. If the problem is international, the sponsor should notify the teams the country and the type of project in early December.
- The response to the International RFP should be based on the regulatory procedures in the country where the problem has been set.
- The Design/Build process is the concept of interdisciplinary team effort to innovative problem solving. It is intended for designers and constructors to collaborate from the onset, providing any and all services necessary to prepare a strategic response to a Design/Build solicitation. The team may operate as a fully integrated firm, a partnership, or an association, and can be either constructor or designer led. Unlike the traditional delivery methods where price is the predominant selection criteria, the Design/Build process should be more concerned with the creation of “best value.”
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For further information contact the Region 5 Director