Inside the DBIA Project/Team Awards: What Judges Really Want

[00:00:00] Praful Kulkarni: We actually want to know your story, and the better you write the story, the better your chances are going to be.

[00:00:15] Announcer: Welcome to Spill the Ink, a podcast by Reputation Ink, where we feature experts in growth and brand visibility for law firms and architecture, engineering and construction firms. Now let’s get started with the show.

[00:00:32] Steven Gallo: Hi, everyone. I’m Steven Gallo, your host and vice president of client services at Reputation Ink. We’re a public relations and thought leadership marketing agency for B2B professional services firms, including architecture, engineering and construction firms. To learn more, just go to Rep-ink.com. We’ve launched a new series that dives into the top awards and rankings programs across the architecture, engineering and construction industry, and we have some great guests lined up to lend insight. Today, we have a guest to share some insight into the Design-Build Institute of America Project and Team Awards, which, as you may know, recognize excellence, collaboration and innovation in design-build projects.

Praful Kulkarni is director of integrated services at global integrated design firm CannonDesign, and on top of those responsibilities, he’s actively involved in DBIA, serving as chair of the National DBIA Awards Committee and as a former DBIA national chair. Welcome to the show, and we really appreciate you taking the time to be here.

[00:01:37] Praful Kulkarni: Well, it’s a great pleasure, Steven. Thanks for this opportunity.

[00:01:42] Steven Gallo: Of course. To begin, we always love to hear a little bit about what brought you to this point in your career journey. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?

[00:01:55] Praful Kulkarni: Well, Steven, mine is a kind of typical

immigrant story. I grew up in India with a very modest background in a village about 150 miles east of Mumbai. Through education, I was able to get into one of the top institutes in India, the Indian Institute of Technology. After I did my undergraduate architecture degree there, I got a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship to come to the United States to study architecture at Illinois Tech, which is the famous school that Bauhaus architect Mies van der Rohe actually founded.

[00:02:42] Steven Gallo: Wow. 

[00:02:43] Praful Kulkarni: Then I had a chance to go back to India, but I really couldn’t find a decent job because the Indian economy was pretty much a socialist model back then. So I came back, worked with well-known U.S. firms like Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and URS, and moved from Cleveland, Ohio, to Southern California.

I actually started my own company in 1991 to provide services in design and construction management, and had a fairly successful run. I merged my company with CannonDesign about eight years ago. I’m a partner, and I currently look at complex projects for the firm. Just some background on CannonDesign — it’s a 25-year-old company that excels in providing living-centered design spaces for people.

That includes healthcare, education, science and technology, and what we call community, civic and commercial work, with about 1600 people. 

[00:04:14] Steven Gallo: Wow. 

[00:04:15] Praful Kulkarni: Mostly national. We do have offices in Mumbai, India, and Toronto, Canada. 

[00:04:25] Steven Gallo: Amazing. 

[00:04:26] Praful Kulkarni: I enjoy doing what I do, and my association with DBIA has been for about 22 years.

It has been a joy for me to help create this whole collaborative model for designers and builders with the owners. Our typical model — the design-bid-build model, as opposed to these alternate delivery methods like design-build and progressive design-build — is kind of adversarial.

It creates a lot of friction among the parties. It can be litigious, and some of the inefficiencies in executing projects, both in terms of design, schedule and cost, can be addressed using the design-build model. I find it very rewarding to look back and say, did we make a difference?

We’re making a difference, and I’m looking forward to continuing to do so. 

[00:05:50] Steven Gallo: That’s awesome. And yeah, ultimately, that’s what designing and constructing the built environment is about, right? It’s people occupying space and the impact it’s having on their lives.

Design-build as a delivery method has really been gaining a lot more traction for a lot of reasons. I’d love to talk a bit about folks who may have had some of these projects in their portfolios they’ve recently completed and might be interested, as you mentioned, in DBIA’s project and team awards. For those who may not

be as familiar with the program, can you help us understand what they are and why they’ve become such a sought-after recognition for AEC firms? 

[00:06:33] Praful Kulkarni: It’s interesting to look at the beginnings of DBIA. DBIA as a professional organization was formed in 1992, which is actually a year after I started my firm.

Known as GKK Works back then, of course now CannonDesign. DBIA was started by builders who really felt that they could make a difference by creating an integrated design and construction model. A lot of times, the design community was not quite adept and was not really recognizing the benefits of this model.

Through the decades since founding DBIA, we have had to bring owners and designers to the table where they act as three partners. In a prime-sub relationship in design-build, the builder invariably ends up taking the lead, and the designers are a sub or subconsultant to them.

That’s because of bonding requirements. On the construction side, the professional services model that designers have typically has a limitation on bonding capacity because designers don’t keep large balance sheets as a professional service. Constructors are required to do so for bonding capacity.

In any event, the point I’m trying to make is the idea was to move designers into a partnership with builders, along with the owners, so that we can actually produce high-quality design. People felt that,

through the right contractual language and responsibilities for designers, designers are actually equal partners with the builders and of course the owner. Over the years, we have consistently elevated the quality of projects as we deliver them, and that has been successful. The awards are an integral part of recognizing how we continue to do that.

[00:09:37] Steven Gallo: It’s an incredible program and an incredible way to get exposure for these projects to really showcase a lot of these advantages you’re talking about. I understand it’s a comprehensive submission when submitting a project for one of these DBIA awards.

I’m curious — you’ve been on that committee for a number of years. I’m sure you’ve gotten some questions time and again. What do you often hear from folks who are applying?

[00:10:12] Praful Kulkarni: I’ve been on that committee for about 14 years. We revamped it in the early 2010s and monitor it every year.

We look at the quality of the submissions and what the requirements may be, and we also seek feedback from the applicants as well as the winners so that we understand what is important to them in terms of this recognition. It’s really a comprehensive recognition.

You have the AIA, the American Institute of Architects, you have the engineering folks. They tend to be either designers or builders. There is also the Associated General Contractors, and they have awards as well. Whereas the DBIA award is comprehensive — it goes from design through construction.

That means we are looking at three key areas. Design excellence, which is not just the visual design experience but a total integrated design quality experience — engineering systems, the building systems we use, the structural systems, how efficient they can be.

Owners have budgets. Can we do the absolute best within that budget, with high quality? Design-build is able to accomplish that. So we have three major categories: design excellence; the process of delivering a project from the beginning to the end and how well we integrated those processes between the design and construction teams and the overall sequencing of the project;

and teaming. Did we form the right team? First, did we go to an owner who appreciates what we do in design-build? Did we find the right design partner or build partner so that we can truly execute what the owner wants? And did we actually come out at the end of the project

still staying great friends together? That’s design-build — a happy combination all the way around. Because invariably in design-bid-build projects, the contractual relationships are such that the owner contracts with the designer and the owner contracts with the builder separately.

[00:13:02] Steven Gallo: Yeah. 

[00:13:03] Praful Kulkarni: And now the owner is somehow managing these two entities, and they don’t necessarily want to talk to each other, especially if it’s a bid project — meaning the lowest number gets the award. 

[00:13:18] Steven Gallo: right? 

[00:13:19] Praful Kulkarni: The builder is trying to make sure that the project is profitable.

They’re at risk, so they’re looking at every change order, looking at every fault in the design. There is an old, established legal doctrine, a little over a hundred years old now, that basically says a contractor will get paid for anything that is missing in the construction documents or design drawings.

That creates inherent friction in design-bid-build and construction management at-risk deliveries. Design-build is a different paradigm — a paradigm of collaboration, integration and creating cohesive teams. 

[00:14:15] Steven Gallo: Yeah, and it’s what makes design-build unique from those traditional models, right?

There’s so much more inherent collaboration that needs to happen. For folks who are submitting for the DBIA awards, do you have any top tips for those firms who might be submitting a project?

Things to kind of keep in mind, or perhaps things that you see folks typically get wrong? 

[00:14:51] Praful Kulkarni: Well, clearly, the design excellence, the process and the teaming. 

[00:15:00] Steven Gallo: Yeah, 

[00:15:01] Praful Kulkarni: That’s how the whole submission is structured. You have to provide images and statistics in terms of cost overruns and the reasons for them, and how the budgets were maintained. You may not have adhered to the initial budgets and schedules, but there were probably very good reasons.

The owner increased the scope of work — now that’s going to cost more, and it may affect your schedule as well because of the nature of that increment. So explain all that so that you don’t unnecessarily lose points. The more you show about the benefit,

the more you demonstrate wanting the best team possible and that the team itself had the best people in terms of their talents, both on the design and construction side — explain that. It’s actually pretty prescriptive in the sense that there are points you can make for each one of those pieces. As you and I were discussing a little earlier, we don’t just want a form filled out. We actually want to know your story, and the better you write the story, the better your chances are going to be for success. 

[00:16:36] Steven Gallo: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense — providing that narrative. And it sounds like you’re also saying to provide context to the story, right?

Explain why some of those things unfolded, because the more context, the better. Is that a common misconception, or is there anything else about the judging process that is often misunderstood?

[00:17:02] Praful Kulkarni: Not so much. Sometimes people, especially designers, if they’re submitting on behalf of the design-build team, tend to think this might be another AIA-type submission. 

[00:17:15] Steven Gallo: Mm. 

[00:17:15] Praful Kulkarni: It isn’t. As I said, it’s a much more holistic look at the project, getting into the depths of, for example, whether there were any accidents on the construction side.

We also get submissions roughly half and half — half on the building, or vertical, side and half on the infrastructure side. There are nuances to both. On the vertical side, you have a number of subtrades — mechanical, electrical engineering,

structural systems, foundations, site packages, all kinds of specialties. You could have as many as 50 to 60 subtrades. Managing all that for the design-build team is a difficult job compared to a horizontal project, where you may have only four, five, six or 10.

Showing what you were able to do using technology, VDC, all these things matter. And how did you keep track of the cost? If the owner’s budget was, say, $100 million at the beginning, how did you actually track that through the project and maintain it across the board?

That needs to be illustrated because there is a lot of give and take. The basic premise is that designers are taught to be iterative — they first draw it up and then say, I can make that better. Do it again. I missed that, maybe I can make that better.

I can talk to the owner and see how that space could be used. Whereas construction is a linear, sequential process. People who think about where both of those could come together in the best possible way typically have successful projects, and one should be able to illustrate that in the submission.

[00:19:48] Steven Gallo: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. There are so many moving parts between the different disciplines. I’m wondering — we say provide as much context as possible, but is there certain information that is more noise or clutter versus detail that is actually helpful?

Or is it best to really include as much of the story as possible? Is there any particular focus that would be helpful for folks? 

[00:20:18] Praful Kulkarni: Well, as I said, those three things. The way the awards are structured, we have different sectors — healthcare,

education, public buildings, renovation projects, small special projects. There are five or six different categories that we sometimes adjust. Be mindful of where your project fits — that’s No. 1. Then follow the basic questionnaire and do your absolute best to weave a story through all that.

We also have special awards like the Chairman’s Award for social benefit. There is also the Enlightened Owner Award — for an owner that is moving from the traditional delivery model to design-build. We actually hand out those special owner awards to illustrate

how they were able to move from traditional delivery to design-build and how much progress they made in terms of how the project got delivered. All these nuances come into play. 

[00:21:53] Steven Gallo: That’s pretty cool. I know we’ve had some clients who have submitted projects in the past, and it’s very comprehensive.

But as you said, it’s also very instructive. You’re not left without a roadmap. The submission tells you what is expected and breaks those sections out pretty well, so that part is pretty straightforward and user-friendly. That said, it is still a robust application, as you mentioned.

How do you recommend firms prepare so that it doesn’t all fall on them at once? I’m sure you inevitably have some folks who procrastinate or think this is like those other AIA, AGC, or perhaps other awards that fit into a certain category, and they underestimate this one.

Any advice? 

[00:22:48] Praful Kulkarni: If you look at that questionnaire and keep track of what that project needs to illustrate in terms of the basic parameters, you don’t have to reinvent anything later. Things like number of man-hours spent on the project, what changes were made, when did some additional service-oriented change orders occur —

that information exists, it’s just a matter of keeping track of it so you can pull it. The other mistake that firms tend to make is they give it to their marketing groups, who don’t necessarily understand design-build as a methodology. You need somebody — hopefully the project executive or the project manager

from the design-build team — really engaged to tell the story, as opposed to leaving it just to the marketing folks, because it’s different. That really helps. If I was the project executive who was the main contact with the client as well as our design-build team, then I’m going to better illustrate

what the intent was and how the project evolved and how it got executed. 

[00:24:21] Steven Gallo: Absolutely. It’s not the sort of thing that can be completed in a vacuum. That’s something we talk about a lot here — this whole philosophy of knowledge extraction and really getting to dig in with the account executives, the project managers, the subject matter experts who are on the ground and in touch with a project, and really understanding how to pull

those stories out of them — the why of the project, not just the what. So don’t wait until the last minute, and collect that information along the way. 

[00:24:56] Praful Kulkarni: Keep track of it, and look at your project like: we are going to make this an award-winning project.

In order to put our best case forward, how do we do that? What story do we need to tell? We have about 14 to 15 jury members, and we collectively look at the finalists. Initially we have a smaller group that takes a certain category and brings that to the entire jury.

The projects that get the most attention have some kind of a special story — like, the community was struggling to get this project done, finally there was a bond that passed, this money came in and here’s how it affected the community. Design-build is good for communities

because it is a more efficient, higher-quality product that stays within the limits of budget and schedule. If that somehow comes across in the storytelling, your chances of success are going to be higher. 

[00:26:26] Steven Gallo: Definitely. And it’s really the marriage of that, right — the storytelling,

the marketing narrative piece of it, paired with that technical expertise and understanding of the context of design-build you were talking about, to really make that winning combination. Anything else in relation to the awards programs themselves, the jury, the applications that we haven’t touched on that would be helpful for folks looking to apply? And before we wrap up, I’d also like to pivot to talk about some of the broader industry trends you’re seeing.

[00:27:05] Praful Kulkarni: One thing I meant to talk more about is the trend: the trend in the country is moving toward design-build delivery. More than half the projects now in the country are being delivered through design-build. I’m not including the private housing side of things —

housing builders and developers doing that — we can’t leave that segment out. But the rest of the major project segments are clearly moving in that direction. The movement really started on the West Coast and now it’s permeating all the way to the East. As you’re probably aware, New York City and New York state have also now implemented this.

It’s here, and it is getting better all the time in terms of the value proposition. When we notify the competitors that they have received an award, the recognition levels go from the three areas we talked about — best in process, best in design, best in teaming —

and then ultimately we have the project of the year award. 

[00:28:41] Steven Gallo: Right? 

[00:28:41] Praful Kulkarni: We are cognizant of the fact that the project of the year can come from any kind of building type, as long as it actually meets the criteria for what that award should be. It could come from either the infrastructure side or the building side.

We’ve had a number of projects on the infrastructure side that have been recognized.

As I said, every year we make every effort to elevate our judging criteria, and the quality of the projects keeps getting better every year. 

[00:29:41] Steven Gallo: That’s awesome. With the applications and award-winning projects you’ve seen come across over the years, have you noticed any patterns or industry-wide trends based on the submissions you’re reviewing?

From a macro level, have you noticed anything? 

[00:30:06] Praful Kulkarni: There is a misconception that you can only do certain projects as design-build projects. We actually see that even large renovation projects are starting to utilize design-build because there is a lot more flexibility in the design-build delivery for renovation projects.

There are conditions that affect how a renovation project may shape up in terms of change orders and — as we call it in the industry — existing conditions. We have really seen an increase in design-build projects across size as well as different sectors. That’s what we see as we move forward.

[00:31:06] Steven Gallo: Interesting. Seeing it proliferate beyond just the more common industries and verticals. Looking out to the horizon from your perspective, is there anything that AEC firms, design-build firms, should be preparing for or keeping on their radar in the next 12 to 18 months?

I recognize that may be a loaded question, because it feels like we live in more uncertainty on a daily basis. But is there anything you’re picking up or hearing in your circles that you’re paying attention to? 

[00:31:50] Praful Kulkarni: We kind of have a little bit of a divide.

You have large firms doing large projects, and there seems to be a lot of work in that space. The designers and builders are busy with large projects. We see that mid-size and smaller projects are shrinking in terms of both numbers and cost.

Those firms are having a harder time in terms of what’s happening in the next 12 to 18 months. Of course, there is a lot of work on the data center side because of the AI investments that are coming in. 

[00:32:40] Steven Gallo: Sure. 

[00:32:41] Praful Kulkarni: That work is also ideally suited for design-build projects. That has kind of taken the capital — the CapEx — from other sectors, and firms are starting to invest.

Corporations are investing more on the AI side, so some of these other areas are obviously going to see a reduced workload. 

[00:33:14] Steven Gallo: Yeah, that makes sense. AI is not going anywhere, and we’re definitely seeing the ripple effects of that, particularly in the data center space and beyond.

If there’s one piece of advice you would give to design-build professionals who are interested in DBIA and the DBIA awards specifically, what would it be? What’s the one big takeaway? 

[00:33:48] Praful Kulkarni: I think the big takeaway has always been about how many different types of professionals

are engaged in DBIA. You have the owners, the builders, the designers, the subtrades, and specialty consultants like accountants or technology folks. There are design-build providers of acoustical services, for example. So we have a true mix of all the different pieces that are required to deliver a project.

That’s very unusual for a professional organization. We have really promoted DBIA to be that all-inclusive organization that invites all these professionals into the membership, and all our education and contractual materials are a result of our diverse membership. We make sure that owners, builders, designers and other subspecialties are included in our various committees — the awards committee is indicative of that, as well as our board.

These are all the different pieces that work for us. 

[00:35:34] Steven Gallo: Anything else about this next award cycle or the year ahead that you’re anticipating?

[00:35:50] Praful Kulkarni: I’m excited. The deadline is June 1, as I recall from the latest

announcement. 

[00:35:59] Steven Gallo: Yes. 

[00:36:00] Praful Kulkarni: And then in July the.

Finalists are announced or invited to the annual conference, typically in November. 

[00:36:13] Steven Gallo: Of course. That clock is ticking, but there is still time. Again, we’ve been talking to Praful Kulkarni of CannonDesign and DBIA. Don’t forget — entries are due June 1. Be on the lookout for that. Sincerely, it’s been a pleasure.

Thank you so much for your time today and for coming on. 

[00:36:35] Praful Kulkarni: It’s really my pleasure, and I’m available for any other insights I can provide. 

[00:36:43] Steven Gallo: Really appreciate it. 

[00:36:44] Praful Kulkarni: Thank you, Steven.

[00:36:45] Steven Gallo: Thank you so much.

[00:36:49] Announcer: Thanks for listening to Spill the Ink, a podcast by Reputation Ink. We’ll see you next time, and be sure to click subscribe to get future episodes.