Integrated Project Delivery: A Teamwork Approach to Design and Construction

By Gregory R. Andre, K&L Gates, Chicago

What is Integrated Project Delivery?

Integrated Project Delivery (“IPD”) is an evolving, bold innovation in construction delivery.  It generally contemplates the owner, the architect or engineer and the contractor all entering into one contract and functioning as a cooperative and collaborative team to design and construct the project with shared risks and rewards in the ultimate cost, schedule and quality of the overall project.

In simple terms, IPD is like a joint venture approach to design and construction.  IPD represents a radical departure from traditional delivery methods that isolate responsibilities, liabilities, communication, risks and rewards with contracts that often lack incentives to cooperate and work toward the common goal of a successful project overall for everyone.  Parties to an IPD team have incentives to do what is best for the project, rather than what is best for themselves.  To motivate the design and construction team and get the best performance out of them, IPD generally favors a “carrot” approach; whereas, traditional delivery methods generally use a “stick” approach.

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Reprinted with Permission. ©2011 CCH Incorporated. All rights reserved.