
HKA Global, LLC
Philadelphia, PA
Conduct of Research Report for NCHRP Project 23-22
Submitted April 2025

NCHRP Web-Only Document 434
Defining Contractual Risk Profiles to Increase Competition on Alternative Project Delivery Methods
© 2025 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
Systematic, well-designed, and implementable research is the most effective way to solve many problems facing state department of transportation (DOT) administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local or regional interest and can best be studied by state DOTs individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation results in increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research.
Recognizing this need, the leadership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1962 initiated an objective national highway research program using modern scientific techniques—the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). NCHRP is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of AASHTO and receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), United States Department of Transportation.
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DISCLAIMER
This material is based upon work supported by the FHWA under Agreement No. 693JJ32350025. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed or implied in this document are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; the FHWA; or the program sponsors.
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The information contained in this document was taken directly from the submission of the author(s). This material has not been edited by TRB.

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Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs, and Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program
David M. Jared, Senior Program Officer
Dajaih Bias-Johnson, Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Brendan Foht, Senior Editor
Jennifer Correro, Assistant Editor
Carmen Swanwick, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City, UT (Chair)
Sam Beydoun, Washington, DC
Debra R. Brisk, DRB Consulting, LLC, Buffalo, MN
Lisa Choplin, Whitman, Requardt and Associates, LLP, Baltimore, MD
Jay J. Hietpas, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul, MN
Mohab Hussein, New Jersey Department of Transportation, Ewing Township, NJ
Suril Shah, Virginia Department of Transportation, Richmond, VA
Matthew Corrigan, FHWA Liaison
This research was performed under NCHRP Project 23-22 by HKA Global, LLC. The Co-Principal Investigators were:
Other members of the research team include the following:
The research team extends its gratitude and appreciation to the many DOT representatives who gave their time to participate in the survey and interviews.
Project Background and Objectives
1.4 Structure of this Report and Final Deliverables
2.1 Reports and Guidance Documents
2.2 Procurement and Contract Documents
3 Survey and Interview Results
3.3 Risk Identification and Assessment by DOTs
3.4 Practices Implemented by DOTs to Promote Alignment of Risk Perceptions
3.5 Factors Influencing Pursuit of APD Projects by Developers, Contractors, and Designers
5 Feedback on Proposed Methodology Components
5.2 Owner Outreach: Observations and Findings
5.3 Industry Outreach: Observations and Findings
Appendix A: APD Manuals and Contracts
Appendix B: Survey Questionnaires
Appendix C: Interview Questionnaires
Appendix D: Raw Survey Results
Appendix E: Interview Summaries
Appendix F: Glossary of Processes/Tools
Appendix G: Example Contract Provisions
NCHRP Web-Only Document 434 contains the conduct of research report for NCHRP Project 23-22 and accompanies NCHRP Research Report 1160: Alternative Project Delivery Methods: Assessing and Allocating Risk to Increase Competition. Readers can read or purchase NCHRP Research Report 1160 on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org).
Table 2.1: Risks Impacting Transportation Cost Estimates
Table 2.2: Surety Perspectives on Contractual Provisions
Table 2.3: Predominant Risk Allocation in Sample of US P3 Highway and Transit Projects
Table 2.4: Typical Project Risks and Allocation Strategies
Table 3.1: DOT/Owner and Industry Responses to Top 5 Risks in DB (Fixed Price)
Table 3.2: DOT/Owner and Industry Responses to Top 5 Risks in CM/GC or PDB
Table 3.3: DOT/Owner and Industry Responses to Top 5 Risks in P3s
Table 4.1: Stage 0,1: Project Initiation, Planning, and Development - Processes/Tools
Table 4.2: Stage 2: Procurement - Processes/Tools
Table 4.3: Stage 3, Execution - Processes/Tools and Documents
Table 4.4: Industry Bid Assessment Practices
Table 4.5: Common Strategies for Managing and Communicating Risk on DB Projects
Table 4.6: Summary of Additional Methodology Processes/Tools for Progressive APDs
Table 5.1: Owner Representatives
Table 5.2: Practices and Tools
Table 5.3: Example DOT Risk Allocation Strategies
Table 5.4: Factors Considered as part of the Pursuit Decision
Figure 3.1: Comparison of DOT/Owner and Industry Responses for Top 5 Risks for DB (Fixed Price)
Figure 3.2: Comparison of DOT/Owner and Industry Responses for Top 5 Risks for CM/GC or PDB
Figure 3.3: Comparison of DOT/Owner and Industry Responses for Top 5 Risks for P3s
Figure 3.4: Heat Map for the Top 5 Risks Identified by DOT and Industry Respondents (% Difference)
Figure 3.5: Heat Map of Alignment of Risk Allocation in DB Projects
Figure 3.6: Heat Map of Alignment of Risk Allocation in CM/GC or PDB Projects
Figure 3.7: Heat Map of Alignment of Risk Allocation in P3 Projects
Figure 3.8: Practices to Align Risk Perceptions in Procurement & Contracting
Figure 3.9: DOT/Owner Responses about Practices Implemented for Post-Award Risk Management
Figure 3.10: Heat Map of Industry Responses about Factors Influencing APD Project Pursuits