The following is a transcript of the video "Delivery methods for design build: A PCBC Conversation" :

Kenneth: So I want to talk about the delivery method and whether it impacts what you guys do. So architects still like, you know, design-bid-build, they still prefer it. But most of these projects are moving to design-build. And so with project delivery, how does that affect your work and what you guys are doing? Now there's so much design-build.

Edward: Well, we actually prefer it because we can get in on the proverbial ground floor and work through the project, make recommendations and not be trying to address it after the fact and make changes. So if we can work...and we do this a lot... If we can work from the beginning, designing the plumbing systems, making recommendations, it just works for a smoother project. And as I was mentioning off camera before, we design everything in 2-D and then go on to 3-D, so we can see any problems before we even pick up one piece of pipe or install one bath.

Lee: And that's the kind of sophistication that the job needs. And when you work with someone that is upfront and they have their ducks in a row, from our standpoint we get all of our communications, our scheduling and everything, come to them as needed, just-in-time delivery. And then that building will just continue on its construction schedule.

Edward: I'm going to get a little bit off topic just because you mentioned the word "delivery."

Kenneth: No, let's talk about that.

Edward: And the thing about this is, Stanford is very strict about when you can go on, when you can deliver.

Lee: Exactly.

Edward: And you just can't show up. And so we had to talk with Bestbath and say, "Here's your window to get there. And if you don't, then it's not gonna work." And they were coming from Boise, but they made every delivery on time, got in there, and there was never any problem. And for us as a contractor, that is heaven because they're getting there, the units are in, they're not having to come into our yard, they're not coming in in boxes where we have to then retake them out through the yard and have all this debris. It's just seamless, which we love.

Kenneth: And you guys deliver really based on their installation schedule, right?

Lee: Yes, again I'm gonna use this word "upfront." We receive a delivery schedule. We make a tool specially for this job, several of them, so we can deliver the quantities they need on the dates they want them on site. And, you know, as Edward has elaborated, many of the schools, universities, have a delivery criteria that's incredible. We've been in downtown LA where you have to have an escort and deliver only on Saturday mornings or whatever. And you can't disrupt a university or many of these downtown deliveries. It's got to be just in time and off the truck and boom.

Edward: And in this day of high-density housing, you don't have the luxury we had 20, 30 years ago with all this extra land. You've got to be right on time and be able to show up, so that the cranes can pick them up, or whatever method you're getting them in, is available. And they only give a short window and so, if you don't hit it, they just say, "Well, that's your problem."

Kenneth: Let's talk...

Edward: We need manufacturers that can do that.