Setting the Stage for Success with the Design-Build Delivery Model
Availability
Registration Required
Online Meeting
Jun 03, 2026 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM ET
Credit Offered
1.5 PDH Credits

The design-build model continues to reshape the contours of relationships, reward, and risk in the delivery of engineering services. Design-build delivery can create efficiencies and strong project relationships, but can also introduce shifts in responsibility, expectations, and risk allocation that firms must understand when pursuing projects.

This 90-minute online program will examine key project risks in design-build environments. We’ll explore the areas where breakdowns most commonly occur, the characteristics of successful design-build projects, and how structural engineering firms can use this information to evaluate opportunities with clarity and confidence.

 

Jerry Cavaluzzi, Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer of Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, Inc. (“Kennedy Jenks”), a leading water and industrial engineering firm (ENR #212). Jerry leads Kennedy Jenks’ enterprise risk management and advises on procurement and contract strategy for complex infrastructure programs. With more than three decades of experience, Jerry focuses on claims prevention through effective risk allocation, balanced contract drafting, and proactive dispute resolution across the design and construction lifecycle.

Jerry will be joined by Karen Erger of Lockton, a nationally recognized risk management and insurance advisor to engineering firms. Karen brings extensive experience working with design professionals across the country and will provide practical insight into how client selection, contracts, and project delivery structures affect firm exposure and long-term stability. 

This program will also feature insights and practical tips and feedback from:

P.J. Bourdaniotis, Kennedy Jenks’ licensed Structural Engineer and Certified Design-Build Professional with almost 20 years of experience delivering complex water infrastructure projects under both traditional and collaborative delivery methods. P.J. specializes in structural engineering in high seismic regions and quality oversight of critical utility facilities, including pump stations and hydraulic structures for both water and wastewater. P.J.’s collaborative delivery experience stretches across multiple sectors¾education, government, and water/wastewater. His design-build experience includes structural design for phased construction, early foundation packages, navigating building department permit reviews, and assistance with developing early guaranteed maximum price.

Brad Florentin, Kennedy Jenks’ Director of Collaborative Delivery. Brad is a 30-year P.E., a Certified Design-Build Professional, and a Design-Build Done Right Leader. He leads multidisciplinary engineering and science teams to deliver complex water and infrastructure projects that strengthen communities. With broad experience across all phases of project development—chartering, budgeting, assessment, design, permitting, construction, monitoring, and advisory—he brings a strong grasp of project lifecycles and risk management. Brad’s clear communication and ability to align owners, contractors, technical teams, regulators, and the public, has built long-standing partnerships and consistently successful outcomes.



Participants will be able to identify and explain:

· What distinguishes a well-structured design-build project

· How responsibility shifts under design-build models

· Where risk and coordination most often break down

· Practical considerations for evaluating design-build opportunities before saying yes

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