This week on What a Week, Dave Stutzman, Steve Gantner, and Elias Saltz discuss the trip to the DBIA (Design-Build Institute of America) Conference in Las Vegas, where Conspectus will sponsor the Virtual Design Leadership Exchange and present on the value of engaging specifiers early in design-build projects.
Explore how design-build delivery differs from traditional methods and why it’s crucial for specifiers to be involved from the start. Design-builders, who oversee both design and construction, can benefit from structured specifications that align the entire team—owners, architects, engineers, contractors, and facility managers—around shared project goals.
A key topic is the use of UNIFORMAT® , a system that organizes project information by assemblies and systems rather than individual components. The hosts explain how this simplifies communication, supports “continuous estimating,” and reduces documentation bloat—transforming thousand-page specs into concise, 30-page system summaries. This approach enables informed decisions, real-time cost alignment, and risk reduction by ensuring everyone understands and agrees on project requirements as they evolve.
They also emphasize the importance of collaboration, transparency, and permanent project records. By tracking decisions digitally within one shared environment, teams can avoid confusion, eliminate rework, and mitigate claims. The episode closes on a light note, with a cameo from Steve’s dog Paisley and playful banter about Vegas adventures—showcasing Conspectus’s mix of technical insight and team camaraderie.
Key Takeaways:
✅Early specifier involvement strengthens design-build outcomes.
✅Uniformat fosters clear, system-based collaboration and reduces rework.
✅Continuous estimating and transparent documentation help manage cost and risk.
✅Teamwide buy-in—including facility managers—ensures practical, maintainable results.
✅Building a permanent project record promotes accountability and project-first behavior.
Elias Saltz, Steve Gantner, David Stutzman
