Management of Risk in Deep Foundations with Design-Build

The design-build delivery system is receiving increased use on large infrastructure projects, and deep foundations often represent a significant component of the risks to project costs and schedule. This paper presents a discussion of the management of the risk elements associated with the design and construction of deep foundations, along with some strategies that have been employed to help mitigate these risks. The effective management of risks with deep foundation design and construction is seen to require cooperative effort, particularly between the constructors and designers, and an ability to evaluate the problem from a broad perspective. Test programs can be utilized to develop mitigation strategies and reduce risks relative to both performance and productivity.