Demonstrating Design-Build Excellence in Gwinnett County, Georgia

The Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources (GCDWR) continues to receive accolades for its Eastern Regional Infrastructure Project. 

This nationally recognized Georgia project was most recently honored by the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) Southeast Region, taking home the Excellence Award in the Civic/Government category of the 2025 Design-Build Team Awards. 

The Eastern Regional Infrastructure Project was recognized for pushing the boundaries of possibility for design-build project design and construction, innovatively applying DBIA’s best practice principles and finding unique solutions for project challenges. 

Where Water Needs Meet Recreation

This $125 million project featured a unique combination of water/wastewater infrastructure and recreational amenities: 4 miles of water distribution pipe, 19 miles of wastewater collection and conveyance pipe, a 14-MGD regional pump station, a 5-mile greenway and trail system and stormwater and roadway improvements. 

It is an example of collaborative design and exceptional teamwork, as many project elements came together seamlessly to meet GCDWR’s project objectives:

  • Expanding service to a rapidly growing area in need of water/wastewater infrastructure

  • Accelerated schedule to meet service commitments

  • Enhancing reliability while decreasing environmental risk factors by allowing for the regionalization of wastewater collection and conveyance systems

  • Sustainable design and construction via a comprehensive Sustainability Management Plan and Envision Silver verification by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure

  • Recreational amenities to provide opportunities for outdoor recreation in concert with the much-needed water/wastewater infrastructure

The Department and design-build team overcame challenges ranging from overlapping jurisdictional requirements (including the USACE, FEMA, Georgia Environmental Protection Division and others) to rising costs and material shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues.

Design-Build Excellence

When it was booked in 2021, this project was the largest design-build project ever undertaken by Freese and Nichols. But what made the Eastern Regional Infrastructure Project successful in its design-build approach?

GCDWR evaluated various project execution methods and determined that an alternative delivery method would be necessary to meet the project’s expedited 34-month schedule. A traditional approach would take six to eight years to complete a project of this size and complexity. 

A design-build approach allowed the Department to select the design and construction teams in one step and begin construction prior to completion of the final design and permitting, saving valuable time.

Once selected, the team followed several DBIA-recommended best practices, which contributed to the project’s success and cost savings. The project closed out more than $1 million under budget.

Stakeholder Buy-in: The support of leadership across Gwinnett County was crucial, especially for this complex project with such a broad vision and aggressive schedule. From GCDWR and Gwinnett County Department of Transportation to Purchasing, Law and Parks and Recreation, all key stakeholders were engaged from the beginning of the design-build process as they evaluated risks and developed the Request for Proposal.

Best-Value Procurement: Thanks to GCDWR’s extensive front-end due diligence and its advisory team, proposers could use the preliminary site assessments and detailed design criteria to consider alternatives, suggest enhancements and optimize the schedule.

The Right People: A primary DBIA principle is ensuring the design-build team is composed of “The Right People” for the job. The “Right People” for Eastern Regional Infrastructure were selected based on their extensive experience working with GCDWR, specialized expertise and project leadership’s past design-build experience. Led by JDS, Inc. the team included design consultants Freese and Nichols, Ardurra Group, Inc., Foresite Group and sub-contractor Crowder Construction. This group collaborated closely onsite with a dedicated weekly “ERI Day” to address critical path issues and decision-making.

Design and Construction in Sync: The project was segmented into seven work areas to meet scheduling and permit needs, allowing areas requiring fewer permits or land acquisitions to start earlier. In total, the team obtained more than 50 permits and almost 60 easements, a feat accelerated by the Department championing permits and negotiating conditional approvals. The design-build team also worked together extensively to finalize documents for expedited design reviews to keep everything rolling as quickly and efficiently as possible.

According to DBIA, design-build is the fastest-growing project delivery method across the U.S., with consulting and investment banking firm FMI Corp. projecting it to account for almost half of all construction spending by 2028, totaling $2.6 trillion in spending from 2024 to 2028. 

With an increasing number of projects using a design-build approach, the Eastern Regional Infrastructure Project is a shining example of how this method promotes a collaborative environment and can help Freese and Nichols provide exceptional value and innovative solutions to our clients by saving them time and money.