Guiding Successful Collaborative Delivery Projects
For more than a century, Freese and Nichols has partnered with public owners including utilities, cities, public agencies and institutions to plan and deliver critical infrastructure. While today these approaches to project delivery are commonly referred to as collaborative delivery, working closely with owners has long been fundamental to how the firm serves its clients.
Across more than 100 collaborative delivery projects nationwide, Freese and Nichols has supported Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR), Design-Build (DB), and Public-Private Partnership (P3) delivery methods, serving both as the Owner’s Advisor and as a design partner within integrated teams. This experience has resulted in long-standing client relationships, particularly with owners transitioning from traditional design-bid-build to more collaborative delivery approaches.
Collaborative delivery brings owners, designers and builders together earlier in the process, aligning priorities and creating shared accountability for project outcomes.
What Collaborative Delivery Means for Owners
At its core, collaborative delivery integrates planning, design and construction into a more unified process. Early alignment allows owners to manage risk proactively, gain earlier cost visibility and maintain greater control over schedule and scope as projects move forward.
For owners, the benefits are clear: earlier cost awareness, proactive risk identification, improved constructability, fewer downstream changes and greater transparency across teams and decision-makers. Achieving these outcomes depends on experienced guidance to help structure decisions, define roles and maintain accountability throughout delivery.
Guiding Collaboration with Purpose
As Owner’s Advisor, Freese and Nichols does not replace the designer or contractor. Instead, the firm provides independent guidance that helps owners make confident, well-informed decisions. Freese and Nichols supports owners from delivery method selection, contract development and procurement strategy through planning, design, construction and startup.
Services include development of contracts and general and supplementary conditions, preparation of Requests for Qualifications and Requests for Proposals (RFQRFP), creation of evaluation frameworks aligned with project goals, risk identification and mitigation and oversight of cost models and Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) negotiations. This approach allows owners to move forward efficiently while maintaining clarity, alignment and accountability across all parties.
Collaborative Delivery and Owner’s Advisor Project Examples
Freese and Nichols’ collaborative delivery experience spans water and wastewater, transportation, aviation, higher education and other public sector markets. This range of experience allows proven practices to be applied across different environments while tailoring approaches to each owner’s priorities. The following examples highlight how owners are supported across sectors through collaborative delivery and Owner’s Advisor services.
Wagley Robertson Road and Everman Parkway
Freese and Nichols is serving as Owner’s Representative for the City of Fort Worth on its first progressive design build transportation projects, Wagley Robertson Road and Everman Parkway. Together, these projects introduce a new collaborative delivery approach while advancing critical roadway connectivity and flood resilience.
Everman Parkway is a greenfield minor arterial project that includes a four-lane divided roadway, a major stream crossing, a grade separated railroad crossing, shared use paths and extensive utility coordination to support a key east west connection. Wagley Robertson Road is a full roadway reconstruction project featuring a four-lane divided section, two major stream crossings, shared use paths and retaining walls, with the goal of elevating the roadway out of the 100-year floodplain in an area of active development.
Both projects are being delivered using the Progressive Design-Build method. In its Owner’s Representative (similar to Owner’s Advisor) role, Freese and Nichols provided early analysis and schematic level design support, stormwater modeling and utility coordination. The firm also led the development of the City’s Transportation and Public Works Department (TPW) design-build contract and general conditions, assisted with proposal evaluation, Design Build team selection and supported cost development and contract negotiations, helping Fort Worth and TPW establish a strong foundation for future design-build delivery.
North Texas Municipal Water District
Freese and Nichols served as Owner’s Advisor to the North Texas Municipal Water District on the Bois d’Arc Lake Water Supply Program, a landmark investment of more than $1.6 billion and the first major reservoir developed in Texas in nearly 30 years. The program delivers a new long-term water supply for North Texas and includes reservoir development, environmental mitigation, conveyance, pump stations and treatment facilities.
Bois d’Arc Lake was delivered through a multi-package collaborative delivery strategy, combining five Construction Manager at Risk packages and one Design-Build package. In its Owner’s Advisor role, Freese and Nichols supported delivery strategy development, procurement planning, RFQ and RFP preparation and contractor selection, while providing independent oversight to align scope, cost and schedule across concurrent work packages.
This approach helped NTMWD manage risk, maintain continuity from planning through construction and advance one of the most complex water supply programs in the state with confidence.
Higher Education Systems
Our firm has provided campus planning, Construction Manager at Risk program management and Owner’s Advisor services for higher education systems, delivering projects across multiple campuses. These efforts support academic and support facilities within active campus environments, where construction must be carefully coordinated with instruction, research and student life.
Representative experience includes systemwide program management and CMAR support for institutions such as the Texas State University System, Houston Community College and Tarrant County College District. Across these engagements, Freese and Nichols has helped higher education owners evaluate delivery strategies, coordinate designers and contractors and maintain cost and schedule discipline across concurrent projects delivered through collaborative methods.
By integrating campus planning with collaborative delivery expertise, Freese and Nichols supports higher education clients as they advance complex capital programs while minimizing disruption and maintaining accountability across planning, design and construction.
Together, these examples demonstrate how Freese and Nichols applies collaborative delivery and Owner’s Advisor expertise across sectors and project types. By adapting proven processes to the unique demands of each program, the firm helps public owners manage complexity, make informed decisions and advance critical infrastructure with confidence.
For More Information
If you have questions or need assistance on Collaborative Project Delivery, please reach out to:
Trooper Smith, Program Management Practice Leader, Design-Build Committee Chair
Clark Sykes, Program Management Group Manager, Collaborative Project Delivery Technical Excellence Program Leader
They will assist you directly or connect you with other Collaborative Project Delivery experts on our team.
