City officials defend and detail expansion of design‑build program; MWBE gains highlighted

New York City officials on Aug. 6 told the Council Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure that the city’s growing use of design‑build contracting has sped delivery on several major projects, increased participation by minority‑ and women‑owned businesses and will be applied to large programs including the borough‑based jails. Committee members pressed the Department of Design and Construction and the Department of Transportation for more detailed timelines, stronger protections for post‑completion defects and clearer accounting of MWBE outcomes.

The most direct account came from Thomas Foley, commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction, who told the committee that design‑build teams let designers and builders “work together from the start of the design process” so “we can start the work before the design is even finished.” Foley said the agency’s early projects under the authority granted by Albany have cut schedule time substantially and improved MWBE results on specific contracts.

Why it matters: Council members framed the hearing as oversight of how design‑build — a procurement method that bundles design and construction under a single contract and selects teams by "best value" rather than lowest bid — is performing for New Yorkers. The questions focused on promised time and cost savings, quality controls once construction ends, community engagement and whether small MWBE firms are being protected and given paths to become prime contractors.

Officials described a portfolio of active projects and recent completions they say show design‑build’s advantages. Foley highlighted completed projects that he said finished far faster than under traditional methods, including a DOT‑led Queens parking and community facility completed in about 22 months (the presentation identified the project as Queen’s Garage) and an Orchard Beach maintenance facility that he said saved roughly 2.5 years. He also listed large…