DBIA Test Newest Version 2025/2026 Questions
with Verified Answers
1. Project Delivery System - Answer>>-How team members are organized, establishes
when parties engage, determines roles of parties, and determines sequence of design,
procurement, and construction (db, cmar, dbb)
2. Procurement Method - Answer>>-how team members are selected (QBS, best value, low
price, sole source)
3. Contracting approach - Answer>>-how team members are paid (fp, gmp, cost
reimbursement, target price, unit price)
4. Design-Bid-Build (DBB) - Answer>>-linear, sequential process, A/E selected on
qualifications, GC selected on low price, design is fully completed without input from
GC, A/E acting in owner's interests, with a historically strong bond, process is well-
established and understood
5. Construction manager at risk - Answer>>-similar org structure to DBB, construction
manager selected by QBS or best value, contractor provides precon services, negotiated
gmp contracting approach, open book estimating process, potential to fast track project,
construction cost determined before design completed, potential issues over what is
reasonably inferable from gmp design documents
6. Design-Build - Answer>>-The owner contracts with one entity (a person or firm) to
provide both design and construction services, designer and contractor have a direct
contractual relationship, selected by QBS or best value, wide spectrum of contracting
approaches and organizational structures, single point responsibility, owner does not
manage designer, owner exposure to claims is significantly reduced
7. Engineer procure construct (epc) - Answer>>-similar to design build, in industrial and
power generation sectors, systems and performance testing are central to scope,
contractor will typically perform engineering with its in-house staff, owner has need for
single point responsibility, contracts include plant and process performance guarantees,
contract items include performance and schedule liquidated damages and limitations of
liability
8. Multiple Prime Contracting - Answer>>-owner contracts with multiple trade contractors,
attributes are typically similar to dbb, owner's ability to schedule and coordinate the work
9. Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) - Answer>>-multi-party agreement - all parties equal,
QBS procurement and target pricing contract approach, private sector use (limited at this
time), key: owner's ability to accept risk
, 10. Public-private partnership (p3) - Answer>>-Instead of government building and
maintaining major infrastructure (such as highway, water treatment plant), build and
maintenance is outsourced to a private company. Opposed by public sector unions. This
is not considered a delivery system but its underlying approaches are delivery systems
and typically use DB. Multiple procurement and contracting approaches
11. Shift left - Answer>>-intense efforts to establish scope early in the process; drives early
team formation to include key trade subcontractors; can enable big decisions to be made
early, affect project outcomes at lowest cost, establish a need for co-location and
collaboration, and compress time during concurrent design and construction
12. Traditional design build - Answer>>-typically two-phase best value procurement with
lump sum contract; owner defines project requirements and scope of prescriptive work;
use of performance-based technical requirements with limited prescriptive specifications
13. Progressive design build - Answer>>-design and price are progressively developed after
the design-builder is under contract; final project cost and schedule commitment is not
established as part of the selection process; two phases: preliminary services and final
design and construction services
14. Criteria documents - Answer>>-describe the end result
15. Bridging documents - Answer>>-prescribes how to achieve the end result
16. Design bid build paradigm - Answer>>-prior to bidding, owner undertakes a process to
design the project and all of its details to 100% complete plans and specs. The owner is
therefore responsible for success or failure of details of the design, and warrants the
sufficiency of design to the contractor. The owner is therefore liable to the contractor for
any gaps between plans and specifications and owner's requirements for project
performance
17. Design details responsibility - Answer>>-the owner should define its performance
requirements and award the contract on the basis of preliminary design; this makes the
design-builder responsible for completing the design in accordance with the owner's
performance requirements. That also causes the design-builder to warrant the sufficiency
of the design to meet the owner's criteria and the sufficiency of the design to
subcontractors/suppliers that have no design responsibility
18. Uniformat - Answer>>-subdivides project by functional elements, focuses on systems
and assemblies, useful for preliminary information and early design phases, aligns with
BIM models and conceptual estimating
19. Master format - Answer>>-subdivides work by results/trades, focuses on building
materials, products, and activities, useful for detailed information during final design and
construction phases, and aligns with detailed estimating
with Verified Answers
1. Project Delivery System - Answer>>-How team members are organized, establishes
when parties engage, determines roles of parties, and determines sequence of design,
procurement, and construction (db, cmar, dbb)
2. Procurement Method - Answer>>-how team members are selected (QBS, best value, low
price, sole source)
3. Contracting approach - Answer>>-how team members are paid (fp, gmp, cost
reimbursement, target price, unit price)
4. Design-Bid-Build (DBB) - Answer>>-linear, sequential process, A/E selected on
qualifications, GC selected on low price, design is fully completed without input from
GC, A/E acting in owner's interests, with a historically strong bond, process is well-
established and understood
5. Construction manager at risk - Answer>>-similar org structure to DBB, construction
manager selected by QBS or best value, contractor provides precon services, negotiated
gmp contracting approach, open book estimating process, potential to fast track project,
construction cost determined before design completed, potential issues over what is
reasonably inferable from gmp design documents
6. Design-Build - Answer>>-The owner contracts with one entity (a person or firm) to
provide both design and construction services, designer and contractor have a direct
contractual relationship, selected by QBS or best value, wide spectrum of contracting
approaches and organizational structures, single point responsibility, owner does not
manage designer, owner exposure to claims is significantly reduced
7. Engineer procure construct (epc) - Answer>>-similar to design build, in industrial and
power generation sectors, systems and performance testing are central to scope,
contractor will typically perform engineering with its in-house staff, owner has need for
single point responsibility, contracts include plant and process performance guarantees,
contract items include performance and schedule liquidated damages and limitations of
liability
8. Multiple Prime Contracting - Answer>>-owner contracts with multiple trade contractors,
attributes are typically similar to dbb, owner's ability to schedule and coordinate the work
9. Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) - Answer>>-multi-party agreement - all parties equal,
QBS procurement and target pricing contract approach, private sector use (limited at this
time), key: owner's ability to accept risk
, 10. Public-private partnership (p3) - Answer>>-Instead of government building and
maintaining major infrastructure (such as highway, water treatment plant), build and
maintenance is outsourced to a private company. Opposed by public sector unions. This
is not considered a delivery system but its underlying approaches are delivery systems
and typically use DB. Multiple procurement and contracting approaches
11. Shift left - Answer>>-intense efforts to establish scope early in the process; drives early
team formation to include key trade subcontractors; can enable big decisions to be made
early, affect project outcomes at lowest cost, establish a need for co-location and
collaboration, and compress time during concurrent design and construction
12. Traditional design build - Answer>>-typically two-phase best value procurement with
lump sum contract; owner defines project requirements and scope of prescriptive work;
use of performance-based technical requirements with limited prescriptive specifications
13. Progressive design build - Answer>>-design and price are progressively developed after
the design-builder is under contract; final project cost and schedule commitment is not
established as part of the selection process; two phases: preliminary services and final
design and construction services
14. Criteria documents - Answer>>-describe the end result
15. Bridging documents - Answer>>-prescribes how to achieve the end result
16. Design bid build paradigm - Answer>>-prior to bidding, owner undertakes a process to
design the project and all of its details to 100% complete plans and specs. The owner is
therefore responsible for success or failure of details of the design, and warrants the
sufficiency of design to the contractor. The owner is therefore liable to the contractor for
any gaps between plans and specifications and owner's requirements for project
performance
17. Design details responsibility - Answer>>-the owner should define its performance
requirements and award the contract on the basis of preliminary design; this makes the
design-builder responsible for completing the design in accordance with the owner's
performance requirements. That also causes the design-builder to warrant the sufficiency
of the design to meet the owner's criteria and the sufficiency of the design to
subcontractors/suppliers that have no design responsibility
18. Uniformat - Answer>>-subdivides project by functional elements, focuses on systems
and assemblies, useful for preliminary information and early design phases, aligns with
BIM models and conceptual estimating
19. Master format - Answer>>-subdivides work by results/trades, focuses on building
materials, products, and activities, useful for detailed information during final design and
construction phases, and aligns with detailed estimating
