U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs officials decided in 2009 to use a method called integrated design-construct, or IDC, on major building projects, including the planned medical center in Aurora, according to an article on The Denver Post website.
The idea was to speed up hospital construction, but the contracting approach had disastrous results, the article said.
IDC appeared to offer much-needed change. Architect and builder would work together almost from the start, a method the private sector had used successfully to keep projects on track.
What the VA got was the exact opposite. Costs on the Aurora project have tripled and completion remains years away. The other project where the VA used IDC — in New Orleans — also is in trouble.
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