Construction problems at prison spur support to quash non-traditional project delivery in Iowa

Iowa lawmakers are investigating construction problems at the Fort Madison prison project and are scrutinizing rules regarding project delivery on state projects, according to a Des Moines Register report.

The prison will require $25 million to fix geothermal heating and ventilation systems. Legislators are pointing fault at the construction management arrangement that had private construction managers overseeing the project. 

In 2011, Iowa’s Department of Administrative Services eliminated the requirement for traditional design-bid-build and laid off state staff who had overseen construction projects. In the wake of sharp public scrutiny of the prison project, there is growing bi-partisan support to return project delivery rules to design-bid-build. Bills have been introduced in the state House and Senate to do just that.

The state university system would be one of the entities most impacted by changes to state law on project delivery.