Cost Analysis Between Saber and Design Bid Build Construction

The majority of Air Force construction performed by two main contractual methods, Design Bid Build (DBB) and Simplified Acquisition of Base Engineering Requirements (SABER). DBB is the traditional contracting method where each project is competitively bid. SABER uses one contractor to complete multiple projects over the duration of the contract, using unit prices established in the original contract. The purpose of this research project was to perform a cost analysis between DBB and SABER construction. The research involved finding appropriate projects completed by the two methods that were comparable. This involved going to Wright-Patterson and Holloman Air Force Bases to gather project information. There were a total of 46 projects collected from both bases. Then a methodology was developed to compare the projects collected. Projects were divided into categories containing similar types of construction. Data from the project was then used to calculate a unit cost per dimensional characteristic for the project. Project comparability was demonstrated by showing that the group of projects constructed by each method completed a similar type and scope of work. Time and cost growth were also compared for DBB versus SABER. The research findings showed that SABER was cheaper but not at a statistical level of significance. The comparison could only be completed in one area of construction, interior renovation, due to the limited number of comparable projects in the remaining construction categories. SABER construction also performed better in cost and time growth for most instances.