DBIA releases free tutorial on federal QBS for progressive design-build

The Design-Build Institute of America has launched a free online tutorial to help federal acquisition professionals apply qualifications-based selection guidance to progressive design-build projects. The resource builds on DBIA’s June blueprint and comes as agencies look for clearer ways to use collaborative procurement methods.

Why it matters: - Federal agencies are still translating qualifications-based selection guidance into day-to-day procurement decisions. - DBIA’s new tutorial is meant to reduce that gap by giving contracting officers, program managers and other federal practitioners a practical guide for Progressive Design-Build projects. - The resource arrives as federal owners look for procurement methods that support more collaboration during project delivery.

What happened: - The Design-Build Institute of America released a free online tutorial called the Collaborative Procurement in Federal Acquisition Online Tutorial. - The tutorial is a companion to DBIA’s Qualifications-Based Selection Blueprint for Federal Design-Build Projects, which DBIA released in June. - DBIA says the new tutorial adds plain-language explanations, examples and context for federal practitioners working on Progressive Design-Build implementation.

The details: - The Blueprint outlines DBIA’s recommended approach to qualifications-focused federal design-build procurement inside the current regulatory framework. - The Blueprint identifies relevant Federal Acquisition Regulation authorities and procurement approaches. - DBIA says current federal regulations limit a purely qualifications-based selection process for construction contracts. - The tutorial is designed to help practitioners work through multiple layers of regulation, policy, statutory authority and agency-specific guidance. - The tutorial explains FAR nuances and connects related authorities to project and agency examples. - The tutorial is available at no cost. - DBIA’s announcement also links to its social channels, including LinkedIn, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and X.

Between the lines: - DBIA is positioning the tutorial as the missing bridge between policy guidance and project-level execution. - FBI Chief Contracting Officer David Triplett, DBIA, said the federal construction community has plenty of policy documents and frameworks, but lacks a way to apply them to specific agency situations. - Triplett said the gap between policy and execution is where most procurement reform stalls. - The timing also tracks with the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which explicitly authorized the Department of Defense to use Progressive Design-Build for military construction projects. - That authorization gives federal owners more clarity as they consider collaborative, qualifications-based delivery.

What's next: - Federal agencies will continue evaluating Progressive Design-Build and other collaborative procurement approaches. - DBIA says procurement strategy will remain critical as agencies move from authority to implementation. - Federal owners will need to determine how applicable authorities work together and structure acquisitions that support collaboration for Design-Build Done Right®.

The bottom line: - DBIA’s free tutorial is a practical add-on to its federal QBS blueprint, aimed at turning procurement authority into usable guidance for live projects.