(a) As used in this section:

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 54-1-119

  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of transportation. See Tennessee Code 54-5-103
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Department: means the department of transportation. See Tennessee Code 54-5-103
  • Highway: includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way" "county road" or "state road". See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) “Design-build contract” means:

(A) An agreement that provides for the design and construction of a project under a single contract, which may include, but is not limited to, design, right-of-way acquisition, regulatory permit review and approvals, or utility relocation, and the construction, reconstruction, repair, or maintenance of the project; or
(B) An agreement that provides for the design and reconstruction, repair, or maintenance of highway facilities under a single contract, which may include, but is not limited to, design, right-of-way acquisition, regulatory permit review and approvals, or utility relocation services, and the reconstruction, repair, or maintenance of highway facility components along specific roadway corridors or within a geographic area; and
(2) “Performance-based asset maintenance contract” means an agreement, typically long-term, that provides for managing and performing the inspection and reconstruction, repair, or maintenance of multiple highway facility components for specific roadway corridors or within a geographic area, where the contract sets specific performance standards, rather than prescriptive work tasks and deadlines, and may include incentive or disincentive provisions to promote achievement of the desired outcomes. Such contracts may also include third-party damage repair and claim management services, and may also provide for design, right-of-way acquisition, regulatory permit review and approvals, or utility relocation activities. Types of projects not suited for performance-based asset maintenance contracts include, but are not limited to, resurfacing and bridge repair projects.
(b) Notwithstanding another law to the contrary, the department may award design-build contracts and performance-based asset maintenance contracts in accordance with this section.
(c) Selection criteria for a design-build contract or a performance-based asset maintenance contract must include the cost, and may include qualifications, time of completion, innovation, design and construction quality, design innovation, or other technical or quality related criteria, as determined by the department.
(d) The department may award a stipulated fee to design-build firms that submit responsive proposals but are not awarded the design-build contract. The department is not required to award a stipulated fee, but if it elects to award the fee, the amount of the stipend and the terms under which stipends are to be paid must be stated in the request for proposals.
(e) Prior to executing a design-build contract under this section, the commissioner shall send written notice to the chair of the transportation and safety committee of the senate and the chair of the transportation committee of the house of representatives.
(f) If a proposed design-build contract has a total estimated contract amount in excess of one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000), the department shall specifically identify the project as a design-build project in the transportation improvement program submitted annually to the general assembly in support of the commissioner’s annual funding recommendations.
(g) The department may establish agency policy, or the department may promulgate rules in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, or both, in furtherance of this part.