The Cost of Inaction: Does Massachusetts Need Public Construction Reform?

Author: Douglas D. Gransberg, University of Oklahoma

As debate continues over reform of public construction in Massachusetts, Douglas Gransberg, associate professor of construction science at the University of Oklahoma, offers two significant contributions: First, he has employed a vast collection of data to measure the efficiency of the Design- Bid-Build process currently in use in the Commonwealth. And, in so doing, he has neatly separated the issue of efficiency from the fear of corruption that in the 1970s spawned the Ward Commission and continues to inspire opposition to reform. The truth of the matter is that the two issues—corruption and reform—can and should be debated separately. There is no evidence correlating the use of alternative procurement methods with an anomalous level of corruption. State and federal agencies that have chosen the path of innovation have also developed tools to minimize corruption. The question is, therefore, whether Massachusetts can gain in efficiency by lifting legislative restrictions to take advantage of all available procurement methods.

The Cost of Inaction: Does Massachusetts Need Public Construction Reform?