,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #ahdf  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #ba1 #bjbe
 ,mr4 ,banks 7for himself and ,mr4      
,hickenlooper7 introduced the following 
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs
  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend title #ch1       
,united ,states ,code1 to provide for   
certain requirements relating to the use
 of the design-build construction method
 for ,department of ,veterans ,affairs  
construction projects1 and for other    
purposes4  #a4  ,short title  ,this ,act
 may be cited as the ,,va ,design-,build
 ,construction ,enhancement ,act of     
#bjbe4  #b4  ,findings2 sense of        
,congress regarding the design-build    
construction method for ,department of  
,veterans ,affairs construction projects
  7a7  ,findings  ,congress makes the   
following findings3  7#a7 ,it has been  
the policy of the ,federal ,government  
since the enactment of the              
,clinger-,cohen ,act of #aiif 7divisions

 ,d and ,e of ,public ,law #ajd-ajf7    
that design-build construction methods  
shall be used when appropriate          
circumstances are present4  7#b7 ,the   
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs        
estimated in the congressional          
justification of the fiscal year #bjbe  
budget request for the ,department of   
,veterans ,affairs that the cost to     
implement the long term capital plan of 
the ,department may be as high as       
#ahd1jjj1jjj1jjjj1 and that estimate has
 increased in every successive fiscal   
year's budget request since the         
origination of such estimate4  7#c7 ,the
 ,secretary expects to open the         
replacement medical center of the       
,department in ,louisville1 ,kentucky1  
in #bjbf1 which will be the first       
replacement medical center constructed  
since the ,rocky ,mountain ,regional    
,,va ,medical ,center opened in ,aurora1
 ,colorado1 in ,july #bjah4  7b7  ,sense
 of ,congress  ,it is the sense of      
,congress that-- 7#a7 construction      

challenges with the ,rocky ,mountain    
,regional ,,va ,medical ,center         
involving use of the integrated design  
and construct acquisition method should 
not be interpreted to mean that a       
design-build construction method1 as    
described in section #ccji of title #da1
 ,united ,states ,code1 is unsuitable   
for construction projects of the        
,department of ,veterans ,affairs2  7#b7
 when used properly by adequately       
trained acquisition and construction    
management personnel and in the         
appropriate circumstances1 a            
design-build construction method is an  
effective construction acquisition      
method for the ,department1 which has   
been demonstrated to reduce change      
orders1 decrease the duration between   
design completion and beneficial        
occupancy1 and increase warranty        
protections2 and  7#c7 in order to      
provide veterans with modern1           
high-quality medical facilities1        
implement the long-term capital plan of 

the ,department1 and reduce the size of 
the outstanding capital need of the     
,department1 it would be beneficial for 
the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to 
accelerate the pace of medical center   
construction and carry out such         
construction more efficiently1 including
 by making greater use of design-build  
construction methods in accordance with 
the amendments made by this ,act4  #c4  
,department of ,veterans ,affairs use of
 design-build construction method  7a7  
,use of design-,build selection         
procedures  ,section #hajf of title #ch1
 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by   
adding at the end the following new     
subsection3  7d7  7#a7 ,if the          
,secretary seeks to enter into a        
contract for the design and construction
 of a building or facility1 the         
,secretary shall use the procedures     
established in section #ccji of title   
#da4  7#b7 ,in the case of a super      
construction project for which a        
non-,department ,federal entity provides

 project management services under      
section #hajc7;e7 of this title1 the    
,secretary shall not discourage the     
entity from using the procedures        
established in section #ccji of title   
#da4  4  7b7  ,covered certification    
program  ,section #hajc7;g77#f77;,a7 of 
such title is amended by inserting 1    
including design-build construction     
before the period at the end4