AGC goes by the book.

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has just released its new "Project Delivery Systems for Construction" textbook, in an effort to help clarify industry terminology and practice as it relates to construction project delivery.

"There is only one certainty in the world of project delivery and that is the fact that everyone operates with their set of definitions and understanding of the concepts," said AGC CEO Stephen E. Sandherr. "AGC's new textbook seeks to provide a framework for the discussion of these issues and bring the industry closer to common understanding of construction project delivery and related procurement issues."

The new AGC textbook addresses the subject by distinguishing management methods (program management and agency construction management) from delivery methods (design-bid-build, design-build, and CM at-Risk). The book also covers financing and operations and maintenance issues. "AGC believes that there no such thing as the perfect delivery method and that the 'one size fits all' mentality is not appropriate in project delivery," Sandherr said.

AGC anticipates that the new textbook will not only be used extensively as an industry resource, but also be widely used as a college text on the subject. The textbook is available for $89 through the AGC online bookstore at www.agc.org/bookstore.