Instead of letting out contracts to the lowest qualified bidder, the new plan envisions projects awarded under ?EUR??,,????'??design-build,?EUR??,,????'?? the buzz-concept now sweeping the state Capitol that supporters praise as getting projects finished more quickly and giving taxpayers better long-term value for their money.

Under design-build, contractors can do both the design and the construction on a public project. It is a contracting method that frees the state from having to award contracts to the lowest-bidding qualified contractor, a requirement under the design-bid-build system.

Opponents of design-build say the practice falls far short of the goals promised by its backers. They say some design-build projects wind up costing more than the ?EUR??,,????'??design-bid-build?EUR??,,????'?? system that has traditionally governed public contracting. Moreover, design-build stands to create a huge windfall for just a handful of big construction companies that currently employ the method.