Title 49 › SUBTITLE VII — AVIATION PROGRAMS › PART B — AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT AND NOISE › CHAPTER 471 — AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT › SUBCHAPTER I — AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT › § 47142
The Secretary of Transportation can let an airport use a single contract that covers both design and construction if the airport asks and the Administrator approves the request using set criteria. The Administrator must also approve the contract form, be sure the work will be chosen by a competitive process and has a schematic design good enough to approve a grant, believe the approach will save money and speed the project, find no conflict of interest, and be sure the selection process is open, fair, and objective with at least 3 bids for each project. The Administrator may repay an airport for design or construction costs spent before a grant if the project was approved in advance and done under the same rules that would apply after a grant. Within 270 days after the law’s enactment, the Secretary must start a pilot program to use integrated project delivery contracts for up to 5 airport building projects paid with grants under section 47104. Airport sponsors can apply. The Secretary may approve similar conditions for those projects and must get at least 2 sets of proposals per team. Early cost repayment is allowed if approved in advance, follows the chapter’s rules, and uses transparent or open-book accounting. A “covered project delivery contract” means either an agreement that combines design and construction (such as construction manager‑at‑risk or progressive design‑build) or a single contract that includes the sponsor, builder, and architect‑engineer and aligns interests with clear processes for transparency and teamwork.
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49 U.S.C. § 47142
Title 49, Transportation
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110