Tina Ely, PM and Ayush Ratan, PC Achieve Associate Design-Build Professional Certification
October, 2021
Tina Ely, PM, and Ayush Ratan, PC, have both successfully completed the Design-Build Institute of America’s comprehensive education, training, and certification testing program to achieve the design-build industry’s designation as nationally certified Associate Design-Build Professionals®. With this certification, the pair join a growing industry of design-build professionals redefining how America builds. They are also providing added value to clients in terms of streamlined processes and condensed timelines, which amount to cost savings.
DBIA Certification is the nation’s only measurable standard of an individual’s knowledge of the Design-Build Done Right® principles vital to successful project delivery. By completing these requirements, which touch on all aspects of design-build, candidates earn the right to display “Assoc. DBIA” after their names, identifying them as experienced design-build professionals.
Tina has an extensive background in architecture and project management, in both the private and public sectors. Prior to coming to Otak in 2018, she spent fifteen years as a practicing architect, eventually moving into a position licensing health care facilities for the state of Oregon. She has also held positions at the Oregon Department of Administrative Services and the Department of Transportation, serving as an owner’s representative on a variety of projects.
Ayush is an experienced civil engineer with a master’s degree in construction management. Originally from India, where he spent a number of years working in the public sector on highway projects, Ayush joined the CPM division of Otak in 2020.
“One of the main benefits of the design-build process is we have specific methodologies and processes to bring in all the major key players on any given project, and then go through all the facets of a design and the associated fees together so that when the construction actually begins, there won’t be that many change orders,” Ayush explains. He adds that “this helps control costs and mitigate delays.”
Tina agrees, stating that “the design-build process aids in accelerating an 18-month project, for example, to possibly 12 or 14 months.” The added benefit is the cost savings. “Time is money, and everybody’s always looking to save money,” she says.
One element of the DBIA curriculum Tina especially appreciates is the focus on ethics. “Having a solid basis in ethics is important to run a fair procurement and be fair in how you negotiate and pay people,” she says, “so, I appreciated the heavy emphasis on code of conduct as it benefits the industry as a whole.”
“DBIA’s Designated Design-Build Professional® certification program has grown exponentially over the years mirroring the growth of the entire design-build industry. In fact, many public and private owner solicitations now expressly encourage the inclusion of team members with DBIA® Certification in their expanding number of design-build projects. DBIA is proud to offer the industry’s gold standard in education and to continue to certify record numbers of dedicated design-build professionals each year.” Lisa Washington, DBIA Executive Director/CEO.
Three to six years of substantial design and construction experience is an additional prerequisite for Designated Associate Design-Build Professional™ certification. Maintaining the credential requires a minimum of 24 hours of continuing education credit every two years.
Looking ahead, both Tina and Ayush are excited to work on more design-build projects and bring the added value of the Associate DBIA certification, especially in the public sector. Both have worked on various school district projects, including Portland Public Schools, Oregon City School District, and other county and state departments. As Tina states, “we are in a strong position to be able to guide public projects through an efficient and effective process that yields better outcomes in terms of specific design, procurement, and construction deliverables, and stretch dollars to maximize limited budgets.”