For purposes of the Public Water and Natural Resources Project Contracting Act:

(1) Alternative technical concept means changes suggested by a qualified, eligible, short-listed design-builder to the department's basic configurations, project scope, design, or construction criteria;

(2) Best value-based selection process means a process of selecting a design-builder using price, schedule, and qualifications for evaluation factors;

(3) Construction manager means the legal entity which proposes to enter into a construction manager-general contractor contract pursuant to the act;

(4) Construction manager-general contractor contract means a contract which is subject to a qualification-based selection process between the department and a construction manager to furnish preconstruction services during the design development phase of the project and, if an agreement can be reached which is satisfactory to the department, construction services for the construction phase of the project;

(5) Construction services means activities associated with building the project;

(6) Department means the Department of Natural Resources;

(7) Design-build contract means a contract between the department and a design-builder which is subject to a best value-based selection process to furnish (a) architectural, engineering, and related design services and (b) labor, materials, supplies, equipment, and construction services;

(8) Design-builder means the legal entity which proposes to enter into a design-build contract;

(9) Preconstruction services means all nonconstruction-related services that a construction manager performs in relation to the design of the project before execution of a contract for construction services. Preconstruction services includes, but is not limited to, cost estimating, value engineering studies, constructability reviews, delivery schedule assessments, and life-cycle analysis;

(10) Private partner means any entity that is a partner in a public-private partnership other than the State of Nebraska, any agency of the State of Nebraska, the federal government, any agency of the federal government, any other state government, or any agency of any government at any level;

(11) Progressive design-build means a project-delivery process in which both the design and construction of a project are procured from a single entity that is selected through a qualification-based selection process at the earliest feasible stage of the project;

(12) Project performance criteria means the performance requirements of the project suitable to allow the design-builder to make a proposal. Performance requirements shall include, but are not limited to, the following, if required by the project: Capacity, durability, standards, ingress and egress requirements, description of the site, surveys, soil and environmental information concerning the site, material quality standards, design and milestone dates, site development requirements, compliance with applicable law, and other criteria for the intended use of the project;

(13) Proposal means an offer in response to a request for proposals (a) by a design-builder to enter into a design-build contract or (b) by a construction manager to enter into a construction manager-general contractor contract;

(14) Public-private partnership means a project delivery method for construction or financing of capital projects or procurement of services under a written public-private partnership agreement entered into pursuant to section 61-520 between at least one private partner and the State of Nebraska or any agency of the state;

(15) Qualification-based selection process means a process of selecting a construction manager or progressive design-builder based on qualifications;

(16) Request for proposals means the documentation by which the department solicits proposals; and

(17) Request for qualifications means the documentation or publication by which the department solicits qualifications.