Owner Award 2026

2026 Thomas "Tommy" Rawls Distinguished Owner Award

CHRIS COLLINS, PE, DBIA, DEPUTY UTILITIES DIRECTOR, MANATEE COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Chris Collins, Deputy Director for Manatee County, received the Tommy Rawls Distinguished Owner Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership, advocacy, and commitment to advancing design-build project delivery in Florida.

Chris has been instrumental in transforming Manatee County’s approach to capital project delivery. He has championed progressive design-build as a strategic alternative to traditional delivery methods and helped establish policies and procedures aligned with DBIA best practices. His emphasis on collaboration, transparency, early contractor involvement, and value-driven decision-making has helped reduce project risk, improve cost certainty, accelerate schedules, and strengthen project outcomes.

Demonstrating his personal commitment to design-build best practices, Chris completed the requirements for DBIA certification and has continued to expand his involvement in the design-build community.

Chris’s influence extends well beyond Manatee County. A strong advocate for owner education and engagement, he generously shares his experience with other public agencies and industry professionals through DBIA Owners Council meetings, panel discussions, conferences, and other educational forums. By sharing practical lessons from Manatee County’s implementation of collaborative delivery, he has helped other owners better understand how to successfully introduce and expand design-build within their organizations.

At the heart of Chris’s leadership is a commitment to collaboration. He understands the important role owners play in establishing a project culture that brings owners, designers, and builders together early, encourages open communication, and enables teams to make better-informed decisions.