The framework of building and design is changing. Within the landscape of commercial construction, a new model is emerging: Design-build contracting has evolved as a new trend, utilized by chain restaurants, hotel developers and state governments alike to keep projects moving, on time and within budget.
This new streamlined model has sometimes been hailed as the “future of construction.”
The 2015 forecast for commercial construction is viewed as “robust,” according to analysts, continuing a trend begun in 2013. And many industry commentators also see a corresponding growth spurt in design-build contracts.
What, exactly, is Design-Build?
In its simplest form, a design-build contract addresses all aspects of a specific project, sometimes beginning with land selection and acquisition. Benefits accrue to both the contractor and the client, largely in terms of oversight responsibility and accountability. There may be the equivalent of a single project manager, or the multi-phase project may be designed with separate monitors for each aspect of the job. But design-build always involves team-building in order to assure success. In some ways, this contracting model has added more layers of responsibility to the construction side, while it simplifies procedures for the client.
The single contract with a single point of contact is a primary advantage. Chief among the benefits are the financial savings and the team approach. Both contribute to the development of real partnerships and simplify the process.
Under traditional design-bid-build contracting methods, an owner is obliged to negotiate specific and separate contracts with multiple specialists. Those experts can have competing agendas and divergent opinions. Architects, engineers, inspectors and contractors are not always the best of friends! The design-build model, on the other hand, fosters cooperation and creative problem-solving because of its consolidated approach and requires all trades to work together as part of a “well-oiled” machine.
Simplifying Through Consolidation
If there is an inherent criticism of the design-build concept, it is that too much responsibility is shifted to a single entity. The perception may be that there are no checks and balances. However, that assumption is misleading. As design-build contracting has come of age and gained a prominent share of the construction market, it has proved its worth. In terms of value, proponents cite the following areas.
Known increasingly as “single-source responsibility contracting”, the advantages of design-build construction contracts include:
- Accountability
- Continuity
- Cost
- Communication
- Involvement
- Expertise
- Timing
The total time frame on many projects can be shortened considerably by the design-build process. In effect, building may begin on a portion of the project while remaining phases are still in the development or “design” stages. This approach has been noted in large highway projects where construction begins in specific areas while right-of-way acquisitions are still in process at the end of the road. Even though it is not a common approach, it is seen to have applications, particularly for multi-phase undertakings.
An article appearing in “Equipment World’s Better Roads” in October 2013, details Virginia Department of Transportation experience, noting that the “option of concurrent design and construction processes” is one of the “primary advantages.”
One-Stop Shopping? Well, Not Really
While design-build contracting has sometimes been compared to one-stop shopping, both by proponents and by detractors, it is not that simple. The cartoon depiction of a single person juggling the roles of architect-engineer-estimator, ordering agent, supplier and construction superintendent has never been valid. What is true, however, is that when all these specialists meet, virtually, around a single table, cost savings and job benefits are very real.
In the case of specifying and ordering materials, enlisting the expertise of the supplier at an early stage often results not only in dollar savings, but in innovative products, custom applications and more efficient delivery as well.
Cheaper, Faster, Better, Easier
Today, design-build firms are likely to have qualified architectural and engineering departments, professional estimators, procurement specialists, experienced managers, tradespeople and construction specialists on staff. The team approach works as well when the design-build team is comprised of separate firms brought together as a single coalition.
The model lends itself to the goal of finding “cheaper, faster, better, easier” ways of doing things.
Brainstorming and creative problem-solving are hallmarks of the design-build approach, and often involve the owners/clients as active participants in the process. The primary goal is always to deliver the finished job on time and on budget. The overlap of interest, expertise and responsibility and the collaborative nature of design-build contribute to its success.
Finding the Better Way
When it comes to building “a better mousetrap,” the impressive recent success of design-build contracting does, indeed, point the way to the future. Consider the example of time-strapped construction teams that order off-site fabrication of specific components, from metal bracing to concrete piers, panelized walls, or prefabricated bathroom modules. In these case studies, time and bottom-line dollar savings were made possible through cooperative efforts. Job-site problem solvers, willing suppliers and supportive clients—all team players—have diverse roles to play.
The results? Winning strategy on all counts. Happy clients, on-time and on-budget jobs, innovative and adaptable solutions. Ancillary benefits include future uses and educational advantages, not to mention profitable operations.
Under normal design-bid-build procedures, such solutions would not have been impossible, but they may have been more cumbersome to achieve. Change order requirements standard that formerly required multiple approvals with a resulting time delay, now can be handled more easily. The design-build model encourages finding progressive methods to achieve familiar goals. Finding the better way, even when the job is underway, becomes the best practice.
Download this guide for in-depth insight into optimizing your project schedule.
The framework of building and design is changing. Within the landscape of commercial construction, a new model is emerging: Design-build contracting has evolved as a new trend, utilized by chain restaurants, hotel developers and state governments alike to keep projects moving, on time and within budget.
This new streamlined model has sometimes been hailed as the “future of construction.”
The 2015 forecast for commercial construction is viewed as “robust,” according to analysts, continuing a trend begun in 2013. And many industry commentators also see a corresponding growth spurt in design-build contracts.
What, exactly, is Design-Build?
In its simplest form, a design-build contract addresses all aspects of a specific project, sometimes beginning with land selection and acquisition. Benefits accrue to both the contractor and the client, largely in terms of oversight responsibility and accountability. There may be the equivalent of a single project manager, or the multi-phase project may be designed with separate monitors for each aspect of the job. But design-build always involves team-building in order to assure success. In some ways, this contracting model has added more layers of responsibility to the construction side, while it simplifies procedures for the client.
The single contract with a single point of contact is a primary advantage. Chief among the benefits are the financial savings and the team approach. Both contribute to the development of real partnerships and simplify the process.
Under traditional design-bid-build contracting methods, an owner is obliged to negotiate specific and separate contracts with multiple specialists. Those experts can have competing agendas and divergent opinions. Architects, engineers, inspectors and contractors are not always the best of friends! The design-build model, on the other hand, fosters cooperation and creative problem-solving because of its consolidated approach and requires all trades to work together as part of a “well-oiled” machine.
Simplifying Through Consolidation
If there is an inherent criticism of the design-build concept, it is that too much responsibility is shifted to a single entity. The perception may be that there are no checks and balances. However, that assumption is misleading. As design-build contracting has come of age and gained a prominent share of the construction market, it has proved its worth. In terms of value, proponents cite the following areas.
Known increasingly as “single-source responsibility contracting”, the advantages of design-build construction contracts include:
- Accountability
- Continuity
- Cost
- Communication
- Involvement
- Expertise
- Timing
The total time frame on many projects can be shortened considerably by the design-build process. In effect, building may begin on a portion of the project while remaining phases are still in the development or “design” stages. This approach has been noted in large highway projects where construction begins in specific areas while right-of-way acquisitions are still in process at the end of the road. Even though it is not a common approach, it is seen to have applications, particularly for multi-phase undertakings.
An article appearing in “Equipment World’s Better Roads” in October 2013, details Virginia Department of Transportation experience, noting that the “option of concurrent design and construction processes” is one of the “primary advantages.”
One-Stop Shopping? Well, Not Really
While design-build contracting has sometimes been compared to one-stop shopping, both by proponents and by detractors, it is not that simple. The cartoon depiction of a single person juggling the roles of architect-engineer-estimator, ordering agent, supplier and construction superintendent has never been valid. What is true, however, is that when all these specialists meet, virtually, around a single table, cost savings and job benefits are very real.
In the case of specifying and ordering materials, enlisting the expertise of the supplier at an early stage often results not only in dollar savings, but in innovative products, custom applications and more efficient delivery as well.
Cheaper, Faster, Better, Easier
Today, design-build firms are likely to have qualified architectural and engineering departments, professional estimators, procurement specialists, experienced managers, tradespeople and construction specialists on staff. The team approach works as well when the design-build team is comprised of separate firms brought together as a single coalition.
The model lends itself to the goal of finding “cheaper, faster, better, easier” ways of doing things.
Brainstorming and creative problem-solving are hallmarks of the design-build approach, and often involve the owners/clients as active participants in the process. The primary goal is always to deliver the finished job on time and on budget. The overlap of interest, expertise and responsibility and the collaborative nature of design-build contribute to its success.
Finding the Better Way
When it comes to building “a better mousetrap,” the impressive recent success of design-build contracting does, indeed, point the way to the future. Consider the example of time-strapped construction teams that order off-site fabrication of specific components, from metal bracing to concrete piers, panelized walls, or prefabricated bathroom modules. In these case studies, time and bottom-line dollar savings were made possible through cooperative efforts. Job-site problem solvers, willing suppliers and supportive clients—all team players—have diverse roles to play.
The results? Winning strategy on all counts. Happy clients, on-time and on-budget jobs, innovative and adaptable solutions. Ancillary benefits include future uses and educational advantages, not to mention profitable operations.
Under normal design-bid-build procedures, such solutions would not have been impossible, but they may have been more cumbersome to achieve. Change order requirements standard that formerly required multiple approvals with a resulting time delay, now can be handled more easily. The design-build model encourages finding progressive methods to achieve familiar goals. Finding the better way, even when the job is underway, becomes the best practice.
Download this guide for in-depth insight into optimizing your project schedule.
