The Design-Build processThe Design-Build process has five primary phases:
- Selecting a Design-Builder
- Pre-construction assessments
- Architectural design
- Construction
- Post-construction
Selecting a Design-BuilderThe Design-Build process begins when you select your Design-Builder. In other methods, you would start by selecting an architect. To limit the potential risks associated with having one entity design and construct your facility, you may have a competitive bidding process for Design-Builders.
Because Design-Builders aim to find you savings throughout design and construction, you’ll benefit from using a qualifications-based selection. That means you select the Design-Builder with the best credentials, experience, expertise and team. Alternatively, you can use a best-value selection method, in which you select a Design-Builder based on a combination of estimated price and added value in addition to experience, expertise and credentials. Our recommendation is to avoid using a hard-dollar, low-bid selection process. The reason? Design-Builders deliver the best value by evaluating budget solutions early in the design process and by creating continuous price estimates as the design progresses. Limiting your prospective builders to hard-dollar bids before they have a chance to get into the project can lead to misleading and uncertain estimates. Even worse, it can mean a project that doesn’t deliver what you need.
Pre-construction and building value engineering into designThe pre-construction phase of a project is crucial, setting the course for a successful job. It includes business and financial assessments, in which your Design-Builder’s pre-construction staff learn about your business, industry, goals, vision, financial realities and current and future facility needs.
Concurrently, architects and engineers begin architectural, mechanical and electrical system assessments and review any existing floor plans, fire and smoke preparations, interior room finishes and structural systems. While the design team gathers critical information, surveyors perform a field assessment of your job site to ready it for construction. If you’re improving your current space, your Design-Builder will assess your facility to identify areas of need. These assessments define key parameters like codes, compliance requirements, topography, the area’s weather characteristics, usable on-site natural resources and more.
With all the key information in mind, your project team partners with you to identify the right facility, design and construction program to help you achieve your goals within your budget and time constraints. The scope of your project is set, and creative solutions can take shape to help you realize your vision.
Next, architectural design begins in earnest and represents the best opportunity to capture value in your project. After all, architectural design isn’t just about appearance; it’s a blend of form and function — strategy, vision, aesthetics and technology— all coming together into a complete design that should drive your project to success. While we briefly cover the architectural design process in the next section, we’ve also published a more robust guide to help you get the most from strategic design. Click below to read the guide.
Early and continued architect- contractor collaboration leads to reduced litigation
Active owner participation contributes to a better end product
Single point of accountability, one-stop shopping for both design and construction services
Accuracy of estimates enhanced through early involvement of construction arm
Less detail required to begin construction
Fewer change orders saves time and expense
Speeds up entire design and construction process - saving months on schedule
Owner can select team based on qualifications or through bid process
Perhaps the biggest advantage of the design/build process is speed of delivery. Because construction is occurring concurrent with design phases, the delivery of the project can be sped up by 25 percent or more as compared to the design/bid/build method. In addition to providing the owner with one source of accountability for the entire project development process and speed of delivery, using design/build fosters a team effort to achieve cost and schedule savings and to enhance overall value to the owner. The two most essential considerations in selecting a design/build team to construct your facility are their depth of experience in working together and pro
Design-Build:
Design-build is the perfect one stop shop, giving you the comfort and peace of mind in knowing all facets of the task at hand - design, engineering, quality, schedule, and budget - are covered. Hiring us as your design-build contractor allows for single source accountability. Don't like the design? We'll change it. Too expensive? We'll find a way for you to save. Too slow? We'll fast track it for you.
Design-Build is a construction delivery method that provides owners with a single point of contact for both the design and construction phases of a project. One entity holds single-source responsibility and contractual risk for every aspect of a build — from estimation, assessments and pre-construction to architecture, schematics, engineering, subcontracting, construction and post-construction. This entity, the Design-Builder, manages all contracts with companies, such as subcontractors, equipment vendors and materials providers.
design-build... one organization, is solely responsible to the owner for both design and construction of the facility. We are the middle-man between you and subs. You might call it "a simple approach to construction".