Design-Build – What is it?

Posted by on May 2, 2014 in Blog

Design-Build

is a project delivery method in which the owner holds a single contract with the contractor (creating a single point of responsibility) for both the design and construction of a project. It is Owner driven and has been proven to reduce delivery time, costs, and change orders by providing for a cooperative relationship between the General Contractor, Design Professionals and Owner.  The art and science of taking a project from conception to completion is an intricate process requiring constant supervision and expert coordination between the Design Team.

The Design Team is comprised of the General Contractor (Design Team leader), architect, engineers, consultants, subcontractors and the client.  By building a professional and competent “Design Team” the collaborative expertise provides a synergy that is unmatched by pervious design and construction systems.

The benefits of using the Design-Build Construction Method are:

  • Maximizes Owner creative input in all phases of the process.
  • Reduces errors.
  • Saves time.
  • Provides a single point of contact from conception to completion and minimizes change orders
  • Provides a more cost-effective and efficient method of construction
  • Elicits a cooperative team approach
  • Provides a single point of responsibility for quality, communication, budget overages and conflict resolution.

The benefits of Design–Build project delivery have been demonstrated repeatedly.  “Researches on Selecting Project Delivery Systems by Victor Sanvido and Mark Konchar of Pennsylvania State University; found that Design–Build projects are delivered 33.5% faster than projects that are designed and built under separate contracts (Design-Bid-Build). Sanvido and Konchar also showed that Design–Build projects are constructed 12% faster and have a unit cost that is 6.1% lower than Design-Bid-Build projects.

In conclusion, the Design-Build method has proven to be a superior construction method and drastically reduces the burden and hassle of the process to the Owner.  The General Contractor uses strong leadership, management skills and expertise to streamline the archaic Design-Bid-Build process by providing improved results.

We (AJB General Contractor) have been practicing Design-Build for many years and find it to be a wonderful and preferred method.

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