The choice of delivery model is one of the earliest and most consequential decisions on any construction project. It determines who carries the risk where design meets construction, how much control the client retains over detail, and how coordination is managed. Design & build and traditional contracting sit at different points on that spectrum, and neither is universally superior.
Traditional contracting
In the traditional route, the client appoints a design team to develop the design, then tenders it to a contractor who builds to that documentation. It gives the client close control over design detail and a clear basis for competitive pricing, but it separates responsibility for design and construction — which can complicate coordination and the handling of changes.
Design & build
In design & build, a single party takes responsibility for both design and construction against the client's requirements. This concentrates coordination and interface risk with one accountable party, can compress the programme by overlapping design and construction, and gives the client a clearer single point of responsibility — at the cost of some detailed control unless requirements are well defined.
- Single-point responsibility reduces interface disputes
- Overlapping design and construction can shorten the programme
- Early cost certainty is often easier to achieve
- Clarity of the client's requirements is critical to a good outcome
Pick the delivery model for the risk you most want to control, not for habit.
References
- Standard forms of construction contract — verify applicable
- Project-specific procurement advice
Sample editorial content — illustrative only