DESIGN-BUILD PROCESS

What is DESIGN - BUILD Construction?

The design/build system is based upon the original “Master Builder” concept where a central organisation held total project accountability, from inception to completion. Enduring structures such as the Parthenon and the Theatre of Dionysus are testimony to an age and a process that are greatly admired, though the process was thought to be virtually abandoned by modern designers and constructors.

The design / build tendering focuses on interweaving the design, engineering, permit, and construction schedules, by bringing together design and construction professionals in a collaborative environment.

The hallmark of a design/build project is that one organisation is responsible for both design and construction of the project. This gets projects away from the finger-pointing that has become commonplace in modern construction projects. The design/build process effectively forms a team out of the owner, the design and construction company with a common goal of obtaining the best out come for the available dollars.

Typically, in order for a contractor to bid on a project, very specific details relating to the methods and materials must be given to avoid any ambiguity and to make an “apple to apple” comparison of bids. In a design-build context, the owner, and Ahead Buildings can work together to determine what methods and materials will maximise the owners value.

By having a single point of contact it allows maximum flexibility for the owner to issue change directives without having to re-adjust contracts or manage order documentation with perhaps a dozen contractors. Ahead Buildings will leverage that flexibility for the owner’s benefit by continually refining the construction program to maximise the owners value.

Advantages of a Design / Build process

Singular Responsibility

With both design and construction in the hands of a single entity, there is a single point of responsibility for quality, cost and schedule adherence. The design-builder is motivated to deliver a successful project by fulfilling multiple parallel objectives, including aesthetic and functional quality, budget and schedule for timely completion. With design-build, the owner is able to focus on scope/needs definition and timely decision-making, rather than on coordination between designer and builder.

Quality

The singularised responsibility inherent in design-build serves as a motivation for quality and proper project performance. The owner’s requirements and expectations are documented in performance terms and it is the design-build entity’s responsibility to produce results accordingly. The design-build warrants to the owner that it will produce design documents that are complete and free from error.(By contrast, with traditional design-bid-build, the owner warrants to the contractor that the drawings and specifications are complete and free from error. Because it is the Owner’s warranty for the design documents under design-bid-build, the traditional approach relies on restrictive contract language, audit and inspection and occasionally, the legal system, to ensure final project quality).

Early knowledge of firm costs

Guaranteed construction costs are known far earlier than in other delivery systems. The entity responsible for design is simultaneously estimating construction costs and can accurately conceptualise the completed project. Staged contracting for design-build services affords the owner one or more ‘go, no go” decision points during design. The decision to proceed with the project is made before substantial design expenditure and with firm knowledge of the final cost.

Improved Risk Management

Performance aspects of cost, schedule and quality are clearly defined and responsibilities / risks are appropriately balances (individual risks are managed by the party best positioned to manage that risk). Change orders due to ‘errors and omissions” are virtually eliminated, because the design-builder has responsibility for developing drawings and specifications as well as constructing a fully-functioning facility.

Cost Savings

Design and Construction personnel, working and communicating as a team, evaluate alternative materials and methods efficiently and accurately. Value engineering and constructability are utilised continuously and more effectively when the designers and contractors work as one team during the entire design process.

Potential for reduced administrative Burden

During procurement, the potential exists for the design-build to reduce the owner’s administrative burden; however, preparing RFPs and conducting evaluations can be resource intensive during the early learning curve. During actual design and construction, the owner is not required to invest time and money coordinating and arbitrating between separate design and construction contracts, but rather is able to focus on Timely decision making.

Time Savings

As design and construction are overlapped, and because bidding periods and redesign are eliminated, total design and construction time can be reduced.