As an owner looking to begin a new construction project, you face a number of crucial decisions even before pre-construction planning. Identifying your needs and selecting the right partners are important, but choosing the right project delivery method has proven to be one of the most significant drivers of project success. Design-Build is a delivery method that has seen a spike in popularity in recent years due to its ability to provide improved schedule and budget control for the owner and streamlined communication between project stakeholders.
The Traditional Delivery Method:
To best understand the advantages of the design-build method, it is important to first understand how the traditional delivery method works.
The traditional method of project delivery, called design-bid-build, requires the owner to manage two or more separate contracts with design and construction partners. The process often begins with the design partner, while the construction partner is selected through negotiations or a bid process. Under this arrangement, competing interests of the design and general contractor teams can lead to disputes that must be settled by the owner. Acting as the middleman between the two teams costs you valuable time and money and can significantly affect the quality of the final product.
The design-build delivery method not only allows you to avoid these headaches but brings with it a number of advantages that serve to increase the value of your investment.
The Design-Build Delivery Method:
The design-build delivery method simplifies project delivery by only requiring the owner to manage a single contract between them and the design-build partner, who in-turn manages the entire project and project team from design through construction.
This arrangement engages the design and construction teams collaborate early, allowing you to establish your maximum project cost and avoid expensive change orders or redesigns that can result from poor communication. By placing design and construction services under a single contract, communication and transparency between the design and construction teams is established at the very start of the project. This ensures interests are aligned so all team members remain focused on delivering a high-quality project at maximum value.
Design-Build: By the Numbers
25 years ago, the Design-Build delivery method was seen as a novel approach to the building process. Today, owners and builders have taken notice of the many benefits in choosing design-build, making it the chosen delivery method for an estimated 48% of new construction projects from 2018 to 2021 according to a 2018 study by the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA, 2018).
In that same study, the benefits of choosing the design-build method were quantified in terms of schedule and cost when compared to traditional delivery methods. As this data shows, the design-build delivery method maximizes the value of your investment and minimizes schedule length and unexpected changes when compared to traditional project delivery methods.
Why Choose Quasius as Your Design-Build Partner?
Selecting the right design-builder comes down to more than just cost. The smart owner weighs a variety of factors including past design-build experience and qualifications, firm capabilities, and industry relationships. If you’re looking for a Wisconsin contractor who excels in these factors, look no further than Quasius Construction.
Quasius is an experienced design builder and has served as the design-builder on hundreds of projects of various scope and scale in industries ranging from retail, manufacturing, hospitality, and beyond.
Our seasoned team of estimators and pre-construction experts work closely with our network of architects and engineers to solidify plans, establishing a maximum cost and schedule early and minimizing the potential for costly change orders and redesigns.
By choosing Quasius as your design-build partner, you choose industry leading planning and project management services from a firm that has been dedicated to building positive relationships for over 130 years.
Have questions on Quasius’ design build capabilities? Contact us today!
