The Stem Design-Build Process
You may have heard about design-build construction, but what is it really, and how does it differ from traditional “design-bid-build” approaches to construction?
Stem’s Design-Build.
What is Design-Build?
The design-build approach has been steadily gaining interest because it offers a more efficient, more economical and more collaborative building process. With architects, construction managers and contractors at the same company and working in the same room, design-build brings efficiency and communication into the process, ensuring faster timelines, lower overheads, and better outcomes.
Here’s how Design-Build works:
Design-build companies work with the owner from the inception of the project through to the completion of construction. A construction manager and superintendent conduct constructability reviews much earlier in the design process, creating a more efficient project.
Project phases happen simultaneously rather than sequentially, resulting in shorter total timelines. Shorter timelines mean lower overhead costs.
Cost estimations are conducted throughout the process, resulting in more predictable and accurate cost estimates for construction.
Finally, working with a design-build company means that the owner has only one contract for the entire project. One contract is easier to manage and results in better communication between parties.
Traditional Building Process: Design-Bid-Build
What Is Design-Bid-Build?
In traditional design-bid-build projects, the architecture firm and the builder are separate entities. The owner of a project approaches an architecture firm to design a new building or renovate an older one. A design process ensues, with the architecture firm providing designs as well as guidelines about costs and construction processes.
Following the conclusion of the design phase, the owner asks for bids on the construction of the project, and a number of general contractors bid on the project. The owner chooses the best one, and the general contractor then builds the project under a new contract with the owner. This process is called design-bid-build.
What are the Drawbacks of the Design-Bid-Build Model?
While design-bid-build projects can result in great outcomes for simpler projects, there are a number of potential problems in this model. For instance:
Potential delays: The sequential nature of design-bid-build can lead to delays in the construction schedule, as the bidding process can take several weeks or months to complete.
Lack of collaboration: In the design-bid-build model, the formal separation between the architect and contractor can lead to issues during construction that require costly change orders. In the collaborative design-build model, these issues can be preempted and result in less costly changes or no changes at all.
Project management responsibilities: The owner may be responsible for coordinating between the architect and contractor, which can be time-consuming and require significant project management skills.
All of this results in building projects that suffer in quality, tend to cost more, take more time, and deplete the resources of the owner.
Design-Build Companies are the Future of Building.
Stem Construction in El Paso is part of a wave of interest in design-build as a better model for construction projects. Multiple large-scale surveys have demonstrated that design-build projects result in shorter timelines, lower overall costs, and better outcomes than design-bid-build projects.