Design-Bid-Build

Design-bid-build has long been the construction model employed for larger construction projects – but it doesn’t necessarily yield the best final product for the dollar. In a design-bid-build scenario, the client hires an architectural firm to develop the initial concept. Because no overall budget has been established, this firm has little incentive to emphasize value over design… and seldom does.

Once the architectural design has been agreed upon, it’s put out for bid among a group of contractors. In theory, but not necessarily in reality, this results in the “lowest qualified bid” to perform the construction aspect of the project.

Because the architect and contractor have divergent objectives, however, the building process can be challenging and delays can result. At the end of the project, problems such as cost overruns or system failures can result in conflict and accusation.

Although we believe the design-bid-build construction model rarely yields the best final results, BD has a long history of working successfully with a variety of architect and engineering firms in the design-bid-build process. We are more than happy to respond to RFPs that are appropriate to our capabilities and workload.