The design-build delivery method is a shift from the more traditional design-bid-build delivery of construction contracts. Using this method, the architect and contractor coordinate as a team, leaving an owner to focus on the project’s scope and decision making. This leads to a higher quality project that better suits the owner’s needs. Successful design-build projects offer an owner many benefits that add value to a project. These advantages include:

Single Point of Responsibility
Combining design and construction quality, cost, and schedule into a single point of responsibility that fosters partnering between team members. This in turn adds value to a project and a single point of responsibility helps avoid potential adversarial relationships.

Earlier knowledge of Guaranteed costs
Contractors establish a guaranteed cost early on in the design phase. This allows the owner to make changes, request additional value engineering, or add scope to a project before the substantial design is complete.

Cost/Time Savings
Value engineering and schedule reviews are utilized continuously throughout the project duration. The early involvement of the team maximizes the full project potential. Decisions are made during the programming, concept and design phases will impact the schedule and costs of the project more than any other phase of construction.

Improved Risk Management
Developing drawings and specifications as well as constructing a fully-functioning facility virtually eliminates change orders for errors and omissions. Each stake holder on the design-build team is responsible for the risks they are best positioned to manage.

TMI assists our clients in identifying their equipment requirements, placing the order, reviewing shop drawings, coordinating delivery and installation. Equipment orders, especially long lead items, are typically placed immediately upon approval of the concept design to help to reduce the project timeline.

We recommend taking advantage of purchasing long-lead support systems and equipment direct from the manufacturers without subcontractors mark-up to save costs. Also, at times with extended equipment deliveries of up to a year, TMI recommends our search of the used, surplus new, or canceled order markets from various vendors again to possibly save costs or expedite delivery. Evaluating those opportunities are critical to determine if they are to be viable procurement alternatives for the client. If available, then each candidate system or equipment item is fully evaluated.