The design-build project delivery method has transformed how construction projects move from concept to completion. Unlike traditional design-bid-build approaches, design-build integrates design and construction under a single contract, creating a unified team where owner, designer and builder collaborate from the start. For professionals across multiple building disciplines, understanding design-build delivery is essential. Whether you oversee structural framing or manage finish trades, specialized skills such as those covered in How to Drill Ceramic Tile and Stone Tools remind us that even technical expertise benefits from the collaborative, best-practice approach that drives successful design-build projects. The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) has codified 10 Design-Build Done Right Best Practices that apply to any project type, in any market sector, of any size.
Understanding the Design-Build Delivery Method
Design-build is a project delivery system where a single entity, the design-build team, works under a single contract with the project owner to provide both design and construction services. This integrated approach contrasts sharply with the traditional design-bid-build method, where the owner holds separate contracts with the designer and the contractor, often leading to communication gaps, change orders, and schedule conflicts.
The DBIA, the only organization that defines, teaches and promotes best practices in design-build, has identified 10 best practices organized into three core areas: procuring design-build services, contracting for design-build services, and executing the delivery of design-build projects. These practices are supported by nearly 50 implementing techniques that provide specific guidance on real-world application.
Why Best Practices Matter
With design-build accounting for approximately 40 percent of all non-residential design and construction in the United States, the impetus for owners to engage in Design-Build Done Right is significant. Applying these DBIA best practices helps owners and practitioners unlock the inherent value of design-build project delivery, leading to better outcomes in cost, schedule, and quality. The practices serve as a single source that clearly defines design-build fundamentals to enhance project performance.
Sustainability goals should be considered from the very beginning of a project. When integrated into the design-build process from the procurement phase onward, all stakeholders have a fair chance to assess project needs and goals. This early integration ensures that sustainable objectives are foundational elements of project planning, not afterthoughts.
Procuring Design-Build Services: Phase One Best Practices
The procurement phase sets the foundation for the entire design-build project. The decisions an owner makes during this phase directly affect project performance, team dynamics, and final outcomes. DBIA identifies three best practices that address the procurement of design-build services.
Best Practice 1: Conduct a Proactive and Objective Assessment
Before deciding to use design-build, an owner should conduct a proactive and objective assessment of the unique characteristics of its program or project and its organization. This assessment should examine:
- The project scope and complexity
- The owner’s organizational capacity to manage a design-build process
- Regulatory and environmental constraints
- Budget and schedule flexibility
- The availability of qualified design-build teams in the market
This upfront evaluation ensures that design-build is the right delivery method for the specific project rather than a default choice. Owners who skip this assessment often encounter misalignment between their expectations and what the design-build process can deliver.
Best Practice 2: Implement a Collaborative Procurement Plan
Once the decision to use design-build is confirmed, the owner should implement a procurement plan that enhances collaboration and aligns with the reasons for choosing the design-build delivery system. The procurement plan should outline the selection timeline, evaluation criteria, and communication protocols. It should be designed to attract the best-qualified teams while promoting transparency and fairness throughout the process.
Best Practice 3: Establish Clear Evaluation and Selection Processes
For owners using competitive design-build procurement that seeks both price and technical proposals, DBIA recommends three specific actions:
- Establish clear evaluation and selection processes before issuing the request for proposals
- Ensure that the process is fair, open and transparent for all respondents
- Value both technical concepts and price in the selection process
Striking the right balance between technical merit and cost is critical. A process that overvalues price can attract teams that cut corners, while one that undervalues cost can lead to unrealistic bids. The best procurement processes weigh both factors carefully, often using a structured scoring matrix. For building professionals working with integrated teams, understanding procurement best practices is as vital as knowing technical skills such as those found in Deck Building Materials Design and Construction Best Practices, where material selection and design decisions must align from the outset.
Contracting for Design-Build Services: Phase Two Best Practices
Contracts form the legal backbone of any design-build project. Fair, balanced and clear contracts are fundamental to any delivery process, but in design-build they carry additional importance because the integrated nature of the team requires a different allocation of risk and responsibility than traditional contracts provide. DBIA identifies three best practices for contracting.
Best Practice 4: Use Fair, Balanced and Clear Contracts
Contracts used on design-build projects should be fair, balanced and clear. They should promote the collaborative aspects inherent in the design-build process rather than creating adversarial relationships. Key elements include:
| Contract Element | Traditional Design-Bid-Build | Design-Build Best Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Risk allocation | Separate risk pools for designer and contractor | Integrated risk management shared across the team |
| Change order process | Reactive, often adversarial | Collaborative with early warning protocols |
| Communication channels | Owner acts as intermediary | Direct communication among all parties |
| Design responsibility | Owner holds separate design contract | Design-builder holds single design-construction contract |
| Dispute resolution | Litigation or arbitration | Structured partnering and mediation first |
Best Practice 5: Address Unique Aspects of Design-Build in Owner-Design-Builder Contracts
The contract between the owner and the design-builder should address the unique aspects of the design-build process, including expected standards of care for design services. Unlike traditional delivery, the design-builder assumes responsibility for both the design and its construction, which requires explicit language about design review, approval milestones, and quality assurance. The contract should also define how design errors or omissions discovered during construction will be resolved.
Best Practice 6: Extend Design-Build Principles to Subcontracts
The contracts between the design-builder and its team members should also address the unique aspects of the design-build process. Subcontractors and specialty consultants need to understand that they are part of an integrated team, not siloed performers. Their contracts should include provisions for collaboration, early involvement in design decisions, and shared responsibility for project outcomes. This is especially critical in complex building scenarios such as Attaching a Deck Ledger to a Water Table, where structural coordination between trades demands clear contractual alignment from the start.
Executing the Delivery of Design-Build Projects: Phase Three Best Practices
The execution phase is where the design-build process truly delivers value. With procurement and contracting in place, the project team must focus on communication, collaboration, and integrated project delivery. DBIA identifies four best practices for this phase.
Best Practice 7: Educate and Train All Team Members
All design-build team members should be educated and trained in the design-build process and be knowledgeable of the differences between design-build and other delivery systems. This training should extend beyond the core leadership team to include field supervisors, subcontractor project managers, and quality control personnel. When every team member understands the collaborative ethos of design-build, the project runs more smoothly.
Best Practice 8: Establish Logistics and Infrastructure for Integrated Delivery
The project team should establish logistics and infrastructure to support integrated project delivery. This includes shared digital platforms for document management, regular colocation of key team members when feasible, and standardized communication protocols. Building information modeling (BIM) is a natural fit for design-build because it enables real-time coordination between design and construction disciplines.
Best Practice 9: Establish Processes for Communication and Issue Resolution
At the outset of the project, the team should establish processes to facilitate timely and effective communication, collaboration and issue resolution. This includes defining roles, creating a project charter, and setting up regular coordination meetings. A structured issue escalation process ensures that problems are addressed at the appropriate level without stalling project progress.
Best Practice 10: Focus on Design Management and Commissioning
The project team should focus on the design management and commissioning or turnover processes and ensure alignment among the team on how to execute these processes. Early involvement of the commissioning agent, clear turnover criteria, and systematic testing and verification procedures all contribute to a successful project closeout. When design management is integrated with construction planning, the transition from design to construction to occupancy becomes seamless.
Putting the 10 Best Practices into Action
Implementing these 10 best practices requires commitment from all stakeholders. The owner must champion the process, the design-builder must foster collaboration, and every team member must embrace the integrated approach. DBIA recommends starting with a self-assessment to identify which practices are already in place and which need improvement. From there, teams can develop a phased implementation plan.
Market Sector Considerations
DBIA recognizes that there are real-world differences among design-build market sectors including water and wastewater, transportation, and federal projects. Specific implementation techniques might differ slightly from one market sector to another. For this reason, DBIA works with market sector experts to develop sector-specific documents that supplement the overall best practices with detailed guidance tailored to each sector. Similarly, building professionals working on residential and light commercial structures can benefit from applying these principles to projects such as Floor Framing Around Fireplaces Headers Hearth Support and, where coordination between structural, mechanical and finish trades demands the same collaborative rigor.
Summary of the 10 Design-Build Best Practices
The following table summarizes the 10 DBIA Design-Build Done Right Best Practices organized by their three core categories:
| Category | Best Practice | Key Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Procuring Design-Build Services | 1. Conduct proactive assessment | Evaluate project and organizational readiness before choosing design-build |
| 2. Implement collaborative procurement plan | Design procurement to enhance collaboration and align with design-build goals | |
| 3. Establish clear evaluation processes | Ensure fair, transparent selection that values both technical merit and price | |
| Contracting for Design-Build Services | 4. Use fair and balanced contracts | Draft contracts that promote collaboration and shared risk |
| 5. Address unique design-build aspects | Include standards of care and design review in owner contracts | |
| 6. Extend principles to subcontracts | Ensure all team members contractually support integrated delivery | |
| Executing Design-Build Projects | 7. Educate and train team members | Ensure all participants understand design-build principles |
| 8. Establish integrated delivery infrastructure | Deploy shared platforms and colocation strategies | |
| 9. Create communication and resolution processes | Set up structured issue escalation and coordination protocols | |
| 10. Focus on design management and commissioning | Integrate design reviews with turnover planning from the start |
Design-Build Done Right requires more than a good contract and appropriate risk allocation. Everyone from the owner to the subcontractors must understand the process, embrace the expectations, and fully engage in collaboration. By applying these 10 DBIA best practices, construction professionals can unlock the full potential of design-build project delivery and achieve superior project outcomes across any market sector.