DALIA SPEAKS

"Dalia Sadany ASK Magazine's design In former articles ,I have elucidated on the
disciplines of all team players in the process
consultant, Chief Designer & Founder of Dezines of constructing your dream home such as
The Architect , The Interior Designer, The
Architecture & Interiors, Managing Director & Landscaper as well as The Contractor in
Partner of Decon Contracting as well as the all his various practices .I have highlighted
the definition , the responsibility and the
creator of the new furniture brand GUSH is job expectation of each one of the eminent
practitioners. A clarification was also
dwelling into the world of Architecture, Interior presented on the vital factors necessary
Design landscaping ,and Contracting. " to be fulfilled in choosing the appropriate
professional, the most successful
methodology in dealing with them and
Owners from then on had to contractually
engage the services of an architect to
perform design services and a contractor
to perform construction services resulting
in what is commonly known today as the
Design-Bid-Build project delivery method.
With it the specialization of services
increased and new professions emerged
like interior designers, interior decorators,
finishing contractors, landscape architects,
landscape contractors, etc.

The late 20th century witnessed renewed

broad rules of calculating their fees.
We progressed In the previous article about
the legendary profession of the ancient
Masterbuilder and historical developments
Picture credit by Ahmed Mleeg
interest in reviving the Masterbuilder
method to address some of the flaws in
Design-Bid-Build. As a result, a modern
version of the Masterbuilder emerged
whereby an integrated team of design and

through the ages leading to the emergence contracting professionals provide both
of the architect and contractor as two design and construction services under one
distinct professions, as opposed to one contract in what is commonly known today
eminent, capable individual. The rationale as the Design-Build project delivery method.
that derived the necessity to dedicate that
last article to the mythical Masterbuilder Throughout my articles I have always
was the progressive will to explain to reiterated “Use Pros to do a Pros Job”.
Building a new house 150 years ago the contractor to perform all the necessary
you the two means of construction
decision was simple – hire a Masterbuilder. design and contracting services till
methodologies of Design-Bid -build known
Today the same Owner has several options project delivery. In this context, the
as DBB and Design and Build known
to choose from. full service designer may employ or
as DB. But before diving deep into this
subcontract certain design specialists.
controversial topic , let's recap the historical
development through the ages leading to Which Pros to Hire? Likewise the full service contractor may
employ or subcontract certain contracting
reemergence of a profession where the
1. Hire the Maximum Pros Needed: In this specialists. Contractually this means two
architect and the contractor would be a sole
Option shown in Diagram-1, the Owner Design and Construction contracts till
entity known as Masterbuilder but applied
hires a specialized design pro and a project delivery.
practically as a singular unit that applies
specialized contracting pro at every stage
today the method of DB. 3. Hire One Pro: In this Option shown in
of the home building process thereby using
the maximum pros needed. Contractually diagram-3, the Owner hires one entity
HISTORY & TRENDS this means several sequential Design-Bid- (or an integrated team of designers and
In ancient times well into the 19th century contractors) to perform all design and
Build contracts till project delivery.
the Masterbuilder worked with the contracting services required till project
project Owner providing both design and 2. Hire Two Pros: In this Option shown completion. Contractually this means
construction as one seamless service. in Diagram-2, the Owner hires one full one Design-Build contract till project
To perform one without the other was service designer and one full service delivery.
unheard. Although some craftsmen like
Michel Angelo took on separate design
contracts and others like Leon Battista
Alberti (Italian Architect and Author) wrote
about establishing the art of architecture
as a profession distinct from engineering
and construction, it wasn’t till the Industrial
Revolution that the separation was made
possible. The reasons for this included an
increased demand for design expertise as
well as the trend toward specialization and
division of labor. This was supported by the
emergence of professional societies such as
the American Institute of Architects (AIIA)
in 1857 as well as formation of architectural
colleges and passing of architectural
licensing laws in 1897. The separation was
made absolute in 1935 with the passage of
the Miller Act which required contractors
on federal projects exceeding a certain
amount to post performance and payment
bonds. The implication was that project

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DALIA SPEAKS
Contractually Option-1 and Option-2 are
similar in that they are both Design-Bid-
Build formats with the difference only
being in the number of contracts the Owner
administers till project delivery. On the
other hand Option-3 is a Design-Build
format. Therefore having decided to work
with pros the first thing the prospective
home Owner should do is decide which
method to use. Should he or she use
Design-Bid-Build or Design-Build? And
if Design-Bid-Build should he or she use
the maximum number of pros or two? To
answer these questions we first need to
fully appreciate the differences between
both methods.
WHAT IS DESIGN-BID-BUILD?
Design-Bid-Build is the most orthodox
usable project delivery method. It is also
known as the traditional method despite
being around for only 150 years. In
this method the Owner enters into two
sequential contractual arrangements. The
first arrangement is between the Owner
and the designer and the second between
the Owner and contractor. In this structure
there is no contractual relationship between
the designer and contractor, and the owner
is the laison between both parties.
The Design-Bid-Build Process
This method involves three separate
sequential phases as follows:
• Design Phase:
Designer prepares a complete set of design
drawings and material specifications with
input from the Owner
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• Bid Phase:
The Owner sends out the complete set
of design drawings and specifications to
several pre-qualified contractors to present
bids awarding the contract to the lowest
bidder.
•Build Phase:
Contractor builds the project in strict
adherence to the set of design drawings
and material specifications under the
supervision of the designer.
Advantages of Design-Bid-Build
1.Project Fully Defined
The project is fully defined with detailed
workshop drawings and material
specifications before bids are solicited
from pre-qualified bidders. In the design
phase the designer would have spent
months and sometimes up to a year with
the Owner defining project requirements
(preferred style, needs, requirements,
budget, etc) and incorporating it in the
design before the Owner was satisfied
with final outcome. This means that there
should be no room for uncertainty about
what the Owner wants and what the
contractor is required to do.
2.Competitive Bidding Lowers Cost
The construction contract is awarded by
competitive bidding to the lowest bid.
First, the Owner pre-qualifies contractors
after going through a careful selection
process. The pre-qualified bidders are
then motivated to give their lowest bid
because they know they are competing
with others and that price is the basis of
selection. Moreover since the project is
fully defined pre-qualified bidders don’t
have to increase their bid to allow for
contingencies.
3.Relative Ease of Assuring Quality Control
During construction the awarded contractor
strictly adheres to and follows the
detailed workshop drawings and material
specifications prepared by the designer.
Accordingly the designer can easily
control quality during site inspections
by comparing what is required with
what has been done. If the documented
requirements are not met, it is up to the
contractor to correct the work at their
own expense.
4. Designer Looks out for Owner’s Interest
The designer is contracted by the Owner
to design the project and supervise
execution. There is no contractual
relationship between the designer and
contractor. Accordingly the designer
is impartial and looks out for Owner’s
interest till project delivery.
5.Easier to Bring in Own Subcontractor
The Owner is significantly involved
throughout the building process.
Accordingly project Owners can bring
in their preferred subcontractors to the
project with relative ease compared
to the Design-Build method. However,
it is important to note that bringing in
own subcontractor lengthens delivery
schedules and could jeopardize the
flowing workmanship of all contractors
hired under the general contractor.
Disadvantages of Design-Bid-Build
1. Owner Involved in Conflicts and Disputes
Responsibility for quality and project
delivery is shared between designer and
contractor. Since design and construction
of a new project is a complex undertaking
conflicts and disputes between the
designer and contractor is not unusual.
“Finger pointing” is common occurrence
with each blaming the other. One major
source of conflict is errors and omissions
in the workshop drawings and material
specifications. The Owner is usually
drawn into these conflicts and ends
up paying the price of correcting the
situation.
2. No Constructability Input in Design
Process
The awarded contractor joins the project
team after completion of the design
phase. By that time detailed workshop
drawings and material specifications
are complete and sent out to pre-
qualified bidders. That means there is no
contractor input in the design process
(costs, availability, methods, technology,
etc) that could otherwise improve project
design.
3. Slow Project Delivery
Slow project delivery is one of the major
drawbacks of this method. Design-Bid-
Build is a sequential process lengthened
by the bidding phase. Further the design
phase could vary from a few months
up to a year and sometimes more. In
the construction phase time is wasted
in back and forth between designer
and contractor due to errors and
omissions in the design drawings and
material specifications as well as design
alterations and change orders.
4. Costs Unknown Until Late in the Process
The designer prepares cost estimates as
design work progresses, typically when
the workshop drawings and material
specifications are 100% complete. While
this may give the Owner an indication,
there is no cost certainty until the design
phase is complete and construction bids
received. By that time costs may exceed
budget leading to design alterations and
change orders.
What is Design-Build?
As mentioned earlier the Design-Build
project delivery method is the modern
version of the masterbuilder system - the
oldest project delivery system in history.
As mentioned this version developed in
response to certain problems that emerged
over time in the use of the traditional
Design-Bid-Build method.
In this method the Owner hires a Design-
Build entity to design and build the project
turnkey. Contractually this means one
single contract for both the design and
contracting instead of one contract for
design and another for contracting as in
Design-Bid-Build.
The Design-Build entity (or integrated
designer contractor team) can take on
several forms as follows:
• Single company with in-house capabilities
• One company subcontracting the other
• Joint venture or partnership between a
design and contracting company
The first two forms are more common in
residential type projects with the last with
commercial projects.
The critical aspect is that the Owner
contracts with a single entity, offering a
single point of responsibility over design
and contracting till project delivery.
This simple difference transforms the
relationship between the designer and
contractor in Design-Build format from
one based on one supervising the other
(as in Design-Bid-Build) to one based on
collaboration and teamwork resulting in
cost and time savings as well as better
productivity.
The Design-Build Process
• Design:
A. Preliminary Design:
Preliminary design prepared based on input
from Owner with constructability input
provided by contractor factored in the design
to insure design fits and budget realistic.
B. Authorization to Proceed with Detailed
Design:
Once Owner is satisfied with outcome of
preliminary design the Owner authorizes
designer to start preparing detailed design.
• Build:
The construction phase commences as
portions of the detailed design become
available. The contractor purchases
materials and equipment and starts
on the early construction work such
as plumbing, electrical work, air-
conditioning, excavation, etc.
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DALIA SPEAKS
Advantages of Design-Build
1. Time Savings
First by combining selection of both
designer and a contractor in one step,
Design-Build eliminates time lost
in the bidding process. Further this
method allows the entity’s contractor
to start construction before the entire
design is completed. Accordingly
there is a significant fast tracking
due to overlapping of the design and
construction phases which saves time.
Moreover the collaborative project
management between the entity’s
designer and contractor means the
work can be done faster and with fewer
problems. The resulting time savings
translates into lower costs and Owner
could move in to his new home earlier.
2. Budget Management
The entity’s designer and contractor work
together as an integrated team evaluating
alternative designs, material specs and
methods to tailor a solution that meets
Owner’s design and budget requirements.
Accordingly the construction cost is
known earlier on during the design
process. Cost inputs are provided by
the team’s contractor according to the
designer’s specs and the Owner takes “go
or no go” decisions early on. This ensures
that the Owner plays a key role in arriving
at final construction cost that meets his or
her budget. Consequently this reduces the
risk of cost overruns due to fewer design
alterations later on.
3. More Flexible
In Design-Build the decision to proceed
with project is done before substantial
design cost and with early knowledge of
final project cost. Therefore the Owner
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can opt out with relative ease and go to
the Design-Bid-Build format if he desires.
Moreover making alterations to design
or material specifications during the
construction process can be done easily
compared to the Design-Bid-Build.
4. Single Point of Contact & Responsibility
The Design-Build entity is responsible and
accountable for issues relating to quality,
cost and delivery schedule. Therefore
the Design-Build entity is motivated to
deliver a successful project that meets the
Owner’s expectations, budget and quality
standards. Further having only one entity
to deal with makes for greater clarity
of communication and reduces risk of
misinterpretation of Owner requests.
Moreover Owner doesn’t waste time
coordinating between several parties as
in Design-Bid-Build.
5. Less Stressful To Administer
In Design-Build the Owner is involved in
the design process till satisfied with the
final outcome and authorizes designer
to proceed with detailed drawings. The
Owner is not involved in the contracting
process and does not have to go site
regularly. Further since the designer
and contractor are one entity there are
no conflicts and disputes to resolve or
issues of coordinating between them as in
Design-Bid-Build.
6. Better Quality
The Design-Build entity bears total
responsibility for design quality
and cannot shift errors in design or
construction defects to a third party.
For this purpose the entity’s designer
is greatly involved in managing the
construction process till project delivery.
Paying high attention to quality control
and quality assurance is an important
feature of this method.
Disadvantages of Design-Build
1. Limited Assurance of Quality Control
Because the project is not fully defined
in detail (as in the Design-Bid-Build
method) at the time of contract with
the Design-Build entity the Owner may
have limited basis to enforce the contract
and little control over the quality of
construction work.
2. Subjective Contract Award
Because the project not fully defined the
Design-Build format cannot make use of
competitive bidding where bidders bid on
the same design. In the Design-Bid-Build
method the designer’s contract making
up 5-10% of project cost is awarded
based on subjective criteria (reputation,
experience, etc) while the contractor’s
contract making up 90-95% of total
project cost based on objective criteria
(lowest bid). In comparison in Design-
Build the contract is award totally based
on subjective criteria like reputation,
experience, qualifications and best value.
3. Contracting Cost might be Slightly higher
Design-Build entity is responsible for all
aspects related to design and contracting
and since the project is not fully defined
the Design-Build entity usually increases
the costs on some items for contingency
purposes to cover unseen risks.
4. Designer Not Impartial
As the designer and contractor are one
entity, the Owner cannot rely on the
designer to be impartial and look out
for his interests during the construction
process. Under Design-Bid-Build, the
designer will conduct site inspections,
review bills of quantity and change orders,
and assist in resolving disputes between
Owner and contractor. To overcome this
risk some Owners employ their own
adviser knowledgeable in construction,
increases costs and animosity that Design-
Build is intended to avoid.
5. Difficult to Use Own Subs
The Design-Build entity is responsible
for issues relating to quality, cost and
delivery schedule. Some Owners, for
one reason or another, have preferred
subcontractors (carpenter, stonemason,
etc) they want involved in the project. In
general the Design-Build format is not
very flexible with regards to using subs
other than their own, but exceptions are
made under strict guidelines.
Which Project Delivery Method
is better?
There is no perfect project delivery
method. There are some advantages and
disadvantages to both delivery methods.
The project Owner has to appreciate the
differences before deciding which method
better suits his needs.
If a Project Owner requires one entity to
be responsible for all aspects of the project
from start to finish then Option-3, discussed
earlier, is the appropriate choice. However,
if the Owner, for any reason, decides on
Design-Bid-Build method he or she is faced
with two options – hire the maximum pros
(Option-1) or 2 pros (Option-2).
The Design-Bid-Build method has its
advantages with the main disadvantages being:
• More stressful to administer
As mentioned earlier , the disadvantages of
the Design-Bid-Build method such as long
project delivery schedules, High risk of
cost overruns and exceeding budget and
more stress to administer, these cons will
be compounded if the Owner administers
several Design-Bid-Build contracts in one
project (as in Option-1). The project will
most likely take a lot longer to complete,
exceed budget by far and very stressful to
manage. Not to mentions the fees of hiring 7
different pros is very expensive. On the plus
side the Owner benefits from the maximum
design and construction expertise he or she
can get. Option-1 is probably more suited to
a project Owner where:
• Cost is not an issue
• Delivery schedule not important
• Has preference to use 2 or more pros in
different areas of specialization but in the
same field such as interior designer and
landscape designer
Tips: How to decide which
method best suits your needs?
Both Design-Bid-Build and Design-Build
formats are applied to all project types from
small apartments to large villas and for new
home construction and renovation. If you
answer “Yes” to any of the following then
Design-Build is more appropriate for you.
• Do you have a good idea of your
requirements (design and budget)?
• Do you have a budget ceiling which
is inflexible and need an early cost
commitment?
• Do you need to move in to your house
within 2 years?
• Do you have a busy life and haven’t the
time to be 100% involved?
• Are you doing this project as an
investment?
• Is the design you have in mind complex
requiring close coordination of design
and construction expertise?
• Are you not familiar with the tedious
details of either design , construction and
their colleration and farnkly dont want to
be neck-deep into them?
Tips: How to select Design-Build
entity?
A lot of designers and contractors claim to
provide Design-Build turnkey solutions.
How to know who is genuine or not:
• Ask about the contract – must be one
point of responsibility for design and
contracting
• Meet both designer and contractor (see
chemistry between them)
• Ask about their history, experience and
track record individually and together
• How many Design-Build projects have
they done together (a good team
should have a track record of 5 projects
minimum)
• See portfolio and get into some details –
ask about the budget, cost overruns, work
orders and delivery schedules, etc (see if
anything doesn’t sound right)
• Try to contact Owners of previous projects
and ask about their experience with them.
That was an objective unbiased
thorough study of both formats, I
personally have worked on both
methods over the years , as well as
separate design and contracting
assignments in several endeavors
but as I am the first Egyptian female
Masterbuilder , and a genuine
advocate for the anti-segregation
of both design and construction
professions, with an accredited
education and over 15 years of
experience in these fields , that
expertise has resulted in a more
broad perspective and knowledge
of the entire ,more coherent and
less client stressful, Design and
build process , with its obligations
, hallmarks and taboos such as the
necessity to keep the budgetary
constraints of the client as an utmost
importance and that during the
construction phase , the architectural
and design integrity must be
maintained. These elements are the
bible of a professional, capable DB
entity to ensure a successful dream
project evolving to reality.
You can reach me at my email
daliaspeaks.ask@gmail.com
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