TheDesign-AssistAdvantage

Merging InterestsBenefits Everyone

By Rigel Crockett

The design-assist delivery method is ajoint effort between the engineer ofrecord and the contractor. This methodsuccessfully produces a complete set of engineereddocuments that has the buy-in of theowner, A/E firm, and contractor.

The conventional approach to initiating, planning, and completing construction projects — design-bid-build — has several significant limitations. First, this approach tends to rob owners and designers of valuable contractor construction knowledge early in the project.

For example, architects miss opportunities to incorporate cost-saving electrical solutions into project aesthetics from the start. They also fail to capitalize on contractor familiarity with regional building codes and day-to-day fluctuations in material costs. Consequently, the builder could experience scheduling conflicts, supply shortages, and the frustration of having to submit requests for information and change orders once construction begins.

Another problem with the traditional approach stems from the design-bid-build tendency to favor the lowest bidding subcontractor. This method fails to make sure contractors share the same goal: creating maximum value for owners. In addition, low-bid contractors often miss some of the necessary scope of work and are subsequently looking for errors or omissions in the engineering documents. Obviously, these problems can wreak havoc with project budgeting and scheduling, headaches that contractors, owners, and designers can do without. Fortunately, there is a way to avoid them — use design-assist rather than design-bid-build.

Why Design-Assist?

Design-assist starts with general contractors and/or project owners, who typically select this method. These individuals then bring subcontractors on board under a team approach. These “subs” usually help develop the guaranteed maximum price (GMP).

The subcontractors draw on their industry knowledge to help engineers select products. They also assist in design, suggest alternate solutions, and help with budgeting and cost control. This technique produces a complete set of engineered documents that has everyone’s buy-in before work begins. It also ensures the project stays within budget.

Penny Wright, Vice President of HKS, Inc., a Dallas-based, national architecture and engineering firm, speaks of the ideal design-assist subcontractor’s primary attribute: “The partner buys into the same goals as the architect — providing value and quality while ensuring that everything functions the way the owner wants it to function.”

Perhaps the largest benefit to design-assist is the subcontractor contribution to a more accurate GMP, a figure critical to the owner financing and to preventing cost overruns. In Wright’s experience, “A contractor like Parsons Electric has better access to cost information than an engineer.”

For example, Wright recalls Parsons’ role in a recent major HKS project. “They reviewed the lighting package we had chosen and made quite an impact,” she says. “They gave the owner the same value at a lesser cost.”

The Only Way to Go

Design-assist corrects the deficiencies in the design-bid-build technique by bringing owners, architects, engineers, and contractors together at the start and focusing all planning and execution on providing the highest owner value.

Wright has extensive experience working with the design-assist framework. The results have convinced her that, while the process costs a little more and takes longer on the front end, it pays off in the construction stage and beyond. Once a facility is in operation, for instance, owners continue to reap cost savings in utilities bills. After all, a well-designed structure is cheaper to run.

From careful product selection to the addition of experience-based knowledge for more accurate planning, design-assist collaboration makes everyone — owner, architect, and contractor — look good.