Design and Build vs Design and Tender: Which Route Suits Your Scheme?

Before a single brick is ordered, every client makes a procurement decision that shapes the whole project: who designs, who prices, and who carries the risk if the two do not match. The two routes we are asked about most are design and build, and design and tender, which is the traditional route in which the client's own design team completes the design before contractors price it. Neither is better in every case. Each suits a different kind of client and scheme.

How Design and Build Works

Under design and build, one contractor takes responsibility for developing the design and constructing it, working to the client's brief, often called the employer's requirements. The contractor submits proposals and a price, and the client signs a single contract. Because design and construction sit under one roof, the contractor can bring buildability, programme and supply-chain knowledge into the design early, and the client gets one point of responsibility if something does not fit.

The trade-off is control. The more detailed and complete your employer's requirements are, the more control you keep. If they are vague, the contractor fills the gaps, and changes you make later will be priced as variations.

How Design and Tender Works

With design and tender, the client appoints architects, engineers and other consultants to produce a fully developed design and specification. Contractors then tender for a defined scope, and the client compares like with like before appointing one to build it. This gives the client the greatest control over design quality and detail, and a competitive price against a complete set of information.

The cost is time and sequence. Design must be substantially finished before tendering, so the programme starts later, and the contractor has had little chance to influence buildability. Gaps in the information become variations once work starts.

Choosing Between Them

• Design and build suits clients who want speed, early cost certainty and a single point of responsibility, such as small developers delivering conversions or new builds from a clear brief.

• Design and tender suits schemes where design quality and detail are paramount, such as high-end residential work, listed buildings or architecturally led projects.

• A two-stage approach sits between them: a contractor is appointed early to advise on cost and buildability, then prices the full scheme once the design is developed.

Protecting Yourself Whichever Route You Choose

Write the brief down in detail, agree a change-control process before work starts, and make sure the contract states who is responsible for design and for each stage of approval. If the design team is novated to the contractor under design and build, check what the novation agreement says about continuity and warranties. Experience on similar schemes matters more than the label on the contract.

Berati Construction delivers both residential and commercial projects under design and build and traditional arrangements, so we can advise on the route that fits your scheme rather than defaulting to one.

For more on how the contract forms differ, read our comparison of design and build vs traditional contracts and our overview of design and build in London. You can also explore our services or contact us to discuss the right route for your project.