For business owners and occupiers
Design and Build vs Traditional Procurement: Which Suits Your Project?
Sviatoslav JerdetchiiCEO & Founder of Craftex. Updated , 5 min read
The short answer
In traditional procurement, your designers finish the design and contractors build what is drawn. In design and build, one contractor designs and builds, usually for an agreed price.
- Traditional gives you more control of the design, but you carry the gaps between design and build.
- Design and build gives one point of responsibility and earlier cost certainty.
- Design and build is usually faster, because design and construction overlap.
- Two-stage design and build brings the contractor in early, then fixes the price.
Most clients pick a procurement route by habit. The architect suggests one, or the last project used one. Yet the route decides who carries the risk when the drawings and the building do not match.
This guide compares design and build vs traditional procurement for a fit-out, refurbishment or conversion. It explains how each works, who carries the design risk, and when each one wins. Neither is better in every case. The answer depends on how much design you want to control, how fixed your budget and date are, and how much time you have.
Craftex works mainly as a design and build contractor, so we have tried to be straight about when traditional is the better choice. Want an honest view on your project? Book a site visit and we will talk it through on site.
How each procurement route works
Traditional: design, tender, then build
- You appoint an architect or interior designer, engineers and usually a cost consultant.
- They develop the design in detail and prepare the tender documents.
- Contractors price the complete design.
- You appoint a contractor on a building contract, such as a JCT Standard, Intermediate or Minor Works contract.
- Your designers stay with you through construction, running the contract and answering questions.
Design and build: one contractor for both
- You set out what you need in an employer's requirements document. It can be a short brief or a developed concept.
- A contractor responds with its proposals and a price.
- You appoint one contractor to design and build, usually on a JCT Design and Build Contract.
- The contractor develops the detailed design and builds it. It uses its own designers, or yours transferred to it by novation.
Design and build vs traditional procurement side by side
| Traditional | Design and build | |
|---|---|---|
| Who designs | Your designers, working for you | The contractor, with its own or novated designers |
| Who carries design gaps | Mostly you | The contractor, within its design duty |
| Cost certainty | Good if the design is complete at tender | Earlier, against your requirements |
| Speed | Slower: design is finished before tender | Faster: design and build overlap |
| Your control of the design | High: you instruct your designers | Lower: through requirements, reviews and approvals |
| Points of contact | Several | One |
| Your management time | Higher | Lower |
| Best for | Design-led or heritage projects, briefs that will change | Fixed budgets and dates, one accountable team |
Where traditional procurement wins
- You want the design exactly as your designer intends. Flagship interiors, listed buildings and brand-defining spaces often justify the control.
- You will make many decisions as you go. If the brief is still forming, a contractor pricing a moving target means variations.
- You have a capable client team. Someone on your side can manage designers, cost and contract.
- You want like-for-like prices. Tendering one complete design lets you compare contractors on the same thing.
Where design and build wins
- The date matters. Design and construction overlap, and one party owns the programme.
- The budget is fixed. The contractor prices against your requirements early, and designs to them.
- You do not want to manage the interfaces. The gap between drawing and building sits inside one firm.
- Buildability shapes the design. The people pricing and building the job are in the room while it is designed.
That last point shows most clearly in our own work.
The client of Medusa Spa & Beauty in Knightsbridge came to us at RIBA Stage 2, with a concept only. Our design and construction teams worked together, so we could see the full cost impact of the concept. We proposed more affordable solutions.
The final design delivered the client's vision within her budget: 180 sq m over four floors, designed and built in 17 weeks.
At Portsoken House in Aldgate, our in-house team designed the conversion of an abandoned warehouse into 1,550 sq m of offices over two floors. Keeping design and build under one roof gave the client accurate pricing and considerable savings.
I worked perfectly with Sviat and Joe, with their architect they came up with a very smart design for our office to fit more desks and optimise the space to its maximum capacity. They also did excellent value engineering on the MEP design proposed by others, allowing us to save around £50K. The quality and speed were outstanding we finished two weeks ahead of schedule. Highly recommend these guys.
The risks of design and build, and how to manage them
Design and build is not a way to stop thinking about the design. These are the common problems and their fixes.
- Vague employer's requirements. If you do not say it, you may not get it. Specify finishes, acoustics, lighting levels, air conditioning standards and brand elements.
- Pressure on quality. A contractor designing to a fixed price may choose cheaper options. Approve key materials and samples, and agree a benchmark area for repeated spaces.
- Losing your designer. Novation can move a designer you trust to the contractor. Agree it early.
- Late changes cost more. Freeze the brief before signing. Changes are possible, but priced as variations.
- Who checks the work? On larger projects, keep an independent employer's agent or project manager.
The risks of traditional procurement, and how to manage them
- Incomplete design at tender. Gaps become variations. Do not tender until the design is truly complete, or accept provisional sums knowingly.
- A slower start. Design, then tender, then build. Early contractor involvement or enabling works can save time.
- Blurred responsibility. When something goes wrong, designer and contractor may blame each other. Clear drawings, a strong contract administrator and good records help.
- More of your time. Budget for client-side management.
Contracts: the JCT families
Most UK fit-outs use JCT contracts. In broad terms:
- Design and Build Contract (DB) for design and build, now in its 2024 edition;
- Standard Building Contract (SBC) for larger traditional projects;
- Intermediate Building Contract (IC and ICD) for mid-sized traditional projects;
- Minor Works Building Contract (MW and MWD) for small, simple jobs.
Your adviser picks the form and the amendments. Whatever the route, CDM 2015 still needs a principal designer and principal contractor where more than one contractor is involved. See our guide to CDM 2015 client duties.
Three questions to choose your route
- How fixed is your design? Fixed and designer-led: lean traditional. Defined by need, not by drawing: lean design and build.
- How fixed are your budget and date? Very fixed: lean design and build.
- How much time do you have to manage the project? Little: lean design and build. A strong in-house or appointed team: traditional can work.
Unsure? A two-stage approach often gives you the best of both. The contractor joins early, you develop the design together, and the price is agreed once the design is mature.
If the price can't be fixed at all, a cost plus contract pays the real cost plus a fee, on an open book.
For more on who does what, read fit-out contractor vs general contractor and our tips on choosing a commercial contractor. Need someone on your side either way? See our construction project management service.
We take on construction projects from £100,000. Want one team from design to handover? Book a site visit and we will show you how it would work on your project.
