Advantages Of Design/Build For Your Clients
Selling Design/Build isn’t easy, at least not
yet. Many consumers haven’t heard about it
and most of those who have don’t know that much
about it. If you want to sell
Design/Build, or for that matter sell any
product or service, you must let the buyer know
what benefits it will have for him or her.
Consider the client’s advantages and the
Design/Builder’s responsibilities described in
this article as interdependent.
Rather than put on a dog and pony show for your
clients, take time to uncover their real
concerns, underlying motivations and project
requirements. Then share with your clients
those advantages of the Design/Build process
that address what you have uncovered,
provided you are confident in taking on those
responsibilities. As more contractors and
consumers come to understand and realize the
benefits of the Design/Build process,
selling and buying the concept will become
easier for everyone.
Single Source Responsibility
Perhaps the most appealing and easy to recognize
advantages that Design/Build offers are
the convenience and comfort of one-stop
shopping. The client looks to a single entity to
take full responsibility for design,
construction and satisfactory completion; delivering
the project on time and on budget. As a natural
consequence there is less finger pointing
because as ideas are generated, all team members
make decisions with a cooperative
approach. This means greater efficiency,
cooperation instead of conflict, and a better
project for the time and money invested. When
this team approach works well, it fosters
an enjoyable and mutually beneficial way of
doing business for the client and the
Design/Build team of professionals. As the
design phase of the project moves forward, all
parties get to know each other while working out
and establishing the terms of the
relationship. This establishes trust as well as
a mutual respect for the realities of living
through a project, long before the dust takes
over, rather than trying to do so while the
dust is created. These advantages are often
removed or compromised if those involved,
including the client, work separately of each
other during the design stage.
Cost Control
Trust is the key consideration here, and can
become the client’s most valued benefit.
Provided that a realist budget is established
and agreed upon prior to entering into a
Design/Build agreement, the Design/Builder takes
on the responsibility of protecting the
budget as design happens. Do not sell this as an
advantage unless you are confident that
you and the client agree on the scope of work.
Savings and or budget control are then
achieved through better planning. The
Owner can exercise his desired degree of control
over design, with the added advantage of knowing
the cost implications of each decision
as it happens. In the client’s eyes, the trust
will be broken if he or she sees the
Design/Builder as the cause for going over
budget. It’s their money, not yours. To avoid
this perceived breach of trust, before you offer
or entertain alternate design ideas that will
increase costs, ask your client for permission
to spend more than the agreed budget.
Promising your clients cost control must be
backed up with design and construction
expertise, as well as the company systems
required, to know what should (or will not) be
included and how much it will cost. By having
this ability, professional fees such as
engineering or surveying are kept to a minimum
as they can be determined before
beginning design of the project. The client
benefits by having a guaranteed maximum
price that is set as soon as the scope of the
project is determined.
Quality Control
Quality of the design and construction of the
project can happen by default if the
Design/Builder’s team is working “together” to
meet the client's performance
requirements. The architect, engineer, and
contractor are able to focus on the project,
with an emphasis on quality, rather than
protecting their own individual interests.
The lines of communication are simplified and
the chance for misunderstandings are
reduced. The construction expertise of the
contractor and the design expertise of the
design professional are melded together to
produce a greater value for the owner than that
which might be realized if both were working
independently, perhaps in a vacuum.
Additionally, quality is maintained by the
discovery of most problems before starting and
the implementation of real solutions.
Quicker Delivery Time
The client saves time and trouble by dealing
with a single source for all matters rather
than separately with a contractor, an architect,
an engineer, and subcontractors. Bidding
periods and redesign time are eliminated.
Overall time to design and build the project is
substantially reduced because design and
construction activities overlap. The contractor
can proceed with early procurement of critical
materials and scheduling of labor and
subcontractors for greater effectiveness. This
means the project can be on schedule
sooner.
If it is necessary to meet client’s deadlines,
Design/Build lends itself readily to "Fast
Tracking", where construction begins while
detail drawings are still in process. The
project can be completed in less time because
work can begin before all the elements of
the design are complete. For example the
foundation can be completed to beat the frost,
while the selection of windows and doors and how
they will be detailed have yet to be
completed. This fast tracking can reduce the
owner’s interim financing costs and will
permit the owner to occupy the project at an
earlier date.
By: Shawn McCadden,
CR
Residential Design/Build Institute, LLP
For: Design Build Business Magazine, Residential
Design/Build column
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