GLOSSARY

Design-Bid-Build

Design-bid-build (DBB) is the traditional project delivery method in which the owner hires a designer to complete the construction documents, then solicits bids on those documents and awards a separate construction contract, usually to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.

DESIGN-BID-BUILD: TWO CONTRACTS, THREE STEPS IN SEQUENCEOWNERDESIGNERcontract 1CONTRACTORcontract 2, low bidno contractDESIGNBIDBUILDDesign is 100 percent complete before a price is known.CONTRACTADVICE OR COORDINATION, NO CONTRACT
The owner contracts separately with a designer and, after bidding complete documents, with a builder. Clear and competitive, but the two contracts point at each other when problems surface. Illustrative.

DBB runs in strict sequence: design, then bid, then build. Because the owner holds two separate contracts, one with the designer and one with the contractor, it keeps clear lines of accountability and puts the construction price through open competition. Many public agencies are required to use it unless a statute allows an alternative.

How it works

  • Design. The designer develops the project through schematic design, design development and complete construction documents.
  • Bid. Contractors price the finished documents; the owner awards to the low responsive, responsible bidder.
  • Build. The contractor builds what is drawn. Questions go back through the owner to the designer, and changes become change orders.

Strengths

  • Price competition on a complete, defined scope.
  • Familiar to owners, designers, contractors and procurement offices.
  • The owner controls the design fully before committing to construction.

Limits

  • No builder input during design. Constructability, phasing and cost advice arrive after the design is fixed.
  • Longest schedule. Phases cannot overlap.
  • Change orders. Gaps between drawings and field conditions become disputes between two parties who have no contract with each other.

The Parkonomics view

Design-bid-build buys certainty about the scope and competition on the price. It works well for a simple surface lot or a repeat garage design. It struggles when a project depends on technology that will change before the ribbon cutting, because the specifications are frozen at bid while the products keep moving. That is where CMAR and progressive design-build earn their place.

Related terms: Design-Build, Construction Manager at Risk, Progressive Design-Build (PDB), Construction Manager, Integrated Project Delivery

Further reading: Procurement Is Still Buying the Past While Parking Has Moved On