Design-build projects are built more efficiently and result in lower costs, a shorter schedule and fewer claims and contentious issues than the more traditional design-bid-build project delivery method.

Why are so many owners and developers turning to design-build project delivery? One of the reasons is cost-effectiveness. Design-build projects cost less per square foot than their traditional design-bid-build counterparts, because electrical contractors have better knowledge of installation and material costs than consultants do. The contractors design the projects to the appropriate specification level of materials and methods instead of over-designing using a traditional boilerplate specification. The budget is the contractor’s responsibility and they design with that in mind. The schedule is another area where design-build offers improvements, as working with a design-build team prior to construction start saves time and conflicts. Instead of being handed a schedule to bid from with no input, the contractor schedules with many other trades that they interface with – and the schedules are always shorter. Shorter schedules mean cost savings.

Historical data at Morrow-Meadows has proven for many years now that design-build projects have far fewer scope and construction changes to their contract than the traditional methods. Design-build projects for our firm show single digit percentages for these increases –an average of 7 to 9 %. With design-bid-build, most project change increases are in excess of 15%.

Some of the completed projects that Morrow-Meadows Corporation has engaged in the design-build process include:

• Avalon Bay Phase 1, 2 and 3

• 2100 Franklin Street

• 1160 Mission Street

• 555 4th Street

• Fox Theater

Collaboration and cooperation between the general contractor and subcontractor group selected for the design-build project delivers a better and more cost effective solution.