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Design-Build (DB)
Practical Law Glossary Item 2-518-1773 (Approx. 4 pages)
Glossary
Design-Build (DB)
A project delivery system used to structure the planning, management and construction of public or privately owned projects. In this structure, the owner of the project enters into an agreement with a party under which:
- The party designs and constructs the project, usually for:
- a fixed fee;
- cost-plus with a not-to-exceed sum; or
- guaranteed maximum price.
- The owner is responsible for financing, operating and maintaining the project. The owner can contract with another party for the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the project or use its own resources.
A key advantage of the design-build structure is that the owner enters into one contract with a party who is the single point of responsibility for the design and construction (and any defects or performance shortfalls) of the project.
This is in contrast to the design-bid-build (DBB) structure in which the owner contracts separately with the project design professional and the contractor.
For more information on the DB structure and other structures that may used to construct public projects in the US, see:
For more information on the DB structure and other structures used in connection with the development of privately owned real estate, see: