Design/Build: Electrical Contractors Get Built into the Design Process

The Design/Build concept is still new for many electrical contractors, but has been gaining momentum over the last decade.  A Wikipedia definition gives us a better understanding of the process:

Design–build (or design/build, D–B, or D/B) is a project delivery system used in the construction industry. It is a method to deliver a project in which the design and construction services are contracted by a single entity known as the design–builder or design–build contractor. In contrast to “design–bid–build” (or “design–tender”), design–build relies on a single point of responsibility contract and is used to minimize risks for the project owner and to reduce the delivery schedule by overlapping the design phase and construction phase of a project.

With this process, electrical contractors are brought into the project earlier and have more input to the design to help the owner save money and time.  Electrical Contractor, an industry leading online magazine, recently published a great article, Is Design/Build For You? John Paul Quinn laid out the levels of involvement in D/B that contractors are seeing in the industry and expect to see in the near future.
Quinn also mentioned some of the benefits electrical contractors are seeing by participating in D/B projects:

• Less incomplete plans from owner
• Opens new leadership role for opportunities in retrofitting energy-conserving services and solutions
• Bottom line profitability

Read the full article on Electrical Contractor and check out another great article on their site, Building Information Modeling.  It’s a little older, but is an excellent reference on the benefits companies realize from implementing BIM standards.
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