Design-build (DB)
Also: Design-build, Progressive design-build
Quick definition: A delivery method in which one entity, the design-builder, contracts with the owner to provide both the design and the construction under a single contract.
Explanation
Beginner explanation
The owner hires one team that both designs and builds. If there is a problem with the drawings, it is the design-builder's problem to solve, not the owner's.
Technical explanation
The owner usually prepares a performance-based statement of requirements and bridging documents, and the design-builder completes the design with its own consultants. Single-point responsibility reduces the owner's exposure to design-error claims, and overlapping design with construction can shorten schedules, but the owner has less direct control over design decisions. In Canada, CCDC 14 (Design-Build Stipulated Price Contract) and CCDC 15 (design-builder–consultant) were reissued in 2026, alongside new progressive design-build forms CCDC 32 and CCDC 33, in which the price is developed collaboratively during early design before a construction price is agreed.
Practical example
A water utility procures a treatment plant expansion by design-build, specifying capacity, effluent quality and lifecycle requirements. The design-builder's engineer completes the design while early civil works start on site.
Why it matters
Design-build shifts design coordination risk to one party and can save time; its success depends on how well the owner defines requirements, including information requirements such as EIR.
Common confusion
Standards and references
- CCDC releases 2026 documents for design-build and progressive design-build contracting. Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, 2026.Widely accepted professional interpretation
Supports: 2026 release of CCDC 14 and 15 updates and new CCDC 32 and 33 progressive design-build documents; 2013 editions remain available - CCDC contract documents (catalogue). Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC).Widely accepted professional interpretation
Supports: CCDC 14 Design-Build Stipulated Price Contract (2013 and 2026 editions) · Status: Catalogue lists CCDC 2 (2020), 3 (2016), 4 (2023), 5A/5B (2025), 11 (2019), 14/15 (2026), 17 (2025), 18 (2023), 30 (2025), 31 (2020), 32/33 (2026).
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VDC Stack.io. (2026). Design-build (DB). In VDC Stack.io Knowledge Dictionary. Retrieved from https://vdcstack.io/dictionary/design-build/