Design/build

Conventional wisdom says design/bid/build. But perhaps it isn’t wisdom at all.

Think about it. Who better to install, train and provide service for your systems than the ones who helped define and design the master plan?

In the design/bid/build approach, a consultant designs a system based on your master plan, and you put it out for bid.  Another company, or companies, are awarded the bid and begin the install process according to the consultant’s design. Question regarding the Design-Bid scenario includes:

  • Who manages the project?
  • Who does the client call when the system has a failure?
  • Does the installer assume responsibility, or will he claim it was a faulty design and he is not liable? 
  • Will the consultant/designer refuse to accept responsibility and say it is a functionality/install issue? 
  • Will the client ever know for certain who to call, and of even greater consequence, will they receive the support they need and deserve?

There are many "holes" in that scenario, and you, the client, are left trying to figure out how to fill them.

With design/build firms, the buck stops one place:  the design/build firm.  How is that beneficial to the client? 

  • The design/build firm is accountable from start to finish.
  • You, the client, always know who to call.  
  • The design/build firm is intimately familiar with the design, the client and technical staff, and they understand how all the components work together.  
  • The design/build firm designed the system, so they know exactly how the components work together, how the infrastructure and installation should be implemented, how each piece of gear works within the design, and how to train and service the systems after installation is complete.

A design/build firm works with the client to establish a budget and then gives a guaranteed turnkey price. The design/build firm becomes a partner with the client at the beginning of the project, from establishing a budget to designing the systems, to installing to training the client’s technology staff, to service afterwards. The same team that helped shape your vision from the very beginning is with you all the way through the project, and into the future as you grow.