Design and build or traditional: choosing how to procure a fit-out

Before anyone draws a meeting room, there is a decision that shapes the rest of the job: who is responsible for the design, and who carries the risk if it is wrong.

That is what people mean by the procurement route. For office fit-out there are two main routes, traditional and design and build, plus some hybrids in between. Neither is better in every case. They suit different clients, buildings and timescales.

Traditional

You appoint the designers directly: usually an interior designer or architect, an M&E consultant, and often a cost consultant. They design the fit-out in full. Contractors then price the same drawings and specification, and the one you choose builds what is drawn.

What it gives you. Control over the design, and a designer working only for you. Prices that are genuinely comparable, because every contractor has priced the same information.

What it costs you. Time, because the design has to be finished before it goes out to price. And risk: if the drawings have a gap, a clash or an error, that generally lands with the client and comes back as a variation. The contractor built what was drawn.

Design and build

You appoint one contractor to design and build the fit-out. You set out what you need in a brief, often called the employer's requirements, and the contractor develops the design and delivers it for an agreed price.

What it gives you. One party responsible for both design and construction, so when something doesn't work there is no argument about whose fault it is. An earlier price, and usually an earlier start, because design and procurement overlap.

What it costs you. Some control over the detail. The contractor designs to meet your requirements, and anything you didn't ask for clearly can end up met in the cheapest way that still complies. Your requirements need writing carefully, and you may want your own adviser checking the design as it develops.

Cost certainty doesn't come from the procurement route. It comes from how complete the design is when the price is agreed, and how often it changes afterwards.

The hybrids

In practice, many fit-outs sit somewhere between the two. A client's designer might take the scheme to a set stage and then be transferred to the contractor to finish it, which is known as novation. Or a contractor might be brought in early, on a two-stage basis, to help with cost and buildability before the final price is fixed.

Standard contract forms exist for these routes. The JCT, for example, publishes separate contracts for traditional and design and build procurement. Which one fits your job is a question for your adviser.

Choosing a route

Some honest pointers:

• If design control matters most and you have the time, traditional with a good designer suits you.
• If speed and one point of responsibility matter most, design and build is usually the stronger option.
• If the building is occupied or the services are complicated, get a contractor's input early, whichever route you take. Phasing, out-of-hours work and the condition of the existing M&E are hard to price properly from drawings alone.
• If you expect to change your mind, no route protects your budget. Changes cost money under every contract.

Whichever route you choose, find out who will actually run the job on site. At Tatton, the person who prices the job runs it.

Where to start

Before you choose a route, it is worth knowing whether the floor and the budget fit together at all. We'll do a free feasibility appraisal on any office floor and tell you what it is likely to cost and what to watch for in the building. Send us the floor plan and your brief, however rough. Our rates are on the cost guide, there is more on how we run commercial jobs on our office fit-out in Manchester page, and the order of events on site is in how an office fit-out runs.