Design and construct

U City (SA) by Woods Bagot is an example of the Design and Construct procurement method. Photographer: Peter Barnes. Traditional land owners: the Kaurna people.Read time: 4 minutes

The procurement method of Design and Construct is where the client enters into a single contract with a construction company that provides both the design and construction of a project based on requirements specified by the client (Office of the Victorian Government Architect, 2021).

Sometimes called design and build, design and construct (D&C) continues to be widely used as a method of procuring buildings in Australia, particularly for government and commercial sectors and also for housing. In larger projects they are known as 'package deals' when the financing and fit-out, and possibly even the land, is included.

D&C or package-deal contracts do not form part of the Institute's published forms of contract, but an architect may be involved as a subconsultant to a D&C organisation, or as consultant to the owner. It is therefore essential to be aware of and have a working knowledge of this form of contract.

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