You’re probably familiar with the design-bid-build construction project. You start with the architect, who works with an engineer to design the project. Once the design is finished, you put the project up for bid and select a builder. Sometimes disputes of responsibility or direction arise between the builder and the architect that can prove to be costly in both time and money.
Increasingly popular is the design-build system. Rather than selecting an architect, then a separate builder, you contract directly with a design-build firm. Your design-build firm will coordinate the entire process, including directly working with architects and engineers as needed. From the beginning, you have one point of contact, and one entity that bears ultimate responsibility for the project.