As an established commercial Design-Build contractor, Lehigh has the experience and track record of providing creative solutions that take into consideration your location, budget and schedule throughout the construction process.

While accomplished with common construction project delivery systems, Design-Build is a preferred option for Lehigh Construction Group and commercial Western New York businesses.

Design-Build Contractors (DB)

The Design-Build model offers commercial owners a single point of contact overseeing a proven team of design and Lehigh construction professionals under one contract to deliver successful commercial Design-Build construction projects from start to finish.

Since the Lehigh team is responsible for both design and construction, budget changes can be minimized and are usually limited to instances where unknown conditions exist or an owner requests additional adjustments beyond the original project scope.

Design-Build commercial construction options often offer faster project completion and delivery, and can be the most cost effective option for the Lehigh that has worked together over decades with hundreds of projects delivered on time and within budget.  Owners establish a firm maximum price to help maintain significant cost control.

Design-Build construction is ideal for building projects where owners have clearly established requirements prior to design.

Design-Bid-Build (DBB)

Lehigh also utilizes the DBB system of delivering building projects that separates both the design and construction processes.

The criteria for contractor selection in commercial design-bid-build projects is usually the lowest price. To begin the DBB process, an architect is hired by the owner to create design documents, drawings and technical specifications for a project. The architect will usually also develop a project cost estimate and schedule.

Once design documents are completed, a Request for Bid is created and shared with contractors, who then evaluate the project to establish a price. The architect answers bidder questions and assists the owner in evaluating the bids. Once a bid is selected the owner signs with the contactor and work begins.

The DBB method is the most familiar and traditional, and while providing the ability to deliver low-cost projects it isolates contractors from the design process, creating a potential for cost increases from conflicts between the design documents and actual construction in the field.  Selecting a low bidder can result in a decrease in the quality of the finished product as contractors maximize profit on the job using the lowest cost contractors.

This project delivery method is less common for Lehigh, and involves two contracts for the owner.  The Architect and Contractor both have contracts, and the Construction Manager is selected based on both qualification and fees.  The Design-Bid-Build delivery system normally involves open book costing for subcontractors during the entire procurement process.

Construction Management at Risk (CM/GC)

Lehigh is also able to deliver construction projects using the CM at-Risk method to deliver the job within a defined schedule and price.  Lehigh provides construction input to the owner during the design phase, and becomes the general contractor during the construction phase for either a fixed lump sum, or a guaranteed maximum price (GMP).

 In this model, the owner is responsible for design details, and is liable for “gaps” that exist between the plans and specifications, and the owner’s requirements.

While Lehigh can also build projects using all other models, the Design-Build project delivery system has proven very beneficial for our customers, and Design-Build construction remains the preferred Lehigh construction delivery system.