As project delivery methods continue to evolve, many teams are taking a closer look at progressive design-build and how it differs from traditional design-build delivery.
Unlike traditional design-build projects, progressive design-build introduces a phased approach that allows the owner and designer-builder to collaborate during early design development before establishing a final contract price. That shift changes how contracts are structured and how project teams approach pricing, design progression, and stakeholder coordination.
To support these evolving methods, AIA Contract Documents updated its design-build document family in 2024, including agreements developed specifically for progressive design-build projects.
In a recent episode of the Let’s Get Surety podcast, Ken Cobleigh Esq., Senior Vice President and Counsel at AIA Contract Documents, joined hosts Kat Shamapande and Mark McCallum of NASBP to discuss:
- How the design-build AIA document family is structured
- What changed with the 2024 contract updates
- Differences between design-build and progressive design-build
- How pricing and project phases differ between the two approaches
- The role of insurance and bonds in design-build projects
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“Design-build continues to evolve, and contracts have to evolve alongside it.”
Ken Cobleigh Esq.
Senior Vice President and Counsel, AIA Contract Documents
How Progressive Design-Build Differs from Traditional Design-Build
Traditional design-build delivery gives the owner a single point of responsibility for both design and construction. Progressive design-build builds on that structure by introducing a phased process that allows project teams to collaborate during early design development before final construction pricing is established.
During the podcast conversation, Ken explains that progressive design-build creates additional opportunities for collaboration during the early stages of a project while also requiring clear contractual frameworks to support that process.
Because pricing develops over multiple phases, contracts play an important role in establishing expectations around project development, responsibilities, and transitions between phases.
What Changed With AIA 2024 Design-Build Updates
As delivery methods evolve, contract frameworks must evolve alongside them.
The 2024 updates to the design-build AIA document family were developed to better support modern design-build workflows, including progressive design-build delivery.
Ken discusses how the updated documents reflect the growing interest in phased collaboration and earlier project coordination between owners and design-build teams. The updated document family also helps address how pricing, design progression, and project development are handled throughout the life of a progressive design-build project.
For owners, contractors, architects, and legal teams, using agreements designed specifically for progressive design-build delivery can help establish clearer expectations as projects move from early collaboration into construction execution.
Why Bonds and Insurance Considerations Still Matter
The podcast also explored the role of bonds and insurance within design-build and progressive design-build projects.
Because design-build delivery combines design and construction responsibilities under a single entity, project teams should carefully evaluate how bonds, insurance requirements, and contractual obligations align throughout each phase of the project.
The conversation highlighted the importance of ensuring contract language appropriately reflects the structure of the delivery method being used.
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Explore AIA Contract Documents for Design-Build Projects
AIA Contract Documents offers industry-standard agreements developed to support evolving project delivery methods, including progressive design-build.
Explore resources and contract documents designed to help owners, contractors, architects, and project teams navigate modern design-build project delivery with clearer contractual frameworks and updated agreements.
