Quantcast
Impact

There’s a better way to build

Design-build pushes the boundaries of possibility for project design and construction. The inspired innovation required helps create a long-lasting industry impact.

market share dbia
Market Share:

47percent

Nearly half of America's construction dollars will be spent on design-build projects.

Latest market research

Design-build continues to be the fastest-growing delivery method in the nation.

The latest design-build market data builds on the most comprehensive research in decades, providing insight into 2026. Design-build continues to change the way America builds in every region, sector and project type.

Download Report
The Latest Research:

102%Faster

From design through completion, DB projects are delivered 102% faster than traditional design-bid-build.

Performance Research

Design-build is the best performing delivery system for both schedule and cost.

CII/Pankow has revisited the nation’s seminal design-build performance research 20 years later. Design-build continues to out-perform other delivery systems in cost, schedule, growth measures, construction and delivery speed.

Summary Coverage
Design-Build Benefits

Design-Build Data Sourcebook

The use of design-build has grown rapidly in the past decade and now delivers nearly half of America’s projects. Research projects 22.5% growth in total design-build spending by 2026.

It’s easy to see why when you look at the benefits design-build delivers.

Download a copy of our Design-Build Data Sourcebook for graphics and visuals that tell the design-build story.

Download
design-build growth
Growth:

600percent

The Transportation sector has embraced design-build in a big way with a huge increase in the number of projects since 2002.

Transportation Research

State DOTs embrace design-build in a big way

From coast to coast, state transportation departments are turning to design-build to deliver the most innovative, time- and cost-effective projects possible. See DBIA’s DOT Survey here.

Plus, the National Academy of Sciences research provides a practitioner’s guide for construction administration on transportation design-build projects. Whether an agency is using the design-build contracting method for the first time or has significant experience with the method, this guidebook provides useful strategies and tools to support DB project administration.

State DOT Report NAS Research
design-build growth
Nationwide:

48states + D.C.

The vast majority of states embrace design-build and are expanding their legislative authority to deliver more innovative and efficient projects.

design-build success

Success

Owners rank design-build satisfaction the highest among all delivery methods.

design-build certification
Certification

Leading the Industry

DBIA members and certified professionals are design-build industry leaders. DBIA education is the gold-standard for training and certified pros are highly in demand as our industry changes the way America builds.

Learn More

Archived Research

2021
2019
2017
2015
2014
2011
2010
1999

FMI Design-Build Market Research 2021-2025

Design-build has seen increased usage in all sectors and regions of the United States, and the industry has also witnessed extraordinary project outcomes and innovation across all sectors. The FMI Design-Build Market research provides detailed geographic and sector data, including market analysis and projections.

Read More

Critical Comparison of Progressive Design-Build and Construction Manager/General Contractor Project Delivery Methods

This research article, published in The Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, compares various aspects of Progressive Design-Build versus CMGC. The paper describes the mechanics of PDB project delivery to provide consistent foundation information from which DOTs can inform their decision as to when to use it. It also provides a comparative analysis of PDB with CMGC and finds that they are nearly identical with regard to format, differing only in whether the owner retains the design responsibility in CMGC or assigns it to the design-builder in PDB. It also finds that PDB is more appropriate than traditional design-build (DB) for projects in which the owner needs to engage the design-builder in the preliminary engineering and environmental permitting process.

Read More

Design-Build in the Water/Wastewater Sector​

Joint research by the Water Design-Build Council and DBIA analyzes data collected on water projects nationwide to provide historical and prospective trends for design-build contracting by geographic region and by project type including water t​reatment, wastewater treatment, wastewater collection, water conveyance and storm water management.

Download PDF

Maximizing Success in Integrated Projects: An Owner's Guide​

The Owner’s Guide to Maximizing Success in Integrated Projects is the application of the findings from a robust empirical study of over 200 capital facility projects. Using a variety of statistical methods to model the relationships between project delivery and project success, the primary finding of the study is that owners should consider an overall project delivery strategy when structuring design and construction services, rather than focusing exclusively on the delivery method. By considering how the organizational structure contract payment terms and team assembly process can work together, owners can develop a larger strategy. In particular, the study finds that those strategies which align the core project team — owner, designers, primary builder and key specialty trades — are more effective in meeting or exceeding their cost, schedule and quality goals. During the implementation phases, the study also finds that higher performing project teams participate in integrated practices and develop into a cohesive group.

Download PDF

Managing Uncertainty and Expectations in Building Design and Construction

The study is based on the presumption that design and construction is an imperfect process with a variety of inherent uncertainties. The intent of the study was to gain greater insight on what project teams can do to identify, anticipate and mitigate the conditions and factors that drive uncertainty, and how owners can adjust their expectations of project team performance to benefit the project.

Download PDF

McGraw Hill SmartReport on Project Delivery Systems

New research reveals that while owners, architects and contractors in the buildings sector all agree that the choice of a delivery system on a project impacts project cost, schedule and the potential for overall client satisfaction, perspectives on which of the three established delivery systems can best deliver these and other benefits often vary widely by player.

Download PDF

 

Design-Build Used for Nearly 40% of Non-Residential Construction Projects

The results of a study conducted by RSMeans on the growing use of design-build indicate that for the first time more than half of projects above $10 million are being completed through design-build project delivery. The newly released study also confirms that the use of design-build has remained steady since its growth spurt at the end of the last decade, and also that Oregon and the Military sector are leading with the most dollars being spent on design-build projects.

Read Blog Post

Download PDF

 

The State of Design-Build

Mortenson Construction surveyed design-build industry leaders at the 2010 Design-Build Conference and Expo and compiled their responses regarding the state of the industry.

Download PDF

Influence of Project Delivery on Sustainable, High Performance Buildings

A report that provides guidance on the impact of project delivery methods in achieving sustainable, high performance building projects. The findings are synthesized from a two-year study that collected data through 230 surveys, 92 procurement documents and 12 in-depth case studies. This report provides owners, government agencies, architects, engineers, constructors and industry trades with facts to improve decision making when selecting project delivery methods and key team members to achieve sustainable, high performance building projects.

Download PDF

Influence of Project Delivery on ... Buildings: Report on Case Studies

The research that produced this report sought to determine the effect of delivery methods and practices on the level of integration achieved in projects and the repercussions of integration levels on the outcomes of projects emphasizing sustainability goals. It supplements and validates research that produced the previous report and consists of 12 in-depth case studies of the project delivery phase and compared them with building performance at project completion.

Download PDF

CII/Penn State Study

This study of delivery systems found that design-build offers equal or higher quality than other commonly used delivery methods. The main findings are that, compared to the traditionally used design-bid-build, design build delivers projects with an average 6% cost savings, 12% faster construction speed, and 33% faster overall project delivery. In fact, design-build outperformed design-bid-build in every category on a 10 point scale.

Download PDF