Design-Build

Principled design-build, aligned from concept through completion

Design-Build is a project delivery method in which the Owner contracts with a single entity for both design and construction, establishing clear accountability and a unified team from the outset.

Carl A. Nelson & Company (CANCO) has delivered Design-Build projects since the early 1970s. Today, Design-Build represents a significant portion of our annual work, with a high percentage of repeat clients who value our collaborative process, disciplined execution, and track record of delivering projects on time and within budget.

Our approach to Design-Build is guided by the same mindset that shapes all of our work:

Deliver Value. Build Trust. Repeat.

In the role of design-builder, we contract with and coordinate the design team as well as specialty subcontractors, providing integrated leadership throughout the project lifecycle. During design, our teams deliver pre-construction services including budget development, value engineering, code review, scheduling, and constructability input—so decisions are informed early, when flexibility is greatest.

This integrated approach often supports phased or fast-track construction, allowing early work to begin while design continues, without sacrificing coordination or quality. An example of this approach can be seen at Great River Health during construction of medical office buildings adjacent to Great River Medical Center.

With a single point of responsibility, most design and construction challenges are addressed within the Design-Build team, reducing handoffs and supporting clear communication. This allows Owners to remain focused on their core mission while maintaining visibility into cost, schedule, and progress.

Benefits of Design-Build

The selection of a project delivery method has a measurable impact on project outcomes. Design-Build has been widely studied and continues to be adopted because of its potential to improve coordination, reduce delivery time, and support cost control when alignment and early decision-making are priorities.

One well-known study conducted by Penn State University examined hundreds of projects across multiple market sectors and delivery methods. The findings—summarized below—align with our experience delivering Design-Build projects for clients seeking efficiency, accountability, and integrated problem-solving.

Independent research reinforces what our clients experience in practice.

Design-Build as the preferred delivery method

At Carl A. Nelson & Company, we have seen that for clients who are able to deploy it, Design-Build consistently delivers the strongest overall project outcomes. For Owners, aligning design and construction under a single point of responsibility means earlier coordination, clearer accountability, and fewer handoffs between phases.

In our experience, Design-Build reduces friction between design intent and field execution, supports faster and more reliable decision-making, and allows cost, schedule, and constructability considerations to be addressed when they matter most—before they become problems in the field.

This is why Design-Build has become the fastest-growing project delivery method nationally, and why it represents a significant portion of Carl A. Nelson & Company’s work—particularly for repeat clients who value predictability, collaboration, and long-term results.

Where Design-Build is not permitted, we apply the same principles through Construction Management and General Contracting, always seeking to replicate the alignment and early collaboration that make Design-Build so effective. 

Design-Build is one of several delivery methods that shape how teams align, make decisions, and move from concept to construction. For a high-level comparison, see Understanding construction project delivery methods .