One Team. One Process. No Disconnect.
Design & Construct (D&C) is a delivery model where design and construction are carried by one integrated team under a single point of responsibility — instead of a designer handing drawings over a fence to a builder who wasn't in the room when the decisions were made.
Most fitout problems are born in that gap: details priced differently to how they were imagined, buildability issues discovered on site, variations that nobody budgeted, and two parties pointing at each other while your rent runs. D&C closes the gap. Through our trusted construction partners, we can take your project all the way — and because the people pricing and building the design already understand it, there's less friction and more certainty at every stage.
What You Get
- Integrated design and build — the design is developed with construction knowledge in the room, so what's drawn is what's buildable
- Better cost control — pricing develops alongside the design instead of arriving as a shock at tender
- Faster, more efficient delivery — no re-briefing a new team at the halfway point of your project
- A single point of responsibility — one contact, one program, one accountable team from concept to keys
Certainty Before a Single Trade Starts
Before construction commences, you receive two documents that define the rest of the project:
- A fixed-price proposal for the construction works — the number, locked
- A Gantt-chart program outlining the timeline to completion — the dates, visible
You make the decision to build knowing both. From there, the design team stays engaged through construction — weekly progress site inspections with you, consultant and stakeholder coordination against the construction drawings, practical completion and handover, and management of the Occupation Certificate through to opening. The designer who drew your venue walks it with you at the end.
The D&C Pathway
- 1. Consultation & design concept — site measure, layout and space planning, concept development, equipment selection, live 3D walk-throughs and an initial budget estimate based on your layout
- 2. Documentation — the complete drawing package for DA, CC or CDC, with certifier and centre liaison handled
- 3. Estimate & pricing — the fixed-price proposal and construction program, developed against documentation the construction team already understands
- 4. Construction & fitout — delivery under design supervision, through to Occupation Certificate and handover
Cost visibility runs through the whole pathway: an early budget estimate at concept keeps the design honest, and the fixed price before construction removes the guesswork entirely.
Design Intent, Protected
Every operator has heard a version of this story: the renders were beautiful, the finished venue was… close. Joinery simplified on site, a finish substituted without asking, lighting value-engineered into gloom. In a D&C model that drift has nowhere to hide — the design team supervises its own drawings through construction, materials are approved against the documented schedule, and the weekly inspections exist precisely to catch the centimetre before it becomes a metre. The venue you approved in the 3D walk-through is the venue that opens.
What 'Single Point of Responsibility' Actually Means
It means one phone number for the entire project. One party accountable for the design working, the price holding and the program landing — with no gap between designer and builder for a problem to fall into, and no meeting where two contractors explain why something is the other one's fault. For you it converts a project with a dozen moving parts into a single professional relationship, reported to you weekly, on site, in person.
Prefer to Tender? That Works Too
D&C isn't compulsory. Some clients prefer to complete the design contract and take the documentation to multiple builders for competitive quotations — and our documentation is drawn precisely so it can be priced accurately by any competent contractor. We'll give you an honest view of which route suits your project: D&C tends to reward tight programs, complex coordination and repeat rollouts; tendering can suit clients with established builder relationships or unusual procurement requirements. Either way, the design doesn't change — only the delivery model does.
Who D&C Suits Best
- First-venue operators — one accountable team through an unfamiliar process, with the cost locked before commitment
- Operators on the clock — lease incentives, centre handover dates and seasonal openings reward an integrated program
- Franchise and multi-site brands — a repeatable design-and-delivery framework that standardises cost and compresses each successive opening
- Anyone who has been burned before — if your last fitout dissolved into variations and blame, this model exists for you
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is Design & Construct?
A delivery model where design and construction are provided as one integrated service under a single point of responsibility — from concept and approvals through to the finished, certified venue — rather than engaging a designer and a builder separately.
How is the price fixed before construction?
Because pricing is developed against our own complete documentation, by a construction team that has followed the design from concept. You receive a fixed-price proposal and a Gantt-chart program before construction commences — both in writing, both before you commit to build.
What happens if I change my mind during construction?
Client-initiated changes are quoted and agreed before they're actioned — the discipline of the fixed price cuts both ways. Our program locks the big decisions early precisely so late changes are rare and small.
Can I get quotes from other builders instead?
Yes. You can finalise the design contract and take our documentation to market for competitive quotations — it's drawn to be priced accurately by any competent contractor. We'll tell you honestly which route suits your project.
Who manages the consultants and the certifier?
We do — consultants and stakeholders are coordinated against the construction drawings throughout, and the Occupation Certificate is managed through to handover as part of the service.
How involved am I during the build?
As involved as you want to be, with a guaranteed minimum: weekly progress site inspections with you are built into the process, so you see the venue take shape and decisions never happen behind your back.
Is D&C more expensive than tendering?
It's more certain, which is usually where the money is. Tendering can produce a lower headline number that grows through variations; D&C prices the finished project against complete documentation, with the design team accountable for buildability. We'll show you the comparison honestly for your specific project.
How fast can a D&C project move?
For a typical tenancy: concept to construction start in around six to seven weeks, with the build program defined in the Gantt chart before work begins. Multi-site rollouts move faster with each successive venue as the framework repeats.
Start With a Conversation
Bring us the site and the ambition — we'll bring back a design, a fixed price and a program you can plan an opening around.