Mitigating The Risks Of Delegated Design

The use of delegated design in construction, where a project's design professional of record (DPR) assigns responsibility for a specific part of the design to the contractor, is on the rise throughout the industry. This approach, historically limited in practice to a narrow set of specialized elements like steel stairs and fire sprinkler systems, is now being used for an ever-growing scope of specialties, from intricate excavations and sophisticated deep foundations to concrete systems, equipment, finishes, IT infrastructure, and much more.

As delegated design becomes more commonly incorporated into design and construction processes, disputes regarding responsibility and liability are also bound to increase — making it critical for all stakeholders to understand and mitigate the inherent risks.