{"id":4699,"date":"2020-05-13T19:53:06","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T19:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imegcorp.com\/?p=4699"},"modified":"2021-01-06T17:09:58","modified_gmt":"2021-01-06T17:09:58","slug":"delegated-design-in-building-technology-can-have-costly-consequences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imegcorp.com\/insights\/blog\/delegated-design-in-building-technology-can-have-costly-consequences\/","title":{"rendered":"Delegated design in building technology can have costly consequences"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jeff Carpenter<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

How to recognize delegated design<\/h3>\n

How can you determine if a technology engineer is prone to doing delegated design? Ask to see several examples of previous design deliverables and ask them questions, such as what role vendors play in their design. Also watch out for:<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • The prolific use of notes at the expense of details and riser diagrams<\/small><\/li>\n
  • Significant use of \u201c\u2026 contractor shall …\u201d notes that are scope- and detail-related (as opposed to means and methods)<\/small><\/li>\n
  • Specification sections that are not consistent in terms of formatting, outline structure, and phrasing when compared to the rest of the engineering specifications. Such sections likely have been provided by a vendor.<\/small><\/li>\n
  • Details that have dissimilar note styles, fonts, and line spacing. These also are signs that a vendor produced them.<\/small><\/li>\n
  • Performance-based specifications that are used in lieu of detailed product specifications and details<\/small><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n

    \u201cDelegated design\u201d is a term that is becoming more widely\u00a0<\/span>used and\u00a0<\/span>understood in the AEC industry. The phrase basically refers to instances in which a designer passes on\u00a0<\/span>a task that is normally their responsibility\u00a0<\/span>to another member of a<\/span>\u00a0project team to complete.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    This\u00a0<\/span>transfer of design responsibility\u00a0<\/span>can occur in any type of project\u00a0<\/span>or\u00a0<\/span>delivery<\/span>\u00a0method<\/span>. It is commonly seen\u00a0<\/span>in<\/span>\u00a0certain scopes of work, and aids in the delivery of a project when it is clearly documented and communicated among the team. Problems arise, however, when\u00a0<\/span>a team member delegates design without\u00a0<\/span>transparently communicat<\/span>ing it to the other\u00a0<\/span>parties<\/span>. T<\/span>his\u00a0<\/span>occurs mo<\/span>st<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>often<\/span>\u00a0in design-bid-build delivery<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>with\u00a0<\/span>the issue typically becom<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0evident to all during the construction phase of the project.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Detrimental<\/span>\u00a0delegated design can occur in any\u00a0<\/span>discipline but<\/span>\u00a0is\u00a0<\/span>com<\/span>monly seen and particularly problematic in technology design, where\u00a0<\/span>cutting<\/span>–<\/span>edge\u00a0<\/span>advances<\/span>\u00a0are fast-moving, always changing<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and require a significant investment\u00a0<\/span>on the part of the engineer to achieve expertise<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Not all firms make the investment needed to keep up with<\/span>\u00a0the latest<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>developments in technology<\/span>, however. This is when delegated design\u00a0<\/span>may appear<\/span>, with legitimate engineering work being pushed to the contractor to \u201cfigure it out.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    I\u00a0<\/span>first\u00a0<\/span>heard the term \u201cdelegated design\u201d during a recent conversation with a\u00a0<\/span>potential\u00a0<\/span>client, and<\/span>\u00a0it was an epiphany. It\u00a0<\/span>proved\u00a0<\/span>that\u00a0<\/span>some\u00a0<\/span>clients are savvy to differentiation in\u00a0<\/span>the technology<\/span>\u00a0field<\/span>, a\u00a0<\/span>specialty<\/span>\u00a0that\u00a0<\/span>others<\/span>\u00a0treat a<\/span>s a commodity. This client understood that the savings from the lowest fee at the time of design w<\/span>ere\u00a0<\/span>usually relinquished\u00a0<\/span>when\u00a0<\/span>resolving problems during construction. \u201cProve to us that you don\u2019t do\u00a0<\/span>d<\/span>elegated\u00a0<\/span>d<\/span>esign<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d\u00a0<\/span>he<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>said<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>If every client asked that in their selection processes,\u00a0<\/span>the technology<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>design\u00a0<\/span>industry would get cleaned up very quickly.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Hiring\u00a0<\/span>technology\u00a0<\/span>e<\/span>ngineers that engage in\u00a0<\/span>d<\/span>elegated\u00a0<\/span>d<\/span>esign certainly keeps the fees down, but what is the cost?<\/span>\u00a0Here are several likely scenarios you may encounter:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Wide variations in bid results, due to differences in the\u00a0<\/span>c<\/span>ontractor\u2019s interpretation of what wasn\u2019t designed<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Inability to make informed bid awards to\u00a0<\/span>c<\/span>ontractors<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0due to not having tight enough bids to trust that there\u2019s an apples<\/span>–<\/span>to<\/span>–<\/span>apples comparison<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Scope disputes during construction\u00a0<\/span>that make the\u00a0<\/span>owner\u00a0<\/span>decide how to interpret vague performance specifications<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. C<\/span>hange orders during construction because the actual solutions\u00a0<\/span>weren\u2019t\u00a0<\/span>designed until the construction phase<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0due to<\/span>\u00a0the design delegations made to the\u00a0<\/span>c<\/span>ontractor<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    5. Failure to meet owner<\/span>\u00a0goals\u00a0<\/span>and objectives\u00a0<\/span>because\u00a0<\/span>the e<\/span>ngineer<\/span>\u00a0delegat<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0design to a vendor who n<\/span>ever hear<\/span>d<\/span>\u00a0the owner\u2019s needs firsthand<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      T<\/span>he cost of design\u00a0<\/span>is<\/span>\u00a0a single-digit percentage of a building\u2019s total life cycle.\u00a0<\/span>In the interest of successful\u00a0<\/span>outcomes\u00a0<\/span>when creating\u00a0<\/span>increasingly complex buildings, i<\/span>t pays for clients to\u00a0<\/span>protect themselves from<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>d<\/span>elegated\u00a0<\/span>technology\u00a0<\/span>d<\/span>esign.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Hiring technology engineers that engage in delegated design certainly keeps the fees down, but what is the cost? Here are several likely scenarios you may encounter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3,78],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDelegated design in building technology can have costly consequences - IMEG<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hiring technology engineers that engage in delegated design certainly keeps the fees down, but what is the cost? 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