Bilingual leadership: The prime’s advocacy role in design-build

Design-build projects bring together a wide range of expertise, from engineers and contractors to specialty partners and operators. While this collaborative delivery model can accelerate schedules and improve project outcomes, it also requires strong leadership to align different professional perspectives on risk, responsibility, and communication.

In a recent article published by the Water Collaborative Delivery Association, Carollo’s Chitra Foster explores how prime design-builders can strengthen project teams by acting as translators between disciplines. Her article, “Bilingual Leadership: the Prime’s Advocacy Role in Design-Build,” highlights how clear communication and thoughtful risk allocation can help teams perform more effectively.

Communication Is Critical in Design-Build Project Delivery

In design-build projects, the prime contractor plays a central role in holding together a coalition that includes the owner, designers, subcontractors, and other partners. Each group approaches projects with its own perspective on risk and accountability, which can lead to misunderstandings if those differences are not addressed early.

Chitra explains that effective primes become “functionally bilingual,” investing time to understand how designers, contractors, and other partners interpret professional risk and technical responsibility. When primes clearly translate these perspectives, teams move beyond defensive positions and begin collaborating more openly.

Managing Risk Across the Design-Build Team

Risk allocation is one of the most complex aspects of design-build delivery. While industry discussions often focus on risk-sharing between the owner and the prime, Chitra emphasizes that internal team dynamics are equally important.

A prime design-builder must carefully determine which risks can reasonably be passed through to partners and which should remain with the prime. When risks are distributed without considering each partner’s ability to manage them, the delivery team can become unstable.

Instead, successful design-build teams align contract strategies with each partner’s risk profile, creating a more balanced and effective approach to project delivery.

Strengthening Collaboration to Deliver Better Outcomes

When primes take the time to understand and advocate for their partners’ perspectives, the entire team benefits, including the owner. Clear communication and balanced risk allocation help teams work more efficiently and present unified solutions.

Chitra’s article highlights how strong leadership and cross-disciplinary communication can strengthen collaboration across the design-build process.

Explore the complete article on leadership and risk allocation in design-build delivery.