Managing a design & build partner: how a board retains strategic control.
The choice for design & build is increasingly logical for boards — one point of contact, predictable planning, limited additional work. The less discussed question is what is needed after that choice to remain strategically in control. A D&B partner is good at optimising within the framework it receives, but guarding the framework itself is not its role. This article describes how a board fulfils that role — without unnecessary duplication, and without getting in the contractor's way.
Why control becomes vulnerable after contracting
At the point of contracting, the strategic intent is usually still sharp on the table. In the months that follow, attention inevitably shifts to execution: planning, material choices, phasing, handover criteria. The party leading these conversations is the D&B contractor — rightly so, because it is their work.
The effect is subtle: decisions that look operational turn out on closer inspection to be strategic. A choice in acoustic zoning determines whether quiet focus workspaces are genuinely usable. A phasing decision determines who sits in the new environment first and what change signal that sends. A material choice determines what the building symbolically says about the organisation.
When all these decisions fall within the pace of execution, the contractor naturally takes them based on its interpretation of the brief. Not from bad intent — rather from progress pressure. The result is a project that runs smoothly and strategically drifts slightly off course.
Which decisions should not be delegated
Three categories should remain under board control, regardless of contract model.
- Decisions that structurally affect the user experience: space allocation by function, acoustic strategy, degree of openness versus enclosure, density and travel patterns through the building.
- Decisions with symbolic weight: the entrance, the executive floor, the location of client reception, and the degree to which the building tells a story about the organisation.
- Decisions that affect adoption: phasing of occupancy, communication moments, and the way employees are taken along with new work principles.
What an independent strategic layer adds
An approach that works in practice is two-layer governance: the D&B partner steers execution, and an independent strategic party — not designing, not building, not supplying — tests during the project whether execution still aligns with the original strategic intent. This is not second-guessing at detail level; it is guarding starting points.
Concretely, this means: participating in the steering group, preparing board decisions, maintaining an agenda on which strategic decisions are separated from operational ones, and at the end of the project testing whether the organisation actually works as intended. For larger headquarters renovations and office transformations of any scale, this type of oversight is almost always the difference between a successful handover and a successful transformation.
We fulfil this role as an independent strategic partner, explicitly without design or construction interest. That allows us to advise the board without our advice being coloured in any way by the execution phase. For the broader context, see governance of large workplace projects.
How to keep the relationship with the D&B partner healthy
A common concern among boards: does independent oversight not unnecessarily strain the relationship with the contractor? In practice, the opposite happens, provided the role division is explicit. The D&B partner no longer needs to justify strategic choices unsolicited; they hear from a fixed, informed conversation partner which direction the board wants and which it does not. That accelerates the project rather than slowing it down.
The condition is that the oversight role is substantive and not operational. Detail interference with materials or planning is counterproductive; guarding intent and coherence strengthens the project. Good D&B partners recognise the distinction and work with it smoothly.
Frequently asked questions
At what point should independent oversight start?
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Ideally before contracting the D&B partner, so the strategic framework is sharp within which execution is shaped. Joining after contracting is possible, provided the original framework is reconstructable.
How much time does this role require from the board?
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Monthly a board moment, biweekly a steering group, ad hoc for strategic course corrections. The input is deliberately limited — the idea is precisely that the board is not needed at every execution choice.
Does this role replace the internal project manager?
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No, and it should not. The internal project manager steers the operational relationship with the D&B partner; the strategic party steers on intent and governance. The roles reinforce each other.
Is this only relevant for larger investments?
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Primarily yes. At investments below approximately €2M, governance costs weigh more heavily than strategic risk. Above that threshold, the difference grows quickly.
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