CEPEZED: Case Studies in Designer-Led Integrated Procurement

A variety of theoretical and practical arguments can be advanced for the integration of design and construction processes. This paper begins with a brief review of these arguments, noting the wide diversity in their underlying motivational frameworks. The economic and technical advantages of integrated procurement are compromised by mediocre design associated with design build contracting. In this context, CEPEZED, an architecturally-led design build firm based in Delft, Netherlands, offers an unusual example of integrated procurement in which design excellence remainsa dominant concern. The paper attempts to relate CEPEZED 's example, illustrated in a series of comparative case studies, to wider debates on procurement systems. As an alternative to making established commercially orientated design-build firms more "designer-led it is argued that CEPEZED and similar designer-led businesses have more potential for transforming the construction industry, but only if innovative means of risk transfer are developed.