The Design Review That Should Happen Before Anyone Builds

A structured review before tender catches the problems that would otherwise be discovered during construction.

Drawings are issued because the design programme says they are due, not because someone has verified they are complete and coordinated. A structured review before tender is one of the highest value few days on any project.

Before stage one

The review should happen when the design is complete enough to be reviewed and before it is issued to contractors, which is a narrow window that the programme rarely protects.

• A complete drawing set from all disciplines at the same revision.
• The specification and bill of quantities.
• The approved brief, so the design can be checked against what was asked for.
• A reviewer independent of the design team where possible.

Stage 1: Check the design against the brief

Verify that every requirement in the approved brief has been addressed, and that nothing has been introduced that was not asked for.

• Deliverable: A brief compliance check with any gaps listed.
• Owner: Owner with the reviewer.
• Approval gate: Gaps resolved before tender, since they become variations otherwise.

Stage 2: Check completeness

Confirm that every element shown has sufficient information for a contractor to price and build it.

• Deliverable: A list of incomplete or ambiguous items.
• Owner: Reviewer.
• Approval gate: Incomplete items resolved or explicitly priced as provisional.

Stage 3: Check coordination between disciplines

Compare architectural, structural and services drawings for conflicts.

• Deliverable: A coordination report with conflicts identified.
• Owner: Reviewer.
• Approval gate: Conflicts resolved before issue rather than on site.

Stage 4: Check buildability

Assess whether details can actually be constructed with available skills and access, and whether sequences work.

• Deliverable: Comments on details likely to cause difficulty.
• Owner: Reviewer with construction experience.
• Approval gate: Impractical details revised before a contractor prices them defensively.

Stage 5: Check the bill of quantities against the drawings

Verify that quantities reflect what is drawn and that nothing significant is missing.

• Deliverable: A reconciliation of quantities with the drawings.
• Owner: Quantity surveyor or reviewer.
• Approval gate: Discrepancies resolved, since they produce unequal bids.

Stage 6: Issue for tender

Issue the reviewed and corrected set, with a record of what was changed.

• Deliverable: A tender package with a review record.
• Owner: Design team.
• Approval gate: Issued only after the review is closed out.

Handovers between stages

The pressure comes from the programme: tender is due and the review appears to delay it. In practice, the review shortens the project, because the alternative is resolving the same issues during construction with a contractor waiting.

How you know it is finished

The review is complete when the design matches the brief, the documentation is complete enough to price without assumptions, coordination conflicts are resolved, and the quantities reconcile with the drawings.

If you are starting a design, Domira can help you write the brief, review the drawings and keep the design aligned with the budget before it reaches a contractor.