A complete listing of deferred design components necessary for the project must be included in the specification, describing deferred design procedures, making project requirements explicit to the constructor, and clearly identifying and incorporating costs associated with the design solutions in bids for the project.
The authors note their own firm is not consistent in the way it currently describes deferred design. The firm has occasionally used implicit language describing requirements surrounding deferred design components, which does not state in complete, reliable, and identifiable terms the degree of responsibility being attributed to the constructor’s design solutions.
Technical specifications
Specification sections can make identification of the different types of submittals required to administer the deferred design process more explicit to the constructor by referencing the document preparation guidelines publication, the CSC/CSI SectionFormat/PageFormat. This includes the following types of submittals, which must be provided before any onsite
work starts.
- Action submittals
Submittals indicating the constructor’s design solutions for constructability and conformity with the RPR’s engineering, which can include submissions such as letters of commitment and compliance, shop drawings, product data, samples, and other information requiring review and acceptance by the RPR.
- Informational submittals
Submittals necessary for coordination of the work associated with assigned design or for proof of performance where review from the consultant is limited to assessing items are in general conformance with stated performance requirements. This can include shop drawings (with limitations), certificates, testing reports, source and site quality control submittals, and qualification statements.
- Special design submittals
A third potential submittal type forming a part of the deferred design process can be associated with special project procedures, such as documentation providing confirmation of sustainable design-related components.
Part of project recordkeeping, any these documents are usually submitted concurrently with any informational submittals.
Individual technical specification sections must contain clear submittal requirements indicating which submittal type or combination of submittal types is required during the contract administration phase of the project. The specification must also contain accurate descriptions of the engineering, aesthetic, and performance criteria on which the constructor will base the design solution, including coordination of related requirements and cross-discipline communication.
Drawing content
Drawings are the best place to identify and coordinate the deferred design content. This content must be explicit and should be located on the drawing set with the most impact on the design deliverables. For example, architecturally exposed structural concrete or structural steel is best identified on the structural drawing set, while the exposed layout of mechanical ductwork is best identified and fully illustrated on the mechanical drawing set. In these examples, the architect is usually the CPR, meaning content for deferred design components is fully identified on the architectural drawing set with references to the appropriate sheet locations and detail numbers.
Simply stating ‘see structural’ (or mechanical, electrical, etc.) is not acceptable, since this misses the requirement for providing explicit direction to the constructor for design responsibility. Under no circumstances should a deferred design component be identified on the drawing sets that has not been directed by the RPR, to prevent inadvertently transferring engineering responsibility to the constructor.
Deferred design content must be directed and reviewed by each contributing RPR and harmonized between each discipline so complete content is available in one fully coordinated drawing location. There should be clear indication to the constructor of loads, restrictions, geometry, and other design-dependent information the supporting registered professional or supporting certified/qualified contributor will need to complete design solutions.
Contract administration processes
Contract administration requires corresponding review stamps for each action, informational, and special submittal associated with deferred design components. Each discipline involved in review of deferred design components may have different responsibilities when it comes to applying review stamps, meaning action and information stamps are applied by different disciplines.
Assigned design submissions
All assigned design submissions are action submittals within the contract administration document review process.
Sustainable design submissions
All sustainable design submissions are informational submittals within the contract administration document review process.
Delegated design submissions
There are three components to reviewing content associated with delegated design elements, as follows.
- Action submittal (indication of commitment)
The constructor submits the supporting registered professional’s indication of commitment to the project, describing the extent of its design responsibilities using recommended best practice from the local engineering association.
- Informational submittal (design solution)
The constructor submits signed and sealed design solutions prepared by the supporting registered professional, consisting of shop drawings and supporting information. This could include review of design calculations where the RPR requires additional assurance and only when requested. This submission must be completed before any work associated with the design solution begins and must contain the responsible supporting registered professional’s seals and signatures.
