Design-Build

Full-Service Design-Build Contractor Serving the Texas & Oklahoma Panhandle

Design-build is one of the most efficient ways to deliver a commercial construction project — and one of the things A & S General Contractors does best. Under a design-build contract, A&S takes responsibility for both the design and the construction under a single agreement. One contract. One team. One point of accountability from your first conversation to the day you take occupancy.

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Call: 806-355-8253

– THE METHOD

What Design-Build Actually Means for Your Project

In a traditional commercial construction arrangement, the owner hires an architect to design the building and a separate general contractor to build it. Those two parties work under separate contracts, report to the owner independently, and — when something goes wrong — can point at each other while the owner absorbs the cost and delay.

Design-build eliminates that dynamic. When you hire A & S as your design-builder, we are responsible for both the design and the construction. We assemble or coordinate the design team — whether that’s an architect, an engineer, or both — manage the permitting process, and carry the project through construction and all inspections under one contract with you. If something doesn’t go according to plan, there’s only one party responsible for making it right: A & S.

That single point of accountability isn’t just a convenience — it changes the economics of your project. Because the design team and the construction team are working together from the start rather than handing off a completed set of plans, design decisions get made with real cost information in front of them. Fewer surprises in the field. Fewer change orders. A tighter relationship between what was designed and what gets built.

– HOW WE WORK

The A & S Design-Build Process

Every A & S design-build project follows a clear sequence. Here’s what working with us looks like from the first call to the final walkthrough:

Step 1 – Tell Us What You’re Building

Design-build projects start with a conversation, not a set of plans. You might come to us with a detailed vision, a rough sketch, a picture of something you like, or just a use case and a budget. Wherever you are in the process, that’s where we start. We don’t need you to have it figured out — that’s part of what we’re here for.

Step 2 – Site Visit

Before any design work begins, we visit the site. We assess the land, the access, the orientation, any existing structures, and any site conditions that will affect the design or the cost. This step keeps us from designing something that doesn’t fit the reality of where it’s going to be built.

Step 3 – Design Development

From the site visit, A & S develops the conceptual design. Depending on your project, this means working with our drafting team, bringing in a licensed architect or structural engineer, or collaborating with the design professional you already have a relationship with. We’re equally comfortable in all three scenarios. The goal at this stage is a design that meets your functional needs, fits your site, and can be built within your budget.

Step 4 – Pricing with a Drawing

We don’t submit a number without a drawing to back it up. When you receive pricing from A & S on a design-build project, it comes with a conceptual drawing that shows exactly what you’re being priced on. Our bids are broken down to standard CSI construction divisions — no vague allowances, no line items you can’t verify. What we price is what we build.

Step 5 – Permitting & Construction

Once the project is under contract, A & S manages the permitting process and carries the project through construction. Because we hired or coordinated the design team, we own the permitting — you don’t have to chase down your architect and your contractor separately to get it done. We handle all on-site inspections through certificate of occupancy.

– WHERE YOU ARE

We Meet You Wherever You Are in the Process

Not every client comes to A & S at the same stage. Design-build works for all of them:

You Have a Vision, Not Plans

You know what you want to build and roughly where, but you haven’t engaged an architect or engineer yet. A & S starts from your concept — a description, a sketch, a reference photo — and develops the design from there. This is the most common design-build starting point and the one where A & S can add the most value early.

You Have a Design Team Already

You have an architect or engineer you work with and want to keep that relationship — but you need a general contractor who can collaborate with them rather than work around them. A & S is experienced working alongside owner-provided design professionals. We take the project from wherever the design stands and carry it through construction.

You Have Complete Plans

Your design is done and you need a contractor to price and build it. That’s a hard bid, not a design-build — and A & S handles those too. Bring us your plans and we’ll put together a competitive, fully itemized proposal broken down to CSI divisions. No design involvement required on our end.

Tell Us Where You’re At

– DESIGN-BUILD VS HARD BID

Design-Build vs Hard Bid – What’s the Difference?

Both delivery methods have a place in commercial construction. Here’s how they compare across the factors that matter most to a commercial owner:

	Design-Build	Hard Bid
Number of contracts	One — design and construction under a single agreement	Two or more — architect and contractor contracted separately
Point of accountability	A & S — responsible for design, permitting, construction, and inspections	Split — owner coordinates between architect and contractor
When to use it	Ideal when design is not yet complete or when owner wants a single responsible party	Ideal when design is 100% complete and owner wants competitive pricing from multiple contractors
Design involvement	A & S manages or collaborates with design team from the start	Owner provides complete plans; contractor prices and builds from them
Permitting	A & S manages permitting through the design and construction process	Architect of record handles design permitting; A & S handles construction inspections
Cost predictability	Costs informed by constructability input during design — fewer field surprises	Costs locked in at bid; changes after award can result in change orders
Timeline	Generally faster — design and construction phases can overlap	Generally longer — design must be complete before bidding begins

– WHAT WE DESIGN-BUILD

Design-Build Projects Across Every Commercial Category

A & S delivers design-build projects across the full range of commercial construction types we serve. Custom metal buildings are the most natural fit — the combination of design-build delivery and Butler® fabricated steel systems creates a streamlined path from concept to completed structure that is hard to match with conventional construction methods. But design-build at A & S isn’t limited to steel.

We’ve delivered design-build projects for churches, government facilities, agricultural operations, retail spaces, office and warehouse buildings, and more. If you need a commercial building and you’re not starting with a complete set of plans, design-build with A & S is worth a conversation.

Custom metal buildings (Butler® fabricated)
Agricultural buildings and arenas
Commercial and industrial warehouses

Retail storefronts and tenant improvements

Office and office-warehouse combinations

Churches and ecclesiastical buildings
Government and municipal facilities
Educational facilities
Activity centers and sports complexes
Commercial remodels and additions

More About Our Capabilities

– OUR WORK

Design-Build Projects Delivered Across the Panhandle

A & S has delivered design-build commercial construction projects across Texas and Oklahoma for over six decades. A cross-section of that work is below — from large-scale government facilities and energy infrastructure to agricultural buildings and institutional construction.

Office & Warehouse

Atmos Energy Amarillo

See the Atmos Energy facility in Amarillo, TX, an office and warehouse project built by A & S General Contractors for a regional utility.

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– FAQS

Common Questions About Design-Build Construction

Can A & S do design-build for a remodel or addition, not just new construction?

Yes. Design-build isn’t limited to ground-up construction. A & S has delivered commercial remodels and additions through a design-build process — assessing the existing structure, developing a design for the renovation or expansion, pricing it with a drawing, and managing construction and inspections through completion. If you have an existing commercial facility that needs work and you’re not starting with plans, design-build with A & S is a practical option.

Do I need to have an architect before I contact A & S about a design-build project?

No — and that’s one of the key advantages of design-build. If you don’t have an architect or engineer, A & S will bring one in as part of the project team. If you have a design professional you already work with and want to keep involved, A & S will collaborate with them. Either way, you don’t need to have the design side figured out before reaching out to us. Bring us your concept, your site, and your budget — we’ll take it from there.

Is design-build more expensive than hard bid?

Not necessarily — and in many cases it ends up being less expensive overall. Because the design and construction teams are working together from the beginning, cost implications of design decisions get flagged early, before they’re locked into a set of plans. That early constructability input tends to reduce expensive field changes and scope creep during construction. The total cost of a project depends on its scope, complexity, and market conditions — not on which delivery method you choose. What design-build typically does is give you better cost predictability earlier in the process.

What types of projects is design-build best suited for?

Design-build works well for any commercial project where the owner doesn’t have a complete set of plans ready to go out for competitive bid — which is most projects. It’s particularly strong for custom metal buildings, where the integration of design and Butler® fabricated steel components creates a very tight, efficient build process. It also works well for clients who have built with A & S before and want to streamline the process by keeping everything under one roof, and for projects where schedule is a priority, since design and construction phases can overlap in a design-build model.

Who is responsible for permitting on a design-build project?

A & S. On design-build projects, A & S coordinates or manages the design team — which means we take responsibility for the permitting process through both the design and construction phases. You don’t have to coordinate between your architect and your contractor to get permits pulled. A & S handles all on-site inspections through certificate of occupancy.