DB OR EPC?

1. Similarities
 The owner has a single point of contact on the
construction.
 All the responsibility comes under a Main Contractor (or
joint venture with a leader), who has to perform the
design, engineering, procurement, construction and
commissioning.
 The contractor takes on more risk (of the design-construct
interfaces) than a traditional design-bid-build delivery.
 DB OR EPC?
2. Differences
No. Parameter DB Contract EPC Contract
1. Close-out The owner and its construction Contractor hands over a working
handing over manager or designer taking an active facility that’s ready to go
role in punching out the facility
2. Owner’s There’s a “design-assist” or “fast- No EPC equivalent of the “design-
involvement in track” design-build processes assist” or “fast-track” design-build
the design processes
process
 DB OR EPC?
2. Differences (continued)
No. Parameter DB Contract EPC Contract
3. Approach to the The contracts tend to take either a It’s not uncommon for EPC
unknowns traditional design-bid-build contracts to shift these risks
(unforeseen) approach to unknowns like hidden entirely to the EPC contractor
site conditions, or to share that risk
between the owner and the design-
builder
4. The handed- Most design-build contracts provide Contractors are often handed little
overed at least some design detail in the more than performance
bridging documents requirements (output levels,
uptime levels, maintenance
expense maximums, etc.)