Gary Schettle
Director of Business Development for La Crosse-based TCI Architects/Engineers/Contractor Inc.

What is design/build?

"To us, what it really means is that it's integrated services. ... Design/ build means having architectural, engineering and construction services under one roof, in-house, wholly integrated. Kind of a purist philosophy. ... There is one telephone number that you call, both for construction and for architectural and engineering services. "

What is construction management?

"It's another level of administration, another cost to the owner. ... We're not just acting as a general contractor constructing the building, we're also managing that project. We have a field superintendent that is on the project every day that the project is in existence and that individual acts as basically our construction manager. We're reducing another level of expenditure for the owner by having the same role as a construction manager and a general contractor."

How does a negotiated contract influence delivery?

"There's a benefit to not just us as a design/builder but also to the owner because design/build and negotiating with subcontractors really tends to bring favorable results from that relationship versus just a hard bid. Because sometimes what happens is that the subcontractor will look at that design and bid on that plan and spec and if there's something lacking in that design, many times if they've not found it and they find it in construction, there's going to obviously be a change order. There won't be any discussion of whether they're willing to sit down and assist that design/builder prior to construction to find any mistakes. In negotiation, we usually bring those people on early in the process as a member of the team, and they're more willing to work with us knowing that we're negotiating that contract. You still have to have a fair, equal and good price for their materials and workmanship, and they are very particular with their quality. You don't always find that in the traditional bid scenario."