Every major building project in 2026 faces a key choice long before tenants step into their new elevators: should you use design-build or design-bid-build to deliver your elevator installation? At Kaiser Elevator, we have witnessed time and again how this single decision impacts not only cost and risk, but the entire project schedule. For developers, GCs, architects, and property owners aiming to hit aggressive occupancy targets, understanding these two project delivery approaches is critical. Here we’ll walk you through what makes each method tick, where schedule risk really lies, and how you can best position your vertical transportation scope for speed and certainty—especially as code requirements, lead times, and building complexity continue to escalate in New York City and beyond.
Understanding Design-Build vs. Design-Bid-Build for Elevator Installation
Design-Build: More Overlap, Less Delay
Design-build assigns both the design and construction responsibilities to a single, integrated team—one contract, one point of accountability. This approach brings real advantages for elevators and vertical transportation workloads, because:
- Design, engineering, and construction can proceed in parallel instead of waiting for sequential sign-offs.
- Real-time collaboration allows for early resolution of constructability, code, or integration issues between the elevator provider, architect, and structural teams.
- There’s less risk of scope gaps, miscommunication, and change orders. Field coordination can resolve details that, in traditional setups, only emerge weeks or months later—usually after causing delays.
- Procurement of long-lead elevator equipment can begin before every nut and bolt is finalized.
Design-Bid-Build: Traditional, Linear, and Often Slower
In a design-bid-build process, architectural and engineering teams fully develop all drawings and specifications before contractors ever see the project for bid. Here’s how the sequence pans out:
- Designers prepare elevator shaft, pit, and machine room specifications to 100% completion. Only then do owners invite contractors to propose bids.
- The elevator contractor is not engaged until after design is fully complete, so opportunities for value engineering or pre-coordination are missed.
- Each stage (design, bid, build) proceeds in isolation. There’s very limited ability to overlap activities.
- Any design error, unforeseen site condition, or miscommunication typically triggers a formal change order and another round of reviews, eating into already-tight project timelines.
Schedule Impacts: Quantifying Time Savings in 2026
We have seen that in elevator trade packages—especially in major city high-rises—procurement and installation can easily become project bottlenecks. Here’s a closer look at how each method shapes your timeline:
Design-Build
- Industry data and project outcomes show that design-build delivery averages about 14% faster than conventional design-bid-build on comparable projects. For tall, complex buildings, that can mean 6 months or more saved on elevator completion and commissioning.
- Elevator pits and shafts are often constructed earlier in the core and shell schedule.
- Submittals for complex elevator components (custom cabs, advanced controls) are processed before every architectural detail is set, minimizing logjams.
- Many schedule-driven projects proceed with partial design details, giving the elevator supplier the flexibility to finalize finish specifics while rough-in construction proceeds.
Design-Bid-Build
- This approach remains appropriate when exacting design control and strict adherence to pre-set architectural intent override the need for speed.
- However, every phase happens in sequence—design, bid, construction—which means even minor discrepancies or field conflicts must wait for formal correction.
- Typical elevator projects with design-bid-build may experience weeks or months of additional delay due to extended submittal reviews, rework from late field discoveries, and a higher risk of change orders.
Concrete Differences: Elevator Installation Timeline Example
Imagine a 30-story mixed-use tower in Manhattan requiring code-compliant, destination dispatch-equipped traction elevators:
- With design-build, we can start pit and shaft work as early as the foundation phase, even as you finalize cab interior finish options with the design team.
- Major elevator components—cabs, doors, control panels—can be ordered as soon as essential performance specs are confirmed.
- Parallel code reviews and construction coordination allow us to keep the elevator critical path moving, instead of introducing delays at every design review.
- The net result: as much as a half-year can be saved on overall elevator completion, meaning earlier TCO and tenant move-in.
Where Do Delays Happen? Key Pressure Points
- Design approvals: More rounds of review mean longer waits. In design-bid-build, every detail must be nailed before anything else proceeds.
- Change orders: Site conditions almost never match up perfectly with drawings. In a design-build context, adjustments can happen in real time between our crew and your architect or engineer. In sequential delivery, these often require costly, disruptive paperwork and weeks of downtime.
- Bidding and procurement: Waiting to bid until every drawing is perfect can delay long-lead elevator systems. Design-build allows us to order equipment earlier and work in parallel with ongoing design.
Risks and Reward: Design-Build vs. Design-Bid-Build Trade-Offs
Design-Build Risks
- May offer slightly less granular owner control over aesthetic details if expectations aren’t clearly documented up front.
- Requires proactive coordination and clear scope definition. This is where a fully integrated elevator partner, like Kaiser Elevator, makes the biggest difference—by getting every stakeholder aligned from day one.
Design-Bid-Build Risks
- Strong on design intent and rigid plan adherence, but exposes owners to more change order risk, more RFIs, and inherently longer schedules.
- Less flexibility to adjust major specs or value engineer once the job is out for bid.
Best Practices for Accelerated Elevator Delivery in 2026
Drawing from our experience working with commercial, multifamily, and institutional owners, here’s how we consistently help teams beat the schedule:
- Engage Elevator Design Early: Bring your elevator provider into design and coordination discussions in pre-construction. This minimizes late changes and allows schedule-driven procurement.
- Choose Value-Engineered Packages: Opt for elevator solutions that are code compliant, align with your building’s aesthetics, and offer schedule/prefab advantages.
- Leverage Digital Coordination: Use BIM, clash detection, and digital submittals to uncover MEP or structural conflicts before they affect the elevator path.
- Define Milestones: Get schedule guarantees, clear milestones, and transparent communication around critical equipment delivery and inspection targets.
- Prioritize Fast-Track Approvals: In fast-moving markets like New York City, navigate DOB permitting and inspection requirements with partners experienced in local code compliance. For additional local guidance, see our resource on Commercial Elevator Installation in NYC: Permitting, DOB Inspections, and Fast-Track Schedules.
How Kaiser Elevator Integrates Design-Build Principles
At Kaiser Elevator, our end-to-end approach is built for both speed and quality. From schematic design through final commissioning, we:
- Coordinate structural, electrical, and architectural trades from the outset for fewer jobsite surprises.
- Document performance, compliance, and finish requirements early, supporting both safety and design intent.
- Engineeer, supply, and commission everything from high-rise traction elevators to freight, car, and hydraulic systems—always to the latest US and NYC codes.
- Back every project with a 20-year structural warranty, 1-hour emergency service turnaround, and ongoing support.
For those managing budgets, scheduling risks, and lifecycle costs, you can dig deeper into system differences in our 2026 Budget Guide: New Traction vs. Hydraulic Elevator Installation Costs, Lead Times, and Risk Controls.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much faster is a design-build approach for elevator installations?
- Industry averages indicate a 14% schedule improvement for design-build, which can translate to 4 to 8 months of gains on complex projects. Savings come from overlapping design and delivery phases and resolving issues early. This is particularly true in dense urban markets where elevator installation is a critical path item.
- Is design-build always the right answer?
- Design-build fits best when schedule, integrated coordination, and flexibility around emerging details are top priorities. If unchangeable design intent or extremely specialized architectural finishes are essential, design-bid-build could be the safer bet—at the cost of more time.
- Can Kaiser Elevator provide both design-build and traditional installation packages?
- We provide flexible, value-engineered elevator delivery, including full design-build coordination for developers, owners, and general contractors, always with code compliance and documentation at the core of every project.
- What else can I do to accelerate elevator installations for my project?
- Start with early integration, specify performance-driven packages, and prioritize partners with deep code knowledge and local authority experience. Detailed advice is available in our post on Design-Assist that Reduces RFIs and Change Orders.
Next Steps: Set Up for Speed in 2026
The best way to protect your project timeline is to select a method aligned with your goals for occupancy, design, risk, and budget. Our team at Kaiser Elevator is here to ensure your entire vertical transportation package—from code analysis to finish coordination to commissioning—avoids costly surprises and keeps your schedule moving. If you’d like to discuss strategies tailored to your next build, reach out to us here for a fast response from a member of our design-build team.
