NCARB Project Management Practice Exam

Design-build is a project delivery approach where the owner signs a single contract with one entity that provides both design and construction services. That entity may subcontract portions of the work to specialists, but the responsibility for design and construction lies with that single point of accountability. This arrangement enables integrated teamwork, faster decision-making, and potential overlapping of design and construction activities, which can shorten the schedule and improve cost control. The other statements describe different concepts. An unlimited-liability business structure isn’t about the delivery method. A project where a construction manager oversees the work is characteristic of CM/AR or CM approach, not design-build. A setup where design and construction are performed by separate entities with competitive bids describes design-bid-build, which has distinct bids for design and then for construction.