Direct losses can occur in any design contract.
They are usually measured by conventional objective formulas. They include the cost to cure a problem caused by the party being held responsible. Direct losses could be the cost of repairing a negligently designed roof, the incremental construction cost of adding an element of a project negligently omitted from the design, or the medical expenses of someone injured because of a design professional's negligence in design or contract administration. Sometimes a claimant asserts that the actions of a design professional caused consequential damages - those that go beyond direct losses. Consequential damages are usually defined by courts, and the definitions often vary, but they tend to be those damages that are more remote and difficult to evaluate.