Large industrial firms and many public agencies have continuing need for design services. Construction is performed by a contractor under contract with the owner.
Construction is performed by a contractor under contract with the owner.
Owner contracts with a single party for both design and construction. Highway, heavy, utility, and industrial projects are predominantly engineering projects. Traditionally, professional societies of architects and engineers have opposed competitive bidding and price competition, and made price bidding an unethical practice. The U.S. Supreme Court in 1978 ruled that an ethical ban on competitive bidding for engineering services was not permissible under the Sherman Antitrust Act. There are some programs of small business set-asides for design contracts.