Which project delivery method involves the owner having contracts with multiple contractors?

The project delivery method where the owner has contracts with multiple contractors is known as the Multiple Prime delivery method. In this approach, the owner directly manages relationships with various prime contractors for different scopes of work required for the project. This allows the owner greater control over the individual contracts, including the selection of specialized contractors for specific trades or aspects of the construction.

In Multiple Prime delivery, because the owner contracts with these multiple contractors, it often necessitates a greater level of involvement in the project management aspect to ensure coordination between the different contractors. This method is often chosen for larger or complex projects where the owner wants to maintain more control over design and scheduling by selecting specialized contractors who can meet specific needs.

In contrast to Multiple Prime, other methods either involve a single contract (like Design-Bid-Build and Design-Build) or create a single point of accountability but do not require the owner to engage multiple contractors directly. For example, in Design-Bid-Build, the owner typically selects a general contractor who then manages subcontractors. Similarly, Design-Build combines design and construction services under one contract, while CM at Risk involves the construction manager taking on the risk of completing the project within budget but still manages subcontractors rather than the owner having multiple contracts.