How to Choose a Design and Build Contractor in Singapore: 10 Questions to Ask

Short answer: To choose between design and build contractors in Singapore, check their BCA builder’s licence and registration, ask for comparable projects you can verify, confirm who their designers and Qualified Persons will be, and test how they handle safety, programme, variations and defects. The right contractor answers these questions with documents and named people, not general promises.

Under design and build, the contractor is responsible for both the design and the construction of your building, so the choice carries more weight than in a build-only tender. The ten questions below are the ones we would ask if we were in the owner’s seat.

Key takeaways

• Verify the contractor’s BCA builder’s licence and, for public sector work, its Contractors Registration System (CRS) workhead and grade on BCA’s directory.
• Ask for comparable projects with addresses, dates and scope, then check them.
• Find out which architect and engineers will design your project and how design reviews will work.
• Check bizSAFE status and the actual site safety system, not only certificates.
• Compare proposals on scope, exclusions and assumptions as well as price.

Why does the choice of design and build contractor matter?

In design and build, the contractor decides how your requirements become drawings, specifications and a finished building. A weak contractor can meet the letter of the brief while missing what you actually need.

Under the traditional route, your own consultants act as a check on the builder. Under design and build, the designers work for the contractor, so the contractor’s competence, honesty and internal coordination determine quality. If you are new to the route, our guide to how design and build works in Singapore explains the process and roles.

10 questions to ask a design and build contractor

Ask every shortlisted contractor the same questions, ideally in writing, so you can compare answers side by side. Ask for evidence wherever possible.

1. Are you a licensed builder, and what is your BCA registration?

BCA states that builders carrying out building works whose plans need approval from the Commissioner of Building Control must hold a builder’s licence. Under the Builders Licensing Scheme, a General Builder Class 1 licence covers projects of any value, while Class 2 is restricted to projects valued at $6 million or less. For public sector tenders, contractors are also registered under the CRS by workhead and grade; for example, BCA’s CRS tendering limits set the maximum public project value each CW01 general building grade can tender for. Check both on BCA’s online directory rather than relying on a company profile.

2. Which comparable projects have you delivered, and can we verify them?

Ask for projects of a similar type, size and complexity, with the client name, address, scope and dates. A contractor that has built ramp-up warehouses may not be the best fit for a hospital fit-out, and the reverse is also true. Visit a completed building if you can, and ask the owner how the contractor handled problems.

3. Who will design the project?

Ask which architectural and engineering firms will act as Qualified Persons, whether they have worked with the contractor before, and who will lead design coordination. URA guidance states that developers and owners must appoint a QP to prepare plans and supervise the works unless exempted, so the arrangement should be documented from the start.

4. How will you interpret our Employer’s Requirements?

Ask the contractor to list the assumptions and exclusions behind its proposal. Gaps between your brief and its design concept, such as floor loading, ceiling heights, M&E capacity or finishes, are where disputes start. A good contractor raises these questions before pricing, not after award.

5. Who will be on the project team?

Ask for the names and experience of the project manager, site manager, design coordinator, safety personnel and quantity surveyor. Confirm whether they will be dedicated to your project and how much of the work is self-performed versus subcontracted.

6. How do you manage workplace safety on site?

bizSAFE is the Workplace Safety and Health Council’s programme for building safety capability. According to the bizSAFE FAQ, Level 3 shows that a company has conducted risk assessments and passed a risk management implementation audit, and Level 3, 4 and STAR certifications are valid for up to three years. Ask for the current certificate and then ask about daily practice: risk assessments, permit-to-work systems, toolbox meetings and incident records.

7. What is your programme, and what could delay it?

Ask for a programme showing design, approvals, procurement of long-lead items, construction and testing. Ask the contractor to name the three biggest risks to the completion date and how it will manage them. Vague answers suggest the programme has not been thought through.

8. How do you price and manage variations?

Changes are where design and build budgets are lost. Ask how variations are valued, how quickly the contractor will submit cost and time impacts, and whether it will flag design development items that it considers to be within the contract sum.

9. How will you handle defects and handover?

Ask how testing and commissioning will be carried out, what documentation you will receive at handover, and how the contractor responds to defects during the defects liability period. Request a sample handover file or operation and maintenance manual from a past project.

10. Is your company financially and commercially sound?

Ask for recent financial statements and bank or insurance references, and check whether the contractor can provide the performance bond and insurances your contract requires. A contractor under financial strain may cut corners or fail to pay subcontractors, which can stall your site.

How should you compare design and build proposals?

Compare proposals against a fixed set of criteria and weight quality alongside price. The lowest sum is only good value if it covers the same scope as the others.

Criterion	What to check	Evidence to request
Compliance with brief	Does the design meet every functional requirement?	Compliance schedule against the Employer’s Requirements
Scope and exclusions	Are any items excluded or left as provisional sums?	List of exclusions, assumptions and provisional sums
Track record	Has the contractor delivered similar buildings?	Project references with addresses and dates
Licence and registration	Is the licence class and CRS grade suitable for the project value?	BCA directory listing
Team	Are key staff named and experienced?	CVs and organisation chart
Programme	Is the timeline realistic and detailed?	Baseline programme with critical path
Safety	Is there a working safety management system?	bizSAFE certificate, safety plan, sample risk assessment
Price	Is the price complete and comparable?	Priced breakdown by element

Normalise the prices before comparing them. Add an allowance for anything one contractor excludes but another includes, so you are comparing like with like.

A simple selection sequence keeps the process fair and auditable:

1. Issue the same Employer’s Requirements, site information and tender conditions to every shortlisted contractor.
2. Hold a clarification meeting and share all answers with every bidder.
3. Score the technical proposals before opening prices, so price does not colour the quality assessment.
4. Interview the proposed project manager and design lead, not only the business development team.
5. Negotiate exclusions and assumptions with the preferred bidder before award, and record the outcome in the contract.

What warning signs should you look for?

The clearest warning signs are a price far below the others, reluctance to name the design team, and references that cannot be checked. Any of these deserves a follow-up question before award.

• A tender sum much lower than the other bids, with no clear explanation.
• Long lists of exclusions or provisional sums covering core parts of the works.
• No named project manager or design coordinator.
• Past projects described only in general terms, with no addresses or dates.
• Pressure to sign quickly or to start work before the contract is agreed.
• Unwillingness to discuss how variations, delays and defects will be handled.

How Nippon Builders can help

Nippon Builders is a Singapore design and build and general building contractor. We also deliver A&A, structural, M&E, civil engineering, architectural and interior works, so design and construction can be coordinated by one team. Our homepage displays bizSAFE, SAC accredited certification body and OHSAS 18001 logos, and our core values are excellence, teamwork, honesty, integrity, compliance and safety.

We publish the details of our projects so owners can check them. Examples include:

• Design and build of 2 blocks of 5-storey residential flats (59 units) with attic, basement car park, communal facilities and pool at 292 Pasir Panjang Road for Hillside View Development, from September 2023 and ongoing.
• Design and build integrated pre-TOP fit-out of a new 4-storey factory and warehouse at 3 Tuas Avenue 2 for ResMed Asia, 2019 to 2020.
• Design and build A&A to a 2-storey terrace factory at 24 Woodlands Terrace for LG Bean Manufacturer, March 2024 to September 2025.

The full list is on our project references page, with selected work in our portfolio.

If you are shortlisting design and build contractors and want to put these questions to us, contact Nippon Builders or call +65 6898 2500.

Frequently asked questions