Design-Build Construction Company ServingKansas, Oklahoma & Missouri
Your project runs cleaner, moves faster, and lands on budget.
What Is a Design-Build Construction Company?
When you hire a design-build construction company, you get one team handling both design and construction under one contract. There's no gap between what the design team draws and what the contractor prices. No finger-pointing when something goes sideways. And no going back to the drawing board because the design came in over budget.
At Koehn Construction Services, design-build is our preferred delivery method. We've used it to deliver manufacturing facilities, commercial buildings, aviation infrastructure, and industrial projects across Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri since 2003.
Here is how it usually goes on a traditionally delivered project. The design comes in over budget. The winning contractor wasn't part of the design. Problems show up in the field that nobody saw coming. Design-build fixes that by getting the right people in the room before the first line gets drawn.
What You
Get With
Design-Build
Construction
Design-build isn't just a different contract. It changes how the whole project runs.
Budget built in from day one.
KCS is in the room during design, pricing real work, not a wish list. Budget problems get caught before they become contract problems. You get accurate numbers early, and they hold.
Faster from design to groundbreaking.
Design and construction can overlap. While drawings are being finished, we're already moving on site work and procurement. That matters when your timeline has a hard deadline - a lease date, a production launch, a season opener.
One point of contact. Full accountability.
You don't manage the gap between architect and contractor. We do. One contract means one team owns the result. If something needs to change, we sort it out and bring you the solution.
Design that actually builds.
KCS self-performs earthwork, concrete foundations, concrete paving, and site utilities. We're not designing something we've never built. We know what field conditions look like. We design for them.
Cost control through the whole project.
We price the work as drawings develop, not after the fact. That feedback loop keeps your budget on track from the first sketch to the last inspection.
How Our Design-Build
Process Works
Every phase is laid out below. You'll always know where the project stands and what comes next.
Preliminary
The project starts here.
Before a single drawing gets made, we sit down with you and discuss what success actually looks like for your operation. From that conversation, we build a real preliminary budget. Not a range. A number you can make decisions with.
We walk you through the concept and the budget together. When the scope matches the goals and the numbers make sense, we execute the design contract. Not before.
Design
The concept is set. Now we engineer it.
We build the full construction document set and stay in the loop throughout - catching problems before they reach the field. At 60%, we go to real subcontractor bids so you see where the budget stands before the design is locked. Scope, materials, layout - if it needs to change, we do it now. Not after permits are submitted.
By the time drawings are finalized and the permit is issued, pricing is confirmed and the budget is locked. No surprises. We're ready to build.
Build
The design is done. Now we build it.
KCS self-performs earthwork, site utilities, concrete foundations, and concrete paving - the trades that drive cost and schedule on most commercial projects. We run our own crews. We control the timeline. We don't wait on a sub to show up.
From mobilization to final inspections, one team manages it all. We walk the project with you before keys are handed over. Every punch list item gets closed out. We don't leave until it's done right.
Post-Project Support
The job is finished. We're still available.
Questions about maintenance, future additions, or operational needs? Call us. A lot of our best relationships started with a call after the build. Clients who know who to call tend to call us again.
Built for Projects Where Every Detail Matters
Design-build works best when the stakes are real. A manufacturer who needs to hit a production start date. A multi-location owner who needs the same result in two markets. A company that got burned by a design that came in 30% over budget after the design work was done.
If you want one team holding the whole thing together, and if you want a contractor who will tell you the truth before you sign the design contract, we should talk.
Tanganyika Penguin & Otter Encounter
Koehn Construction Services partnered with Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard, Kansas, to construct a 4,100-square-foot addition designed to create new interactive experiences between guests and animals, located adjacent to the park's existing main penguin pool area.
VIEW THIS PROJECT →Frequently Asked Questions About Design-Build Construction
Is design-build more expensive than traditional construction?
Not typically. Because the design-build contractor is involved in pricing as drawings develop, budget problems get caught before they're baked into the design. You're less likely to end up with a finished design you can't afford to build. Owners also save money by avoiding re-design, re-bidding, and the delays that come with a fragmented process.
Who owns the design in a design-build contract?
In most design-build contracts, the design-build contractor holds the contract with the design team. The owner contracts with the contractor as a single entity. This keeps accountability in one place and gives the owner a single point of contact for the entire project.
How do I know if design-build is right for my project?
Design-build works well for owners who want faster delivery, tighter cost control, and less project management burden on their end. It's a strong fit for commercial and industrial new construction, facility expansions, and projects where the owner has a program and a budget but not a finalized design. If you already have permitted construction documents and need a contractor to build from them, a general contracting arrangement may be a better fit.
Can I still have input on the design if I use a design-build contractor?
Yes. You're involved at every major milestone. KCS presents the concept design and budget before the design contract is signed. You review at 60% and 90% complete construction documents. Revisions happen before drawings are finalized - not after the building is half built. Design-build accelerates the process, but the owner's input drives the design from start to finish.
What types of projects does KCS handle as a design-build contractor?
KCS delivers design-build construction for commercial buildings, manufacturing and industrial facilities, aviation infrastructure including hangars, and related site work across Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Our self-perform capabilities in earthwork, structural concrete, and site utilities give us direct control over the trades that most often drive budget and schedule risk.
Does design-build work for projects that need multiple bids from subcontractors?
Yes. At KCS, we go to market with actual subcontractor bids at the 60% construction document stage. You get real pricing — not estimates built on assumptions. The competitive bid process is preserved; it just happens during design rather than after it's complete.
Ready to Talk
About Your Project?
Tell us what you're building. We'll tell you if we're the right fit and what it would take to make it happen.