Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) & Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)

Design for Manufacturing and Assembly

Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD)

Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) is the use of digital technologies to integrate work processes and connect stakeholders working on the same project throughout the construction and building life-cycle. This includes on-site design, fabrication, and assembly, as well as building operations and maintenance.

IDD builds on the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), which have been implemented in many projects over the past few years.

Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)

Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) – an approach that integrates people, systems, business structures, and practices into a process that collaboratively harnesses the talents and insights of all participants to optimize project results, increase value to the owner, reduce waste, and maximize efficiency through all phases of design, fabrication, and construction. (American Institute of Architects)

Areas covered by IDD

IDD covers the following four areas

Area	Purpose
Digital Design	Achieve design objectives through collaborative and coordinated design, to meet client’s, regulatory and downstream requirements
Digital Fabrication	Translate design to standardised components for automating off-site production
Digital Construction	Just-in-time delivery, installation and monitoring of on-site activities to maximise productivity and minimise rework
Digital Asset Delivery and Management	Real-time monitoring for operations and maintenance to enhance asset values

How does IPD work?

A project owner works to hire a full team of contractors quickly, which typically includes a design team, a general contractor, engineers, a project management team, and more. Most project owners that implement an IPD also often use a lean construction method, which aims to curb costs and delays. This can mean reducing materials, crews, and wait times between construction phases. Every team member must agree on shared goals before anything can proceed.

The contract outlines the project’s timeline, schedule, liability, payments, and risk/reward terms. In an IPD contract, everyone shares equal responsibility, so if one team goes off-schedule and loses money, everyone loses money. If one team member gets ahead of schedule, everyone benefits. Once the multi-party contract is signed, the project moves into the design phase.

Owners, architects, and engineers work together with the other stakeholders in a project during the design phase to ensure the building is viable according to the terms of the contract. This keeps everyone on the same page from the very beginning and can help mitigate any potential delays The design team benefits from having engineers, general contractors, and other professionals offer feedback.

Daily construction may only involve the general contractor and project management team, but everyone on the IPD team is kept informed in case of any issues or timeline delays arise.

3 Key Differences

TRADITIONAL PROJECT DELIVERY	INTEGRATED PROJECT DELIVERY
To each their own : Partners are often selected based on a lowest-bidder criteria. Individual parties operate under standalone conditions of satisfaction.	Your success is our success : Team members are selected based on a holistic assessment of their qualifications. A common definition of success drives the way forward.
Individual risks/rewards : Costs and profits are negotiated by each independent entity, which incentivizes self-protection.	Shared risks/rewards : Costs and profits are pooled. Individual performances impact the collective bottom line.
Sequential implementation of work : Standalone groups pursue their tasks independently, then "relay" responsibility on to the next group.	Simultaneous implementation of work : As much as possible, the unified team completes their tasks in parallel and overlapping workstreams.

TRADITIONAL PROJECT DELIVERY	INTEGRATED PROJECT DELIVERY
To each their own : Partners are often selected based on a lowest-bidder criteria. Individual parties operate under standalone conditions of satisfaction.	Your success is our success : Team members are selected based on a holistic assessment of their qualifications. A common definition of success drives the way forward.
Individual risks/rewards : Costs and profits are negotiated by each independent entity, which incentivizes self-protection.	Shared risks/rewards : Costs and profits are pooled. Individual performances impact the collective bottom line.
Sequential implementation of work : Standalone groups pursue their tasks independently, then "relay" responsibility on to the next group.	Simultaneous implementation of work : As much as possible, the unified team completes their tasks in parallel and overlapping workstreams.

Advantages of the IPD

Due to the nature of an IPD construction project, where all stakeholders are accountable, the delivery method also promotes communication and frequent cross-team check-ins.

The shared accountability incentivizes team members to perform at their best, elevating the quality of the project.

IDP reduces waiting time between different phases of a construction project since each team is involved in every phase. For example, the general contractor can get a head start on ordering materials and equipment because they take part in the design phase of the project and know the project’s needs.

Disadvantages of the IPD

One team member’s underperformance compromises the entire timeline and other stakeholders.

In IPD projects, the entire group must come to a consensus on all parts of the project, which is not as time effective as other types of project delivery methods, like design-bid-build. IDP contracts typically stipulate a form of group consensus for decisions on the project, which can also slow down the overall construction process.

Though IPD projects often implement lean construction, meaning they emphasize efficiency, zero-waste materials, and cross-over between the design and construction phases, it is generally a higher-cost project delivery method because of the risk involved. In IDP contracts, all parties are contractually bound to each other, meaning that one team’s delay has ripple effects across the entire construction project.

INTEGRATED PROJECT DELIVERY

PROS	CONS
• Early participation by the contrac- tor, meaning that streamlined design is possible.	• Shared risk amongst all parties.
• Increased opportunity for collabo- ration at all steps of the project.	• Generally unavailable to public entities due to a lack of a bidding component.
• Excellent opportunity to minimize project cost and improve efficiency through cooperation between team members.	• Necessitates an extremely high level of involvement from the owner.
• High chance of project success, as the interests of all parties are aligned.	• Actual contract agreement can be difficult and time-consuming, and can eat into the budget time allot- ment for completing the project.

Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) & Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)

Design for Manufacturing and Assembly