Principal Designer Services

Are you undertaking construction work? Are you likely to have more than one contractor?

If so, you will need a Principal Designer! Callsafe Services Ltd can provide that service.

Callsafe Services Ltd have been actively involved in CDM since its original implementation and our team of highly qualified and experienced consultants are here to provide Principal Designer services.

Comprehensive Services

Our Principal Designer Services to clients include:

Assisting in the development of the initial brief.
Planning, managing and monitoring the co-ordination of the pre-construction phase.
Helping clients identify, obtain and collate pre-construction information.
Providing pre-construction information to Designers, Principal Contractor and Contractors.
Co-ordinating significant health and safety issues with the design team through to resolution.
Ensuring that Designers co-operate with each other and comply with CDM 2015.
Attending design review meetings.
Liaising with the Principal Contractor for the duration of our appointment.
Supporting the Principal Contractor in seeking and obtaining responses to health and safety queries from Designers.
Agreeing a format and compiling the statutory Health and Safety File for formal handover at project completion.
Communicating our progress and raising awareness of potential health and safety issues.

Adding value – In addition to our CDM 2015 statutory duties as Principal Designer, we can also:

Provide a dedicated CDM 2015 consultant to each project, for the duration of each project.
Review and comment on Construction Phase Plans produced by the Principal Contractor.
Review and comment of Risk Assessments and Method Statements.
Assist in competency reviews for appointments.
Ensure RIDDOR investigations are carried out and appropriate reporting is undertaken. Where necessary, we will intervene to ensure RIDDOR compliance to protect our clients’ interests.
Undertake on-site CDM compliance inspections and report to our Client.
Deal with telephone and email queries within 24 hours.
Provide face to face or telephone support to clients with regard to CDM 2015 and construction health and safety matters.

What is a Principal Designer?

Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), the Principal Designer is the dutyholder appointed by the client to plan, manage, monitor and co-ordinate health and safety during the pre-construction phase of a project. The role exists because the decisions made at the design stage have the greatest influence on whether a project can be built, used and maintained safely.

A Principal Designer can be an organisation or an individual, provided they have the skills, knowledge, experience and organisational capability to carry out the role. It does not have to be your architect, and it can be an external consultant such as Callsafe Services Ltd.

When do you need a Principal Designer?

You must appoint a Principal Designer, in writing, on any project where more than one contractor will be involved. This applies to commercial and domestic work alike. If the client does not make an appointment, the client takes on the Principal Designer duties by default, and on domestic projects the role usually falls to the designer in control of the pre-construction phase. Failing to appoint a competent Principal Designer is one of the most common ways clients fall short of their CDM 2015 duties.

Your options: alternative ways to get Principal Designer services

The Principal Designer role has to be filled on every multi-contractor project, but there is more than one way to fill it. Below are the main alternatives, and how each one compares, so you can decide what suits your project. Callsafe can support you in any of these models.

Option 1: Appoint an external Principal Designer consultant

You engage a specialist firm such as Callsafe to hold the Principal Designer appointment for you. This is the simplest route when your in-house team does not have the CDM competence or the capacity to take on the duties, and it gives you an independent dutyholder focused solely on health and safety in design. It suits clients who build occasionally, who want reassurance that the role is being carried out to the letter, or who want to remove the risk from their own team.

Option 2: Keep the role in-house with your lead designer

CDM 2015 was written on the expectation that the lead designer, such as the architect or lead engineer, would take on the Principal Designer role, because they are already co-ordinating the design. This can be the most efficient option where your designer has genuine CDM knowledge and the resources to manage it. The risk is that many design practices are not resourced or trained for the statutory duties, which is why the next option exists.

Option 3: In-house Principal Designer supported by a CDM adviser

Here your own designer holds the formal appointment, but a specialist such as Callsafe works alongside them as CDM adviser, providing the systems, templates, competence checks and monitoring that the role demands. You keep control and continuity within your design team, while filling any gaps in CDM experience. It is worth understanding the difference between a Principal Designer and a CDM adviser: the Principal Designer is a legal dutyholder with statutory responsibilities, whereas a CDM adviser supports the dutyholder but does not carry the appointment.

Option 4: The Principal Contractor also acting as Principal Designer

On some design and build projects the Principal Contractor takes on the Principal Designer role as well. This is permitted, but only where the contractor has real design competence and can manage health and safety in the design, not just on site. Without that competence it can create a conflict and a compliance gap, so it needs careful handling and, often, independent support.

Option 5: Cover both Principal Designer roles under the Building Safety Act

Since the dutyholder regime under the Building Safety Act came into force, there are now two separate Principal Designer roles that share the same name. For higher-risk and in-scope building work you may need to appoint dutyholders for both. Callsafe can advise on how the two roles interact and help you avoid gaps in either.

In short, the same outcome, a competent and compliant pre-construction phase and a clean Health and Safety File, can be reached in several ways: fully outsourced, kept in-house, or a blend of the two. The right choice depends on your team’s competence, your appetite for risk, and how often you build.

CDM Principal Designer vs Building Regulations Principal Designer

It is important not to confuse the two Principal Designer roles that now exist, because they share a title but are completely separate sets of duties.

The CDM Principal Designer is appointed under CDM 2015 and is responsible for planning, managing and monitoring health and safety during the pre-construction phase. It applies to all construction projects, including domestic work.

The Building Regulations Principal Designer, introduced by the Building Safety Act, is responsible for planning, managing and monitoring the design work so that it complies with all Building Regulations, not only the health and safety elements. It applies to building work that falls within the regulations.

The same organisation can hold both roles, but only where it has the right competence for each. Extending a CDM appointment to cover Building Regulations duties without the relevant expertise is a common mistake. Callsafe can advise on which appointments your project needs and how to structure them.

Frequently asked questions

Do I legally need a Principal Designer?

Yes. If your project involves more than one contractor you must appoint a Principal Designer in writing under CDM 2015. If you do not, the duties fall to you as the client, or to the designer in control of the pre-construction phase on domestic projects.

Who can be a Principal Designer?

A Principal Designer can be an individual or an organisation, as long as they have the skills, knowledge, experience and organisational capability to carry out the role. It does not have to be an architect, and it can be an external consultant.

Can I use my architect as the Principal Designer instead of a consultant?

Yes. CDM 2015 anticipates that the lead designer will often take the role. This works well where they have real CDM competence and capacity. Where they do not, you can appoint an external Principal Designer, or keep the role in-house and bring in a CDM adviser to support them.

What is the difference between a Principal Designer and a CDM adviser?

The Principal Designer is a legal dutyholder with statutory responsibilities. A CDM adviser supports the dutyholder with systems, monitoring and expertise but does not hold the appointment or the legal duties.

Is the CDM Principal Designer the same as the Building Regulations Principal Designer?

No. They share a name but are separate roles. The CDM Principal Designer manages health and safety in the pre-construction phase. The Building Regulations Principal Designer, under the Building Safety Act, manages compliance of the design with the Building Regulations. One organisation can hold both if it is competent to do so.

How much does a Principal Designer cost?

Fees depend on the size, duration and complexity of the project and on which service model you choose. Contact Callsafe Services Ltd for a quote based on your specific scheme.