Two projects with the same drawings can be delivered very differently depending on how the contract is packaged. The choice affects your risk, your programme and how much of your own team you need on site.

Lump-sum turnkey: one party, one price

Under a turnkey arrangement the contractor takes design coordination, procurement, construction and commissioning as a single scope for a fixed price. The client’s exposure to trade-by-trade coordination drops sharply, and the programme sits with one party who is accountable for the handover date. It suits clients who want a defined outcome and a lean project team.

The trade-off is less day-to-day visibility into individual packages and less room to change scope once the price is set. A clear specification and a well-defined BOQ at tender stage are what make this model work.

Trade subcontract: control, with more to manage

Awarding civil, MEP, finishing and labour as separate packages gives the client direct control over each trade, the ability to phase awards, and room to adjust scope as the design firms up. It also means the client, or their main contractor, carries the interface risk between packages and needs the site-management capacity to run them.

A practical way to decide

If the scope is well defined and you want certainty on price and date, turnkey usually wins. If the design is still evolving, or you have a capable delivery team and want to drive each package, a subcontract structure gives you the levers. Many projects use a hybrid — turnkey for the structure and envelope, direct packages for fit-out and specialist works.

Note International Contracting delivers under both models. Tell us how your project is set up and we will propose the packaging that carries the least risk for your timeline.