For city planners, facility managers, and business owners, the end of the fiscal planning season brings a massive sigh of relief. The meetings are over, the justifications have been made, and the 2026 budget has finally been approved. You have the green light and the funding to move forward with your capital improvement plans.
However, securing funds is only the first hurdle. The challenge now shifts from financial planning to operational execution. A common pitfall many organizations face is the “Q1 Lull.” There is often a delay between budget approval and the actual breaking of ground. This delay is usually caused by lengthy procurement processes, design revisions, and the slow machinery of traditional bidding.
In the construction industry, time is money. Waiting to start the conversation often means missing critical completion windows for the summer season. How quickly you set priorities, choose delivery methods, and engage the right partners will determine whether your projects break ground or get stuck in preconstruction.
Job Order Contracting, often called JOC, and Design Build are two delivery tools that can help owners, facility managers, school districts, and municipalities move efficiently once budgets are approved.
Below is a practical framework for what to do next:
Step 1. Turn Line Items into a Prioritized Project List
A budget document is not a construction plan. Start by translating approved funding into a clear, prioritized list of projects.
Consider:
Which projects are time sensitive
- Code compliance, safety issues, failing infrastructure
Which projects generate the most value early
- Revenue producing facilities, athletic fields, playgrounds, parking, access improvements
Dependencies between projects
- Utility upgrades required before facility expansion
Operational constraints
- School calendars, tenant occupancy, seasonal programs
Group projects into:
- Small to medium repair, renovation, and replacement items
- Larger, more complex or ground up projects
That rough grouping will help you decide which items are best suited for JOC and which for Design Build or traditional delivery.
Step 2. Match Projects to The Right Delivery Method
Not every project needs a full design bid build process. Using JOC and Design Build intelligently can save months in Q1.
When Job Order Contracting Makes Sense
JOC is a procurement method that uses a competitively bid, unit price contract with a single contractor for a defined period. It’s ideal for:
- Repetitive or similar scope projects
- Renovations, repairs, and small additions
- Site improvements, concrete, fencing, drainage, and athletic facilities
- Work that needs to move fast once a scope is defined
Benefits:
- No need to bid each small project separately
- Pricing is based on a pre-established unit price book
- Contractor is already vetted and under contract
- Faster turnaround from concept to construction start
Public entities in Texas and many other states often access JOC contractors through cooperative purchasing programs or local contracts.
When Design Build Is the Better Fit
Design Build puts design and construction under a single contract. It’s well suited for:
- New facilities
- Complex renovations
- Projects where schedule certainty is critical
- Owners who want one point of responsibility for both design and construction
Benefits:
- Design and construction teams collaborate from day one
- Constructability and budget feedback occur during design
- Fewer change orders due to gaps between plans and field conditions
- Compressed schedule, because design and early procurement can overlap
By assigning large, complex projects to Design Build and using JOC for small to mid sized work, you can move many initiatives in parallel instead of waiting on one slow pipeline.
Step 3. Bring Your Contractor Into Preconstruction Early
Once you have grouped and matched projects to JOC or Design Build, the next step is early engagement.
For each priority project
- Share your budget, constraints, and desired completion date
- Provide existing drawings, reports, and surveys
- Schedule a detailed site walks with your contractor and, if applicable, the design team
In this preconstruction phase, your contractor can
- Validate that scope aligns with budget
- Identify potential risks or hidden conditions
- Suggest phasing options to minimize operational disruption
- Create a realistic Q1 start and completion schedule
Skipping or rushing this step is one of the main reasons projects bog down after budget approval. An experienced contractor can often find more efficient approaches if they are brought in early rather than handed a fully locked scope.
Step 4. Front Load Permitting, Procurement, And Long Lead Items
Even with the right delivery method, your schedule will suffer if permits and materials are not addressed early:
Confirm what permits and approvals are required
- Building permits, zoning, environmental, utilities, school board or council approvals
Start permit drawings and submissions as soon as scope is defined
Identify long lead items
- Specialty playground equipment, athletic surfacing, structural steel, mechanical units, lighting packages
In a JOC environment, your contractor can often:
- Price and scope smaller projects with minimal design
- Order standard materials quickly based on pre approved catalogs
In Design Build, the integrated team can:
- Advance design just far enough to release long lead packages
- Continue detailing while those items are in fabrication
Delays in permitting or procurement frequently consume more schedule than actual construction, especially in Q1 when many entities are trying to start at the same time.
Step 5. Align Q1 Construction with Operations and Weather
For many owners, Q1 includes active school terms, full occupancy, and winter conditions in some regions. Planning construction around these realities avoids conflicts and change orders.
Consider:
- What work can be done during normal hours without major disruption
- What activities should be scheduled for evenings, weekends, or breaks
- How weather might affect site work, concrete, and outdoor installations
Practical strategies:
- Use Q1 for interior work where possible, saving major site work for milder months
- Phase projects so areas remain partially usable while others are under construction
- Communicate early and often with staff, tenants, and stakeholders about schedules and access changes
A contractor experienced in public and commercial environments can help you sequence work to balance speed, cost, and occupant impact.
FAQs
Is Job Order Contracting compliant with government procurement laws?
Yes, in most cases. JOC and cooperative purchasing contracts are designed specifically to meet the statutory bidding requirements for public agencies, schools, and municipalities. Because the umbrella contract was competitively bid, your use of that contract satisfies the requirement for competition. Always verify with your local procurement officer, but this is a standard practice across Texas and the US.
Can I use these methods if I am a private business, not a municipality?
Absolutely. While JOC is a term often used in the public sector, the concept of negotiated contracts and Design-Build is widely used in the private sector. Private businesses actually have even more flexibility to choose these methods to speed up their speed to market.
What is the main advantage of using JOC after budget approval?
The primary advantage is speed with control. Because JOC contracts and pricing are already in place, you can move directly to scoping and scheduling individual job orders instead of running a full bid process for each small project. This allows you to tackle a backlog of repairs and improvements quickly in Q1 while maintaining competitive, pre negotiated pricing.
Is Design-Build more expensive than traditional bidding?
While the upfront costs might appear different, Design-Build often saves money in the long run. The traditional method is prone to “change orders” where the builder charges extra for gaps in the architect’s plans. In Design-Build, the team is responsible for those gaps, significantly reducing expensive surprises during construction. It also saves money by reducing project duration.
How early should I select a Design Build team for a large project?
Ideally, you should bring a Design Build team on board as soon as funding is confirmed and you have a clear program for the project. That often means late in the year before or very early in Q1. Early selection allows the team to participate in site evaluation, programming, and budgeting, which reduces redesign and schedule impacts later.
Can I mix JOC and Design Build on the same campus or portfolio?
Yes. Many owners use JOC for small and medium scale work such as site improvements, minor building modifications, and maintenance projects, while using Design Build for larger, more complex facilities. The key is to define boundaries so scopes do not overlap and to coordinate schedules across both delivery methods.
How do I keep fast tracked projects from going over budget?
Early and consistent cost control is critical. Use preconstruction services to align scope with budget before finalizing. On JOC projects, rely on the contract’s unit price book and require detailed, itemized proposals. On Design Build work, maintain open book cost reviews during design, and lock in key material pricing as early as practical.
What should I look for in a contractor if I want to use JOC or Design Build?
Look for a contractor with a clear track record in the specific delivery method you plan to use. For JOC, experience with task order management, cooperative purchasing contracts, and multiple small projects is important. For Design Build, look for strong design partnerships, integrated preconstruction services, and examples of past projects where schedule and budget targets were met.
Momentum is Everything
The approval of the 2026 budget is a milestone, but it is not the finish line. The success of your year depends on the momentum you build in the first quarter. If you allow the administrative burden of traditional procurement to stall your progress, you risk facing delays, rising costs, and a rush to finish before the fiscal year ends.
If you’re considering how to structure your program, this is the right time to talk with TF Harper, who understands both JOC and Design Build and can help you map delivery methods to your goals.
