AEC definitions
Delegated design means the contract assigns the detailed engineering of a component to a licensed engineer working for the contractor, using performance criteria the architect or engineer of record wrote. Common items are stairs, cold-formed framing, curtain walls, and precast connections. The seal on the shop drawings is the delegated engineer's. The design team still reviews for fit with the rest of the building.
Definition
The specification must state the criteria: loads, deflection, fire rating, and the interfaces. A note that says 'contractor to design' with no criteria is an incomplete document, not a delegation. Deferred submittal is the permit term for items the building department allows to be submitted after the main permit. Delegated design is often the way those submittals are engineered. Design-assist is a different service, where a contractor helps the design team before the documents are done. Do not use the three phrases as synonyms.
In depth
Loads, movement, thermal criteria, and attachment points belong in the section. The delegated engineer should not have to guess the drift limit. Missing criteria return as an RFI and a schedule hit.
Say what the architect still designs: the profile, the sight lines, the waterproofing concept. Split the responsibility in sentences.
The contractor's engineer seals the calculations and the shops. The architect's review stamp does not take that seal's place and should say so. Comments are for conformance and coordination, not a silent redesign.
If the review changes the criteria, issue a revision. Do not bury a new load in a review comment.
Deferred submittals are listed on the permit set. The delegated package goes to the city when the agreement with the city says so, before the work is installed. A shop drawing approved only by the architect may still be unpermitted.
Special inspections may apply to the installed work.
The bid includes design cost, professional liability, and lead time.
A trade who excluded engineering on a delegated item did not bid the spec. Leveling should catch that.
Examples
The stair specification states live load, deflection, and guard criteria. The fabricator's engineer seals the shop drawings. The architect reviews clearances and the permit set listed the stair as deferred.
A note says 'contractor design' with no loads. The contractor RFIs the criteria before engineering starts.
Design-assist meetings during DD are not delegated design. The architect still issues the construction documents.
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