Project type
Commercial CDM principal designer services
Fit out, refurbishment and small commercial development, where the client keeps the full set of duties and nothing transfers to the contractor.
Short answer
On a commercial project the client duties in regulation 4 of CDM 2015 stay with the client throughout. Nothing moves to the contractor the way it does on domestic work, and if no principal designer is appointed, regulation 5(3) leaves the principal designer's duties with the client as well. ClearCDM takes the principal designer appointment on fit out, refurbishment and smaller commercial development, from £1,200 plus VAT.
What is different about a commercial project
| Domestic | Commercial | |
|---|---|---|
| Client duties | Regulation 7(1) moves most of them to the contractor | Stay with the client, in full, and are not transferable |
| If no principal designer is appointed | Regulation 7(2): the designer in control of the pre-construction phase | Regulation 5(3): the client carries the principal designer duties |
| Notification | Regulation 7(1) moves the duty to the contractor | The client's, and the notice has to be displayed on site |
ClearCDM never prices for commercial client duties, because they cannot be transferred. What we do instead is make them straightforward to discharge. Client CDM support.
Fit out and occupied buildings
The characteristic commercial project is work inside a building that is still being used, and the pre-construction information reflects that.
- Who else is in the building, and where, during each stage.
- Base building services, landlord plant and anything shared with other tenants.
- Escape routes and the building's fire strategy, and how the works affect both.
- Out of hours working, noisy work windows and delivery restrictions.
- Existing asbestos information, which for a commercial building the duty holder should already hold under the Control of Asbestos Regulations.
- Structural alterations to a frame or slab that somebody else's fit out is fixed to.
Is your project notifiable?
Commercial projects reach the F10 thresholds more often than domestic ones, particularly fast track fit outs with large crews. The test is more than 30 working days with more than 20 workers on site at once, or more than 500 person days. Run the numbers.
What it costs
From £1,200 plus VAT for commercial fit out and refurbishment, and from £1,850 plus VAT for commercial development, rising with contract value on a published schedule. The fee schedule, or price your own project.
Common questions
Can we transfer our client duties to you?
No, and nobody can take them. They are the client's under regulation 4 and they stay there. What we take is the principal designer appointment, and we give you a clear written position on what remains yours.
We are the tenant, not the building owner. Are we the client?
The client is whoever the construction work is being carried out for. On a tenant fit out that is normally the tenant, which makes the tenant the client with the full regulation 4 duties.
Price it in about two minutes
Answer a few questions about the works and see the fixed fee. Nothing is contracted and no money is taken online.
Get an instant quote →Not sure yet? check whether the appointment is required at all.