Employer's agent services

On a design and build project, the employer's agent is your representative throughout the contract. They stand between you and the contractor, administer the JCT design and build contract on your behalf, manage your requirements, and make sure the project is delivered to the standard, programme, and cost you agreed at the outset.

Without an experienced employer's agent in place, the balance of a design and build contract tilts toward the contractor. Instructions are issued late, changes go unmanaged, and the employer ends up in a weaker position at practical completion and final account than they should be.

BTG Eddisons provides employer's agent services for developers, funders, housing associations, public sector clients, and occupiers commissioning design and build works across the UK. Call 0800 051 2593, email [email protected], or complete our contact form further down the page to discuss your project.

The employer's agent acts as the single point of contact between the client and the contractor for the duration of a design and build contract. The role is administrative, contractual, and advisory, and covers the full life of the project from tender through to the end of the defects liability period.

In practice, that means:

• Preparing and managing the employer's requirements document. This is the specification that defines what the contractor is designing and building on your behalf.
• Administering the JCT design and build contract, including issuing instructions, managing the change control process, and certifying interim payments.
• Reviewing the contractor's proposals and design submissions to ensure they comply with the employer's requirements.
• Managing the programme and flagging early where delays or risks are emerging.
• Certifying practical completion, managing the snagging process, and overseeing the defects liability period.
• Agreeing the final account and closing the contract.

Where BTG Eddisons is also acting as quantity surveyor on the same project, cost management and contract administration run together, giving the employer a single, coherent point of oversight across both disciplines.

When do you need an employer's agent?

An employer's agent is required on any project procured under a JCT design and build contract, which covers the majority of commercial, residential, and mixed-use construction projects in the UK where the contractor is taking design responsibility.

It is particularly important where:

• The client does not have in-house construction expertise to manage the contractor directly.
• The project is being funded by a third party who requires independent contract administration and cost reporting.
• The scheme involves a public sector body with procurement and governance obligations that require clear documentary control.
• The employer wants a single firm managing cost, contract, and risk rather than coordinating multiple advisers.
• The project is large, complex, or fast-moving, and the consequences of poor contract administration are significant.

How does the employer's agent process work?

BTG Eddisons structures the employer's agent role across four clear stages, aligned to the RIBA plan of work.

1. Pre-contract

We work with you to develop the employer's requirements (the document that defines what the contractor is designing and building). Getting this right before tender is critical. Vague or incomplete employer's requirements create ambiguity that contractors exploit, and disputes at final account are often traceable to a poorly drafted brief at the start.

We also prepare the contract documentation and advise on the appropriate JCT form and special conditions for your scheme.

2. Procurement

We manage the tender process, evaluate contractor proposals against your employer's requirements, and advise on contractor selection. Our analysis covers price, design quality, and the contractor's approach to risk allocation, giving you a clear, evidenced recommendation rather than a spreadsheet of numbers.

3. Construction

Once the contractor is on site, we administer the contract on your behalf, issuing instructions, certifying interim payments against progress and quality, managing the change control process, and reporting on cost and programme throughout. Where issues arise, we deal with them directly rather than escalating avoidable disputes.

4. Completion and final account

We certify practical completion, manage the defects liability period, and agree the final account. Our aim is to close the contract fairly and efficiently, with a final account that accurately reflects what was built and a defects list that is resolved without unnecessary dispute.

Our employer's agent service is used by a wide range of clients, including:

• Property developers commissioning residential, commercial, and mixed-use design and build schemes.
• Housing associations and registered providers procuring affordable housing and mixed-tenure developments.
• Public sector bodies with construction programmes requiring independent contract administration.
• Funders and lenders requiring independent oversight of a scheme they are financing.
• Occupiers commissioning fit-out or refurbishment works under a design and build contract.
• Education and healthcare clients procuring new build or refurbishment schemes through framework or competitive tender.

Why choose BTG Eddisons for employer's agent services?

• RICS-regulated at firm level, with cost and contract advice delivered to recognised professional standards across every instruction.
• Led by Matthew Watson MRICS, Director of Cost Consultancy and Quantity Surveying, with more than 15 years of experience administering design and build contracts across commercial, residential, and mixed-use schemes.
• Combined employer's agent and quantity surveying capability. Where both services are required, we deliver them from a single team, removing the coordination risk that comes from appointing separate firms.
• Over 180 years of commercial property experience, with 550 brilliant people across 35 offices covering every major construction market in the UK.
• Proven track record across commercial, residential, mixed-use, education, and healthcare schemes, evidenced by our case studies and client reviews.

Whether you are at the early stages of a design and build scheme or already in procurement, our employer's agent team is ready to help. Call 0800 051 2593, email [email protected], or complete the form below to speak to a member of our team.