Matthews&Roberts

Project Delivery Consultancy

Principal Designer and Principal Contractor (CDM 2015) — our capability

Capability

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Our capability

Principal Designer — CDM 2015 · Pre-construction

The dutyholder for managing health and safety through the pre-construction phase under CDM 2015.

The pre-construction phase is where the safety, cost, and buildability of a project are largely decided. As Principal Designer we take charge of it — planning, managing, and monitoring health and safety while the project is still on the drawing board, when hazards can be designed out rather than managed around.

We act as a coordinating mind across the design team, not a box-ticking overlay. We engage early, make risk visible, and hold designers to the general principles of prevention — eliminate first, then reduce, then control.

How we operate

  • Appointed in writing, early in the design programme
  • Embedded in design workshops and risk reviews
  • A live design risk register, not a one-off report

What we deliver under CDM 2015

Pre-Construction Information (PCI)
We gather, assess, and issue the existing information every designer and contractor needs — surveys, hazards, and site constraints — and identify what is missing.
Design risk management
We ensure foreseeable risks are eliminated, reduced, or controlled through design decisions, recorded and tracked in a design risk register.
Designer coordination
We ensure every designer cooperates, shares information, and works to a single, coordinated approach to health and safety.
Client CDM advice
We advise the client on their own duties — notification (F10), welfare, and the capability of those appointed.
The Health & Safety File
We compile the file of residual risks and the information needed to maintain, clean, and one day demolish the building safely, and hand it over at completion.

You reach site with risk understood and designed out — fewer surprises, fewer variations, and a clear record you can rely on for the life of the building.

Principal Contractor — CDM 2015 · Construction

The dutyholder for managing health and safety through the construction phase under CDM 2015.

Once construction begins, control of the site is everything. As Principal Contractor we plan, manage, and monitor the construction phase — turning the design team's intent into a site that is safe, sequenced, and properly run, from first mobilisation to handover.

We set the standard by which the site operates and hold every contractor to it. Our presence is practical and visible: clear rules, disciplined coordination, and active monitoring rather than paperwork after the fact.

How we operate

  • A Construction Phase Plan in place before work starts
  • Daily coordination of contractors and interfaces
  • Planned inspections, audits, and worker engagement

What we deliver under CDM 2015

Construction Phase Plan (CPP)
We prepare, maintain, and enforce the plan that governs how the works are carried out safely — site rules, arrangements, and control measures.
Site set-up & welfare
We establish access, security, traffic management, and the welfare facilities required under CDM 2015 before anyone starts work.
Contractor coordination
We organise cooperation between contractors, review method statements and risk assessments, and manage the interfaces between trades.
Monitoring & inspection
We run inductions, inspections, audits, and toolbox talks, and consult the workforce, so standards are maintained day to day.
Information to the H&S File
We capture as-built information and residual risks and pass them to the Principal Designer for the Health & Safety File.

You get a site that runs to a single standard, with one party accountable for safety, sequence, and quality — and a construction phase that finishes without the disputes poor coordination creates.

Turnkey Delivery — Concept to completion

One management team carrying the project from first concept to completed building.

Turnkey delivery removes the seams. We take the project from strategic brief to a completed, commissioned building under one team — holding the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor duties together and leading every stage in between.

One team, one programme, one line of accountability. Design coordination, procurement, construction, and commissioning are managed as a continuous process, so nothing falls between disciplines and no one hands you a problem to solve.

How we operate

  • A single point of accountability for the whole project
  • Both CDM dutyholder roles held under one roof
  • Continuous control of programme, cost, and risk

What we lead, end to end

Feasibility & brief
We test the brief, the options, and the budget, and set the project up to succeed before commitment.
Design & procurement
We coordinate the design team and run procurement to secure the right supply chain on the right terms.
Construction & CDM
We hold both dutyholder roles and manage the build, integrating health and safety through every phase.
Commissioning & handover
We prove the building performs as intended and hand it over complete, with the Health & Safety File and O&M information.

You gain the simplicity of a single accountable team, and a building delivered as one coherent process rather than a series of contracts you have to hold together yourself.

Embedded Support — Alongside your team

Specialist capability embedded within your existing team, strengthening delivery on a defined solution or stage.

Sometimes the need is not for another appointment, but for capability inside your own team. Embedded support places our specialists alongside yours — working to your structures, systems, and reporting lines — to strengthen delivery exactly where it is needed.

We integrate rather than impose. We adopt your governance and tools, add senior capability on a specific solution or stage, and scale our involvement up or down as the work demands — then hand over cleanly.

How we operate

  • Working within your team, governance, and systems
  • Focused on a defined solution, stage, or period
  • Flexible, scalable, and time-bound by design

What we bring

Capability & capacity
We add senior, specialist input — technical, commercial, or managerial — where your team needs depth, without permanent headcount.
Solution-by-solution focus
We target a specific challenge or stage, apply what it needs, and move on rather than embedding indefinitely.
Working to your systems
We adopt your processes, reporting lines, and standards, so the support is seamless from day one.
Knowledge transfer
We leave method and capability behind, so your team is stronger and self-sufficient when we step back.

You strengthen delivery on the work that matters most, on your terms — capability precisely where and when you need it, and none where you don't.

CDM 2015 · Pre-construction

Principal Designer

The Principal Designer is the dutyholder appointed by the client to manage health and safety during the pre-construction phase of a project under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Where a project involves more than one contractor, a Principal Designer must be appointed in writing.

The pre-construction phase is where the safety, cost, and buildability of a project are largely decided. As Principal Designer we plan, manage, and monitor that phase; we ensure designers apply the general principles of prevention — eliminating hazards first, then reducing and controlling those that remain; and we coordinate the flow of health and safety information across the whole design team.

What we deliver in this role

Pre-Construction Information (PCI)
We gather, assess, and issue the existing information every designer and contractor needs — asbestos and site surveys, ground conditions, existing drawings, and known hazards — and identify the gaps that must be filled.
Design risk management
We ensure foreseeable risks are eliminated, reduced, or controlled through design decisions, recorded and tracked in a design risk register rather than a one-off report.
Designer coordination
We ensure every designer cooperates, shares information, and works to a single coordinated approach to health and safety.
Client CDM advice
We advise the client on their own duties — HSE notification (F10), welfare, and the skills, knowledge, and organisational capability of those appointed.
The Health & Safety File
We compile the file of residual risks and the information needed to maintain, clean, alter, and one day demolish the building safely, and hand it to the client at completion.

How this supports you. The result is a project that reaches site with risk understood and designed out — fewer surprises, fewer variations, and a record you can rely on for the life of the building.

CDM 2015 · Construction

Principal Contractor

The Principal Contractor is the dutyholder appointed by the client to manage health and safety during the construction phase of a project under CDM 2015. As with the Principal Designer, the role is required on any project involving more than one contractor and must be appointed in writing.

Once construction begins, control of the site is everything. As Principal Contractor we plan, manage, and monitor the construction phase; we prepare and enforce the Construction Phase Plan; and we coordinate and supervise every contractor on site, maintaining the standards, sequencing, and controls a safe site depends on.

What we deliver in this role

Construction Phase Plan (CPP)
We prepare, maintain, and enforce the plan that governs how the works are carried out safely — site rules, arrangements, and control measures — before construction begins.
Site set-up and welfare
We establish site access, security, traffic management, and the welfare facilities required under CDM 2015 before anyone starts work.
Contractor coordination
We organise cooperation between contractors, review method statements and risk assessments, and manage the interfaces between trades.
Monitoring and inspection
We run inductions, inspections, audits, and toolbox talks, and consult the workforce, so standards are maintained day to day.
Information to the Health & Safety File
We capture as-built information and residual risks and pass them to the Principal Designer for inclusion in the Health & Safety File.

How this supports you. The result is a site that runs to a single standard, with one party accountable for safety, sequence, and quality — and a construction phase that finishes without the disputes and delays poor coordination creates.

Concept to completion

Turnkey Delivery

Turnkey delivery brings the entire project under a single management team, from first concept to completed building. It is the model for clients who want one point of accountability across the whole lifecycle, with the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor duties held together where appropriate.

We lead feasibility, design coordination, procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover as one continuous process — controlling programme, cost, and risk across every stage, so nothing falls between disciplines.

What we deliver in this role

Feasibility and brief
We test the brief, the options, and the budget, and set the project up to succeed before commitment.
Design and procurement
We coordinate the design team and run procurement to secure the right supply chain on the right terms.
Construction and CDM
We hold both dutyholder roles and manage the build, integrating health and safety through every phase.
Commissioning and handover
We prove the building performs as intended and hand it over complete, with the Health & Safety File and O&M information.

How this supports you. The result is the simplicity of a single accountable team, and a building delivered as one coherent process rather than a series of contracts you have to hold together yourself.

Alongside your team

Embedded Support

Embedded support places our specialists within your existing team, working to your structures, systems, and reporting lines. Rather than taking a role on the project, we add capability directly to your own delivery team — on a single solution, a particular stage, or for a defined period.

It is the model for clients who want to keep control of a project while strengthening performance exactly where it is needed. We integrate with your governance, add specialist capability without permanent headcount, scale our involvement as the work requires, and hand over cleanly once the task is complete.

What we deliver in this role

Capability and capacity
We add senior, specialist input — technical, commercial, or managerial — where your team needs depth, without permanent headcount.
Solution-by-solution focus
We target a specific challenge or stage, apply what it needs, and move on rather than embedding indefinitely.
Working to your systems
We adopt your processes, reporting lines, and standards, so the support is seamless from day one.
Knowledge transfer
We leave method and capability behind, so your team is stronger and self-sufficient when we step back.

How this supports you. The result is strengthened delivery on the work that matters most, on your terms — capability precisely where and when you need it, and none where you don't.

Common questions

Principal Designer & Principal Contractor, answered

The Principal Designer is the dutyholder appointed by the client to plan, manage, and monitor health and safety during the pre-construction phase of a construction project under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The role must be appointed in writing on any project involving more than one contractor, and is responsible for ensuring foreseeable risks are designed out or controlled before construction begins.

A Principal Designer plans, manages, and monitors the pre-construction phase; gathers and issues pre-construction information; ensures designers eliminate, reduce, and control foreseeable risk; coordinates cooperation between designers; advises the client on their CDM duties; and compiles the Health and Safety File for handover.

The Principal Contractor is the dutyholder appointed by the client to plan, manage, and monitor health and safety during the construction phase under CDM 2015. The role is required on any project with more than one contractor and is responsible for the day-to-day control of the site, including the Construction Phase Plan and the coordination of all contractors.

The Principal Contractor plans, manages, and monitors the construction phase; prepares, maintains, and enforces the Construction Phase Plan; coordinates and supervises every contractor on site; establishes site rules, induction, welfare, and access control; secures the site; and maintains information for the Health and Safety File.

The Principal Designer manages health and safety during the pre-construction (design) phase, while the Principal Contractor manages it during the construction phase. Both are dutyholders under CDM 2015, both are appointed by the client, and both are required where more than one contractor is involved. The Principal Designer hands the relevant risk information to the Principal Contractor to carry into construction.

Under CDM 2015, where a project involves more than one contractor, the client must appoint both a Principal Designer and a Principal Contractor in writing. If no appointment is made, the client takes on those duties by default. Even on single-contractor projects, the underlying design and construction risk-management duties still apply.

A Principal Designer should be appointed as early as possible in the design process — ideally at the outset of the pre-construction phase — so that health and safety can be considered while design decisions are still being made. The appointment must be in writing on projects involving more than one contractor.

Yes. Provided the organisation has the skills, knowledge, experience, and organisational capability for each role, it can hold both. Delivering both duties under one team is the basis of a turnkey, concept-to-completion appointment, giving the client a single point of accountability across the whole project.

Pre-construction information is the health and safety information that already exists about a project and its site — surveys, ground conditions, existing drawings, and known hazards such as asbestos. The Principal Designer gathers, assesses, and issues it to every designer and contractor so that risk can be understood and managed from the outset, and identifies any information that is still missing.

The Construction Phase Plan is the document that sets out the health and safety arrangements, site rules, and control measures for the construction phase of a project. The Principal Contractor prepares, maintains, and enforces it, and it must be in place before construction begins.

The Health and Safety File is the record of information needed to manage health and safety during future construction, maintenance, cleaning, and demolition of a building. The Principal Designer compiles it during the project and hands it to the client at completion.

Embedded support places our specialists within your existing team, working to your systems, standards, and reporting lines. Rather than taking a formal role on the project, we add specialist capability directly to your delivery team on a defined solution or stage, strengthening performance without adding permanent headcount, and hand over once the work is complete.

Yes. Through our embedded support model we integrate with your existing team and governance to strengthen delivery on a solution-by-solution basis. We scale our involvement up or down as the project requires, and step back cleanly, leaving your team self-sufficient.

Across every sector

We hold these roles wherever we work

CommercialData CentresEducationHeritageHighwaysInfrastructureManufacturingResidentialRetailTransportUtilitiesAll sectors
Related services:CDM AdvisoryHealth & SafetyProject Management

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Which role does your project need?

Whether you need us as Principal Designer, Principal Contractor, or to deliver the project turnkey from concept to completion, we will set out plainly what the role involves and how we would run it. Speak to our team.

Principal Designer under CDM 2015
Principal Contractor for the construction phase
Turnkey delivery, concept to completion
Embedded support alongside your team

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