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A Division of Roberts Environmental Control Corp. · Est. 1985

Your Last HVAC Project Took 8 Months Just to Award.
What If You Could Break Ground in 30 Days?

Roberts Design Build Solutions delivers integrated MEP design-build under a pre-awarded cooperative contract. No RFP. No finger-pointing. No budget surprises. One team, one contract, one call.

Get a Proposal in 48 Hours See Why Agencies Are Switching
102% Faster Design-Through-Completion
6.1% Lower Cost vs. Traditional
90K+ Eligible Public Agencies
$0 RFP Cost to Your Agency

Source: DBIA Data Sourcebook · Design-Build Institute of America

The Problem

Traditional Procurement Is Costing You More Than You Think

The traditional design-bid-build process was designed for transparency. But somewhere along the way, it became an expensive, adversarial system that delays critical infrastructure and punishes the people trying to do the right thing.

$86,000
Average staff cost to award a single HVAC contract through traditional RFP

NCPP RFP Tracking Project

138+ hrs
Staff hours consumed by a complex procurement — before a single pipe is installed

NPPGov Research

6–8 months
Average timeline from planning through contract award using traditional RFP

Euna Solutions

41%
Of U.S. schools have HVAC systems that fail to meet ASHRAE ventilation standards

GAO 2020 Report

The Real Consequences

✕
Lowest-bid contractors cut corners.

Extremely low bids indicate contractors that lack experience or financial stability — increasing risk of project failure, change orders, and subpar materials.

✕
Finger-pointing when problems arise.

Architect blames contractor. Contractor blames engineer. Owner gets stuck in the middle with a half-finished project and a stack of change orders.

✕
Critical infrastructure waits while paperwork piles up.

14 million school days are lost annually to asthma-related complications linked to poor indoor air quality. Your students, patients, and employees can't wait 8 months for an RFP.

✕
Budget surprises at bid opening — and after.

Design is completed before cost is known. Change orders are the norm, not the exception. Final cost regularly exceeds the original estimate by 10–20%.

There is a better way. One that's fully compliant, competitively solicited, and lets you start your project this month — not next year.

See the Solution
The Solution

Two Paths to a Project That Actually Works

Whether you have an architect or need a complete turnkey solution, Roberts DBS delivers integrated design-build with single-source accountability — under a pre-awarded cooperative contract.

Path 1

Architect-Led MEP Design-Build

You bring the architect. We own the critical systems.

Your project has an architect. Roberts DBS steps in as the MEP design-build partner, taking full ownership of the highest-risk mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems — the ones where things go wrong on traditional projects.

  • Complete MEP engineering with BIM/CAD clash detection
  • Seamless architect collaboration from design through commissioning
  • Self-performed critical installations by Roberts union craftsmen
  • One point of accountability for all mechanical systems
  • Cost and design evolve together — no bid-day surprises
1 Your Architect
→
2 We Engineer MEP
→
3 We Build & Install
→
4 Commission & Deliver
Discuss Your Project
Most Popular
Path 2

Fast-Track Turnkey Program

We handle everything. You get a risk-free, on-budget project.

Roberts DBS manages every phase — architecture, engineering, trade coordination, and commissioning. Fully integrated design-build under a cooperative contract with audit-proof compliance and open-book transparency.

  • Architecture team selection and management
  • All-trade coordination and construction management
  • BuyFair cooperative contract — audit-proof compliance
  • Guaranteed maximum price with open-book transparency
  • Fast-track schedule — design and construction overlap
  • Single contract, single team, zero finger-pointing
1 We Design
→
2 We Engineer
→
3 We Build
→
4 We Deliver
Start Your Turnkey Project
The Data

Design-Build vs. Traditional: The Numbers Don't Lie

The Design-Build Institute of America has tracked thousands of projects. The evidence is overwhelming.

Metric
Traditional DBB
Roberts Design-Build
Cost Growth
Industry average
3.8% less cost growth
Cost Per Square Foot
Baseline
6.1% lower overall cost
Construction Speed
Sequential schedule
36% faster construction
Design-Through-Completion
12–24 months typical
102% faster delivery
Procurement Time
6–8 months RFP cycle
Days with cooperative contract
Procurement Cost
$86,000+ per solicitation
$0 — already competitively bid
Change Orders
Standard / expected
Significantly fewer claims
Owner Satisfaction
Varies
75%+ rate “excellent”

Sources: DBIA Data Sourcebook, FHWA Design-Build Effectiveness Study, FMI/DBIA 2023 Mid-Cycle Survey, NCPP RFP Tracking Project

What This Means for a $5M HVAC Project

$305,000 saved in construction costs (6.1% lower)
+
$86,000 saved in procurement staff time
+
6–12 months faster project completion
=
$391,000+ saved with faster, better results
BuyFair National Cooperative Group

Skip the RFP. Start Your Project This Month.

Roberts DBS is an awarded vendor through BuyFair National Cooperative Group. Our contract has already been competitively solicited, publicly evaluated, and awarded by a lead public agency. Your agency can engage us today — fully compliant, no new RFP required.

Traditional RFP Process

Market Research
↓
Develop Specifications
↓
Publish & Advertise
↓
Evaluate Responses
↓
Negotiate Terms
↓
Award Contract
↓
Begin Work
4–8 Months · $86,000+ Staff Cost
VS

Cooperative Contract Process

Select Roberts DBS via BuyFair
↓
Issue Purchase Order
↓
Begin Work
Days · $0 Procurement Cost

How It Works

BuyFair is a national governmental purchasing cooperative led by Region 15 Education Service Center (a Texas state agency). Every BuyFair contract goes through a rigorous 6-step competitive process:

  1. Solicitation — Competitive solicitation issued by lead public agency
  2. National Advertisement — Published nationally for maximum vendor participation
  3. Piggybacking Language — Intergovernmental language makes it accessible to agencies in all 50 states
  4. Sealed Responses — Recorded and opened publicly for full transparency
  5. Evaluation — Judged on quality, performance, and price
  6. Award — Lead agency issues award — available to all member agencies

100% audit-proof. All due diligence documentation is available for every awarded vendor. Your procurement team can verify the entire competitive solicitation process. Membership is free — no fees, no obligations, no minimums.

Why Agencies Choose Cooperative Contracting

80% Time Savings

What takes 6–8 months via traditional RFP can be accomplished in days. Your procurement team issues a PO instead of running a solicitation.

Significant Cost Reduction

Aggregated purchasing power drives competitive pricing. Plus you eliminate the $86,000+ administrative cost of running your own solicitation.

Full Compliance

Every BuyFair contract is competitively solicited per procurement law. Complete documentation available for audit. Authorized in all 50 states.

Pre-Vetted Quality

Vendors are thoroughly evaluated on quality, performance, and capability — not just lowest price. You get contractors who can actually deliver.

Reduced Risk

Contracts have undergone rigorous legal review. No bid protests. No procurement stoppages. Pre-negotiated terms protect your agency.

Emergency Ready

When critical systems fail, cooperative contracts let you engage a qualified contractor immediately — no emergency procurement waiver needed.

Who Can Use Cooperative Contracts?

BuyFair contracts are available to over 90,000 public agencies nationwide:

K–12 School Districts
Colleges & Universities
Hospitals & Healthcare
City & County Government
State & Federal Agencies
Non-Profit Organizations
Tribal Entities
Houses of Worship

Ready to Skip the RFP?

Membership is free. No obligations. No minimums. Start with a conversation.

Get a Proposal — No RFP Required View Our BuyFair Profile
The Process

From First Call to Commissioning

A clear, predictable process that eliminates the adversarial relationships of traditional delivery.

1

Discovery & Needs Assessment

We sit down with your team to understand facility needs, budget parameters, timeline, and operational constraints. We evaluate whether Path 1 (Architect-Led) or Path 2 (Fast-Track Turnkey) is the right fit. Timeline: 1–2 weeks.

2

Conceptual Design & Budget Lock

Our engineers develop preliminary designs with real-world cost estimates. You see the budget before a single construction document is drawn. Cost and design evolve together — no downstream surprises. Timeline: 2–4 weeks.

3

Engineering & Fast-Track Procurement

Full MEP engineering with BIM coordination and clash detection. Design, permitting, and early equipment procurement happen in parallel — that's the fast-track advantage that saves months. Timeline: 4–8 weeks.

4

Construction & Self-Performance

Roberts craftsmen self-perform critical mechanical installations. All trades coordinated under one roof. Weekly owner updates, open-book accounting, and proactive issue resolution — no change-order games. Timeline: project-dependent.

5

Commissioning & Handover

Rigorous testing, air balancing, and commissioning ensure every system performs to spec. Complete documentation, staff training, and warranty coverage. Project delivered — on time, on budget, fully operational. Timeline: 1–2 weeks.

What We Build

40+ Years of Mechanical Expertise, Integrated Into Design-Build

The same union craftsmen and engineers who built mechanical systems for the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Jackson Park Hospital, and Rosenwald Courts — now available through a single design-build contract.

HVAC Systems

Complete heating, cooling, and ventilation design and installation for commercial and industrial facilities of any scale. Rooftop units to central plants.

Piping & Process Systems

Hydronic, steam, process piping, and specialty systems with certified welders. High-pressure boiler installations to chilled water distribution.

Sheet Metal & Fabrication

In-house fabrication shop producing custom ductwork, fittings, and assemblies. From shop drawings to field installation — no subcontractor markup.

Controls & Automation

Building automation, SCADA integration, and BACnet-compatible controls. Intelligent systems that optimize performance and reduce energy costs.

BIM & Value Engineering

Full 3D coordination with clash detection eliminates field conflicts before they happen. Value engineering that has saved clients millions in avoided costs.

24/7 Emergency Response

When critical systems fail, our team mobilizes immediately. Cooperative contracts enable emergency engagement without procurement waivers.

Common Questions

Addressing Your Concerns Head-On

We know cooperative contracting and design-build are different from what you're used to. Here are the questions we hear most.

“Does this bypass competitive bidding requirements?”

No. Every BuyFair contract goes through a full competitive solicitation conducted by Region 15 Education Service Center (a Texas state agency serving as lead public agency). Bids are sealed, publicly opened, and evaluated on quality, performance, and price. The competition already happened — at a larger scale than any single agency could conduct. Complete solicitation documentation is available for your audit file.

“Is this compliant in our state?”

Yes. All 50 states have joint powers or cooperative procurement statutes that authorize piggybacking on competitively solicited contracts from other government agencies. BuyFair's solicitations include intergovernmental language specifically enabling this. We can provide state-specific legal documentation for your counsel.

“Will we get competitive pricing?”

For complex HVAC and mechanical services, the value goes far beyond unit pricing. You eliminate $86,000+ in procurement costs, 138+ hours of staff time, and 6–8 months of delays. BuyFair evaluates on total cost of ownership — quality, performance, and price — not just lowest bid. Plus, every dollar is tracked with open-book transparency.

“What if our project is complex or unique?”

The cooperative contract provides the compliant procurement framework. The actual scope, design, and engineering are 100% customized to your facility. We've installed 2,700 HP high-pressure steam boilers at VA medical centers and engineered $1.2M in value-engineered savings on full-block housing developments. No project is too complex.

“We've always done RFPs. Why change?”

Because your infrastructure can't wait. 41% of U.S. schools fail ASHRAE ventilation standards. 14 million school days are lost to asthma annually. The traditional process was designed for transparency, and cooperative contracting delivers that same transparency — with 80% time savings and zero procurement cost. It's not a shortcut. It's a better path to the same destination.

“How is design-build different from what we've done before?”

Traditional design-bid-build separates design from construction, creating competing interests and finger-pointing when problems arise. Design-build integrates both under one team and one contract. Cost and design evolve together. Problems are solved collaboratively, not litigated. DBIA data shows design-build delivers 6.1% lower costs and 102% faster completion.

About Roberts DBS

Built on Precision. Delivered with Accountability.

Roberts Design Build Solutions is a division of Roberts Environmental Control Corp., a premier mechanical contractor serving commercial and industrial facilities across Illinois and the Midwest since 1985.

The DBS division was created to meet growing demand for integrated project delivery. Our clients were tired of fragmented responsibility, lowest-bid contractors cutting corners, and projects that came in late and over budget. They wanted one team that would own the outcome.

Backed by Roberts' deep bench of engineers, project managers, BIM specialists, and union craftsmen — and empowered by BuyFair cooperative contracting — DBS delivers projects that traditional methods cannot match: faster, more predictable, and fully accountable.

Visit RobertsHVAC.com Our Affiliations →

Self-Performance

Our own union craftsmen install the critical systems. No subcontractor roulette on the work that matters most.

Open-Book Transparency

Every dollar tracked and auditable. No hidden markups. No change-order games. Full cost visibility from day one.

Single-Source Accountability

One contract. One team. One phone call when you need answers. Design-build eliminates the blame game.

Cooperative Compliance

Audit-proof procurement through BuyFair. Complete documentation for your records. Fully compliant in all 50 states.

Start Today

Get a Proposal in 48 Hours — No RFP Required

Whether you're exploring design-build for the first time, need an emergency HVAC replacement, or want to understand how cooperative contracting works for your agency — we'd love to hear from you.

Proposal in 48 hours Not 8 months
Free facility assessment No obligation
State-specific compliance docs For your legal team
Phone 708-429-7700
Office 8500 W 185th St, Suite B
Tinley Park, IL 60487

We respond within one business day. Usually faster.