Avoid Delays & Duplication With Principal Designer Appointments
14 August 2026
By John Read, Partner and Chartered Building Surveyor
Nearly three years after the Building Safety Act began reshaping the construction industry, many clients are still getting to grips with one of its most confusing changes: the introduction of a second Principal Designer role.
While the Principal Designer required under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) manages health and safety during the construction and design process, the Building Safety Act (BSA) introduced a second Principal Designer role (BSA), focused on compliance with the Building Regulations and the safety of the finished building, particularly in regard to fire and structural safety.
The same title is used, the roles operate in parallel, but they are not interchangeable and the responsibilities and competencies necessary are different.
This has frequently resulted in developers appointing two different Principal Designers on a project, generally from different organisations. While both play a vital role, separating delivery of their important responsibilities can create gaps in communication, duplicate work and increase the risk of important issues falling through the cracks on a scheme.
It introduces an added layer of complication into an already complex situation.
At Daniel Connal Partnership, we have managed health and safety on thousands of projects across every sector, ranging in value from £30,000 to more than £10 million. As well as CDM, we are also experienced in delivering BSA Principal Designer services. As a practice, we are increasingly helping clients bring these two responsibilities together under a single, coordinated appointment where appropriate.
Why a coordinated Principal Designer appointment can help
For clients, the main benefit of a coordinated appointment for CDM and BSA Principal Designer roles is joined-up risk management.
If the roles are split between separate organisations, one may be looking at how safely something is built, while another is looking at whether the design complies with building regulations.
Both are necessary contributors to successful, compliant project delivery. But, managed separately, gaps can appear. As can duplication.
A design decision may satisfy one requirement but cause difficulty under the other, resulting in inconsistent advice to the client. Meanwhile, responsibilities may become blurred.
Co-ordinating delivery of the roles can reduce that risk by creating one aligned approach to design-stage safety, compliance and accountability.
It can also make communication simpler and processes more efficient.
Both roles require planning, managing and monitoring design work, as well as coordinating input from multiple designers and contractors. Where separate organisations are appointed as Principal Designers, the design team can end up receiving comments, questions and instructions from two different directions.
Co-ordinated appointments of both Principal Designer roles give the project a clearer leadership voice. They help ensure health and safety risks and Building Regulations compliance are considered together, not as separate workstreams competing for attention.
This is particularly valuable at the early design stage.
The Building Safety Act places far greater emphasis on demonstrating compliance from the outset and maintaining a clear record – the golden thread – of key safety information. CDM requires designers to eliminate, reduce and manage health and safety risks as early as possible.
Those duties naturally overlap in the design process.
When they are properly joined up, clients are more likely to avoid late design changes, conflicting advice and issues that only emerge when approvals, procurement or construction are already under way.
How to reduce risk with co-ordinated Principal Designer role appointments
Under both CDM and BSA regimes, clients have legal duties and must make suitable appointments. Clarity matters here because if responsibilities are unclear or the appointed dutyholders are not competent, the client can still be exposed.
Appointing the same organisation, such as Daniel Connal Partnership, to deliver both Principal Designer roles creates a single point of accountability for design-stage risk. Our clients are clear who is coordinating the design team, managing the flow of information and checking that safety and compliance issues are being considered properly.
This can help reduce regulatory risk, programme risk and commercial risk. Coordinated Principal Designer appointments can also simplify contractual and insurance arrangements.
Separate appointments can lead to delays in approvals, non-compliant designs, duplicated work, uncertainty over who should have acted and, ultimately, increased cost.
A joined-up approach doesn’t remove every risk, but it can make those risks easier to identify, manage and evidence.
When you shouldn’t appoint the same organisation for both roles
Although clearly very convenient, co-ordinated delivery of these roles shouldn’t be treated as a shortcut.
The same organisation or individual can only perform both if they have the right competence, capacity and experience.
That means understanding design risk management, construction health and safety, Building Regulations compliance and the specific requirements of the project. On higher-risk or more complex buildings, that level of competence becomes even more important.
If an appointment is made simply for convenience, without proper due diligence checks, it may increase risk rather than reduce it. Therefore, developers must check whether the appointed party has the competence to appropriately discharge both roles.
If a developer does choose to use Principal Designers from different firms, it is important to set out a clear process for dealing with any conflicts that may arise between the roles.
How DCP can help
At Daniel Connal Partnership, we are increasingly advising clients on how these CDM and BSA Principal Designer duties interact and how appointments should be structured.
Our experience has shown us that there can be genuine advantages in appointing one organisation to carry out both roles. It can reduce duplication, improve communication and give clients greater confidence that safety and compliance are being managed together from the earliest stages.
The decision must always be project-specific, but it is something that we can help you with.
For more information about our CDM Principal Designer service, click here, and for our BSA Principal Designer service click here.
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