Contractor’s vs Designer’s design responsibilities

In this RISE podcast episode, host Claire Brown speaks with Joseph Wittenberg, Principal Consultant at Turner and Townsend, about one of the biggest risk areas in retrofit projects: design responsibility. The discussion explores where liability sits between contractors and designers, particularly under design-and-build contracts and PAS 2035 compliant retrofit programmes.Joe breaks down key legal concepts such as reasonable skill and care versus fitness for purpose, highlights common misconceptions that lead to disputes, and explains how unclear contract wording can expose housing providers to long-term risk. The episode also covers practical steps housing organisations can take to protect their assets, including choosing the right procurement route, clarifying employer’s requirements, and using design responsibility matrices to avoid scope gaps.