EPC vs design-build: what's the difference?

EPC (engineer, procure, construct) is a contract structure where one firm delivers a specified plant, with the design often produced separately and handed over. Design-build puts design and construction under a single entity, accountable from load calcs to commissioning. MYNT self-performs both models: in-house engineering with an electrical P.E. on staff, W-2 IBEW crews on site, and California B, C-10, and C-46 licenses. One contract, zero handoffs.

Contract: design and construction under a single accountable entity. Zero handoffs

When does each model make sense?

EPC fits owners and developers who already have a design, or a design partner, and want a single firm to procure the equipment and build the plant to that specification. It's the standard structure for larger and utility-adjacent projects, where financing parties want a fixed scope behind a single contract.

Design-build fits owners who want one accountable team from the first load calculation to the final inspection. There is no design handoff, so there is no gap where “as-designed” and “as-buildable” diverge: the people who drew it answer for building it.

What does self-performing change?

Most firms in this market subcontract the half they don't own: design shops sub out the build, contractors sub out the engineering. MYNT holds both halves in-house: engineering with an electrical P.E. on staff, and construction self-performed by W-2 IBEW electricians under our California B, C-10, and C-46 licenses, on site through permission-to-operate.

That means the schedule is ours to keep, the quality is ours to answer for, and there's no finger-pointing seam between designer and builder. Whether your project is contracted as EPC or design-build, the crew is the same one.