# Turnkey Contract (Design-Build)

> A turnkey contract (design-build) puts design and construction under one firm at a fixed price. See a worked example and how SuperWise records the contract.

Canonical: https://superwise.site/glossary/turnkey-contract/
Last updated: 2026-11-01

A contract under which one firm designs and builds the project for the client, who takes over a finished building.

## What is Turnkey Contract (Design & Build)?

A Turnkey Contract, also called design-build, is an agreement in which a single firm takes full responsibility for a project, from the blueprints and municipal approvals to the concrete and the paint. The client does not hire an architect and a builder separately. It signs one contract, then turns the key and walks into a finished building.

## Practical example

A tech startup that lacks real estate expertise signs a Turnkey Contract with an EPC firm to build its corporate headquarters for a fixed ₹50,00,00,000. The EPC firm hires the architects, designs the [HVAC](https://superwise.site/glossary/hvac/), lays the foundation and furnishes the interior. The startup carries no construction risk and moves in 18 months later.

## In SuperWise

In SuperWise a works contract is recorded as a [work order](https://superwise.site/glossary/work-order/), whose lines tie [BOQ](https://superwise.site/glossary/bill-of-quantities/) items to a contracted quantity and rate. A work order can also carry billing milestones, each a fixed amount due when a named deliverable such as Foundation Complete is reached. After approval it can be amended, which raises its revision number and keeps a snapshot of the earlier version.

[For contracts and purchase](https://superwise.site/professions/construction-contracts-and-purchase/)

## Related terms

- [Tender (Tendering Process)](https://superwise.site/glossary/tender-tendering/)
- [Work Order (WO)](https://superwise.site/glossary/work-order/)
- [Project Management Consultant (PMC)](https://superwise.site/glossary/project-management-consultant/)
- [HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning)](https://superwise.site/glossary/hvac/)

## Related
- [Tender (Tendering Process)](https://superwise.site/glossary/tender-tendering/)
- [Work Order (WO)](https://superwise.site/glossary/work-order/)
- [Project Management Consultant (PMC)](https://superwise.site/glossary/project-management-consultant/)
- [HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning)](https://superwise.site/glossary/hvac/)
- [For contracts and purchase](https://superwise.site/professions/construction-contracts-and-purchase/)