There are some owners that require a single contract for all work related to a project, as in design-build delivery. Typically, the general contractor will then hold the contracts for all design and construction team members.

LEED Interpretation #10244 was updated to apply to both v2009 and v4 to allow a CxA to be contracted through the general contractor with some restrictions. This Interpretation would also apply to newer contracting methods like Integrated Project Delivery, where there are multiple signatures to a single overall contract. It states that the CxA can be “contracted to the general contractor or a subcontractor of the general contractor in limited circumstances.” Since the design team will likely be a subcontractor of the general contractor, they could hold the CxA contract. Constraints include: 1) the Cx firm cannot be a subsidiary or partner of any firm in the project; 2) CxA must be approved by owner; and 3) the CxA must report directly to the owner.