Design & Build

What Design & Build does

Design & Build is an Australian specialist recruitment agency focused on the Built Environment, serving clients across construction, engineering, architecture, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, property, rail, and resources disciplines. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Melbourne, the firm operates as part of the Search4 group (alongside Public Sector People and Tech & Data People) and maintains regional offices in Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth. The core service is end-to-end recruitment for temporary, contract, and permanent placements, delivered by specialist consultants who each cover a single discipline (the "one desk" model), supported by an in-house payroll service and a candidate-facing job portal.

The firm's technology stack centers on a recruitment management platform and CRM for candidate sourcing and placement management, supplemented by the Fasttrack360 portal for contractor timesheets and LinkedIn/Google social login for candidate registration. Distinctive assets include an annual, multi-sector Salary Guide program built on survey data from 1,600+ professionals across Civil, Commercial, Residential Construction and Engineering, plus a library of whitepapers covering market outlook, retention, diversity, and AI in construction. Internally, Design & Build has formalized a 13-week Associate Consultant training program and dedicated People & Culture and People Development functions to support scaling beyond 85 team members.

Design & Build earns revenue primarily through transaction fees on permanent placements and managed-service margins on temporary/contract staffing, with an additional professional-services revenue stream from payroll processing for placed contractors. The go-to-market combines enterprise account management via regional state managers, direct consultant engagement, and a self-service job portal plus referral incentives ($1,000 Westfield vouchers). The firm reports 15,000+ permanent placements and 7,500+ temporary placements since 2004, a current 500-strong weekly temporary workforce, 350+ active contractors, and a marquee recruitment partnership with the Webuild-led Parklife Metro Consortium for the Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport SSTOM package.

Name

Design & Build

Legal name

Search4

Website

https://designandbuild.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Design & Build is an Australian specialist recruitment agency, founded in 2004 and part of the Search4 group, providing temporary, contract, and permanent staffing across construction, engineering, energy, property, rail, and resources disciplines, with offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Permanent Placement Services: Recruitment fees for placing candidates in permanent full-time positions across all sectors. Placed 15,000+ candidates permanently since 2004.
2. Temporary/Contract Staffing: Ongoing staffing for temporary assignments and contract roles. Supports 500 temporary workers weekly with dedicated payroll service.
3. Payroll Services: Refined and transparent payroll service for temporary workers including timesheet management through Fasttrack360 portal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Design & Build is a specialist Australian recruitment agency placing candidates in permanent, contract, and temporary roles across the built environment, covering construction, engineering, energy, property, architecture, manufacturing, rail, resources, and corporate services. Its core offering is end-to-end recruitment including brief intake, candidate sourcing and screening, interview coordination, offer management, and onboarding, supported by a transparent in-house payroll service for temporary workers and salary benchmarking research.

Product overview

Design & Build operates as a multi-discipline recruitment agency within the Search4 group, offering a unified recruitment platform with core staffing services and supplementary talent intelligence tools. The core offering is Recruitment Services covering nine disciplines (Architecture & Interiors, Business Support, Construction, Energy, Engineering, Manufacturing, Property, Rail, Resources) for temporary assignments, contract roles, and permanent placements. This core is supported by a Payroll Service for contractor management, Salary Guides providing market benchmarks, Whitepapers offering sector analysis, Job Alerts for candidate engagement, and an Associate Consultant Program for internal team development. The supplementary products function as value-add intelligence and engagement tools rather than standalone offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recruitment Services Full-service recruitment agency providing permanent placements, temporary assignments, and contract roles across Architecture & Interiors, Corporate Services, Construction, Energy, Engineering, Manufacturing, Property, Rail, and Resources disciplines in the Australian built environment. Delivered through specialized single-desk consultants who manage the full recruitment cycle from brief to onboarding, with 15,000+ permanent placements and 7,500+ temporary placements since 2004.
• Payroll Service Refined and transparent in-house payroll service supporting temporary worker placements, with timesheet management via the Fasttrack360 portal. Currently supports 500 temporary workers weekly and underpins the temporary/contract staffing engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,000 permanent placements and 7,500 temporary placements since 2004
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• WebuildcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2023Design & Build is the official recruitment partner for the Parklife Metro Consortium (led by Webuild) delivering the Sydney Metro - Western Sydney Airport SSTOM package. D&B is responsible for recruiting and delivering highly qualified professionals for the Design & Construction element of Stations, Systems, Trains, Operations and Maintenance. This is Australia's largest rail infrastructure project and the first to commit to carbon-neutral construction and operation.
• Search4 GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign & Build is part of the Search4 group, which includes Public Sector People and Tech & Data People. Search4 employs over 100 people across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth. The group has operated within the Built Environment sector for over 20 years, with a combined placement history of 15,000 permanent and 7,500 temporary placements.
• Fasttrack360supportingTechnology or IntegrationFasttrack360 provides the timesheet management portal used by Design & Build for their temporary contractor workforce management. Candidates access the platform at https://designandbuild.fasttrack360.com.au/RecruitmentManager/CandidateLogin for timesheet submissions.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CGC Recruitment: Australian specialist recruiter focused on construction, architecture, property, and engineering — directly comparable vertical specialization, similar multi-state footprint, and overlapping client base in the Australian built environment sector.
• Bluestone Recruitment: Australian specialist recruiter covering construction, property, engineering and architecture — directly comparable in vertical focus, multi-state presence, and placement of both white-collar professionals and trades.
• Construct Recruitment: Australia-based construction and property recruitment specialist covering commercial, residential and infrastructure projects. Directly comparable in vertical focus on built environment with a similar permanent + contract placement model.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half Australia: Global specialist recruiter with Australian operations focused on professional, finance, technology and project/construction roles — comparable in serving white-collar construction and property clients, though narrower in trade and engineering verticals.
• Chandler Macleod: Established Australian recruitment and workforce solutions provider across multiple industries including construction, engineering and resources. Comparable in providing temp, contract and permanent staffing but at broader sector scope.
• Randstad Australia: Global staffing and recruitment firm with significant Australian operations across construction, engineering, property and infrastructure — comparable in serving the same verticals but at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Michael Page Australia: Global recruitment brand with a dedicated property, construction and engineering practice in Australia. Comparable in serving permanent and contract mid-to-senior roles, but operates across many additional industries.
• Hays Australia: Global recruitment firm with a substantial Australian construction, property and engineering practice. Larger and broader than D&B, but overlaps materially on the same target clients and disciplines.
• Adecco Australia: Global staffing leader with Australian operations covering industrial, construction and professional placements. Comparable in providing temporary and contract workforce solutions to built environment clients, though at much broader sector scope.

Regional players

• PERSOLKELLY Australia: APAC-focused recruitment and workforce solutions firm with strong Australian presence across construction, engineering and property. Comparable in serving built environment verticals with both permanent and contract models, with deeper APAC regional reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/design-and-build-recruitment
• Xx.com/designandbuild1
• Facebookfacebook.com/designandbuildrecruitment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Design & Build