Procuring complex labs: navigating design, cost and risk
The pandemic has reshaped how governments, universities and private developers view laboratories. Containment labs have become critical infrastructure, essential to biopreparedness, resilience and the safeguarding of human and animal health. These facilities support cutting-edge science but must do so in a way that meets safety, regulatory and biosecurity standards.
The procurement of highly engineered lab spaces is inherently complex, demanding careful planning across design, contracting, risk management and commissioning. And, to further complicate matters, successful delivery demands one must first navigate a narrow supply chain, realise value for money in a constrained market and manage risk across stakeholders.
The challenges posed by dangerous pathogens cannot be addressed by conventional lab spaces, so ensuring existing containment facilities are fit for purpose is critical as public and private clients seek suitable locations for advanced research.
However, escalated containment requirements also escalate project complexity: CL2 labs use standard containment systems, but CL3 and CL4 facilities introduce stringent requirements. This includes pressure cascades, HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filtration, specialist doors, fumigation systems and enhanced resilience measures. These requirements create increasingly technical, regulatory and procurement demands.
Procurement decisions underpin successful delivery.
Early engagement with the supply chain, clearly defined functional and regulatory requirements, staged contractor involvement and planning for validation and licensing are essential to controlling costs, managing risk and ensuring operational performance.
The pool of contractors with verified capability is limited, particularly for high containment labs. Integrating specialist plant systems and mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) services adds to the complexity, affecting constructability, programme certainty and long-term resilience.
Each lab is effectively bespoke, requiring a balanced approach to risk that safeguards value for money, while supporting safe, efficient and sustainable operation.
Why procurement for complex labs is a unique challenge
Across public and private sectors, aligning complex design with the market’s capability and appetite for risk is a critical challenge. Long programmes also require procurement of specialist packages far in advance, which may have implications for cost, inflation and market availability.
Recurring procurement challenges
The existing dynamics generate a consistent set of issues that shape how complex laboratory projects are procured and delivered. These include:
1. Management of risk transfer
Effective procurement strategies consider the market’s willingness to assume risk. It also takes into accountthe organisation’s requirements, ensuring risk transfer does not compromise delivery or value for money.
2. Limited market capability
Few contractors demonstrate verified expertise in containment laboratory delivery. Organisations must structure procurement to identify, engage and assure capable suppliers, particularly for CL3 and CL4 projects where evidence of prior delivery may not exist.
The complexity and duration of these projects have introduced the inclusion of behavioural and cultural assessments when procuring suitable contractors and suppliers to ensure collaboration can be retained throughout.
3. Licensing and regulatory compliance
Early engagement with regulators ensures licensing and validation requirements are embedded into design and procurement rather than deferred. Regulatory pathways can vary internationally, requiring organisations to align with local and global standards.
4. Supply chain reliability
Specialist components, including HEPA filters, containment walls, fumigation systems and air handling units are sourced from a small number of suppliers.
Procurement planning must accommodate long lead times, logistics and complex interfaces, ensuring timely delivery without disrupting project sequencing.
5. Interface management:
Functional science areas are typically small, yet dependent on surrounding plant and support infrastructure. These interfaces must be understood and managed to reduce the risk of misalignment between design, construction and commissioning.
Strategic responses
Overcoming challenges depends on early coordinated actions that balance risk, capability and delivery certainty. These include:
1. Clarifying requirements early
Functional, scientific and regulatory requirements should be defined upfront to guide cost, risk and contractor engagement. Containment level requirements must be clearly articulated, as changes (e.g. CL2 to CL3) have significant technical and procurement implications.
2. Engaging the supply chain in stages
Pre-construction service agreements or early contractor involvement allow contractors to advise on constructability, MEP integration, scheduling and design risks.
In complex laboratories, the exceptional proportion of MEP systems and specialist inputs makes this coordination significantly more demanding.
3. Planning for validation and commissioning
Functional mock-ups, dynamic testing of building components and staged commissioning allow early verification of design intent.
Early testing builds confidence that procurement decisions deliver operable, buildable and licensable facilities, reducing late-stage design changes.
Integrating technology and futureproofing
Modern labs increasingly incorporate robotics, artificial intelligence and integrated digital systems, influencing workflows, layouts and infrastructure requirements.
Procurement strategies must account for current science plus anticipated technological developments, ensuring adaptability and cybersecurity resilience.
Digital integration also impacts commissioning, validation and long-term operational management, including cyber security challenges. This means early-stage procurement decisions can determine how effectively labs evolve over time.
Managing cost and value
Complex labs are highly resource intensive. Effective cost and commerical management requires experience, high-quality data, a clear understanding of the additional costs associated with CL3 and CL4 labs, and a well-defined cost baseline that includes appropriate risk allowances set at the right level.
Effective procurement requires understanding the relationship between functional spaces, supporting plant, specialist containment systems and the integration of mechanical, electrical and digital infrastructure.
Costs escalate when moving from CL2 to CL3 and CL4 facilities due to pressure cascades, HEPA filtration, fumigation systems, specialist doors and resilience measures.
Value is maximised when procurement decisions look beyond construction to consider long-term efficiency, lifecycle maintenance and flexibility for evolving scientific needs.
Early contractor involvement, functional mock-ups and scenario testing allow organisations to stress-test designs, anticipate hidden costs and reduce the likelihood of late-stage modifications.
Integrating digital systems and automated workflows into cost planning ensures that labs remain adaptable for emerging technologies like robotics, AI-driven diagnostics and advanced data management.
By focusing on functional outcomes rather than purely capital expenditure, organisations can make informed trade-offs between upfront investment, performance and risk mitigation. This also supports transparent decision-making when balancing risk transfer to contractors with safeguarding value for money.
Guidance for organisations
Approaching each laboratory as a bespoke, heavily engineered asset ensures procurement strategies reflect the unique operational, safety and regulatory challenges of high-containment facilities.
Decisions around contracting, risk allocation and supplier engagement should align with organisational objectives while maintaining flexibility to adapt to emerging scientific methods and technologies.
This structured approach helps organisations deliver facilities that operate safely, efficiently and sustainably over the long term.