Duty holders & appointments
What is a CDM client?
A client under CDM is the organisation or individual for whom a construction project is carried out. Client duties are the ones most often assumed to transfer to someone else, and they do not.
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<figure>
<img src="https://buildoptix.co.uk/glossary/client/diagram.svg" alt="CDM client — diagram from BuildOptix" width="880" height="620" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>
<a href="https://buildoptix.co.uk/glossary/client">What is a CDM client?</a> — diagram by
<a href="https://buildoptix.co.uk">BuildOptix</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>The client makes the decisions that constrain everything after them — the budget, the programme, who is appointed and what information is provided. That is why duties attach at this end rather than only at the site.
A commercial client must make suitable arrangements for managing the project, ensure the right people are appointed, provide pre-construction information, and satisfy themselves the arrangements are working.
Domestic clients are treated differently, with most of their duties passing to the contractor or principal contractor. That is an exception for householders, not a general principle.
What goes wrong in practice
- Assuming duties pass to the principal contractor on appointment.
- Pre-construction information not provided because nobody asked for it.
- Arrangements made at the start and never reviewed during the project.