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Pre-Design
and Planning Phase
Due diligence
Negotiate & award consulting contracts
Design professional selection
Geotechnical investigation
Conceptual construction estimates
Total development financial analysis
Project master scheduling
Our Approach Is:
Studies show that up to 90% of a
project's success rate is dependent
upon the decisions made during the
planning phase. Our experience has
taught us that the principles of any
successful project require defining
the project scope, quality, costs
and financial goals by leading each
party to perform their respective
responsibilities/tasks within a critical
path master schedule during the design
and financing phases of the project.
Generally, we encourage our clients
to use an integrated contracts approach
for the Architect, Engineers, other
owner consultants and the general
contractor. Our focus is to avoid
gaps and ambiguities associated with
using standardized contract forms.
Standardized contract forms often
result in excessive costs associated
with contract exclusions, code compliance,
contract qualifications, schedule
slippage, consultant reimbursable
costs and unnecessary RFP's.
We will prepare a total development
budget that will give you a big picture
overview of the entire project, in
addition to construction estimates.
We will present you with "what
if financial modeling, return on investment
(R.O.I.) scenarios for different design
alternatives. Your architect will
then be able to efficiently design
a building that fits your needs.
Because the owner typically enters
into a separate contract with the
architect and contractor, the owner
warrants to the contractor that the
drawings and specifications are complete
and free from error which more often
than not, causes unnecessary audits,
inspections and occasionally, the
legal system, to ensure final project
cost & quality.
Collectively, your project scope,
total project budget, quality expectations,
risk tolerance and schedule form your
project goals. These project goals
become a means for keeping team members
accountable. We provide the selection
and administration of the design professionals
to make sure the right things are
done at the right time, in the right
order and by the right people.
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Design
Phase
Design professional coordination
Cost analysis/ Value engineering
Design document and quality review
Project delivery recommendations
Approvals by regulatory agencies
Our Approach is:
We have dealt with all major project
delivery methods including traditional
bid, construction management, and
design build. While the bidding process
for each method may vary, there are
some underlying fundamental steps
that must be managed.
We assist you in selecting, retaining
and coordinating the professional
services of independent testing laboratories
and other special consultants as needed.
We identify and define the separate
areas of responsibility of the various
consultants and establish lines of
communication between them on your
behalf.
We will implement a cost control
system to manage all project costs,
evaluate alternative designs, material
alternatives and prepare a detailed
budget for each portion and element
of the project.
We will prepare an overall project
master CPM development & construction
schedule showing durations, responsibility
and precedence for major design decisions,
bidding and construction; establish
the overall duration of the Project
and identify those activities that
are most critical; Identify long-lead
items and develop procurement schedules
to facilitate delivery by required
dates. Update and expand the level
of detail and status of the master
CPM schedule as the Project progresses.
Work with the design professionals
to define the final plans and specifications
to enable all bidders to submit the
most economical prices, employ the
most cost-effective construction techniques
and minimize the number and cost of
change orders.
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Bid
and Award Phase
Pre-qualify bidders
Pre-bid conference
Information to bidders
Negotiate and award construction contracts
Scope bidders
Negotiate owner requirements into
contracts
Negotiate and guarantee the schedule
Negotiate and guarantee the cost
Our Approach Is:
Our main considerations for selecting,
bidding and engaging a general contractor
are to establish a high degree of
competition while providing a reliable
cost projection prior to award and
then reserving final choices on certain
design features to be evaluated prior
to the execution of the final general
contract agreement.
We will bid the documents to a select
bidder's list when all documents are
approximately 85% complete. Continue
the process of system cost evaluation
while construction document production
continues. Consider pre-purchase of
key long-time delivery items like
granite, steel, pre-cast concrete
& elevators/escalators, etc. Maintain
the ability to move to an early construction
start if required.
Take bids on the following basis
for scope analysis:
A. Contractor's fixed fee and how
the fee is calculated.
B. Itemized indirect costs (general
conditions) projections which are
a function of schedule.
C. Itemized direct costs (subcontractors)
projections to evaluate how competitive
the subcontractors are and to identify
substitutions of materials for quality
loss.
D. Schedule review to see if the
contractor & subcontractors
understand the schedule & identify
any guarantee loopholes.
E. Require all bidders to submit
pricing for all qualifications and
exclusions to the bid documents,
including general conditions.
Break down, spread and separate the
construction estimate into a matrix
of costs for the work, then meet with
each contractor to clear up any unusual
qualifications.
The form of contract that we use
will fix the fee, indirect costs and
direct costs which will eventually
constitute a GMC (Guaranteed Maximum
Cost) for the total project. The GMC
will be developed as final documents
are available for each building system.
All subcontract awards will be made
with our participation and with your
approval and all savings between the
subcontract buys and the GMC will
accrue to you.
We also recommend language for inclusion
in the construction documents that
will require submittals and performance
by the bidders which will support
effective cost, schedule and quality
control. Assist the owner and owner's
legal counsel in preparing contractor,
supplier, vendor and subcontracts,
as well as, purchase orders and bidding
materials and packages.
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Construction
Administration Phase
Building Permit
Contract administration
General and sub-contract change order
resolution and mediation
Construction status reporting
On-site management
Project meetings/critical issue management
Progress payment reviews
Review requests for changes to the
work
Quality control
Monthly project master and construction
schedule analysis
Government and utility coordination
Our Approach Is:
During the construction phase, your
project will start to become a reality;
however it can also be very stressful.
As your quarterback & team leader,
we will establish procedures for expediting
all construction phase information.
The master schedule that we prepare
covers the entire project and addresses
all participants (including all consultants
and governmental agency approvals).
By contractual obligation, the successful
general contractor will provide a
construction schedule that will cover
only construction. We will review
that schedule to make sure it is prepared
in accordance with our master schedule.
We will monitor the contractor's adherence
to the agreed project schedule. In
the event of slippage, we will negotiate
a recovery plan to bring the project
back on track.
There are often changes in construction,
whether it is something that you decide
to change, something that happens
that was not anticipated, or the contractor
requests a change. After the architect
has outlined the request for a change
in scope, we will review the contents
of the request and make a recommendation
to you with respect to the acceptance
or rejection of the change order and
advise you of any cost and schedule
impact. Our accounting system will
automatically roll up to a summary
sheet in order for you to instantly
recognize the financial impact on
your bottom line and to allow you
to evaluate your revenue projections
relative to future anticipated costs
and changes.
Prepare estimates of proposed change
orders and review the contractors'
proposals for incorporation into formal
change orders for owners' and design
professionals' approval and will negotiate
the change orders with the appropriate
contractors and suppliers on behalf
of the owner.
We will also prepare monthly reports
which will address the status of all
key issues. We will review the general
contractor monthly payment application
and make recommendations to you on
whether the amount requested accurately
reflects the progress of the contractor's
work.
As your on-site representative, we
will conduct project meetings on a
weekly basis. We will prepare and
distribute the minutes of the meetings
and will track outstanding issues,
placing accountability to appropriate
team members for resolution of each
issue within a certain time frame.
Prepare and implement a procedure
for the review and processing of applications
for progress payments and final payments
to contractors and design professionals,
review the contractors' proposed schedule
of values for use in processing payments,
and revise contractors' applications
for payment, to be consistent with
the progress of the work completed
to date.
Require the appropriate parties to
supply necessary certificates, guarantees,
warranties and releases to owner.
Produce monthly Project accounting
reports showing budget, current estimates,
obligations, change orders, anticipated
change orders, expenditures and estimated
cost at completion; and provide cost
and payment reports for each construction
contract.
Coordinate the services of independent
testing laboratories and other special
consultants.
Identify, monitor and report on the
status of key decisions and issues
which influence the progress of the
Project.
Monitor schedules prepared by the
contractors for the required submittals
of shop drawings, samples and mock-ups
for approval by the design professionals
in order to expedite delivery of materials
to the project site.
Evaluate the adequacy of the contractors'
personnel and the availability of
materials and equipment needed to
meet the schedule and recommend courses
of action to owner when the contractors'
schedule objectives are not being
met.
The primary method for controlling
and measuring overall performance
is the smooth integration and distribution
of correspondence, schedule analysis,
invoice payment, change order evaluation
and responsible accounting.
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Post-Construction
Phase
Final completion
Occupancy permit
Secure record documents
Warranty and maintenance collection
Project close out and final payment
Develop a start-up and commissioning
plan for the Project designed to coordinate
Contractors startup efforts with the
completion of construction activities;
and prepare and maintain documentation
of testing and acceptance of completed
systems.
Assemble the operation and maintenance
manuals and the training by contractors
of owner-provided maintenance staff
where the training is required by
the Contract Documents.
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