How to hire a construction management firm James Joyce, P.E. President and CEO H.R. Gray Columbus, Ohio
What is their role? Undertaking a construction project is a complex and challenging endeavor. Construction management firms can help level the playing field between the owner, design professionals and the contractor, as well as ensure that everyone is informed and understands their role, expectations, and schedule for completing the project on time. The role of a construction management firm is especially important in the public sector, as many project managers in public agencies, especially smaller communities, may undertake substantial construction projects only once during the course of their career. However, the design and construction firms that they will work with will be involved in many similar projects over the course of a year. This leads to a gap in knowledge and experience. By integrating a knowledgeable construction management firm into the project, one can balance the experience level between the public owner and the construction firm. There is an increase in public sector owners using alternative project delivery methods such as DesignBuild and Construction ManagerAt-Risk. All construction delivery methods have characteristics that may make them more appealing, depending on the project’s needs and the owner’s desires for cost control, schedule and risk. Owners should be aware of the differences 126 APWA Reporter
August 2012
with each project delivery method and understand how their project may benefit from each approach. It is important to note that, no matter what construction delivery method is selected for the project, the owner still maintains responsibility for costs and risk. A professional construction manager acting on the owner’s behalf as an independent Owner’s Representative can provide project oversight and assist with the management of those risks. A properly chosen project delivery method, along with a thorough, owner-friendly contract document, will help minimize potential risks and costs, no matter what construction delivery method is chosen.
When to hire Contrary to popular belief, the first firm hired for a project should be a construction management firm. Hiring construction management firms at project inception allows construction managers the opportunity to work with owners to develop contract documents that are owner-friendly and focused on cost-saving and value-added preconstruction services such as value engineering, scheduling, and cost estimating. A construction management firm’s effectiveness in controlling costs occurs long before the contractor is clearing the site for construction. An area where the construction manager can offer considerable expertise is with the contract
documents. Often, the contract form design professionals use is a standard document available from industry associations; therefore, it ultimately serves the best interest of the design professionals. While these standard agreements provide a good starting point, it is in the public owner’s best interest to review and
Construction Management Services •
Cost and resource scheduling
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CPM schedule development and monitoring
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Value engineering
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Constructability reviews
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Design and construction schedules
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Contract document development
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Contract bidding, negotiation, and award
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Onsite management and coordination
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Contract administration
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Quality control and inspection
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Master plan implementation
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Safety monitoring
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Budget management
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Change control and management
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Audits and cost-to-complete estimates
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Operation and maintenance manuals
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Owner training and orientation
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Project completion and close-out
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Final project walkthrough
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Final billings and contract closeouts