Services

Construction Administration

Construction management or administration is much more than paying the bills and watching the schedule. The process involves risk management, value engineering, communication, accountability, negotiations, bill payment, review and documentation. As a construction manager we become part of your team to look out for your best interest.

Risk management covers a wide range of issues including on site safety, liability, financial and legal exposure. Our systems ensure that these issues are mitigated. We ensure sufficient insurance is in place to cover the building during the building phase, stringent job site safety measures are adhered to and contracts written in a way to ensure the church’s interest is being protected. Payment procedures insure that all suppliers have been paid per contract and for work complete as well as lien wavers and insurance being in place. Without these steps the church could be liable for unpaid supplier bills and workers compensation insurance premiums for subcontractors.

Value engineering- Is the process of analyzing what was designed and alternatives that may serve the same objective meet codes and save money. Projects can be “value engineered” to the point of not looking like the original plans, short cuts can be taken that may save some money on the front end but are costly at a future date. On the other hand often times there are ways to be more efficient or substitute materials or methods that can save significant money, it is my job to evaluate these options for viability and recommend when to and not to proceed with them.

Communication and documentation are critical to a successful project. Conversations between multiple parties and over long periods of time have a way of becoming distorted or selective in there recall. Having consistent documentation and clarity between all parties is the cornerstone of our process. Documented communication between church, architect, engineers, codes, general contractor and subcontractors must be maintained. Failure to do so can cause a lot more problems than hard feelings and can cost both time and money.

Holding someone accountable can sometimes be difficult either by association or lack of documentation or experience. As a construction manager, we play that role so the Church is not put into a difficult situation. If a conflict arises we deal with it in a professional industry acceptable way. Poor performance, unauthorized charges, work quality, not keeping a schedule or adhering to safety standards are just some of the examples of accountability.

Negotiations include pricing from the suppliers, subcontractors, surrounding property owners and sometimes codes or zoning officials. Having knowledge of these areas enables us to negotiate from a position of strength and ensure the church is getting the most for what they are paying. We have found that there can be significant price variances between suppliers and subcontractors and low price as stated may not be the best deal because of exclusions. When we get pricing we start by writing a standardized scope of work and not just sending out plans or worse yet partial sets. We broadcast this scope and invitation to bid through several outlets to insure we get a good response. The bids are reviewed and qualified and then we get to work on the negotiations. We compare individual line items between subcontractors and vendors to get the absolute best pricing.

To sum it up we become an advocate for you, using our experience, systems and expertise to ensure a successful project.