Construction
Contract Administration. The construction phase brings all the predesign, design, documentation, bidding, and negotiation services to realization. While one or more building contractors assume responsibility for the construction work, architects remain involved to:
Some owners undervalue or even eliminate the architect's role in administering
construction contracts. Owners, however, are advised not to skimp on these
services. While an architect cannot foresee or forestall every problem in
construction, the architect looks out for the owner's interests, answers questions,
resolves ambiguities, and is an important factor in the success of the project.
Some state registration laws or building codes mandate the architect's involvement
during the construction phase. Moreover, architects are exposed to professional
liability claims arising from the construction of the project even if they
are not on the project team during the construction phase.
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Bid / Negotiation. The bidding and negotiation
phase is usually a short but very important part of the project delivery process.
To this point, the project team has invested an enormous amount of time, talent,
and energy in designing and documenting a project that meets the owner's requirements.
During bidding and negotiation, the building industry provides its response-its
statement of what it can do, how much time it will take to do it, and what
price it will charge.
The "moment-of-truth" character of bidding and negotiation is well
known. At this point, some projects are sent back to the drawing board; a
few are terminated entirely. Just as important, though, bidding and negotiation
bring the builder or builders to the project team. A new set of formal and
informal relationships must be forged and these relationships will have much
to do with the success of the project.
The services provided by the architect during bidding and negotiation are
very important. They play an essential part in attracting the best possible
builders to the project, obtaining reasonable prices, and starting the construction
process off on the best possible foot.
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Value Engineering. Value engineering
is a disciplined method of identifying areas for potential cost optimization,
considering alternatives, analyzing them, and assisting in the selection of
preferred options. While terms like value analysis and value management
may have shades of meaning, we consider them synonymous to value engineering
in this discussion.
There is, of course, a lot of emphasis on "value," and the value
engineering process is helpful in defining just what this term means for the
project under consideration. It helps identify where the conflicting criteria
of minimum cost, maximum quality and performance, largest possible scope,
and minimum time for delivery can be addressed and balanced.
Sometimes, value engineering appears later in the project, particularly when
the contractor or construction manager (CM) is brought on board. Some owners
have value engineering programs that encourage builders to propose more economical
approaches to achieving the specified performance and then to share in the
"savings" that result. Or a construction organization may market
its ability to squeeze costs out of already-designed projects as they head
into construction.
Value engineering at this stage usually produces limited advantages for the
owner. Value engineering proposals may have substantial impacts on design
and may unintentionally affect other areas of building performance. Because
savings in one area may increase costs in another, it is important that the
architect be engaged to evaluate these proposals carefully.
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Construction Management. The past few
decades have seen a rise in the use of the construction manager as one way
to
During design, the Construction Manager (CM) typically acts as an advisor
to the owner, working with the architect and providing advice on construction
technology, constructability, scheduling, markets, and costs. The CM may assist
with identifying early purchase or long lead-time items, contract packaging,
and coordination of bidding and negotiations.
A word of caution: Sometimes the owner makes a case to add a construction
manager to the project just as (or even after) construction begins. This CM
typically promises cost reductions in the project as already designed and
bid. These reductions, however, almost always come out of the project's scope
or quality. Changes at this late date inevitably increase costs for all of
the other project participants-including the architect. Bringing on a CM at
this point also requires a reexamination of the project agreements written
to date. With the addition of a new player, the parties will need to clarify
who is responsible for what-and at what fees.
Construction management represents an additional cost to the owner as well
as an additional set of relationships with everyone on the building team.
The added relationships can help the project if they are formed well, carefully
coordinated, and managed to operate in the best interests of the project.
The extra investments in construction management are most often justified
in the following situations:
The information provided herein are excerpts from "The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice"; Twelfth Edition.