How A Construction Manager Can Help During A Project
When you determine a need for a project, a Construction Manager can help you reach
sound decisions in such areas as:
• General project characteristics and performance requirements.
• Site analysis and selection.
• Lead in forming a collaborative team of professionals.
• Coordination with ongoing activities and other public and community concerns to
minimize interruptions.
• Development of a preliminary budget and comprehensive master schedule.
• Apportionment of general funding among a number of individual projects according
to specific project needs.
• Establishment of management information and reporting system to meet your
requirements.
• Development of detailed and complete bid documents to assure timely, responsive
and comparable bids, while avoiding questions and protests.
• Assistance in reviewing and analyzing bids and selecting contractors.
In the design phase, a qualified Construction Manager can help you:
• Ensure that design is both aesthetically successful and responsive to project goals.
• Perform life-cycle cost analyses and other reviews to maximize the return on your
construction investment.
• Coordinate your technology implementation strategy with your construction plan to
assure that your finished project will truly be equipped to support current and
future needs.
• Develop a detailed design schedule and supervise its implementation.
• Review design in progress to assure constructability with minimal changes and fewer
problems in the field.
• Develop detailed component cost estimates at every design submittal.
During the bid process, your CM can:
• Conduct pre-bid conferences to clarify the project’s needs and assure responsive bids.
• Assure that all bid documents are clear and all questions are answered.
• Help you evaluate and compare bids.
• Recommend bidders for contract award.
While the construction is underway, your Construction Manager will be your eyes and
ears—and most of all, your advocate. A professional CM will:
• Assure that all contractors, subcontractors and other participants fully understand
the project’s design and requirements at every stage.
• Deliver timely and clear reports to you concerning construction progress, milestones,
and other elements.
• Manage the change order process for maximum effectiveness while minimizing delay
and costs.
• Monitor the construction process to anticipate difficulties, resolve issues early, and
keep the work flowing.
• Administer progress payments to assure that work milestones are being met and
that all current expenses are paid in a timely manner.
• Assure that the contractor provides a safe workplace, both for project workers and, in
renovations, for individuals who continue to use the facility during construction.
• Eliminate the need to retain increased staff after the "burst" of construction
activities; thereby reducing future operating and payroll costs when the construction
has been completed.
• Coordinate the final stages of construction, including contractors’ punch lists and
similar tasks that must be completed, often in a very compressed time period, before
your project is closed out.