• Provide a single source of responsibility for all project activities
  • Participate in the macro planning and logistics analysis process – model alternative strategies to accommodate various expansion projections
  • Proactive budgeting and scheduling capability enables the tenant to evaluate the viability of potential sites
  • In-depth review of lease terms and conditions provides an important construction and operations perspective in the real estate broker’s review process
  • Extensive experience in developing the project consulting team provides a cohesive design implementation effort
  • Value Engineering experience reduces project costs through an interactive process with the design team and through recommendations for direct purchase opportunities
  • Proactive Request for Proposal process yields defined vendor services at competitive rates
  • Current experience in the negotiation of construction management contracts minimizes fees and general conditions costs
  • Current experience in the management of the subcontractor bid process eliminates collusion opportunities and minimizes project costs
  • Daily on-site presence insures the timely completion of construction work and minimizes change orders
  • Daily financial management, monthly financial reporting and real-time scheduling provides Senior Management with an ongoing status of the project
  • Central coordination for the relocation of personnel insures a smooth transition and efficient reactivation of the new facility
  • Detailed documentation provides an audit trail for all project activities

Firms considering several site alternatives will require a review of proposed lease terms and existing conditions from their real estate broker. Project Control Group will develop a Space Utilization Program to confirm that each site adequately matches the firm’s space requirements as it relates to offices vs. interior positions, Electrical/HVAC availability and other relocation parameters. A comprehensive document will be prepared to address all of these issues. Upon site selection and in conjunction with the client’s legal counsel, facilities and real estate staff, a review of the proposed lease/workletter with respect to its impact on project implementation and future operation of the facility will be performed. Issues relating to vertical transportation rights during construction and at move-in/final occupancy, base building mechanical and electrical plant support and vertical shaft availability through leased and unleased spaces could severely affect the client’s ability to build and operate the facility. These and other important elements will be analyzed and reported to the client.

During the early stages of site evaluation, lease negotiation, programming and schematic design, the establishment of a conceptual budget allows the client to evaluate the extent of design and construction that will be attainable within the financial constraints of a proposed work letter. Performing the analysis at this point also allows the client to consider incremental benefits derived from contributing additional capital to the construction initiative. This input is critical to the project architect, as it determines the direction and depth of the design. By working closely with the client and the architect, we will analyze all data and provide a detailed evaluation of design alternatives based on our unit price database and our historical knowledge of pricing. The construction portion of the budget represents only a part of the total financial exposure within the project. Our pre-construction budget will include estimates for construction, technology, security, relocation, consulting, landlord charges and direct purchase costs such as furniture, carpeting and artwork. The completion of this analysis provides the client with a broad understanding of all financial issues.

The physical construction and financial documentation of the project will be monitored on a real-time basis. Given the extensive volume of data required to provide the evaluation, Project Control Group will establish communication documents to convert construction progress into requisition payment approvals. Issues relating to requisition approval timing, flow of funds, partial/final Waivers of Lien and tracking/verification of all scope changes requires aggressive monitoring. Controls related to scheduling/coordination of construction, security, technology and furniture will be established as well.

A team of project consultants must be assembled to provide support in those fields that are applicable to the relocation project. These disciplines include, but are not limited to, architectural, engineering, structural, technology, security, vertical transportation, Building Department expediting/code compliance, relocation management and furniture procurement/installation. As tenant project management professionals, we will conduct the interview process in conjunction with the client’s real estate broker, senior management and facilities representative to determine the scope of the project and the required consultants. A “Request for Proposal” will be created and distributed to qualified consultants, a fee/services negotiation will be performed and the results will be presented to the client for approval.

With the design team in place and a detailed set of construction parameters established during the preconstruction budgeting phase, value engineering will be applied to all areas of the project including design, construction, security systems, technology implementation, relocation and furniture procurement. The purpose of this function is to identify methodologies that will yield a least-cost approach to building the new facility. Labor and material-intensive scopes of work will be reviewed in detail. Cost projections on various construction applications of high volume/repetitive work will be presented to the client management team for approval to proceed. The application of specific pre-design value engineering techniques yield budget savings in the 5%-10% range.

An analysis will be performed to select the most qualified construction manager for the project. Industry reputation (both with clients and subcontractors), financial stability, union relations, existing and future project loads, quality of project supervision/personnel available, insurance/bonding capacity, General Conditions projections and a thorough review of main office support departments must be considered. Proposed structuring of on-site personnel given the project parameters and the ability to present/communicate scheduling of all trades (including non-construction trades) will also be evaluated prior to selection. A “Request For Proposal” will then be distributed to those firms who meet the project criteria and an analysis will be performed to recommend the appropriate firm.

A significant volume of work exists regarding the preparation of an approved subcontractor list (D&B analysis, availability of manpower, etc.), formulation of trade contracts, insurance requirements of CM and subcontractors, establishment of construction budget and bid procedures, design drawings distribution, shop drawing approval/routing/control, vertical transportation logistics, Building Department filing/inspections and other critical project details. All of these procedures and issues will be resolved during the pre-construction phase of the project.

Providing sufficient project manager support to control all architectural, engineering, construction management and related consultant activities is critical to the project’s success. Staffing will be commensurate with project size and complexity. The construction manager will interface/report to the Project Control Group project manager. Primary responsibilities of the project manager will be to control all construction activities on a daily basis, interface with all client consultant/support departments to review field clarifications, administrate all bid negotiations/awards, review all payment requisitions prior to submission to the client and provide all tracking/status reports.

During the relocation phase, we coordinate the efforts of the construction manager, relocation firm and client support departments to promote successful migration of personnel and equipment. Project Control Group provides a central point for all move-related activities.