ABC Consulting, Inc., Construction Management Division provides an owner with budget, time, and quality control from project conception to completion. Working with the owner in establishing budget and schedule requirements, the Construction Manager monitors these criteria throughout the preliminary design and final design of plans and specifications, and the bidding and construction phases. ABC Consulting, Inc., Construction Management also allows the use of fast-track construction – beginning construction without having to wait for completion of total design. This process saves the owner both time and money. We work for the client to protect the owner’s money and interest during the construction process. ABC Consulting takes the stress off the owner during construction.

Scope of Preconstruction Phase Services

• Review conceptual designs during development. Advise on site use and improvements, selection of materials, building systems, and equipment. Provide recommendations on relative construction feasibility, availability of materials and labor, time requirements for installation and construction, and factors related to cost, including costs of alternative designs or materials, preliminary budgets, and possible economies.
• Prepare a budget for the owner’s approval as soon as major requirements have been identified and update them periodically. Prepare an estimate of construction costs based on a quantity survey of the drawings and specifications at the end of the “Schematic Design Phase” for owner approval. Update and refine this estimate for owner’s approval as the development of the drawings and specifications proceed. Advise the owner and architect if it appears the budget will not be met and make recommendations for corrective action.
• Review the drawings and specifications as they are being prepared, recommending alternative solutions whenever design details affect construction feasibility or schedules.
• Investigate and recommend a schedule for purchase by the owner of all materials and equipment requiring long lead time procurement and coordinate the schedule with the early preparation of contract documents by the architect. Expedite and coordinate delivery of these purchases.
• Prepare pre-qualification criteria for bidders and develop subcontractor’s interest in the project. Establish bidders schedules and conduct pre-bid conferences to familiarize bidders with the bidding documents and management techniques with any special systems, materials, or methods.
• Receive bids, prepare bid analyses, and make recommendations to owner for award of contracts or rejection of bids.
• Contract Awards: Conduct pre-award conferences with successful bidders. Assist the owner in preparing construction contracts and advise the owner on the acceptability of subcontractors and material suppliers proposed by subcontractors.
• The “Construction Phase” will commence with the award of the first construction contract or purchase order and will terminate 30 days after the final “Certificate for Payment” is issued by the architect.

Scope of Construction Phase Services

• Coordinate the work of the subcontractors with the activities and responsibilities of the owner and architect to complete the project in accordance with the owner’s objectives on cost, time, and quality. Provide sufficient personnel at the project site with authority to achieve these objectives.
• Schedule and conduct pre-construction and progress meetings at which subcontractors, owner, architect, and construction manager can discuss jointly such matters as procedures, progress, problems, and scheduling.
• Provide a detailed schedule for the operations of project subcontractors.
• Provide schedule monitoring as construction progresses. Identify potential variances between schedule and estimated completion date. Review schedule for work not started or incomplete and recommend to the owner and subcontractor schedule adjustments to meet the estimated completion date.
• Recommend courses of action to the owner when requirements of a contract are not being fulfilled.
• Revise and refine the approved estimate of construction costs, incorporate approved changes as they occur, and develop cash flow reports and forecasts as needed.
• Provide regular monitoring of the approved estimate of construction costs, showing actual costs for activities in process and estimates of uncompleted tasks. Identify variances between actual and budgeted or estimated costs, and advise the owner and architect whenever projected costs exceed budgets or estimates.
• Develop and implement a system for review and processing of change orders.
• Recommend necessary or desirable changes to the owner and the architect, review requests for changes, submit recommendations to the owner and the architect, and assist in negotiating change orders.
• Develop and implement a procedure for the review and processing of applications by subcontractors for progress and final payments. Make recommendations to the architect for certification to the owner for payment.
• Assist in obtaining all building and special permits for permanent improvements.
• If required, assist the owner in selection in retaining professional services of a surveyor, special consultants and testing laboratories. Coordinate these services.
• Inspect the work of subcontractors to assure the work is being performed in accordance with the requirements of the contract documents. Endeavor to guard the owner against defects and deficiencies in the work. Require any subcontractor to stop work or any portion thereof and require special inspection or testing of any work not in accordance with the provisions of the contract documents whether or not such work has been fabricated, installed, or completed. Reject work that does not conform to the requirements of the contract documents.
• Upon the subcontractor’s determination of substantial completion of work or designated portions thereof, prepare for the architect a list of incomplete or unsatisfactory items and a schedule for their completion. After the architect certifies the date of substantial completion, supervise the correction and completion of work.
• With the owner’s maintenance personnel, direct the checkout of utilities, operational systems and equipment for readiness, and assist in their initial start-up and testing.
• Determine final completion and provide written notice to the owner and architect that the work is ready for final inspection. Secure and transmit to the architect required guarantees, affidavits, releases, bonds, and waivers. Turn over to the owner all keys, manuals, record drawings and warranty letters.

Method of Cooperation with Architects / Engineers / Client

• It has been our firms experience that efficient project scheduling and regular monthly meetings that are scheduled and are attended by the architects/engineers and the owners of the project can best achieve implementation of the contract drawings. It will be our responsibility to schedule these meetings, to insure all parties are informed of the meeting and to be present each month if possible. We understand fully the importance that all disciplines be completely informed of the construction process and try to anticipate any problems that might be encountered, thus attendance at these meetings is highly stressed.

Method of Coordinating Various Trade Contractors

• Our firm has found it to be mandatory that the various trade contractors attend weekly job meetings. Our project manager and the job superintendent have these meetings at the first of every week with the active subcontractors to insure all disciplines understand the schedule, can relate to how this schedule effects another subcontractor, and the importance of them being available when required. This meeting is held at the job trailer so questions that may arise or which might need visual attention can be addressed.

Close-Out and Warranty Procedures

• First, we have the project engineer with the superintendent make a complete walk through when the project is substantially complete and provide a “punch list” of items that are not completed. We then discuss with the individual subcontractors the items that remain to be completed or need to be given further attention.
• Once we feel the project is ready for an official walk through, we will notify the architect and the owner and request that they make a walk through and prepare a “punch list”.
• We give the contractor a “punch list” and require them to provide us a schedule of when they will complete these items and to notify us immediately when this work has been completed.
• Upon completion notification the same project engineer makes a complete inspection to insure that all work has been completed in a workmanlike manner. If it has been completed, it is checked off the list; if it has not been completed, it is added to a new list that is forwarded to the contractor.
• After everyone is satisfied the work has been completed in accordance with plans and specifications, we then sit down with the subcontractors and make sure they provide us with the appropriate guarantees, affidavit releases, and manuals that are required for the furnished products. We then turn over to the owner these items and ask the architect to provide us with a letter of substantial completion. We then recommend to the owner to release the retainage of the subcontractors which we are holding until all work has been completed satisfactorily.
• We will not accept the project as complete, nor will we release any retainage until all parties are satisfied the work has been provided in accordance with the plans and specifications.

Special Qualifications

• ABC Consulting can, by virtue of the fact that we have a registered engineer on staff, provide a full-time certification during the construction of the project, for any inspection required. Under one contract as the construction manager, we can provide all of the pile installation certification inspections, as well as all reinforcing steel, concrete, and structural steel critical structures inspections required by the localities. Having this capability enables us, while working directly with a subcontractor, to answer questions, resolve problems that might arise during the structural process, and solve problems immediately at the job site. This avoids lengthy delays, costly change orders, and most of all the ever present question, “Who’s fault is it and who’s going to pay for it?” Generally, by being present we can eliminate or resolve the problems and proceed with construction with very little lost time and cost. We feel this is an unusual approach to construction management that few, if any, firms provide. Having structural engineering capabilities along with construction management capabilities enables us to provide the knowledge to a subcontractor at the job site for immediate action.
• ABC Consulting feels this combination of engineering capabilities during the construction phase can enable us to solve an enormous amount of problems that can arise and provide answers quickly to the subcontractors. Our knowledge of construction enables us to speak the same language as the subcontractor and instill a better working relationship in the field. Our experience also enables us to assist in the value engineering prior to as well as during construction. If certain changes are required due to architectural modifications, we can assist with these changes resulting in a minimum amount of time lost and generally at no additional cost to the owner.