How Value Design & Value Engineering Apply to Every Construction Project
The traditional sequence when starting a construction project does not include consulting a contractor until after the project has been designed and the plans have been drawn up by an architect. The plans are then submitted to multiple contractors to bid with very little (if any) feedback and the lowest quote is chosen. This is usually the first time any contractor has reviewed the plans. They don’t have the time or inclination to suggest alternatives that would save time and money since they are bidding on a deadline and against other contractors.
This is the #1 reason that so many project budgets quickly escalate with change orders and delays.
Design and execution have been considered separate functions for too long and it is costing you money.
Value Design & Value Engineering are simply the work of optimizing the time and cost of execution from the very beginning of the process. To ensure that your project is designed and drawn within your budget and without unnecessary costs – you need a contractor involved from the beginning.
It’s the coordinated expertise and knowledge of your designer, architect and contractor that bring about the smoothest projects. When these experts are not in alignment or agreement at the start you get delays, change orders and increased billable hours (and tensions). Working separately, unanticipated issues will arise and get passed back and forth for solutions to problems that could often have been avoided from the start. These problems have an exponential negative impact on your schedule and your bottom line and are far too common.
This applies to every project from the smallest retail build-out to a ground-up hotel.
As just one example for build-outs, there are often existing and functioning systems within the location that do not need to be replaced at all. A full inspection of your location by a qualified GC can save you tens of thousands. That’s real cash that can go toward better finishes, higher design or stay within your business for operations. Not to mention the environmental bonus of avoiding unnecessary waste.
For larger projects you have designers and architects working to bring your vision about but they are not builders. The contractor brings vital knowledge about the feasibility of execution such as:
- Current material and labor costs by trade
- Supplier lead times for specialty items
- Build-site specifics issues
- Isolating and avoiding potential pitfalls long before construction is under way
- Solutions to realize your vision based upon on-the-ground experience.
Bring a qualified Contractor in at the beginning of your project and let’s start a new tradition of efficiency in building that’s on time and on budget.
