Pre-Construction Services | Preliminary Planning | Quantity and Cost Estimation

    Pre-construction services are preliminary planning and engineering services that are offered by construction companies before a construction project starts. This pre-construction drawing board involves the definition of the project, the identification of potential issues, planning and scheduling, the scope, cost estimation, and analysis of needs for the work

Pre-Construction: A Modern Approach to the Design-Bid-Build Method

    Purpose:

Pre-construction services are wont to help meet a client’s vision also as match their construction budget. These services will make sure a project is feasible on a given site and enable the client to look into some cost-related things.

    The age-old method of construction project delivery is understood because of the design-bid-build method. In this method, the project would be completely designed before it's built. The plans and specifications that were created during this design period would form the development documents..

During the planning and Designing process, pre-construction cost estimates are created to assist with the owner’s decision. These early estimates are supported by schematic designs and previous jobs of similar scope. It is from here where, the job would move to a design development stage, and finally the construction document state

Pre-construction emerged from construction cost estimating to incorporate other areas of the design process. The pre-construction process is more hands-on with the owner, instead of doing everything separately. The Owner's opinions listen throughout the pre-construction process, which helps contractors to make a construction plan and estimate that meets the owner’s needs

What are the Pre-Construction Services?

  Pre-construction services go well beyond just estimating what a project will cost. They include everything from Ist client objectives to plans, schedules, studies, value engineering, permitting, land acquisition, and more. Let’s take a look at several different pre-construction services.

Initial Meeting & Regular Follow-ups

  The contractor or design team representative will first have an initial meeting with the client to travel over the client’s objectives. In this initial meeting, the contractor will learn the client’s goals for the project as well as their budget. The contractor and client will meet several more times during the pre-construction process to remain up-to-date on progress and permit for any changes to be made.

Much of what will be discussed at these regular meetings will be the result of what the team puts together through the other pre-construction services.

An Overall Evaluation of the Project

    The pre-construction process starts in broad terms with an overall project evaluation. This will emerge from the initial meeting between client and contractor and is that the large picture elements of the project. This initial evaluation lays the inspiration for the remainder of the pre-construction services also because of the actual construction.
It is here that needs and expectations for the project will be clearly defined and understood by all those set to participate in the job. The client and contractor will typically come up with a final conceptualization of the looks of the building also because of the material and size. Basic floor plans will be created which will emphasize production process flows. The design consultants and inspectors to be used with other pre-construction services also will be chosen.

Creating an Initial Schematic Design

    Another pre-construction services, which is usually administered during the initial evaluation is to make a schematic design for the project. This will give the client their first visual on what the project may look like when completed, but since it is just an initial schematic, they can provide feedback along the way to reaching a final design.
This process is often crucial to landing a bid for employment, as clients often won’t award a bid unless they need a transparent vision for what the ultimate product will look like.

Initial Budget Estimates

    There are several components that enter estimating the allow a construction project. These may include the value of materials, subcontractors, suppliers, equipment, and more. Multiple estimates will likely be provided as the contractor works through various options with the client, and any budget estimate should always be rated against the project budget.
The contractor also will get to identify the value of potential issues, also as evaluate any opportunities for potential savings. Finding cost-saving alternatives are often a serious advantage of the pre-construction process.

Materials & Equipment

    Another pre-construction service is the choice of the materials and equipment that will be utilized in the work. This starts first with the building systems which will be used and therefore the equipment required to use that system. The materials sometimes offer savings opportunities, and therefore the contractor also will evaluate if there are any LEED or sustainable design and construction options.
Sustainable building has become very trendy in recent years, and most construction companies know clients are trying to find opportunities to form their building more “green.”

Value Engineering

    In this pre-construction service, the contractor will plan to determine if the scope of the work will fit within the client’s budget. The contractor will search for more areas where there are opportunities for cost savings supported experiences they need had with projects of an identical scope. They will project the life-cycle analysis of certain materials involved within the job and supply alternative solutions.

Site Analysis

    Here the contractor will visit the development site and can check out the site’s feasibility. This means they're going to be checking to ascertain if the location may be a good fit for the wants of the project. They will attempt to predict any future issues and costs that may be encountered.
The contractor does this by creating an overall site plan, which can include things like parking, traffic circulation, and even landscaping. They will also review the soil to make sure that the location features a suitable foundation. The contractor will even check out the prevailing infrastructure, capacity, and therefore the proposed routing and site. All of this goes into whether or not the location is going to be suitable, or feasible, for the intended project.

Getting the Proper Approvals

    You might know that there are certain permissions required for almost any construction project. What you would possibly not realize is that you simply should actually acquire these permits and approvals during the pre-construction phase, not during actual construction.
This will include getting the right building permits and site plan approvals. There could also be additional permits required with utility providers, and extra permits could also be necessary surely jobs. Your contractor should know which permits are required and get them all together before any construction begins.

Thorough Review of Design Documents

That schematic that was created earlier? It is just the roughest of the rough drafts. Your contractor will pore over this set of documents to form sure that it reflects what the client is posing for. Every detail and possible oversight must be considered so there aren’t high-priced contingencies during the bidding phase.
Materials must be evaluated, the systems and merchandise delivery in situ are often reconsidered, areas of concern are going to be targeted, and more. The project won’t move forward until there's a consensus among the whole team that they need to consider absolutely everything and gathered the opinions of everyone involved.

Set a Preliminary Schedule

    A vital part of pre-construction information is creating an initial schedule. This preliminary schedule will identify key milestones and schedule everything within the entire project, from start to end. This will help organize the project and set a transparent outline for a way it'll make it to its conclusion.
All design and construction activities are going to be clearly defined with start times and approval milestones. The project sequencing plan will be formed, and the subcontractor and client input will be given to finding a final schedule that works for everyone. This is going to be the baseline schedule from which the whole project will be run.

Establishing a Final Budget

    The client will likely come to a pre-construction meeting with a budget already in mind, but it'll take some thought to succeed in the particular project budget. Much of how the budget is created will depend upon cost control measures taken by the contractor.
Before finalizing the design of the project, the contractor will take one more look at the scope and cost to see if there are any other ways they can cut costs. This could be through the value models and conceptual estimating, soliciting subcontractor input to ascertain if there are any changes to plug conditions, manage income, and work through every other element of the pre-construction checklist to make a final budget.

Procurement Management

    Long lead items will also be considered at this phase. It is often easy to overlook lead times when procuring certain materials which can cause senseless delays during a project.
Long lead items are those that are necessary to meet the project schedule, but which takes a long time to deliver. By planning ahead for the lead time, there won’t be any delays caused by waiting for any items during the construction.

Bid Packaging

    Now comes the time to bid on all of the work that is needed for the project. While the bidding process is going to be hospitable to other construction companies, the contractor who prepared the pre-construction plan will have a leg up as they will close loopholes and have intimate knowledge of the process.
There will typically be a few qualified bidders and a detailed analysis will be given to developing a comparison baseline. The owner and architect should be involved in this evaluation process, and subcontracts will also be considered. The entire scope of labor is going to be evaluated and a final schedule is going to be created once a bid is secured.

Safety Considerations

    Last but not least, pre-construction services should include attention to safety. Beyond adhering to local, state, and federal regulations, every person on site must be kept safe as well. Every worker and situation must be evaluated to make sure that all workers are safe at all times.
A safety plan should be created specifically for this job because it will have unique situations that no blanket safety procedure can cover. This goes for subcontractors and site visitors also.

Summary

    Pre-construction services allow contractors and owners to evaluate the entire project and create a plan that will take it all the way through its conclusion: the post-construction phase. This is a serious cost-saving opportunity that will allow a construction project to flow more smoothly. Much of the job will heavily rely on the decisions made during this initial planning stage. For more information, contact us or schedule a demo today!