Testimonials
“I am very happy with the layout that you put together for us. We are filling up the western side of the building's office space with a design company, a music company and a large format output device. We are going to be rebranding as the COT Media Group later this month. We now need to refine a few Standard Operating procedures to maximize the work flow. Things however are dramatically improved with the new layout. I will keep you posted and please feel free to have anyone contact me for a reference.”
Nigel Worme
Managing Director
COT Caribbean Graphics
Articles
NAPL's Leadership Excellence
Reducing Expansion Risks Via Design/Build Construction
By Hal Ettinger
D/B Advantages
- Control Costs, Schedule
- Well-Defined Authority
- Project Continuity
- Oversee Quality
If a building expansion or new facility is in the future for your printing business, you'll need to decide upon three major building approaches:
- Plan/Spec
- Construction Management, or
- Design/Build.
Plan/Spec is the traditional building approach in which an architect and designing group fully develop the building design, construction documents, and specifications. These are tendered to pre qualified building contractors, who prepare bids that include their costs and those of all major contractors: site, steel, concrete, and mechanical and electrical systems. The choice of contractor is usually based on lowest bid. You and your Project Team review the bids, make your selection, and monitor the construction's progress, assisted by your Architectural and engineering group.
Construction Management is similar in that designs, documents, and specifications are fully completed before awarding the project. But instead of sending these to General contractors for a lump sum contract cost, a construction manager solicits bids for the major contracts. You review, select, and have separate contracts with each contractor. The construction manager contracts and monitors progress.
Design/Build is an approach in which the general contractor has responsibility for the total project and works with you before full design is completed. He chooses a team of architects, engineers, and sun contractors and presents a proposal with "not-to-exceed" costs.
Setting a Common Goal
When a business owner undertakes a building project, one of his greatest fears is that he'll lose control of the project's schedule and costs. The construction business is not an exact science. In fact, it's not like buying anything else in business because construction not only involves various laborers, manufacturers and / or suppliers, but Mother Nature as well. So there will always be risks. But the Design / Build (D/B) approach gives you the best chance of reducing those risks. Its advantages include"
- Single-source responsibility. Communication is clearer and authority well defined.
- Construction-friendly design. Designers and builders work together and share their experience in developing final design and overall project coordination.
- Competitive advantage. You know what the market will bear.
"Work with a contractor before completing design."
- Continuity through team building. The D/B contractor chooses a team of designers and sub contractors well-suited to the scope of the work.
- Non-adversarial environment. On other building alternatives, architects, engineers, and subcontractors often are in adversarial positions. In D/B there is no finger pointing because everyone is on the same team.
- Schedule control. The D?B contractor has more flexibility in scheduling and phasing work non sequentially.
- Budget control. You have guaranteed "not-to-exceed" costs.
Many D/B contractors prefer to be responsible for a project from the beginning. But how can they give not-to-exceed costs without knowing the full scope of the project? There's also a strong chance that their architects will have minimal experience in the printing industry.
The wisest course is to develop preliminary designs and estimated costs before awarding the D/B contract. This design package should be prepared by an architectural specialist who thoroughly understands both the printing and construction industries. The specialist needs input from you and your staff-management and supervisors-about your plant requirements and objectives. From this, he or she will develop a layout that will provide you with the material flow that is so critical to a printing business. This preliminary design should be developed through schematic design and design development stages, with building elements included. The third level of design, construction documentation, will be completed by your D/B contractor's team.
Developing your own design package is not a duplication of services. The schematic layout and design development are necessary, no mater who does them. The specialist takes all the assumptions and unknowns of the project so the builder can come up with not-to-exceed costs that stick. Cost fluctuations are eliminated because these documents identify all site and building requirements. Once the design is approved, a performance specifications booklet and bound design / development drawings are released as a Request for Proposal (RFP) to four or five pre qualified D/B contractors.
The Best Candidate
The D/B contractors usually submit their proposals within two to three weeks in a bound book that contains project schedules, not-to-exceed costs, profiles of the contractor and his team members, and other pertinent information. After reviewing all proposals, you invite each contractor to present his information and review the project. Your contract award will depend upon these interviews and any follow-up information required.
Preparing your design package before awarding the contract gives you concrete data on which to base your decision. You see who the players are and have more negotiating power because the various bids show you what the market will bear. You also have more leeway in design. The costs are solid and there is enough flexibility during developing construction drawings to alter the project if needed. If the project is too expensive you can have the design revised.
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