AET 4243
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Chapter Conclusions - 6

During the design period, a series of tasks falls outside the design activities themselves. These include investigations of local conditions, construction practices, labor markets, and the site with its surrounding conditions. The designer needs the information generated from these studies. In addition, he or she requires ongoing checks on costs, schedule, and constructability. These tasks are best handled by construction professionals. If the owner elects to wait until the bidding period to hire the builder, the designer will likely hire a construction consultant to assist with construction related issues. Using the same firm during preconstruction and construction means that the understanding gained during the design period can be carried over into construction. However, it potentially limits the owner from putting the project out as a lump sum bid to general contractors. Unless the preconstruction professional is eliminated from bidding the protect, other potential bidders will feel that they are at a disadvantage. This may result in prices that are not as competitive as they could be.

When performing preconstruction services, construction managers must be careful about crossing professional lines Their responsibility is to advise the design team, not to intrude on architectural or engineering decisions. Their expertise is in construction related issues, and in this capacity they affect design decisions but do not make them. Aside from being professionally discourteous and creating real liability concerns, interfering too much in design decisions can create mistrust among the project team members and affect how they interact with each other.

If the construction professional has been hired for the construction as well as the preconstruction work, he or she will also, in this same time frame, be planning for the construction activities. The thought and planning that needs to go into this phase of the work is covered in detail m Chapter 7

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