Construction is complex! There are many issues that must be carefully addressed for the project to be successful and cost-effective. That's why our style of building--Construction Management, is becoming so popular.

Trying to decide between a General Contractor and Construction Management? Read on to learn the many benefits Construction Management can offer.

Quality

Under the traditional method of selection, a General Contractor (GC) can be an unknown as the GC is often selected based on the low bid rather than for the quality of work. The owner doesn't know what or who he will end up with. It could be a good GC,... or it could be a bad one.

With Construction Management (CM), the owner makes his selection purely on merit, based on the CM's past experience with the type of construction involved, reputation for high quality, ability to deliver projects on schedule, safety record, and ability to work cooperatively to serve the owner's best interest.

A General Contractor who is awarded the project on the basis of a low bid may or may not get another project with the same owner. He may not be the low bidder the next time, so he has little incentive to do an outstanding job. The Construction Manager, on the other hand, knows that he can be awarded another project on the basis of his performance on past projects with that same owner. He has a greater incentive to to do a tremendous job and get the owner's project done right and on time.

Savings

Using Construction Management saves money. Most General Contractors are self-performers. They bring a lot of tradespeople to the project to build it. They are used to doing certain portions of the work with their own forces; therefore, their costing system and their approach are geared to managing their own people as opposed to managing the subcontractors.

CM is organizing a staff to build a project...managing the entire process. A Construction Manager does not take a job with the intention of making hidden fees by doing direct work. Many times the low bidders on projects are exactly the people you do not want based on previous experience. Watch out for "low balling" and change orders.

Construction Management provides early cost data and sometimes value engineering. The contruction manager works with the architect to review documents.

A Construction Manager plays a role during the design phase for cost estimating, scheduling, and addressing problems before they arise. Due to early involvement, a construction manager is able to have a better handle on project phasing than a General Contractor. Complex design, keeping business open, numerous phasing issues and complicated scheduling can justify the use of a Construction Manager.

Control

Construction Management gives the owner more control over prime contractors. The process may bring in more bidders.

Peace of Mind

The relationship between the owner and GC is inherently an adversarial one. The reason for this is simple. Once the bid is accepted and the contract awarded, it is in the GC's best interest to complete the project for as little as possible; the less he spends, the more he earns. All the problems, changes and delays that invariable occur during construction become opportunities for the GC, while they are costly and time consuming for the owner. The CM is working to earn a fee--identified and established in advance. Under these terms saving time and money on the project becomes a mutual goal, not a mutually exclusive one.