Here are a few guidelines to follow when you're seeking a construction project manager or contractor to develop a substantial project, be it a residential building or a commercial building.
An essential ingredient is finding a project manager or contractor who can be flexible and innovative. In many cases it's important to do a construction project around an existing building or within an active office or business without disrupting the day-to-day operations. A good project manager can schedule the work at off-hours or devise another way to circumvent the owner's ongoing work schedule.
Review
the project manager or contractor’s experience to ensure the firm has done your
kind of project before. Sometimes a
high-rise builder may not be a good choice for an upscale retail shopping
center. Likewise, a residential home builder may not have the skills to tackle a commercial building.
Take
a hard look at whether it might be more economical to negotiate with a
contractor/manager for the whole job versus putting various segments out to
bid. By negotiating you have the
contractor involved from pre-construction through project completion. The contractor gets involved in managing all
aspects of the work, including communicating with all subcontractors,
overseeing budget and cost control activities, being flexible in work
performance and seeing that the owner's objectives are carried out precisely.
The
following are some Construction Management techniques used to save Time and
Costs when entering into your next construction project contract:
1. If you are requiring a payment and
performance bond ask the contractor to have the payment and performance
bond invoiced to you at Cost. You'll
save a hefty mark-up.
2. Verify General Liability and
Workers Compensation insurance certificates from the contractor prior
to starting construction. Examine the policies exploration dates and be
satisfied with the amount of coverage the policies offer; also insist on
getting a copy of the certificate for your file. Otherwise, you may have considerable
liability.
3. Request a construction schedule
prepared by the contractor incorporating your completion date and your move-in
date. Gives real meaning to the completion
of your project.
4. Have the contractor provide a
sub-contractors list of emergency telephone numbers. Saves time and frustration when instant
communication is necessary.
5. Demand a predefined extra or
deductive work costing breakdown including but not limited to:
predetermined unit prices, written approved cost estimate, and a
3-tier basis of actual construction cost plus percentage of overhead and
profit. Minimizes disputes and
dramatically controls costs.
6. Require
a schedule of values itemized to include: General conditions, trade activities, bonds
at cost, overhead and profit. An
invaluable aid in reviewing payment requests.
7. Persist in a
certificate of occupancy by the governing authority prior to contractor
receiving final payment. You'll be
assured that work has been completed to code.
8. Ask for written confirmation from
contractor stating all inspection list (punch list) items are completed. Otherwise, items may be missed and re-inspection may be necessary.
9. Request a Conditional Waiver and
Release Upon Partial Payment Requests from the prime contractor and
sub-contractors filing preliminary lien notices. Your lien exposure will be reduced
substantially.
What a great tip to request a schedule from your contractor. It is always good to know that there is a definite amount of time for you project to take. Having a schedule up front can help you avoid frustration during your project. http://www.mlwcontracting.com/general_contracting.html
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