FAQ:  What Are Preconstruction Services?

Some of the most important innovations in the construction industry in recent years have been in project delivery systems. New systems have emerged in which the role of the contractor can be structured to better serve the customer by meeting the needs of a specific project with greater control of costs and schedule.

Probably the most familiar project delivery system is the Lump Sum General Contract (or Design-Bid-Build), where a project owner engages an architect for design work, then solicits bids from general contractors. The successful bidder then takes responsibility for building the project for a fixed sum.

One of the major drawbacks of this system is that owners often find it very difficult to develop well-defined lump sum documents from which they can obtain firm bids. As a result, owners find themselves involved in issuing change orders.

Alternative project delivery systems, such as Construction Management, allow a contractor to provide services beyond those typically involved in a construction project. These services begin before construction starts, from the earliest design work through the bidding phase, and are collectively called "Preconstruction Services."

Defining Preconstruction Services

Preconstruction services usually include, but are not limited to, evaluation of construction methods, project pricing, analysis of product performance and availability, constructability reviews, and identifying qualified specialty subcontractors.

Beyer Construction has made significant investments in personnel, organization and software to provide preconstruction services to evaluate the feasibility of, and clarify alternatives for, each project we work on. We have established the resources to make valuable contributions to the success of each project, even when work on site is still far in the future.

Greater Timeliness and Accuracy in Budgeting and Cost Estimating

Perhaps the biggest benefit of early contractor involvement is accurate budgeting and cost estimating. Without the benefit of a contractor's preconstruction services, the actual price of a project is not known until bids are received.

By this time all the plans and specifications are complete, a big investment in time and money has already been made. If actual bid prices are significantly higher than anticipated, the project can suffer major delays and cost increases as it is redesigned. This can result in sacrificing desirable features and finishes for less costly alternatives.

With the contractor providing preconstruction services, other members of the construction team utilize the contractor's expertise in the development of the project. This helps determine the viability of the project at a very early point and maintain it as the design documents evolve. Our construction expertise helps anticipate problems before they occur.

When providing preconstruction services, we assume responsibility for controlling project costs and guiding the owner and architect to decisions that are consistent with the project goals. Cost checks during the design phase allow us to monitor construction costs from an early stage and to permit consideration of alternative systems, materials and methods.

Our input has the greatest impact on a project during its preconstruction phase. Time and effort expended early in the process has a big payoff during the construction phase.