Construction Management (CM) is a professional service that uses specialized project management techniques to oversee the planning, design, and construction of a project from beginning to end. The purpose of CM is to control a project’s Schedule, Cost and Quality—sometimes referred to as the Project Management Triangle or “Triple Constraints.” CM responsibilities are compatible with all project delivery systems, including design-bid-build, design-build, CM At-Risk and Public Private Partnerships.
Professional construction managers may be contracted separately from the General Contractor for lengthy, large-scale, high budget undertakings (commercial real estate, transportation infrastructure, industrial facilities, and military infrastructure), called capital projects.
The functions of construction management
typically include the following:
A general contractor, main contractor or prime contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, coordination and management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the course of a building project.
As the general contractor we are responsible for:
Design–Build is a construction project delivery system in which the design and construction services are contracted by a single entity known as the design–builder or design–build contractor. It can be subdivided into architect-led design–build (ALDB, sometimes known as designer-led design–build) and contractor-led design–build. The primary benefit of the Design-build delivery system is to control the cost and quality of the project during the design process through a system called Value Engineering.
Value Engineering (VE) is a systematic method to improve the “value” of goods and services by using an examination of required function of particular component(s) of the project at the outset. By defining the required function first, all parties are able to evaluate several possible solutions. Value, as defined, is the ratio of function to cost. Therefore, maximum Value can be achieved by either improving the function or reducing the cost. It is a primary tenet of value engineering that basic functions must be preserved and cannot be reduced as a consequence of pursuing value improvements. If a project owner clearly defines the use and life expectancy of each component of the project, then the team can design it to that specification. The project could be built with higher-grade components, but with value engineering they are not because this would impose an unnecessary cost. A company will typically propose the least expensive components that satisfy the product’s lifetime projections. Value engineering is the structural and analytical process that seeks to achieve maximum value for money.
Cost Estimating is process of approximating of the cost of a program, project, or operation. The cost estimate is the product of the cost estimating process. The cost estimate has a single total value and may have several identifiable component values. Problems with cost overruns can be avoided with credible, reliable, and accurate cost estimates. A cost estimator is the professional who prepares cost estimates. There are different types of cost estimators, whose title may be preceded by a modifier, such as building estimator, or electrical estimator, or chief estimator.
Construction Scheduling is an elaborate process of developing the overall sequence, coordination of timing of construction events from several contractors, vendors and service providers to achieve the complete finished product while maintaining safety and quality, minimizing costs and maximizing time efficiency.
Cost Control is the practice of identifying and reducing expenses to meet targets, and it starts with the budgeting process. An owner compares the actual financial results with the budgeted expectations, and if actual costs are higher than planned, management has the information it needs to take action.