General contractors are not commodities. Neither are architects or engineers. A commodity is a good or service without differentiation except price. In today’s design and construction environment, contractors, architects and engineers are often considered interchangeable parts of the real property improvement process. Nothing could be further from the truth – or as expensive and risky! […]
(…Everyone Uses Whether They Know It or Not) There are a gazillion types of software, programs, catalogs and/or other tools for estimating construction costs. But all of these price-delivery tools fall into one of three basic categories. Analogous Parametric Bottom-Up What do these mean? How are they used? Which one should you use? Glad you […]
Pre-planning is to a project’s success what Smokey Bear is to wildfires. A Smokejumper is a well-trained expert who plunges into active wildfires in a remote or inaccessible area. Often times with nothing more than the gear on their back. Smokey Bear on the other hand is a friendly iconic reminder that prevention is the […]
In an earlier post, we talked about some of the pitfalls of low-bid-only procurement processes, including points like the absence of a relationship between low-bid and total cost. This time I’m going to share more, equally important, pitfalls of the low-bid only process. The low-bid-only process significantly increases the client’s exposure to risk. The three […]
Many property owners or tenants voluntarily sign-up to pay for the additional costs of design mistakes without even being aware of it at the time. Of course, no owner or user of real property wants change orders or unexpected additional costs. The cost of design errors can easily (and quickly) top a million dollars. So […]
When you utter words that could potentially change the course of your career, you remember everything about the moment. That’s the way it was for me. I had just raised my voice to a representative of the client. While what I said was true, it was worse than TBU (True, But Useless). For clarity, I […]
Construction projects often involve a prime contractor located in one state and sub-contractors located in one or more other states. The construction project itself may be located in another state entirely. But when there is a falling out between the parties, where can or should the lawsuit be filed? Some contractors, in a position to […]
Think Low Bids Deliver the Lowest Cost? You’d be Wrong. It never ceases to surprise me when a procurement executive insists on selecting professional engineers or contractors exclusively on the lowest bid. This often repeated process never saves money in the long run. In fact, it’s only correlated with a higher risk of defects, delays […]
March 6, 2014–Apex Project Consulting has successfully completed its engagement with HID Global to plan and implement the transition of its U.S. headquarters from California to a new 250,000-square- foot manufacturing and distribution center in Austin, Texas, Apex President Tom Conzelman announced today. Apex was hired by HID Global in August 2011 to […]
Thinking about designing and constructing a new facility during 2014? I’m recommending to my clients now that, in light of the current economic situation, they be extra careful in selecting and executing any sizeable projects. This is a time for great gains…or great risks. Check out this Wall Street Journal article by Constance Mitchell […]
