Pre-construction services are designed to provide owners, building managers, architects, designers, developers, and even stakeholders with all the tools necessary for the successful completion of a construction project. Pre-construction services encompass the vital preliminary activities and assessments undertaken before the commencement of a construction project. These services play a pivotal role in ensuring a well-informed, efficient, and cost-effective project execution by facilitating comprehensive planning, risk mitigation, and optimal resource allocation.
What is Pre-Construction? An Overview
Pre-construction services lay down the foundation for a successful construction project. It is during pre-construction that some of the most important decisions are made. The emphasis is on maximizing efficiency, minimizing roadblocks, and ensuring a satisfactory outcome. During pre-construction, the client partners with the design team and the general contractor to settle on detailed drawings, schedules, budgets, and more. They allocate resources, assign manpower, and determine the general scope of the project.
Why is Pre-Construction Important?
When evaluating potential general contractors, one of the best indicators of ultimate success is how they approach pre-construction. These preparatory elements are just as important as what happens once construction begins. Quality pre-construction sets the tone for the rest of the project. While it is inevitable that other challenges may present themselves along the way, pre-construction services benefit both the client and the construction company, ensuring both parties can enjoy a smooth timeline and serving to:
- Prevent changes later on that extend the project deadline
- Outline the budget to avoid spending money on repairs or modifications after construction
- Assure the quality of the project from the start
- Develop a coherent plan of action that guides workers and clients through the process
Pre-Construction Services:
- Design Development is one of the earliest stages of a construction project, establishing the project goals and schematics. Together, we will examine both big picture goals and the small details related to the project.
- Value Engineering is the careful analysis of the design features, equipment and material selections in your project to come up with alternatives that can help reduce costs without compromising quality or functionality.
- Constructability Reviews fuse the design ideas with the construction possibilities. This step verifies that the project can accomplish the outlined specifications.
- Conceptual Scheduling helps create a general schedule of approximate start and end dates for each project phase. This process outlines when we should do the work and how our team will complete it.
- Early Budgeting in the design phase to come up with a rough order of magnitude, or ROM, budget provides the stakeholders a high-level estimate of how much the project will cost.
- Cost Estimating services determine the total budget needed to complete a project. With over 40 years of experience in the commercial construction industry, we are able to provide you with a clear and accurate forecast of how much your project will cost before it starts.
- Plan Reviews with all team members, prior to starting construction, helps to ensure that the plans are adequately detailed and well designed so that the project won’t run into excessive change orders and rework. During the plan review, design adjustments can also be made before spending your time and money.
- Existing Facilities Analysis, whether for remodels, building conversions, or new building purchases, evaluate the current infrastructure to determine its suitability for your purposes. Our team looks at hazards, existing plumbing and wiring, and overall layout to determine how the project should fit in with the original building.
What to Look for When Choosing a General Contractor for Pre-Construction Services
In essence, pre-construction services serve as the strategic roadmap that guides a project from concept to construction. By investing time and effort in these preparatory activities, stakeholders lay the groundwork for a smoother, more efficient, and successful construction endeavor. If you’re looking to partner with a team that understands pre-construction services in and out, Gidel & Kocal is the way to go. Contact us today to learn more.
