Editor\u2019s note: This is the first of three articles about the increasing importance of preconstruction since the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Lump sum. Bid and buy. Read and rip. These were the terms that dominated preconstruction before the pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOur industry historically has been driven by the traditional construction manager at risk model, where the owner will start with the architect and begin design before bringing the GC onboard,\u201d said Nathan Lingard, director of design phase at Minneapolis-based Mortenson Construction. \u201cThis planning and design phase of the project is a period of time where there is high uncertainty.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Nathan Lingard<\/p>\n Courtesy of Mortenson Construction<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Informed largely by siloed partners and a disjointed handoff, that approach to preconstruction \u2014 measured roughly as the period from a project\u2019s initial concept to its groundbreaking \u2014 was always fraught with discord and miscommunication between project stakeholders.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n But industry watchers say that all changed when COVID-19 hit.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As projects shuttered amidst shelter-in-place restrictions and global supply chains collapsed, designers, owners and GCs found themselves collectively back at the drawing board, having tough but ultimately fruitful conversations on how to get things done.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe pandemic helped to slow things down in a way where we could focus resources and attention on things that were challenging projects,\u201d said Eric Orquiola, director of preconstruction at Denver-based PCL Construction. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Eric Orquiola<\/p>\n Courtesy of PCL Construction<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cWe are in a much more transparent and open communication dialogue with designers and clients to date, and bringing trades as well as suppliers to the table, too,\u201d Orquiola said.\u00a0\u201cThe movement away from the hard bid model has been about shared communication, shared planning and shared challenges, and it\u2019s something that we are starting to see quite a bit.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Since the pandemic, the adoption of more progressive and inclusive delivery models have shown promise in alleviating preconstruction strife. Lean construction and flow scheduling have helped to boost communication and shorten project durations, and integrated project delivery models bring parties together contractually to share in ownership and risk as a way to motivate goodwill.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s a good thing, since when a project goes south, imperfect preconstruction triggers all sorts of plan and drawing inconsistencies, inefficient supply and material purchasing, poor trade coordination and often heavy cost and schedule overruns that only reinforce the animosity between already isolated stakeholders.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Regardless of delivery model, general contractors say preconstruction project collaboration is happening much earlier, and with greater transparency and communication, than before the pandemic.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Matthew Verst<\/p>\n Courtesy of Messer Construction<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cIt starts with the first interview. Now more than ever, the owners want to meet the preconstruction and estimating and project management teams,\u201d said Matthew Verst, vice president of cost planning and estimating at Cincinnati-based Messer Construction. \u201cIt\u2019s changed the whole philosophy of what preconstruction entails. Twenty years ago it was \u2018Build me a budget and check in when it changes.\u2019 Now the real-time communication of information amplifies what the construction manager can do for the client, and likewise drives what the client\u2019s expectations are from the GC.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Increasingly, client expectations are to complete projects faster. Even as generators, transformers, switch gears and other large-scale infrastructure items continue to face year-long supply chain delays, the newfound ability of project team collaboration to overcome supply and scheduling snafus has owners looking at preconstruction as the Rosetta stone for speedier market delivery.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Coming out of the pandemic, everything, including delivery in general, has been supercharged and moved up faster,\u201d said David Alford, regional vice president of preconstruction for St. Louis-based McCarthy Building Cos. \u201cBut it put us in the fast lane of where we were already trying to go anyway: Bringing GCs on earlier in the game had been something we had been pushing for a real long time.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n He added that getting teams in early to collectively address supply chain challenges has been an added bonus.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n At Mortenson, Lingard estimates that preconstruction timelines have shrunk by a third post-pandemic, putting more pressure on designers, planning and material procurement specifically. \u201cIt condenses the window and makes it more critical to really be aligned and focused,\u201d he said. \u201cWe don\u2019t do our project teams any favors by delivering a design or plan that is half-baked for them to figure out how to build.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Alford agrees, and said preconstruction strategies can help find efficiencies across the design-build lifecycle, even if the preconstruction discipline per se remains somewhat immune to the time squeeze.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>We don\u2019t want people rushing and producing an output that is not as great,\u201d he said. \u201cPreconstruction is so critical to teeing up a job that is right that it\u2019s better to take a couple more days when you need it most to get a great design that is constructible versus just rushing it.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Next up: The promise of technology in preconstruction.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/09\/bG9jYWw6Ly8vZGl2ZWltYWdlL1NjcmVlbnNob3RfMjAyMy0wOS0wNV9hdF8xMS4wMS4xOF9BTS5wbmc.jpg\"\/)
<\/div>\n<\/div>Earlier starts, closer communication<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/09\/bG9jYWw6Ly8vZGl2ZWltYWdlL1NjcmVlbnNob3RfMjAyMy0wOS0wNV9hdF8xMS4wMC4xOF9BTS5wbmc.jpg\"\/)
<\/div>\n<\/div>Shrinking timelines<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n