This is the third article in a series about the increasing importance of preconstruction since the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the first<\/a> and second<\/a> articles.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Technology has definitely played a role in preconstruction\u2019s increased prominence<\/a> in the overall build process today. But many experts see behavioral and process swings spurred by the pandemic at the root of systemic change for the industry.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n David Alford<\/p>\n Courtesy of McCarthy Building Cos.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cOf course I wish there was a tool that can get us all to where we need to be, but there\u2019s no tool,\u201d said <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>David Alford, regional vice president of preconstruction<\/span> for St. Louis-based McCarthy Building Cos<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>. \u201cThe development of broader trust and cooperation in the base relationship of the partners is what gets you there.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n That said, when it comes to how projects of the future will be managed during preconstruction \u2014\u00a0roughly the period from project conception to groundbreaking \u2014\u00a0there\u2019s not just one established path.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Building construction \u201cpackages\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Even the idea of preconstruction having defined start and end points is starting to vanish as teams look to resource optimization. For example, teams might pull the trigger on certain trade packages (think supply-challenged power mechanicals) even as other portions of the project remain in the design phase.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Nathan Lingard<\/p>\n Courtesy of Mortenson Construction<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cOn almost every modern project we are working in packages, from site work and foundations to enclosures and interiors,\u201d said Nathan Lingard, director of design phase at Minneapolis-based Mortenson Construction. \u201cThe staging of starts into packaging allows us to advance certain parts of the design even while others are lagging. We almost always overlap construction. Project teams are starting to build while we are finishing design.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Alford calls package delivery part of an intentional and necessary blurring of the lines that helps preconstruction better reach its paramount goal of optimizing the delivery of project scope on time and on budget.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea that \u2018Here\u2019s traditional pre-con, hard stop, now here\u2019s construction\u2019 is becoming antiquated,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s actually our goal to make it blurry so that you don\u2019t know one side from the other. You just know a project team that works closely alongside the designers and owners <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>delivered an exceptional outcome.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Robust data storage within BIM-enabled point clouds and change management platforms that can document decision-making along the way also stretches preconstruction collaboration beyond the construction phase into building operations and facility management.\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 \u201cExtending BIM continuity from preconstruction into building maintenance is something we have done on a few projects and expect to see more of in the future,\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>said Matthew Verst, vice president of cost planning and estimating at Cincinnati-based Messer Construction<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>. \u201cEspecially when people start to see the increasing value from preconstruction in driving quality and safety, even for maintenance and operations personnel.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For Alford, extension of preconstruction collaboration tenets into building ops is another example of the blurred lines that could help dissolve traditional discord and disagreement across full project life cycles, particularly in the first year of use.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe experience of a project is always created in how it finishes, and we want our clients to have successful buildings that operate well, that work the way they were designed,\u201d Alford said. \u201cThe satisfaction of the experience is significantly higher when you do it right like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The one area for concern shared unanimously by preconstruction professionals as the practice evolves is a human one: the possible lack of stamina amongst subcontractor and specialty trades in adapting to new project delivery models and the onslaught of technologies needed to support them.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Indeed, many subs are already struggling to staff up crews or even bid on new jobs as they clear pandemic-driven backlogs and pivot to new projects.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPeople think about long lead supply chains, or material cost escalation, but one of the biggest factors that doesn’t get enough attention is the impact of that backlog on the subs and their difficulty getting labor,\u201d Verst said. \u201cIt is tough to get competitive bids on scopes, so strong subcontractor relationships are going to be a big key to the success of future opportunities.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Like many facets of construction, AI and robotics might ultimately help alleviate labor strife and the continued pressure it exerts on project costs and scheduling, as well as other technologies.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For instance, Miller Construction in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, adopted Agtek estimating software to save $500,000 on one project by lowering a building\u2019s elevation by 6 inches. Meanwhile, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Dusty Robotic\u2019s drywall automation tools<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, used by McCarthy and others, have helped address labor issues on jobs, an example from the subcontractor community as a way to do more with less.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Eric Orquiola<\/p>\n Courtesy of PCL Construction<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Those are just two examples of new approaches preconstruction teams have incorporated into the process since the pandemic forced a change in project collaboration and perspective.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Technology will change how we do things, and I\u2019ve seen it change things ever since I\u2019ve started in the industry,\u201d said Eric Orquiola, director of preconstruction at Denver-based PCL Construction. \u201cWhether efficiency is found in technology or lean delivery or whatever else is out there, we need to change processes to meet client needs, because we can\u2019t hire as fast as the projects are coming in.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/09\/bG9jYWw6Ly8vZGl2ZWltYWdlL1NjcmVlbnNob3RfMjAyMy0wOS0wNV9hdF8xMS4wMC40Ml9BTS5wbmc.jpg\"\/)
<\/div>\n<\/div>From pre- to post-construction<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Bumps on the preconstruction path?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
Doing more with less<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
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