construction management
Avoiding change orders is the most difficult part of managing a construction project.
Instead of under-bidding a job and then requesting expensive change orders later on, we analyze every project and bid the true cost of that build. We never do the “bait-and-switch”.
Budgeting & Tendering A Project
You need both
We analyze all the project drawings and schematics so we can budget for those drawings.
Because of our background in construction, we know what each job should cost to build. We know the drywall should be X dollars, and that the foundation should cost Y.
Once we’ve received all the bids, we analyze.
At this point we start to understand profit margins of each tradesperson. We know who is making 10, 20 or 30 points on the job when the bid comes in. This helps us keep each trade in line and prevents you from overpaying on a job.
It also allows us to make an informed recommendation for you on who to hire.
The Construction Phase
We have a great open-book transparent system to help update you on progress of your job. You have a right to know what is happening in your project at any given time, especially when we’re talking about timing or budget. “Is the project still on budget? Is the project still on time?” – you’ll know this throughout the entire process.
Specialty Superintendents
We have in-house site superintendents who are an extension of us on the job site. We have different site supers for different types of projects.
For example, if we’re working on a civil project, we have a site super who specializes in that type of job. If we have an interior systems job, we have a site super who specializes there too.
Agile Development
We’re quick to overcome any obstacles that might show up in a project. Our entire team is prepared to mobilize quickly to design, build, or alter any part of the job without any serious downtime.
It’s not uncommon for alterations to a design to take 4-6 weeks just for approval. We skip that entire process by doing it all in house with a team that is used to communicating with each other. We can get approved changes to a design often in under a week.
Safety
Safety is a top priority both during and after construction. If someone gets injured on the jobsite, the project is slowed down. Therefore, a safe workplace is a productive workplace.
Associations
We’re part of the following construction associations:
commercial build
Build
Where your vision comes to life
Your project is a place where people will live, work and play – it’s a reflection of your vision and legacy.
We execute on your vision, beyond foundations and support beams. Your project is a place where people will live, work and play – it’s a reflection of your vision and legacy.
We assign one point of contact for all stages of a project build, including construction management and general contracting.
One point of contact reduces miscommunication and ultimately creates an unparalleled level of client satisfaction. We take a total responsibility approach and our clients trust us to execute with wisdom and precision.
NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS:
These projects are built from the ground up and can include a mix of residential, commercial and leased spaces.
RENOVATION PROJECTS:
These projects involve major or minor improvements or changes in the design, layout, materials or systems of an existing building which do not typically involve a change of use or building occupancy.
CONVERSION PROJECTS:
These projects involve a change in building use and occupancy. A rezoning process may be required to meet new occupancy requirements.
no more change orders
Avoiding Gaps In The Tendering Process
Once a job is ready to begin, finding the right contractors for the job is the first place to start.
We put the job out to tender so that tradespeople can bid on the job.
The tender package includes:
You want the best tradespeople for a reasonable price. We find them by looking for gaps in their bid to see if they’re purposely under-bidding. Under-bidding leads to change orders in the future, which means unexpected costs. We avoid change orders by meticulously examining their bid versus the scope of their work – which allows you to budget your project properly.
Relationships With Contractors
An Overlooked Component
To A Successful Project
Working relationships are an important aspect of any project. Trust is key – this comes from a history of successfully finishing projects together.
Once we’ve vetted all the bids, we can provide you with an accurate budget for the project.
Budgeting The Project
Our experience and expertise allow us to accurately budget a project even before the tender process. We’ll give you a realistic cost of your project, so you can make an informed decision on a property prior to commencing the acquisition process.
With our industry knowledge and extensive list of contacts, we’ll be able to select the most suitable tradesmen to bring your vision to life.
Before we even put a job out for tender we already have an approximate pre-budget for what the job will cost – and we’ll share that with you. Our initial pre-budget is usually within 20% of the actual cost, so you can see if the job is feasible for your budget at all.
The first common pitfall in budgeting is that the bids aren’t “apple-to-apples”. We take care of this in the tendering process by scrutinizing the details of every bid.
We see contractors overlook expenses in order to win a job (by underbidding). For example, one technical bid might be $20k less than the next, but they didn’t include cutting and coring in the bid (which coincidentally costs about $20k).
It happens most often in mechanical and electrical drawings because they’re particularly technical and difficult for the layperson to understand – so it’s easy to keep you in the dark about the true upcoming costs. Whether they do it intentionally or not, you might end up with a $50,000 change order in a few months.
After you’ve dealt with us, you won’t be going into a job blind. You’ll have a reasonable estimate of what the true cost is from the start. As long as the scope of work doesn’t change, once the project is completed we’re always within 0.5% of the budget that we promised.
That might sound a touch ambitious, but we often see contractors going 10%, 15%, sometimes even 20% over budget.
Managing & Executing The Build
Project Management That Reduces Friction
Construction management is key to making sure that tradespeople, landlords, tennants, etc. knows what everyone else is doing, and coordinating those people to make sure their expectations are set properly and explicit.
There are other people affected by construction of a new project. People who live and work near construction sites can be affected by it and need to properly informed. We’re extremely hands-on through this entire process by managing key stakeholders, public interests, and any other parties involved.
We had a permitted project to demolish granite tile on the 2nd floor of a bank. In order to avoid complaints, we spoke to everyone in person on the 1st floor about the noises that they might hear during construction. By mitigating expectations, there were no major problems during the project. This type of activity is simple to do, but often overlooked. Failing to communicate leads to all sorts of interpersonal conflict—the exact type of conflict that slows down your project.
We also identify trade overlap to increase efficiency. For example, in the above example, we had to jackhammer the granite counters, and we also had to resurface the concrete floor. Instead of calling two different tradespeople, we organized the schedule so the same tradesperson could do both jobs that same day. That saves time on setup, disposal, and transportation – pushing the project forward quickly.
Proactive project management means your project can be completed quicker and with less bureaucracy.
Build
Completing The Project
Deficiency walkthroughs are standard with a 10% holdback on each trade to ensure deficiencies are addressed. Many construction companies put you in the position where you have to chase down the trades to get work done – which means a lot more work for you.
We do things differently. All our deficiency walkthroughs are done from the client’s (yours) perspective, instead of from the trades.
That means we’re taking a fine comb through each project and fixing deficiencies before you even have to look at the project. This cuts down on the amount of work you have to do at the end of the project – creating a far more pleasant project-end process.
Budgeting The Project
Before we even put a job out for tender we already have an approximate pre-budget for what the job will cost – and we’ll share that with you. Our initial pre-budget is usually within 20% of the actual cost, so you can see if the job is feasible for your budget at all.
The first common pitfall in budgeting is that the bids aren’t “apple-to-apples”. We take care of this in the tendering process by scrutinizing the details of every bid.
We see contractors overlook expenses in order to win a job (by underbidding). For example, one technical bid might be $20k less than the next, but they didn’t include cutting and coring in the bid (which coincidentally costs about $20k).
It happens most often in mechanical and electrical drawings because they’re particularly technical and difficult for the layperson to understand – so it’s easy to keep you in the dark about the true upcoming costs. Whether they do it intentionally or not, you might end up with a $50,000 change order in a few months.
After you’ve dealt with us, you won’t be going into a job blind. You’ll have a reasonable estimate of what the true cost is from the start. As long as the scope of work doesn’t change, once the project is completed we’re always within 0.5% of the budget that we promised.
That might sound a touch ambitious, but we often see contractors going 10%, 15%, sometimes even 20% over budget.
Managing & Executing The Build
Project Management That Reduces Friction
At Full Potential Properties we will lead and manage the overall planning and development process while also keeping you in close contact. You will be kept up to date with the construction progress and scheduling and will also be involved with any key decisions throughout the entirety of your project.
Proactive project management means your project can be completed on time and on budget.
Build
Completing The Project
Deficiency walkthroughs are standard with a 10% holdback on each trade to ensure deficiencies are addressed. Many construction companies put you in the position where you have to chase down the trades to get work done – which means a lot more work for you.
We do things differently. All our deficiency walkthroughs are done from the client’s (yours) perspective, instead of from the trades.
That means we’re taking a fine comb through each project and fixing deficiencies before you even have to look at the project. This cuts down on the amount of work you have to do at the end of the project – creating a far more pleasant project-end process.