Pre-Construction

rand* strives to create a collaborative environment as early as possible on projects. We accomplish this by bringing as many members of the team as practical to the table at the outset of design. In this manner, all players are informed of the goals of the project, they are able to identify and understand the perspectives of other team members, and they are better able to fit their individual efforts into the larger picture of the project. In many cases these members of the project team will be merely observers until such time as the team begins to get into the nuts and bolts of the individual trade efforts. However, every member of the team is encouraged to respectfully voice their opinions regarding the issue in front of the team. Rand* typically works in tandem with the design team to chair these meetings to assure that they are efficient and productive.

During the initial stages of the project life cycle rand* construction corporation will review schematic design with the team and hold regular meetings to review project specifications, goals and history. From this information, an initial detailed line item budget will be produced for Team review and will form the basis for tracking the scope, cost, and project schedule. The initial design development budget marks the beginning of engaging the wider community in the project. In tandem with our own in-house job costing, plans will be sent to subcontractors and suppliers in a bid preview process. In addition to testing the project against current market prices, an added benefit is the development of competitive construction methodologies, from which our clients will ultimately benefit. This brings bid day value and mitigation of risk overall for our clients.

Roundtable discussions and charettes are again utilized during design development with the design team, suppliers, and subcontractors. In these forums we seek to identify issues and resolve product and installation issues long before the project begins on site. The advantage of this process is that no member of the team is left without a voice in the planning process, allowing for the most comprehensive plan. This upfront analysis and planning is what enables our project sites to function efficiently and productively. Discovering issues early on in the process enables rand* to advance alternative solutions to merely re-specifying products.

During the construction document phase, rand* provides the technical expertise of both the office staff and its field staff in the resolution of issues during preconstruction. Bringing the perspective of a seasoned superintendent to a team involved in discussion over a preconstruction issue can prove to be the impetus needed to resolve an issue. Often, Superintendents are engaged in field survey work for design teams to bring the physical reality of the jobsite into the design documents. Superintendents provide another dimension of project planning through their review of project site logistics and the coordination of site access into the elements of design.

Central to rand* construction’s pricing process is the issue of transparency. Because so many of our clients are subject to strict corporate governance, rand* has adopted an open book pricing approach with our clients in which copies of subcontractor and material supplier pricing are provided along with the detailed bid analysis to the client. This pricing manual becomes the starting point for the GMP record keeping on the project, and transforms the budget values into hard costs.