With scores of professionals and tradesmen concerned, who will be supervising thousands of construction documents, materials and equipment, all of which will total thousands, or perhaps even millions, of dollars, it is necessary that construction of any type of project be performed in an efficient, professional and thrifty manner.

If not, the most well intentioned growth can quickly go skewed, resulting – at best – in an undesirable building, or – at worst – in a development disaster, financially, legally and otherwise.

Therefore, it is seriously important that a community-based organization that is getting ready to develop a project understand the basics of construction management, which includes knowing who the main players are and what the major construction stages are.

What follows is a brief overview of major construction management standards, along with professional roles and stages of project development.

Construction Management

Construction management is the process of scheduling, directing and controlling all of the people, materials, equipment and financial resources needed to complete a Housing Development project successfully.

Construction management typically engages three parties: the property Owner; the Architect; and the Construction Manager and/or General Contractor.

In this model, the roles of each participant are summarized as follows:

•   The owner is responsible for accepting and paying for the work and, therefore, should be involved in all phases of the project, i.e., from conceptual design through construction completion and issuance of the “Use & Occupancy” (U&O) permit.
•   The Architect is responsible for designing the project in consultation with the Owner and for providing complete and accurate construction plans and specifications.
•   The General Contractor (G.C.), typically bids on a specific set of plans and specifications issued by the architect and enters into a contract directly with the Owner for a fixed amount, which is often referred to as a “lump sum. The General Contractor then directly hires and controls the subcontractors and vendors, and she/he is responsible for their work. The General Contractor assumes the risk for completing the entire scope of the prime contract for the contracted amount, exclusive of legitimate “differing site conditions,” errors or omission by the architect or changes initiated by the Owner.
•   The Construction Manager is a title that is used loosely within the construction industry. Whereas the G.C. is easily defined as simply being the contractor that has entered into the prime or “general” contract, the construction Manager's role must be defined in more specific terms. The Construction Manager's role may be to act as an Owner's envoy and be a liaison between the G.C., the Architect and the Owner, or his/her role may be to oversee the subcontractors and vendors hired directly by the owner in lieu of a G.C. Regardless of what his/her actual function will be, it must be defined in writing in a separate contract or agreement that specifically sets forth his/her responsibilities, risk and authority.

Although there are other models that can be used, this structure may be the least difficult.

Construction Phases

The Construction Management Process involves the following three phases:

Pre-construction, construction and post construction they are described as follows:

Phase I: Pre- Construction

During the pre-construction phase , the construction manager should ensure that all key personnel have been hired and all design issues have been addressed and defined. The construction manager should also ensure that all the required reports and testing have been completed and that the completed plans and specifications have been thoroughly reviewed by the appropriate building code officials to ensure proper building code compliance for issues that may require revisions to the original design.

The following steps are recommended during the pre-construction phase:

•   Planning: Start project planning by reviewing the project criteria to ensure proper staffing. Assign key personnel using an organizational chart. The construction manager should also ensure that all public agencies and inspectors have been consulted and coordination has been planned with all professionals involved in the project.
•   Site and Project Evaluation: Thoroughly review the plans, specifications and project budget. Clearly define the Owner's needs and expectations, specifically focusing on what tasks need to be done; who is responsible for which tasks; and what the actual and estimated costs of project activities will be. During this phase, the site should be evaluated, utilities should be arranged and the site layout should be organized to provide a storage area and office space in order to work efficiently.
• This is also the time to establish an efficient record-keeping process.
•   Project Scheduling: Although effective scheduling should begin prior to construction, careful monitoring and correct data should continue to be available and updated regularly throughout the life of the project.
•   Your scheduling tool should identify the tasks to be completed, the person that is responsible for completing each task and a specific time and date for the task to be completed.
•   There are many options to use (such as, MS Project software), but what is most important is that you find a scheduling system (or software) that works well for you.
•   Bidding Process: The purpose of the bidding process is to help you find and hire the most qualified general contractor or subcontractors. To this end, the bidding documents should include detailed, clear and defined construction information and documents. The construction documents should describe the detail, type and quality of materials and workmanship, as well as any other requirements necessary to complete the project. Construction documents also establish the contractual relationships between the owner, the architect and the contractor. The construction documents provided during the bidding process have specific uses and should be used for each individual project, regardless of size or complexity.

These documents usually consist of the following:

•   An Invitation to submit is used to invite contractors to submit a bid to do the work. It should include a description of the project and the scope of work.
•   The Instructions to Bidders form is used to specify the procedures for submitting the bid, and it details the responsibility of the bidder, such as reviewing the drawings, specifications, documents and evaluating the site.
•   Bond Forms , if required, should be used to ensure that the contractor has the specific bond required by the owner or lenders.
•   The Construction Agreement (AIA Contractors Agreement) form establishes a contractual agreement between the owner and the contractor.
•   The General Conditions of the Agreement form should define the relationships between all parties involved in the project.
•   The completed s pecifications and drawings should always be included with the bidding documents.

Phase II: Construction

The most important goal during the construction phase is to complete the project on time, within budget and in accordance with the plans and specifications. This phase requires attention to detail and skill in coordinating various tradesmen and materials. Construction managers should have extensive experience in contract administration and documentation, such as:

•   Facilitating and convening progress meetings, which are important to the success of the project. Progress meetings should be held at least once a month. These meetings should be mandatory and attended by all personnel involved in the project.
•   Reports and documentation are extremely important to construction management. Effective record-keeping and project monitoring are essential to a successful project.

The following is brief list of recommended reports and documentation to utilize during the construction phase:

•   Progress reports are used to track milestones of the project.
•   Meeting minutes are used to document the status of the project and to compare planned actual goals of your project.
•   Financial reports are used to track project budget and cash flow.
•   Payment requisitions or (draw request payments) should be used when a contractor is requesting payment on work completed.
•   Change Orders are used whenever there is any change or modification to the original contract.
•   Partial Lien Releases are used to certify that all subcontractors have been paid. Partial lien releases should be required prior to release of payment.
•   Inspection reports are required to provide quality control for your project. Inspections are ongoing and are conducted periodically by inspectors and the construction manager until the project is complete.

Phase III: Post Construction

The Post Construction phase (also called the project close out), is the phase in which the construction manager establishes a comprehensive list of

Incomplete items that may potentially delay completing and turning over the project. This list of incomplete items is referred to as the “punch list”. The construction manager needs to pursue the appropriate subcontractors and vendors to ensure that all punch list items are corrected and completed as quickly as possible.

During the close-out phase, the construction manager is also responsible for obtaining the final “Use & Occupancy” permit from the appropriate local regulatory authority and should also ensure that all warranties and the final release of liens have been received from all subcontractors and vendors.