Archive for March, 2011
March 31st, 2011 | 
Author: Florida Construction Proposal Evaluation Services
The developer or owner is the party at greatest risk hence should be the major beneficiary of the bidding process. There are several underling strategies at play in the bidding process. Overall at completion, the developer or owner needs to have value for his or her money whereas the contractor would like to make a profit for effort and time.
The bid package comprises the construction documents that are the basis of the contractor’s proposal. The bid amount should represent the contractor’s desired compensation, inclusive of profit, for completing all the work described and indicated in the construction documents without qualifications and exclusions.
Acceptance of the proposal and the subsequent contract for construction should be based on a careful examination by the developer or owner’s construction cost consultant. This is where the consultant’s pre-bid pricing and documentation of scopes becomes the basis of evaluating all proposals. If a proposal seems too good to be true, it most likely should be questioned. Because the bid amount is reasonably acceptable, the need for ‘balanced’ pricing throughout should not be overlooked; one of the least desirable practices in construction is ‘using Peter to pay Paul’. The inability of the contractor to meet any respective obligation is one the most common reasons for the aggrieved party ‘walking off’ the job.
The existence of a binding legal document does not guarantee that execution of the work may not be supplanted by time spent in legal anglings or even in the courts. ‘Time is money’ is never more true than when one discovers that nothing in the construction contract will guarantee compensation for every dollar lost by unplanned delays or interruptions.
It is incumbent on the developer or owner to maintain control of all aspects of the project from concept to completion, which may best be achieved by employing a knowledgeable, independent construction management consultant.
If you would like us to help Evaluating Construction Proposals or need Florida Construction Management Services, please complete the form below and a professional will contact you to discuss your specific needs:
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We provide Construction Proposal Evaluation Services and Florida Construction Management Services in the entire state of Florida including the following large Florida counties: Miami-Dade County, Pasco County, Marion County, Polk County, Leon County, Brevard County, Duval County, Escambia County, Sarasota County, Manatee County, Alachua County, Orange County, Hillsborough County, Collier County, Seminole County, Broward County, Palm Beach County, Pinellas County, Lee County, Volusia County and others.
We offer Florida Construction Management Services and Construction Proposal Evaluation Services services all over Florida including the following metro areas: Gainesville, Sarasota / Bradenton, Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie, Fort Myers, Titusville, Jacksonville, Ft. Walton Beach, Naples, Winter Haven, Palm Bay, Fort Lauderdale, Daytona Beach, Cape Coral, Pensacola, Punta Gorda, Ocala, Orlando, Melbourne, Lakeland, Clearwater, Tallahassee, Panama City, Tampa, West Palm Beach/Boca Raton, Miami, St. Petersburg and surrounding areas.
Posted in 
Florida Construction Planning and Scheduling
If time is the essence of the construction contract, then planning and scheduling are the complimentary engines necessary for driving timely completion.
Planning
Planning is one of the most important functions of management. The Project Manager or management team must first establish and document project objectives; secondly all factors that may impact those objectives, whether positively or negatively must be recognized; and third and finally, the means of achieving the project objective is formulated and follows company policy in its execution. The individual or team responsible for planning must be able to analyze and visualize each element and activity from design to close-out; they must possess a thorough knowledge of equipment, labor, materials and methods, incorporating input from all suppliers, subcontractors and related parties.
Scheduling
Scheduling evolves from a thorough analysis and listing, usually by the Project Manager, of all elements and time required to complete each element of the work. The information may be scheduled in the form of a Bar Chart for durations along with an Arrow Diagram for sequencing. Scheduling which now mostly utilizes computerized systems is usually required by the construction documents to use the Critical Path Method (CPM), which not only sequentially details all activities within each element, but most importantly identifies activities that must be completed on schedule to achieve completion on time. Probably its most important use during the construction phase is determining how changes or delays of any activity will impact project completion.
Construction Phase
During the construction phase, the schedule is at the heart of all coordination because it continuously monitors the pulse of all related players. All parties to the construction contract must recognize the interdependence of activities, clearly appreciating that down-times and start-up times are critical and having a positive plan of how to overcome the ‘what ifs’ that may arise. Because the schedule clearly identifies every activity, managers can recognize, discuss and resolve possible conflicts immediately if need be or at weekly review meetings. The Project Manager may utilize a ‘mini-schedule’ to avoid or recover lost time, thereby avoiding negative impact to the critical path.
Prior planning is a prerequisite for proper scheduling and joint utilization is critical to timely completion.
If you would like us to help with your Construction Planning and Scheduling or need Florida Construction Management Services, please complete the form below and a professional will contact you to discuss your specific planning and scheduling needs:
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We provide Construction Planning and Scheduling Services and Florida Construction Management Services in the entire state of Florida including the following large Florida counties: Brevard County, Duval County, Seminole County, Orange County, Volusia County, Manatee County, Marion County, Palm Beach County, Hillsborough County, Polk County, Leon County, Collier County, Pinellas County, Lee County,Broward County, Sarasota County, Escambia County, Alachua County, Miami-Dade County, Pasco County and others.
We offer Florida Construction Management Services and Construction Planning and Scheduling Services services all over Florida including the following metro areas: Tampa, Titusville, Fort Lauderdale, Daytona Beach, St. Petersburg, Cape Coral, West Palm Beach/Boca Raton, Jacksonville, Pensacola, Naples, Winter Haven, Punta Gorda, Ft. Walton Beach, Palm Bay, Ocala, Miami, Orlando, Gainesville, Sarasota / Bradenton, Melbourne, Lakeland, Fort Myers, Tallahassee, Clearwater, Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie, Panama City and surrounding areas.