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CONSTRUCTION/FACILITY PLANNING
Strategies for Accelerating Project Execution Pandemic-related project delays have prompted manufacturers to investigate alternative project-delivery approaches to make up for lost time. By Brandon Darroch, Southeast Division Manager and Senior Associate; and Brian Arend, Senior Associate; SSOE
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Courtesy of SSOE
ore than 75 percent of the companies responding to a recent survey from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)1 expect the COVID-19 pandemic will have a financial impact on their business, with more than 50 percent anticipating changes to their operations. Prior to the pandemic many manufacturing companies had design and construction projects, either in progress or in the pipeline, with aggressive schedules. To slow the spread of the disease, many manufacturing operations and construction sites were shut down while new safety precautions were developed and implemented. Furthermore, uncertainty in the market caused many companies to delay committing large capital investments into expanding their operations. Over the summer, the manufacturing industry has
Involving an A/E that can produce fabrication level designs in-house can significantly reduce the construction schedule.
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slowly begun its return to pre-pandemic production levels. As this occurs, companies have done little to relax pre-COVID targets for newly constructed facilities, as projected production dates are a key driver for the majority of manufacturers, especially for advanced technology markets like electric vehicles where speed to market is such an important factor. This has resulted in compressed design and construction schedules and a need for the architecture/engineering/construction (A/E/C) industry to offer unique ways to accelerate project delivery. Following are insights into strategies, solutions, and key considerations which can be implemented to accelerate project execution and help companies get back on track.
Consider Alternative Project Delivery Methods Historically, many manufacturing leaders have preferred the traditional design/bid/build model. This delivery method takes a linear, step-by-consecutive-step approach, first bringing an A/E on board to design a complete package of construction documents. Once design is complete, project execution goes on hold as the construction documents are bid out to contractors. This bid process can take a considerable amount of time, dependent on the level of detail an owner puts into reviewing, evaluating, and eventually awarding a contractor. Although this process has the least amount of risk to the owner, its step-by-step approach makes it the longest in terms of schedule duration. Instead, consider a design/build approach where the A/E and the contractor are simultaneously brought on board at the beginning of a project. Not only does this delivery method facilitate a more expedited constructability review process, it can substantially compress the overall project schedule by omitting the bid delay between the design and construction phases. for free site information, visit us online at www.areadevelopment.com
3/1/21 11:45 AM
