Construction Management for Healthcare projects

1: Gives you the opportunity to select construction project leadership based on qualifications

Basing selection of a general contractor on the lowest bid is a little bit like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get. In some instances, the low bidder may also be the best-qualified bidder. But there are no guarantees that will be the case. With Construction Management, you are able to choose the company to lead construction based on the qualifications of the firm and the members of its project team; and to bring a builder’s experience to design, cost and schedule analysis during pre-construction.

Example: Carl A. Nelson & Company (CANCO) was engaged by a hospital client that previously had a bad experience on a project using the traditional design-bid-build approach. CANCO was chosen ahead of three other competitors based on our experience and team to lead a renovation project for the hospital.

“They noticed a significant improvement in the performance of their next project, which is why they elected to retain our services for their next major renovation project,” said Chris Smith, vice president of operations in CANCO’s Burlington office.

2: Get the benefit of a contractor’s experience with cost, schedule and constructability during design of the project

In traditional design-bid-build construction, the contractor is handed a set of finished plans to build as drawn. But that approach denies you any opportunity to have a contractor’s input on the design from the beginning, or at least early in the process. That means the you lose the chance to realize savings in cost and time, and to ensure the building can be built as designed. Construction Management assures those opportunities are not wasted, as the builder is able to make recommendations about materials, design direction, and schedule to ensure you can meet your project goals within the available resources.

Example: During construction of a medical office building for a health system client in Iowa, the CANCO project team — which came on board late in the design process — was able to recommend an innovative framing method for pre-cast concrete panels that sped up construction and provided the Owner with savings in both time and cost.

3: Collaboration between Construction Manager (CM) and designer results in best-value outcomes

In traditional design-bid-build construction, the relationship between designer and builder often can be adversarial — if there is a relationship between them at all. But in Construction Management delivery, the CM and designer have not only the opportunity but the responsibility to you to work together as a team to produce best-value results that will result in the lowest cost for construction, fastest schedule and most efficient long-term operation, while also producing a quality finished project. By collaborating during pre-construction, the CM and designer are able to work together to find those solutions.

Example: On a project for a hospital in Iowa, CANCO’s project team recommended a design change in the HVAC system — a switch from water-cooled to air-cooled chillers — that not only resulted in lower upfront cost for installation, but also saved the Owner an estimated $500,000 in operating expense for the life of the chillers. The engineering firm concurred, and adjusted the design to accommodate the change.

4: Construction Manager involvement from concept to completion ensures better incorporation of your goals within your available budget

Whether brought onto a project before or after a designer is engaged, a Construction Manager is able to see the finished design as more than a set of drawings to guide construction, but as a description of the Owner’s goals and priorities. In a traditional design-bid-build approach, it is easy to reduce budgets by simply slashing space or aesthetics, or see initial design exceed budgets. A CM will have the base of understanding to work at maintaining important elements that preserve goals and budgets by seeking other opportunities during pre-construction and construction to save.

Example: For multiple hospital clients, CANCO has been brought in on the project ahead of design, and helped prepare RFPs, conduct interviews and select the design team. This assured the Owners the architects being engaged were the ones best suited to meet each project’s goals and budget.

5: Frees you to focus on your core mission

With a CM to lead the project once work beings, you won’t have to take time away from day-to-day responsibilities to clients or community due to supplier issues, schedule challenges or change orders.

Example: Our website is loaded with examples of successful Construction Management projects for clients in the healthcare, education, recreation and other market segments. Visit the Knowledge Base to learn more about project delivery and to see examples of our Construction Management agency (CMa) and Construction Manager at-Risk (CM@R) projects.