Building a new office? You need an owner's rep
Business growth, while exciting, comes with many challenges. Thoughts of expanding operations or constructing new facilities can be overwhelming. While running a business full time, how will you decide where, when and how to build? That's where an owner's representative can step in to make a significant difference in your construction project and help to relieve some of those growing pains.
Owner's representatives alleviate common expansion fears by acting as your advocate when you decide to construct or modernize your facilities. Monitoring the entire process from start to finish, the owner's representative helps you proactively manage your project to minimize potentially substantial risks, prevent problems and eliminate surprises. Having an expert on your side means your project is much more likely to be completed onetime and on budget.
Consider the resort owner who has put together what she considers to be a winning team for the construction of her new property. She has appointed a highly-regarded architect, a leading local contractor and various other specialized consultants. Why does she need an Owner's Representative with this capable team? The owner's representative is the choir director bringing all of these "soloists" together for the best possible outcome. On their own, each provides value, but their focus is on their own scope of work. The owner's representative is focused on ensuring project completion while getting the best results and value for the owner.
Services begin with aligning owners' design criteria and vision with constructability, budget and schedule. Owner's representatives can be instrumental in contract coordination with architects and general contractors. While the architect and contractors may have a clear vision about your unique design and build situation, the owner's representative is focused on ensuring the team is utilizing the most cost-effective solutions. The owner's representative is charged with protecting the client's (owner's) interests. It is that big-picture focus that helps ensure that all members of the project team are working toward a common goal.
It's important to bring an owner's representative to the table as early as possible to make the most significant impact. You'll avoid costly headaches or setbacks such as premature commitments to a specific location, operator, architect, or subcontractor, whose objectives or skill set are not in line with your project.
Without an owner's representative in place, many questions will fall back to you, the owner. Unless you have specialized knowledge in design or construction, you may find yourself unsure of the answers. Another important consideration your time required to manage the project and communications between all the parties. The owner's representative will be your "eyes and ears" as the project moves forward by keeping you involved, yet also allowing you to continue to manage your business.
An experienced owner's representative will have in-depth understanding of the construction process from "imagination" to completion and understands the language and communication that goes into the different phases from design to build. You can focus on running your business while they facilitate construction-related matters and focus on the design and construction team, contract terms, insurance requirements and certificates, permits, submittal tracking, OSHA safety compliance requirements, third party testing and inspections. During the construction phase, the owner's representative will closely monitor the project schedule, pay application processing and potential change order analysis.
With their focus on the bottom-line and value-added options, owner's representative services can pay for themselves.
• Rosemary Swierk is president of Direct Steel and Construction in Crystal Lake. Contact her at solutions@directsteelllc.com.