STOP Thinking about ACCURATE CONTRUCTION COST ESTIMATES

“Accurate construction cost estimates” is a misnomer, however, and estimate can and should be Objective, Current, Granular, and reflect LOCAL Market Labor, Material, and Equipment costs.   

Sustainability and Preventive Maintenance = Environmental Stewardship

Sustainability and Preventive maintenance are linked in several ways; Energy Efficiency, Resource Conservation, Waste Reduction, Environmental Impact, Health and Safety, Cost Savings, and Compliance and Standards

FSRM – Facilities Sustainment, Restoration, and Modification

Facilities sustainment – The maintenance and repair activities necessary to keep an inventory of facilities in good working order. It includes regularly scheduled adjustments and inspections, preventive maintenance tasks, and emergency response and service calls for minor repairs.

4BT JOC Program Management Solution

4BT JOC Program Management Solution?

1. Critical management functionality 
2. Current, objective, verifiable, LOCAL MARKET labor, material, and equipment costs
3. Achieves unparalled value, cost savings, and ROI
4. Builds and retains owner and design-builder knowledge

Unlocking the door to Objective Verifiable Construction Cost Estimates

Unlocking the door to Objective Verifiable Construction Cost Estimates is now possible with current, locally research line item labor, material, and equipment data from Four BT, LLC (4BT).

Major Construction Cost Estimating Improvement

An important construction cost estimating inprovement is the use of current, objective, verifiable, and locally researched granular labor, material, and equipment construction tasks.

Improving Construction Services Procurement – JOC

Improving Construction Services Procurement is critical to sustainable facilities management.  JOC, Job Order Contracting can play a major role, if, JOC Programs as not used to simply “speed procurement” and robust, collaborative processes are leveraged.

DoD Facilities Sustainment Practices NOT KEEPING PACE with Changing Landscape

DoD Facilites Sustainment Practices are NOT KEEPING PACE with Changing Landscapes. Most DoD and non-DoD organizations fail to use objective, verificable, and current granular local market construction labor, material, and equipment information, organized in a fully standardized and transparent manner.

Relearn Construction Cost Estimating – 4 Critical Learnings

Relearn Construction Cost Estimating – 4 Critical Learnings. Technology will not solve your problems.  Tech is an enablers.
People, Process, and Information are the three kings.  Focus on working with professions with experience, yet willing to learn, listen, and share information.  Robust process is critical.  Move away from “project-based thinking”, to program thinking.  This simply means, fundamental steps/workflows work for ALL projects.  Stick with them.  As to information, there is only one critical aspect.   Use and share objective, granular, current, and locally researched line item data that is organized using a standard data architecture (for example, expanded CSI Masterformat). 
Focus on a developing a detailed Scope of Work from day one and work collaboratively with all constituencies (owners, design-builders, planners, procurement, facilities management…).
Work as part of an integrated planning, procurement, and project delivery team.

AI – caveat emptor – FM

AI – caveat emptor – FM. AI is basically “pattern recognition”.  Algorithims sort throught avaiable data, look for relevant information based upon statistically high conformance, and output a result.  The issue is the rarely is the “consensus” of available data the answer when it comes to complex or innovative solutions.  Secondly, the problem of assuming biased or misinformation is accurate is very real.

Enhance Construction Cost Estimating – 5 Steps

Enhance Construction Cost Estimating – 5 Steps.

Improve construction cost estimating?

1. A detailed, well-communicated Scope of Work is critical to the success of any project whether repair, renovation, maintenance, or new construction and the associated use of commonly understood, standardized terms, definitions, and data architectures (expanded CSI Masterformat, UNIFORMAT…).
2. Early and ongoing communication and collaboration among owners and design/builders during the planning, procurement, and project delivery phases based upon a robust integrated framework.
3. Development of a shared detailed Scope of Work
4. A detail quantity take off and associated objective current, locally researched line item construction cost database.
5. Owner leadership, capacity, and accountability.

Collaboration and informed decision-making in the construction industry

Cost visibilty and transparency promotes a culture of collaboration and informed decision-making and can ensure greater efficiency across the facilities management and AECOO sectors.

Introducing LEED v5 – For what it is worth.

Introducing LEED V5, the next version of the globally recognized comprehensive framework for green building practices. Embracing market demands for greater accountability, v5 will champion solutions to aligning the built environment with critical imperatives including decarbonization, ecosystem conservation and restoration, equity, health, and resilience. LEED v5 will drive real-world impact and positive change worldwide.

Sustainable Facilities Management Practices

Sustainable Facilities Management Practices involve a clear set of objectives, methods, and processes aimed at maximizing performance of the built environment with respect to economic and environmental resources in concert with meeting organizational mission needs.

Linking Program Management and Project Management – A Proven Construction Productivity Solution

Linking Program Management and Project Management  and enhancing  this relationship aligns single projects to a robust programmatic approach to significantly improve overall outcomes for owners, architects, engineers, and builders.

Facilities Leaders NOT Facilities Managers

Attaining a sustainable built environment requires Facilities Leaders NOT Facilities Managers. Leadership focused upon people first, then process, information, and finally technology.

Improving Facilities Project Outcomes

Improving Improving Facilities Project Outcomes, whether,  repair, renovation, maintenance, or new build, isn’t difficult. It does, however, require that relationships that lead to mutual benefit formed by internal and external teams who might otherwise be competitors fighting head-to- head and cause the traditional fragmentation provide major obstacles to efficient project delivery.

Integrated Project Delivery Critical Component

A critical component of Integrated Project Delivery is objective, verifiable, granular local market cost data and and associated and an associated detailed scope of work (SOW) fully communicated with and agreed to by all participants and stakeholders.    

Beware of Using Assemblies for Job Order Contracting

Beware of Using Assemblies for Job Order Contracting. Some suppliers of Job Order Contracting software and cost data use “Assemblies” within what is supposed to be a unit price book (UPB). Line item estimating provides a detailed and transparent breakdown of costs, making it easier to track expenses and communicate with stakeholders. 

Sustainable Public Sector Facilities Management

Sustainable public sector facilities management is long overdue. “All” that is required, is …

• Compentent owner leadership, commitment, and accountablity.

• The application and continuous improvement of systems thinking based frameworks/process.

• A common, shared technical and cost data environment.

• Adoption of systems thinking and a fundamental change from current planning, procurement, and project delivery practices.

FM 2024 and Beyond!

 FM 2023 and Beyond requires 1) Owner Leadership, Commitment, & Accountability

2) Integrated Planning, Procurement, and Project Teams, Processes, and Workflows

3) Standards and Guidance – Shared Objective, Granular, Local Market Construction Task & Cost Data, Expanded Masterformat, Expanded UNIFORMAT

4) Frameworks and Contracts Focused Upon Mutually Beneficial Outcomes for ALL Participants and Stakeholders

5) Manditory Initial and ONGOING Education and Training

6) Quantitative Performance Metrics and Continuous Improvement

OpenBUILD(TM) Integrated Project Construction Delivery Solution

Integrated Project Construction Delivery Solution thar provides a standardized approach to construction data collection that collates and shares data on all public sector projects across all locations in a common format across public and private sector audiences to leverage the latest methods and tools supporting optimal project planning, costing, procurement, delivery, and management,

Alliance Contracting Key Aspects

Alliance Contracting / Alliance Partnering in ConstructionWhen properly designed, implemented, and managed, drives innovation, collaboration, and best value outcomes for all parties.

Defining a CREDIBLE Construction Cost Estimate

A credible cost estimate is one that has been derived using local market granular information. A unit cost is assigned to each of the facility components or construction tasks as represented by the bill of quantities.

CONSTRUCTION PROJECT FAILURE FACTORS

Contruction failure factors are have been fully documented.  Recognizing these causal factors and implementing available solutions can substantially reduce the number of failed projects, and more efficiently achieve other project objectives. 

Preconstruction Prerequisites

Preconstruction determines what will be built and how it will be procured and delivered.   A robust preconstruction process mitigates risk, virually eliminates change orders, ensures regulatory compliance, provide cost transparency, reduces project delivery times, and overall construction costs by 30%-40%+ vs. traditional methods.

Creating a detailed line item construction cost estimate

What’s involved in creating detailed line item construction cost estimate contains a complete and accurate descriptions aof a granular construction task to credibility support analysis.   Unit prices and quantities include individual LOCAL MARKET labor, material, and equipment information and cost breakdowns as well as crew and productivity information.

Controlling Construction Costs, Rocket Science, and Time Travel

Controlling construction costs is not rocket science, nor does it involve time travel. Facilities repair, renovation, maintenance, and new build projects can be delivered on time and on budget.

4BT OpenCost(TM) Local Market Granular Cost Data an RSmeans Alternative?

We source and maintain LOCAL MARKET GRANULAR COST DATA that is superior to traditional “national average cost data” and location factoring.
Significantly improve cost visibility and cost management for ALL your facilities repair, renovation, maintenance, and new build projects.

JOC Contractor Evaluation

JOC contractor evaluation is an ongoing process, begining with their response to a Job Order Contract Request for Propsals for design-builders and continuing throughout the life-cycle of the JOC Program.

Cost effective FSRM Facilities Facilities Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization

Cost effective facilities Facilities Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization (FSRM) can now be accomplished with the integration of robust process and planning, procurement, and project delivery teams within a common data environment (CDE) inclusive of current, local market, granular line item construction task data.

Developing an Efficient JOC Program Framework

Developing an efficient JOC Program Framework requires a commitment to collaborative and integrated Planning, Procurement, and Project Delivery teams. Unfortunately most JOC […]

Process DRIVES construction outcomes. Simple.

Process DRIVES construction outcomes by integrating previously disparate disciplines through the project lifecycle. The primary failure point for over 90% of all projects is a poorly defined and poorly communicated scope of work, which in turn results from the lack of a robust process.

JOC Program Solution

The Benefits the 4BT JOC Program Solution include Simplified Program Management, Enhanced Collaboration, Efficient, Best Management Practices-based JOC Process Implementation, Customized Solutions, Cost Savings, Improved Quality Control, Time Savings, Risk Mitigation, Flexibility, and Long-Term Relationship Building.