A Guide to Construction Services Procurement would be incomplete without a discussion of collaborative LEAN construction planning and management methodology. The latter is a robust, proven method of integrating the planning, procurement, and project delivery of repair, renovation, maintenance, and new new construction in and early and ongoing manner to consistent drive optimal outcomes.
The primary mistake that organizations make in procuring construction services in support of their facilities management needs is that they do not manage their providers.
Many, if not most, public sector procurement professionals view their role as simply shuffling paperwork to enable the bidding and contracting of construction firms as quickly as possible. The faster the process is complete the better. The net result has been the continues legacy of economic and environmental waste, legal disputes, and dissatisfaction of both building uses and oversight groups.
LEAN Construction Planning and Management Methodology – The proven, robust framework integrates people, process, information, and technology to consistently assure delivery of quality, on-time, and on-budget repair, renovation, maintenance, and new construction projects to the mutual satisfaction of all participants and stakeholders. While it does require change from the ‘status quo’ of traditional archaic and antagonistic practices (low bid, design-bid-build….), core fundamentals are far from complex and implementation can be phased. All that is required is owner leadership, commitment, and competency.. Proven methods currently include integrated project delivery, IPD, for major new construction, and LEAN job order contracting, JOC, for repair, renovation, maintenance and new construction. Tools and support services are readily available for both.
The Role of Procurement – It’s important to understand that procurement is not an isolated silo or entity with respect to facilities support services. Procurement must play an early and ongoing role with respect to planning, procuring, and project delivery of facilities construction and operations/maintenance support services. In fact, procurement must play a leadership roles, or at a minimum a shared leadership role with facilities management professionals. Procurement must work directly; with builders and other construction, architectural, engineering and other service providers on an early and ongoing basis.
Building and supporting teams and treating AEC (architects, engineers, and contractors) a long term partners is a core requisite function of procurement. All are part of the organizations value chain. Unfortunately, many public sector procurement entities do not operate within or abide by this core principle.
Within LEAN construction planning, procurement, and project delivery frameworks, service providers contribute experience and solutions on an early and ongoing basis with the goal of achieving well defined mutually beneficial outcomes. Associated multi-party agreements, operations manuals/execution guides, data environments, and enabling technology all are embedded with and support consistent deployment and continuous improvement.
The end goals of procurement relative to facilities repair, renovation, maintenance, operations, and maintenance remains the same, serving the client. The difference is that beneficially and seamlessly serving the client is now possible.
Procurement’s Role
- Achieve best value outcomes (evaluate needs and costs, not simply price)
- Clarify, validate, and set organizational objectives
- Communicate objectives to relevant internal and external teams.
- Select appropriate planning, procurement, and project delivery methods
- Conduct market research. Develop and monitor requests for information and requests for proposals. Clearly define goals, roles and areas of responsibility, and quantitative metrics.
- Evaluate proposals and award service providers
- Award project(s) and associated work order(s)
- Monitor progress
- Close out project(s) and work order(s) and evaluate performance
via Four BT, LLC, the AEC industry’s innovative integrated project delivery, construction cost data and SAAS technology solutions provider integrating powerful, proven project planning, procurement, and execution methods.
We help guide organizations to achieve accelerated improvement of their facilities repair, renovation, and construction outcomes through the development of a culture and client-specific programs centered upon delivering customer value, driven by, proven LEAN processes, actionable data, enabling cloud technology, and ongoing training.