We have be rethinking and reimagining Job Order Contracting. We are excited to introduce a super-efficient Job Order Contracting Solution.
You can now deploy proven methods and assure repair, renovation, and new build project success with the lowest possible administrative burden.
“Begin to Consistently Deliver Quality, On-Time, and On-Budget Results And Reduce Costs 30%-50%+ in 90 Days!”
You already know that 80%-90% of ALL construction projects are late, over-budget, or poorly completed. (McKinsey Report, 2018; McKinsey Global Institute (MGI’s) Reinventing construction: A route to higher productivity report, released in February 2017)
The above chart clearly shows the inefficiencies of traditional construction delivery methods and the benefits of JOC (Source: National JOC Survey and other published reference materials.)
The Value of a Shared Purpose, Process, and Information Environment
Cost effectively managing your facilities to support your organization’s mission requires the ability to
1.) define scope and cost reliably and in a detailed manner,
2.) procure services cost effectively, and then
3.) execute projects efficiently.
Fully defining a repair, renovation, or new build is critical to success. Studies have clearly demonstrated that a poorly prepared, poorly communicated scope of work is the primary cause of ALL construction project failures. These same studies have shown that the construction delivery method PROCESS impacts all aspects of a project.
The Proven Method described here focuses upon creating an environment to support BEST VALUE project delivery on a consistent basis as quickly and efficiently as possible.
We have used this method to support our clients and they have achieved superior outcomes throughout all Planning, Procurement, and Project Execution phases of repair, renovation, maintenance, and new builds.
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Key Solutions for Savvy Facilities Owners
We want to share some of these solutions with you, but please understand we respect our clients, so there is only so much we can share…
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Getting It Right!
The County of Ventura, General Services Administration (GSA) implemented a Job Order Contract to provide more responsive facilities construction services to its many public sector departments. Unfortunately, the County GSA found they were not getting the outcomes and services they expected. Their existing JOC Program, in place from 1996 to 2018 had stagnated, and the cost of their old program simply did not justify the expenditure.
The GSA decided to take a different approach and select and leverage the tools and services that met their needs, as opposed to a “canned offering”. The JOC Program is now flourishing. The amount of JOC construction services being completed has doubled and they have achieved a 75% cost savings! and number of and now has expanded their JOC Program…delivering twice the number of projects at a 75% cost savings versus the former methods. In 2 years, the GSA’s JOC Program went from $8M to $20M.
“I would recommend 4BT in a heartbeat! The 4BT team is extremely knowledgeable in the field of JOC and always available when assistance is needed. The software is user friendly, and the technical assistance is always appreciated. Once you are in the system, with the support, everything goes smoothly with a result of comfort and satisfaction.”
-Lisa Ochoa, County of Ventura General Services Administration
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If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.
W. Edwards Deming
Who is This for?
Our solution is designed for real property owner facilities management teams throughout the public sector and their service providers. You will know our solution is for you if your current processes are not providing the repair, renovation, and new build track record you need for a fair price.
Maintaining an efficient department to support your organization’s numerous facilities sustainment projects should not be that difficult. If you want to optimize all your facilities construction related activities, you are in the right place.
If you are tired of change orders, antagonistic relationships with builders or building users, paying too much for existing JOC services, or constrained internal budgets going awry do not worry, we will show you develop a successful strategy for a fraction of the traditional cost.
So, Stick around if….
- You hate having to wait months to start projects,
- You know you need better support for your in-house and externally source facilities maintenance teams,
- You suspect your current construction planning, procurement, and project management system is not up to par,
- You are worried about compliance and financial visibility or transparency.
- You are just plain tired of throwing money out the window…. And the window is broken… Change the process.
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Core Concept
You can create an environment that allows you to consistently deliver all your repair, renovation, and new builds on-time and on-budget, and to everyone’s satisfaction. And you do this for a fraction of the cost of alternative solutions by simply matching the tools and services your organization needs to implement an integrated, collaborative planning, procurement, and project delivery approach.
Sure, you can attempt to do this on your own, or pay a percentage of your construction value to a “consultant”, however these alternatives likely:
1.) do not treat all parties equally, and
2.) fail to deliver mutually beneficial outcomes for all parties, or
3.) are simply too expensive or difficult to implement.
We are the best and only people dedicated to solving this problem for public sector real property owners and their external service providers and do it at the lowest possible cost.
A Word from our Co-Founder
I founded 4BT in 2016, with my partners. We knew that facilities owners needed a way to procure and deliver projects faster, and without paying excessive administrative costs. The solution had to be easy-to-use and bulletproof! So, together with Peter Cholakis formerly with 4Clicks Solutions, The R. S. Means Company, and VFA, Inc., and Gene Spencer, formerly with The R.S. Means Company, we delivered on just that. Throughout our careers, our team members have worked with real property owners of all sizes, and their service partners… serving single sites and entire organizations… including the General Services Administration, Public Building Services, Federal Aviation Administration, Clark County School District, MEDCOM, University of Texas San Antonio, and hundreds of others.
Our team has worked with the “best of the best”, yet knew there was a need for a better, faster, and less expensive solution. Existing methods either did not support reliable cost data at a detailed level and that also represented the local market or did not equally meet the needs of real property owners, architects, engineers, contractors, or subcontractors. We knew that if all participants and stakeholders associated with facilities planning, procurement, and project delivery could work together, from the very beginning of projects, throughout their completion and beyond, toward mutually beneficial goals and outcomes, productivity and value would skyrocket, and costs would go down. So, we developed a solution to do just that!
Plan and procure your JOC Program to support your needs, capture and grow organizational knowledge to achieve maximum value at the lowest administration cost.
The Old Way:
You sign up with a JOC services “consultant” and pay a percentage of your total JOC annual construction volume. Based on the services you select; this approach will cost your firm 2% to over 8% of construction volume. This can easily reach millions of dollars for larger JOC Programs, just for administering the program.
The Old Result:
You pay 2x to 10x more than necessary to implement a JOC Program. The “JOC Consultant” gets in the middle, and in the process ends up fostering the old adversarial relationships associated with design-bid-build. You and your team remain at arm’s length from the awarded JOC contractor. As a result, your team fails to develop leadership and other core JOC benefits. Oversight is compromised and typical results are poor. JOC Program benefits fail to justify the costs, and your facilities management team is left to pick up the pieces.
The New Way:
You focus on your People and Process first. How people interact throughout the planning, procurement, and building phase of a project determines the level of shared information, the level of trust. How you build your people and processes determines whether everyone will work together and look for solutions, or whether they be out for their own personal gain. Developing these capabilities internally is required to obtain the full benefits of JOC. As you and your team learn these core JOC fundamentals, it is then simply a matter of procuring the software, cost data, and services you need to support your organization. Assure each member of your team trained at the appropriate level, from a basic introduction to JOC to advanced levels, and you will and your JOC Programs with excel!
The New Result:
The cost for all tools and services is 3x to 10x less than paying a percentage fee and your organization builds and you and your internal and external service provider teams build and retain critical competencies and drive continuous improvement.
Do not Take our Word for it Though…
Multiple audits of JOC Programs have been conducted by independent third-party agencies. A review of these audits clearly highlights what can happen if owner teams do not learn fundamental JOC principles and directly engage in proven JOC processes. This link will direct you to a sampling of these JOC Program audits.
An Insight From Us…
Public sector organizations can improve the results of their facilities repair, renovation, maintenance, and new build activities by spending more time openly learning and communicating the core principles of Job Order Contracting.
The core benefit, and difference in our approach is treating everyone involved as “equal partners” in the process, which in turn greatly increases internal knowledge and greatly enhances JOC Program success.
During this process, it is important to gain management support and understanding. Both are critical. This is true as well as all participants internal to the organization… facilities management professionals, procurement, project management, and building professionals.
JOC is a fundamental change in how people work together on a day-to-day basis. It important for everyone to be directly involved, without the buffer of a “consultant”, so that they can actually “feel it to understand it and believe it.”
Make sure that every Scope of Work (SOW) is detailed and presented in a way that everyone can understand.
The Old Way:
Owner writes up a scope of work without designer or contractor input. Formats and the level of detail are all over place. Generally, there is little detailed information about actual site conditions, how and what needs to be done for demolition, and/or otherwise getting the site ready for mobilization and construction execution. Costing is little more than an educated guess.
The Old Result:
The scope of work is poorly defined and poorly communicated. Errors and omissions and change orders are numerous and increase project costs and delivery times. Virtually everyone, the owner, the building users, the designer, and the builder is unhappy throughout the process.
The New Way:
The owner and the services providers meet on-site and share information about it and the work to be done. In this way, the owner can communicate a detailed scope of work that is sufficient for the builder to create a detailed line-item description of the required work and the cost of each task. The tasks and cost information are derived from a locally researched detailed unit price book (UPB), to which both parties have previously accepted.
The New Result:
A detailed Scope of Work is clearly communicated to all parties resulting in fewer errors and omission, reduced change orders, faster project delivery, and lower costs! All parties fully understand and agree upon the desired result, the cost, and the schedule.
An Insight From Us…
Using a common data environment (locally researched unit price book) and sharing detailed information in an early and ongoing basis greatly improves definition of a project Scope of Work, team collaboration, and overall outcomes.
Do not Take our Word for it Though…
Research studies and case studies have clearly highlighted the predominant causes of construction project failure and the benefits of improving team collaboration on an early and ongoing basis.
Reduce Waste, Simplify, and Streamline Your Repair, Renovation, and New Builds
Create and maintain a common workflow for everyone.
The Old Way:
While each repair, renovation, maintenance, and new build has its own requirements, they unfortunately have been managed by archaic, ‘ad hoc’, and unsustainable practices. Each project was procured as its own unique activity, unnecessarily duplicating efforts, and without a well-defined, reliable, or verifiable set of phases, milestones, or information requirements.
The Old Result:
When you wanted to schedule a renovation project you would have to create a scope of work, advertise for bids, review the bids, award a contractor, and try to bring the contractor up to speed on your buildings and work environment. This process would take months, many times nearly a year. The results would be costly in delays, duplicative efforts, and numerous change orders.
The New Way:
Each project, while unique, follows a robust core workflow, with full visibility to team members. The process is written in an Operations Manual / Execution Guide, which is part of a long-term multi-party agreement. All documents, forms, schedules, approvals, and information requirements are consistent, and communicated in real-time through an enabling collaborative technology. You work with us to customize the workflow and associated requirements, documentation, and metrics to your organization. This whole process from start to finish, can be accomplished in thirty (30) days.
The New Result:
A consistent way of approaching each project that drives best value outcomes for everyone, with a proven track record of 90%+ of all projects and work orders executed in a quality manner, on-time, and on-budget! The process provides full technical and cost visibility and transparency and is fully auditable and compliant.
An Insight From Us…
Using a consistent, robust process allows you to create a reliable program that enables owners and their services providers to consistently achieve best value outcomes for everyone.
Do not Take our Word for it Though…
National survey information, case studies, and our clients have implemented a programmatic approach and achieved significant improvements in their construction related facilities management activities throughout all phases of planning, procurement, and construction.
If your total annual JOC construction is less than $2M-$3M, a JOC Cooperative is a good learning tool.
The Old Way:
JOC Cooperatives began to add construction services to the list of “commodities”, like paper, pencils, and computers, that public agencies can purchase in bulk. Fees for these services range from 2% to 8%+ of the construction value.
The Old Result:
Construction is clearly not a commodity, and fees charged to the Owner, JOC Cooperative, or Contractors of more than 2% are extremely costly. Also, these fees clearly end up being paid by you, the Owner.
The New Way:
JOC Cooperatives are used by owners to learn about JOC, in situations where total JOC construction volume is less than $2M-$3M annually, or to supplement an existing house program. You properly research the JOC Cooperative to assure it is compliant with all applicable regulations and that every contractor proposal is independently audited for compliance.
An Insight From Us…
Repair, renovation, maintenance, and new construction activities are not commodities. While JOC Cooperatives play a role, they are not appropriate long-term solutions for all public sector owners.
Do not Take our Word for it Though…
Do you own research and check out what your peers say about JOC Cooperatives.
So, All You Need to Do is:
- Create a collaborative and integrated planning, procurement, and project delivery environment over traditional design-bid-build or higher cost alternative, lower performing solutions.
- Select the tools and services your organization needs to build and support long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with your designers and builders.
- Continuously improve your processes through mandatory initial and ongoing training for everyone involved and the use of key performance indicators.
Now, there are a few ways to achieve this…
Option 1:
Go the traditional route and pay a “JOC consultant” a percentage of your construction volume to set up and “manage” your JOC Program.
Result: You will put a third party between you and your design/builder and miss the opportunity to build and retain critical information and maximize results.
Price: Approximately 2% to 8%+ of construction volume, up to $1M-$3M annually
Time: 6-12 Months
Option 2:
Continue using traditional construction delivery methods, with everyone operating in silos, believing you will eventually get it right and begin to operate efficiently.
Result: Your delivery timelines will likely continue to be unmet, your final costs will continue to exceed your budgets, and basically everyone will continue to be frustrated.
Price: 20% to 30%+ of your total annual construction spend, approximately $10M-$15M (for a $50M annual spend)
Time: Ongoing
Option 3:
Partner with 4BT to develop a program of action right for you, your organization, and you vendors.
Result: Together, we can streamline your numerous and ongoing facilities repair, renovation, maintenance, and new builds pipeline and provide the help you need at every stage of development and ongoing management.
We are a partner that is completely supportive to your needs, offering up our decades of expertise and knowledge to help develop the right program for you. Our expertise supports you at each stage of the program and project life cycle, efficiently fast tracking from initial concept through completion and beyond.
Price: $4,000 – $80,000 (depending on subscription)
Time: 1-3 Months
Here is what is going to happen when you work with us.
You will be able to complete more projects with the same or even less resources.
You will be able to dedicate more resources on actual repair/construction than on administration and legal disputes.
You can phase in your improved processes over time. Begin with a few sample projects then move to a full implementation when you and your teams are ready.
You can set up your own program within as little as 90 days.
You can finally minimize, if not eliminate, the internal complaints about projects being late, shoddy work, not to mention the antagonistic relationships with contractors.
You will feel like you are making a difference instead of treading water because you are!
Here is what you get:
A detailed locally researched cost database. This will allow you and your selected contractors to have full cost visibility and transparency. This is valued at a one-time development fee of $10,000 to $15,000, and an annual SaaS subscription fee of $1900 that includes cost updates.
Enabling Enterprise Technology. This will allow you to monitor your Program and all Contractors, Projects, Workorder, Documents, and more in detail. This is valued at an annual SaaS subscription fee of $3600 that includes software support.
Multi-Level and Multi-Format Training. This will allow you and your internal and external teams to share the same principles, processes, and tools to maximize value and continuously improve. This is valued at $895/attendee/session.
NEXT STEPS
All you need to do is put aside an hour to discuss your needs and see how we can jointly enable you to consistently achieve best value repair/construction outcomes.
We are limiting this offer to ten (10) organizations the ability to review current needs and potentially get started, so make sure you contact us, or we may not be able to work with you this year.
All you need to do is set up a time to talk! We guarantee it will be worth the time.
FAQs
“Will this work if I have established relationships with local contractors.” [insert circumstance]?
Absolutely, in fact, local contractors have knowledge of your buildings and work environment. They will be adapting the same principles and process as your internal teams, and everyone will benefit?
“Will this work if I have never integrated our planning, procurement, and project delivery teams?”
Absolutely, but it will require your leadership and the support of management.
“Is this compliant with my regulations/statues?”
We are not attorney’s and cannot and do not offer legal advice. That said, there are hundreds of owners and thousands of builders and AEs currently these methods. In some cases, clients have begun to implement components of this approach via Cooperatives. These Cooperatives, such as the Allied States Cooperative are fully compliant applicable with state and federal (EDGAR).
“Are there long-term contracts for your services?”
You can similarly procure our data and technology on an annual subscription basis. Training can be purchased as needed, however, should be annual at a minimum. Remember, the key is to build and maintain in-house and external team knowledge, and for all parties to continuously improve.
“How do I justify the upfront cost to my boss?”
Simple, it is the same boss that already is aware of cost overages, late projects, and the ever-increasing backlogs of repair, renovation, and maintenance projects. The choice is to continue the vicious treadmill or spend money and execute more efficiently. The cost of our solution would likely be recouped in the first project or two.
“Why should I trust you?”
Take another look at our team and what we have done. Review our case studies.