By Zack Schneider, Senior Preconstruction Manager
For a lot of people in our industry, the word preconstruction might conjure up images of people hunched over keyboards and calculators, crunching numbers and building budgets. While that may have been true a couple decades ago, I would argue preconstruction as we know it today relies heavily on people skills and relationship building to be successful. Developing reliable budgets based on accurate data is always going to be a foundation of preconstruction — but how we get there requires the ability to connect and communicate with virtually everyone else involved in the project like the design team, client, and key trade partners. In fact, I think there’s two key areas that have the capacity to make or break preconstruction success. And the key to getting these two project phases right, are people skills.
Become a Project Liaison
Everyone working together on a project wants the development to be successful. However, if you were to ask the client, architect, and general contractor how they defined success, you might get three different answers. I believe preconstruction leaders can become project liaisons and help open up conversations that will help everyone understand what is most important to the client, what their potential concerns or issues are, and then help ensure the design is being drawn with those specific parameters in mind. If the main entryway of a new office building is the most important component of the project for our client, we can make sure the project stays within budget by controlling other areas of the structure while protecting the vision of the entryway. If we think back to that image of number crunchers, a precon team who isn’t driving communication and leading discussions might start offering value engineering options that reduce the size, scope, and aesthetic of the entryway first. That will either lead to an unhappy client or time wasted redrawing and going back and forth. A clear conversation developing what we call the Conditions of Satisfaction will save time and ensure our client is getting the building they want, for the budget they need.
A truly successful preconstruction team would take it a step further and, after identifying the most important conditions of success on the project, plan and lead a design pull plan. This lean construction practice requires getting together with the entire design team and asking the right questions to target key design milestone dates and make sure everyone is on board with what has to happen to get there. This is also the time to start those conversations about material selections, lead times associated with them, constructability discussions, and all the conversations that need to happen to make sure that the final design for the project is not only completed on schedule but will be achievable in the field. These pull planning sessions and subsequent design milestone check ins are where a preconstruction leader’s people skills need to shine. This collaboration is only successful if led by a thoughtful, experienced team who is coming to the table as a partner and not as a taskmaster. Architects do not have to collaborate on this level with the construction team, but we know that these processes and early conversations set the project up for a success in a way that isn’t possible otherwise. The alternative is delays, headaches, and the dreaded back and forth of redrawing efforts. Not to mention the very real possibility of clashes and construction issues in the field. So, it takes a preconstruction team who can step up as a partner and bring the design team to the table in a positive, productive environment to get the most out of pull planning in the design phase.
Sharpen Your Sales Skills
I fully believe that preconstruction teams need to have more of a sales relationship with trade partners than a contract relationship. In this labor market, top trade partners have a lot of options. Precon leaders need to develop relationships and build up a database of trade partners to first get the most accurate prices during the design phase, and secondly ensure they can staff projects with the best, most reliable trade partners. They need to be able to sell the project so to speak by offering a positive work environment and contract that will help the trade partner, not just themselves. Here’s a few specific examples of applying good sales skills in the bidding process:
- Make sure to communicate with the trade partner the importance of the project. If it’s a project with a client that has more future work then the project could pay dividends down the line.
- Discuss the rough scope with a trade partner when telling them about the project early on. Trade partners receive a ton of invitations to bid (ITB) from general contractors so the more information you can give them early on, the easier it is for them to make a decision on whether or not to bid sooner rather than later. Not to mention, being transparent and upfront with information goes a long way in building solid relationships with trade partners.
- Give them feedback on their number after the bid, especially if your team is awarding the work to someone else. It takes time to put a bid together and it’s only fair to let them know whether or not they were in the ballpark. We like to get this feedback from clients so it’s only fair we provide it to our trade partners. While this isn’t selling the project to trade partners, it is a good way to sell your company and highlight the way you operate.
These crucial relationships between GC’s and trade partners require a lot of networking, phone calls, and most importantly building trust on every project. We hold trade partner appreciation events, host lunches on site, and make sure that we’re being good partners to these companies during the project. When preconstruction and construction teams take the time to build trust and develop relationships, we know that we pick up the phone to get numbers for a bid, those trade partners are willing to give us accurate numbers that help us build a reliable budget. And when we win the project, we can get the right manpower for the project and keep it on schedule.
When you start talking about preconstruction professionals, I don’t think that people skills would be one of the first things you’d bring up. But our industry overall is about people just as much as it is about building. That extends to preconstruction, or it should if a project is going to be successful. If your preconstruction team isn’t effectively collaborating with the design team, leading discussions about milestones and constructability, and selling your project to key trade partners — your budget, schedule, and overall project success will suffer. On your next new project, I’d advise asking potential builders about their preconstruction team’s communication skills and making sure you’re hiring the right team in the earliest stages of construction to set your development up for success.
