Page 37 - Forensic Structural Engineering Handbook

1.18 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES

the owner. Also, in this scenario the design professional is responsible to the design-builder
who has control over the entire project.

Construction Management

A method evolved in the 1960s and 1970s whereby a construction manager (CM) acts as
the owner’s agent. The overall project is grouped into trade contracts which are competi-
tively bid on by prequalified contractors. All contracts are directly held by the Owner.
Subsequently the process evolved into “CM at risk” where the CM holds the contract (with
the subcontractors) and provides a general maximum price (GMP) to the owner.
For a detailed review of the four types of project delivery systems discussed above, refer
to the articles in the proceedings of the ASCE Construction Congress V, Minneapolis,
Minnesota, October 4–8, 1997. 15

Partnering
Yet another form of establishing a relationship in the construction industry is partnering,
when all interested parties of the project, including the owner, agree upon and actually
sign a statement or resolution (generally not legally binding) that all parties will respond
to each others’ needs in a timely non-adversarial fashion for the interest of the project. The
success of the partnering program relies upon a dedicated point of contact from each dis-
cipline, usually at the project management level, who is experienced in understanding
timely needs of the members of the partnering team. If all parties do follow up and adhere
to the partnering relationship, the project could benefit financially and be completed on
scheduled.
The design professional should ascertain his or her areas of expertise when agreeing
upon the statement or resolution.

Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Recently, another project delivery system known as Building Information Modeling (BIM)
has been introduced and is being practiced in the design-construction industry. This sys-
tem, also known as integrated project delivery, provides tools to accurately model the struc-
ture in three dimensions, and to coordinate the structure among the different disciplines. BIM
provides valued information that can be used by the contractor and owner for cost estimation
and material procurement. The benefits in using BIM are especially evident for large and
more geometrically complicated projects such as stadiums, concert halls, museums, and high-
rise structures. BIM additionally benefits the project owner in maintaining the structure and
understanding its life cycle costs by having all of the project information from architectural,
structural, and mechanical systems in an electronic format.

CONTRACTING AND SUBCONTRACTING

Construction organizations must be familiar with the latest technology, improved machin-
ery, and sophisticated equipment and, above all, they must have the ability to deliver the
project on of schedule. Success will depend on the contractor’s competence to find ways to
increase profitability in an augmented competitive market. An understanding of the com-
petitive forces one faces, as well as the potential strategies available for responding to an