Get What You Pay For: Protect Your Budget With Pre-Construction Planning Services

At Ashton Construction Services (ACS), we provide proactive pre-construction planning programs designed to save you money by spotting and preventing potential issues long before you start construction. Read on to learn more about what pre-construction planning is, and how value engineering can save you time, money, and headaches.

The Perks of Pre-Construction

Pre-construction is an early-stage construction management process—and it takes place long before physical construction begins.

“It’s an opportunity for contractors, consultants, and clients to coordinate and review the project. During pre-construction, everyone comes together to develop a real understanding of what the client wants to build, and whether or not the project is feasible,” says Alex Kuczera, Project Coordinator at ACS. “When everyone plans ahead, they also gain more insight into financial scope and schedules.”

Without pre-planning, cost-management is difficult and value-engineering is almost impossible. The risk of over-spending skyrockets, as does the risk of scheduling conflicts. This is why it’s critical to secure products, equipment, utility hook-ups, and tradespeople well before construction begins.

A thorough pre-construction planning process will:

• Ensure the build design aligns with your budget and project goals
• Highlight potential issues so you can mitigate them or avoid them completely
• Improve communication and coordination between everyone who’s involved in your project
• Make the most of your resources, including materials and labour, so that delays are avoided and less is wasted

In commercial construction, people may be tempted to skip over pre-construction planning because of budgetary concerns. After all, it’s no small task to bring a contractor and their team into these early planning processes. Unfortunately, skipping pre-construction can be much more costly—due to unnecessary delays, communication problems, and supply shortages.

“Our experience with pre-construction has shown that the costs required up-front allow for better cost-management when the project moves into the physical construction phase,” says Kuczera. “There are simply fewer unforeseen changes and expenses.”

Pre-Construction, Step-By-Step

Wondering what a thorough pre-construction planning process looks like? Here’s what’s included:

Regularly Scheduled Discussions

For a commercial construction project, you’ll likely begin these discussions months or even years before physical construction starts. These meetings are an opportunity for everyone on your construction team to discuss and review your project design, and assess your goals and priorities at each stage of development. The result? Open lines of communication and a group of stakeholders who are all on the same page when the construction phase begins.

Estimate Creation and Adjustments

By engaging a construction management company early on, you’ll give your contractor more time to explore potential challenges and solutions related to your project—which means you get more accurate estimates. Bringing stakeholders together for regular meetings also makes it easier to improve cost-management and spot value-engineering opportunities.

How Value Engineering Saves You Money

Wondering what “value engineering” is? Simply put, it’s a method or process designed to boost the value of goods and services. But what exactly is value? Technically, it’s the ratio of function to cost—it’s your bang for your buck.

When you use value engineering methods, you’re typically trying to find a way to increase the quality or desirability of a product or service while charging the same price, or find a way to reduce the price without impacting quality.

Pre-construction planning is a form of value engineering designed specifically for the construction industry. Here’s how it can save you money: 

• Cost-efficient materials can be sourced in advance, preventing over-spending later on if necessary supplies are scarce.
• Materials and construction approaches can be carefully selected with design and financial efficiency in mind.
• Designs and schedules are streamlined, reducing the chance of tradespeople showing up for work that isn’t ready for them yet, or utility hook-ups being scheduled for the wrong day.

A Communitea Success

When Communitea Café, a restaurant, tea shop, and live music venue, was renovated in downtown Canmore, pre-construction planning was a big factor in the success of the project.

“Because of the extensive budgeting, scheduling, value engineering, and procurement we did as part of the pre-construction planning process, we were able to complete that renovation in a two-week shut-down,” says ACS CEO Steve Ashton.

Thanks to the expertise of ACS project managers, the company was able to pre-order all the millwork, countertops, tile, stainless steel, plumbing and electrical fixtures, and more. That ensured that all the materials required for the renovation were ready and waiting to be installed in advance.

“Extensive planning and going over every detail ahead of time lead to a project on time and on budget with a very short shut down window,” says Ashton.

Do You Need Pre-Construction Services? Here’s How to Tell

Let’s Build Something Amazing

When you engage ACS, you access a strong, experienced team that values its client and community relationships over everything else. We’ve built strong connections with local tradespeople and established a reputation for honesty and transparency.

We work hard to understand client priorities and needs, and we’re committed to advocating for them when working with our partners. That way, our clients get the results they want, on-time, and on-budget.

If you’re planning a commercial construction project, let’s talk. Contact us today to learn how our pre-construction program can save you time and money.

Blog article written by: Scribe National

Photos by: Eva Urbanska

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